Cirrus@Austlit

'This collection of stories centres on the idea of 'accidental death', and the upheaval caused in the lives of those who lose a loved one in this way. Several of the cases examined here turned out, on investigation, not to be accidents at all. Some were crimes. Some remain unexplained; others were shown to be just what they appeared to be. What connects them is what happens to those involved: suddenly, grieving people are thrown into the spotlight. There is no privacy and nowhere to hide. Like it or not, and often through no fault of their own, these people become part of an investigation, subject to the scrutiny of police, media, the courts, and the court of public opinion.

'Featuring a range of meticulously researched cases — from the tragic story of Akon Guode, jailed in 2017 for driving her children into a lake, to the accidental death of cricketer Phillip Hughes — Australia’s ‘queen of true crime’ delves deep into the criminal justice system. With Bowles’s trademark compassion and forensic attention to detail, Accidental Death explores the reality of ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations when an accident upends their lives.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'It is commonly believed that women are the gentle sex, but reading some of these accounts of crimes committed and lives endured may make you think again. The skill or sheer brazenness involved or, in other stories, the apparent miscarriages of justice, will take your breath away.

'Two of the cases in this new book by Australia's leading female true writer, Robin Bowles, involve murder, including the lead story which, for the first time, details the controversial case of Tasmanian Susan Neill-Fraser. There is also a prison breakout, a mysterious disappearance, child abduction and drug smuggling.

'The protagonists themselves have contributed a new perspective on the information currently available via prison interviews Robin conducted with Tania Herman, Renae Lawrence (by illegal mobile phone in Renae's case!) and Susan Neill-Fraser, plus other interviews with people never interviewed before about these cases. A long-awaited collection of stories by Australia's true crime queen. Stories from Australia's female crims, including Tania Herman, Renae Lawrence and Susan Neill-Fraser telling their experiences directly to Robin from their prison homes. ' (Publication summary)