Twenty-one of Australia's most startling real-life crimes, from the late 1800s to the present day are collected here in one gripping volume. Using exhaustive research, court records, police statements and original interviews, Larry Writer offers fascinating new insights into the lives of some of Australia's most notorious villains and their victims.

The epic story of one of Australia's greatest maritime disasters, the wreck of the Dunbar.'gripping, engaging popular history' - Sydney Morning HeraldThe Dunbar was one of the most advanced and celebrated sailing ships of the mid-19th century. Built to carry passengers in speed and luxury on the long route from Britain to Australia, it was the Titanic of its day.Late at night on 20 August 1857, af...

Read the true story of Kate Leigh, Tilly Devine and Sydney's razor gang wars from the 1920's and 30's in this gripping book by acclaimed author Larry Writer. Using exhaustive research, Larry Writer offers fascinating new insights into this case and the people involved, villains and victims. Perfect for every 'Underbelly' fan.This chapter ebook is an extract from The Australian Book of True Crime.

Shortlisted for the 2015 William Hill Australian Sports Book of the Year AwardThis is a tale of innocents abroad. Thirty-three athletes left Australia in May 1936 to compete in the Hitler Olympics in Berlin. Believing sporting competition was the best antidote to tyranny, they put their qualms on hold. Anything to be part of the greatest show on earth.Dangerous Games drops us into a front row seat at the 100,000-capacity Olympic stadium to witness some of the finest sportin...

Continuing on as a series from The Australian Book of True Crime, this book tells the amazing stories of Australian heroes throughout history. Each chapter focuses on a different hero from the 19th century through to the modern day. Some heroes are ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary deeds in their daily jobs like Dr Fiona Wood who created plastic skin which has saved the lives of numerous burn victims, including those maimed in the Bali bombing. Other heroes display incre...

A moving Australian story about the power of brotherly love over poverty and circumstance, a tale of playing the hand you've been dealt. At the age of twenty-one, James Dack found himself alone and responsible for raising his younger brother Stephen when their cherished mother lost her battle with cancer. Long estranged from their abusive father, the pair became homeless and took up residence at the local Police Citizens Youth Club.Through determination and loyalty to each other - ...

The sprawling saga of legendary Australian cop, Bumper Farrell, the most feared and revered policeman in Australia's history.Frank 'Bumper' Farrell was the roughest, toughest street cop and vice-squad leader Australia has ever seen. Strong as a bull, with cauliflowered ears and fists like hams, Bumper's beat from 1938 to 1976 was the most lawless in the land - the mean streets of Kings Cross and inner Sydney. His adversaries were such notorious criminals as Abe Saf...

The recent floods that ravaged Queensland saw three-quarters of the state declared a disaster zone from the capital city on the Brisbane River to remote rural communities and caused billions of dollars worth of damage, forcing thousands to abandon their homes. This latest assault by nature reminds us all that, despite its stark beauty, the Australian landscape has a deadly edge. It is a place of flood, fire, earthquake and ferocious storms. The Australian Book of Disasters feature...

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Australia was the world's tennis superpower, producing players who dominated amateur grand slam tournaments, the Davis Cup and the professional circuit, and none was more successful, famous or influential than Rod Laver, whose two singles Grand Slams - winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and United States championships in a calendar year - have never been equalled.The Golden Era is Rod's deeply personal account of those great years. As a ...

An electrifying updated edition of the bestselling memoir from the frontwoman of Divinyls and one of Australia's greatest rock singersBrave, funny, ferocious - there's never been anyone like Chrissy Amphlett. A true legend of Australian rock'n'roll, we are so lucky that she shared her raw, gripping and searingly honest story. In these pages, Chrissy spared no one - least of all herself. Taking us from her childhood, where it became apparent music w...

An electrifying updated edition of the bestselling memoir from the frontwoman of Divinyls and one of Australia's greatest rock singersBrave, funny, ferocious - there's never been anyone like Chrissy Amphlett. A true legend of Australian rock'n'roll, we are so lucky that she shared her raw, gripping and searingly honest story. In these pages, Chrissy spared no one - least of all herself. Taking us from her childhood, where it became apparent music w...

Rod Laver's memoir is the inspiring story of how a diminutive, left-handed, red-headed country boy from Rockhampton, Australia became one of sports' greatest champions. Rod was a dominant force in world tennis for almost two decades, playing and defeating some of the greatest players of the twentieth century. In 1962, Rod became the second man to win the Grand Slam - that is, winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US titles in a single calendar year. In 1969, he won it again, becomi...