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Inside the Law

Vikki Petraitis took to writing true crime because, unlike crime fiction, it was so raw and it told the story of real people, real grief, real loss, real horror. A school teacher by day, Vikki had no idea that writing one book about one unsolved murder would give her a second career that has run alongside her chosen profession for 25 years. She has researched, investigated and written about real Australian crimes, from the well-known to the obscure; and interviewed countless police, crime scene professionals, victims, survivors and families. She did ride-alongs with members of Victoria Police so she could learn about their most memorable cases, and found herself right there with them when a serial killer's third victim was found. Vikki spent time with the dog squad learning how the four-legged police officers are trained to work with their two-legged partners. And she's become biographer to two well-known former cops, and to one of the many victims of institutional child abuse. Her career as a true crime writer has resulted in 13 books and counting, with subjects and titles as diverse as The Frankston Serial Killer, Crime Scene Investigations, Forensics, Cops, Once a Copper: Brian 'the Skull' Murphy, and the one that started it all – The Phillip Island Murder. Inside the Law is Vikki's life in crime; a collection of her favourite, personally influential, most memorable stories with a fresh narrative thread of the why, when and how she came to write them.

The Crime Scene Examiner

Vikki Petraitis

Forensic evidence is known as the 'silent witness'. Crime scene examiners make the silent witness speak. Sergeant Trevor Evans has been a crime scene examiner for 17 years, and worked the notorious case of murdered baby Jaidyn Leskie in Moe. He also examined the scene of the intriguing, still-unsolved murder of Jane Thurgood-Dove, a mother gunned down in the driveway of her home in Niddrie. Evans also used his wealth of experience when he was called to join the international team shifting through the debris after the Bali bombings, in order to identify those who lost their lives. Welcome to Crime Shots – short, sharp, true crime stories from Australia's past and present.

Pandora's Box

Vikki Petraitis

In 1996 a neighbour spies three Asian men running out of a court in Glen Waverley. It looks like two chasing one. But when they head towards a nearby car with an open boot, and suddenly the boot closes and there are only two men standing there, the chase takes on a more sinister aspect. Young Steve Tragardh joined the police force when he was 18 and a half; he'd tried uni for a while, but it wasn't for him. He had come through the private school system and while his parents might have harboured secret hopes of a career in medicine, or law like his twin brother, they offered their full support when their son chose policing. The kidnapping of this young Asian boy would go onto be a defining moment in his career. Welcome to Crime Shots – short, sharp, true crime stories from Australia's past and present.

Remembering Things Past

Vikki Petraitis

In the early 1950s, Rod Braybon's father died, leaving his mother with eight children she couldn't care for. As a ward of the state, Rod ended up at the notorious Bayswater Boys' Home, run by the Salvation Army, near Melbourne. Rod endured years of ill-treatment at the hands of the Salvation Army, then spent a life-time repressing the memories that haunted him. Finally, after seeing an article in a newspaper, Rod decided to speak out. His story created a nation-wide sensation and won a prestigious award for the journalist who broke it. That Rod was willing to speak out to try and ease the suffering of others like him, is incredible. That he survived at all, is nothing short of a miracle. This short story is expanded in Vikki's full-length book Salvation. Welcome to Crime Shots – short, sharp, true crime stories from Australia's past and present.

The Russell Street Bombing

Vikki Petraitis

In 1986 a bomb went off outside the main police headquarters in Russell Street Melbourne. The Russell Street Bombing looks at the consequences of this shocking act of violence from the point of view of an entire city, the police force that was targeted, and in particular one 19-year-old victim. Welcome to Crime Shots – short, sharp, true crime stories from Australia's past and present.

The Frankston Murders

Vikki Petraitis

Twenty-five years ago, serial killer Paul Denyer terrorised the bayside suburb of Frankston. Twenty-five years later, the trauma of his seven-week killing spree still haunts the community. The spate of murders in 1993 touched many more lives than just the three victims. All of Melbourne was gripped with fear, as Frankston and surrounding suburbs were flooded with police hunting the serial killer of three young women. It began on June 11 when Elizabeth Stevens was murdered on her way home from the library. On July 8, Debbie Fream who'd left her 12-day-old baby with a friend while she dashed out for milk, was abducted and killed. Three weeks later, Year 12 student, Natalie Russell, was brutally murdered on her way home from school. When Paul Denyer, an odd young man, was arrested the day after Natalie's body was found, the police and public were shocked by his lack of emotion. Denyer, who was only 21-years-old, spoke of the three young women with contempt as he described their final moments. Their deaths had simply fuelled his bloodlust. Eleven years later, just as the public's memory of the Frankston murders began to fade, convicted serial killer, Paul Denyer, made front-page news with his quest to become a woman. The Frankston Murders: 25 years on details the shocking crimes and explores the lingering effects of what Denyer did. Now 25-years-old, Debbie Fream's son Jake speaks for the first time about the loss of his mother. And Carmel and Brian Russell share their dream for Denyer's ongoing incarceration, as the killer of their child will be eligible to apply for parole for the first time in 2023.