Vikki Petraitis – författare

'How did a kid from the country who dreamed of joining the Victoria Police, end up on the wrong side of the bars? There are a lot of reasons, and I hope this story will help clarify some of them, not only for you, the reader, but for me too, because a lot of the time I am left shaking my head, wondering how things went so wrong.'Paul Dale knows he is tainted. After almost fifteen years as a cop, working in Homicide and rising to the rank of Detective Sergeant in the Victorian Drug Squad, he saw the worst of what people can do. But when he was accused and jailed firstly for drug offences and then for murder, Dale realised the murky world he was navigating was going to take him under too.Dale dealt with crims like Carl Williams, Terry Hodson and Tommy Ivanovic on the Melbourne streets. But when a burglary ended in Hodson's arrest, Dale's life started to unravel. He turned to Nicola Gobbo, a lawyer and friend he thought could help: the lawyer who became known as Lawyer X.Eventually exonerated of any crimes, Paul Dale's story reveals the shocking deals done at the highest levels of the Victorian Police Force and the damage wrought by Victoria Police's use of Lawyer X.

A chilling and timely crime fiction debut, winner of the inaugural Allen & Unwin Crime Prize and perfect for fans of Chris Hammer’s Scrublands and Jane Harper’s The Dry. Moving back to her quiet coastal hometown in the wake of a catastrophically failed case in Melbourne, Senior Detective Antigone Pollard finds there are some things you can’t run from. A month into her new life, she is targeted by a would-be rapist at a local pub. When the male witnesses and even her own colleagues close ranks in defence of her attacker, it becomes clear this is only the tip of the iceberg. As Antigone searches for answers, she encounters a wall of silence built on secrets, denial and fear. The women of the town are scared, and they know the law is not on their side. In the face of a society that would rather she lie down and keep quiet, Antigone decides to take a stand. To do whatever it takes to get justice for all the survivors in Deception Bay, no matter the cost to herself.Gripping from the first page to the last, The Unbelieved offers a raw and uncompromising look at a small-town world that is all too real, and introduces a stunning new voice in Australian crime fiction. ‘A brilliant crime debut’ CHRIS HAMMER, bestselling author of Scrublands ‘Tight, tense and unrelenting’ CANDICE FOX, author of The Crimson Lake    ‘Compelling, clever and utterly convincing’ JACQUELINE BUBLITZ, author of Before You Knew My Name‘Be warned: once you pick up The Unbelieved you won’t be able to put it down!’ Good Housekeeping

Step into the dark heart of small-town Australia in this gripping follow-up to the award-winning The Unbelieved – perfect for fans of Chris Hammer’s Scrublands and Jane Harper’s The Dry. After a calm start to the summer holiday season, the small coastal town of Deception Bay is rocked by a report of a missing baby. Detective Antigone Pollard steps up to lead the team searching for the kidnapper, but the case is complicated by the return of her old boss, Bill Wheeler, who seems determined to thwart her progress.  To make matters worse, the frantic investigation is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Antigone’s mother in need of her help. As family secrets threaten to spill over, and with time running out to find the missing baby, Antigone finds herself fighting on two fronts and facing the same two questions. Who’s protecting the women? And what happens when we don’t believe them?  ‘Delivers on absolutely every page. Vikki Petraitis is the real deal!’ HAYLEY SCRIVENOR, award-winning author of Dirt Town  ‘Crackles with tension’ CHRISTIAN WHITE, author of The Ledge  ‘A must-read’ JACQUELINE BUBLITZ, author of Before You Knew My Name

A dark, morally uncompromising crime novel about overturned justice, institutional failure, and the price paid when the system looks away, perfect for fans of Chris Hammer’s Scrublands and Jane Harper’s The Dry. Justice is overturned.The consequences are just beginning.When the convictions of two men accused of rape are suddenly quashed, their return to Deception Bay is celebrated at a packed Australia Day cricket match. Before the day is done, dozens of people collapse with symptoms of poisoning – including the newly freed men themselves.Detective Antigone Pollard and her partner Wozza are thrown into a mass casualty crisis as emergency services are pushed to breaking point. With medical resources exhausted, Antigone’s mother, Dr Jilly Pollard, agrees to assess a sick child on a nearby farm. When she fails to return, Antigone retraces her journey – and walks straight into a siege.Negotiators take control. Protocol is enforced. Time is allowed to run out.With lives on the line and no good options left, Antigone makes a choice that will change everything.She goes in.