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Published: 1st July 2012

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After 30 years of silence, and on the eve of the verdict of a Fourth Inquest, Michael Chamberlain writes his own account of the death of his baby daughter Azaria Chamberlain in a heart-wrenching and compelling book. Never before has Michael Chamberlain spoken about this tragic event and the release comprises a number of picture sections with exclusive unreleased family images. The story of the Chamberlains has been the one subject that has divided many a dinner party throughout Australia and the world.

They were a young family who loved the outdoors. When they took their two young children and baby to Ayers Rock they never knew their lives would be forever changed. Tragedy struck when a dingo forced its way into the tent and dragged their daughter Azaria to its lair. 'That dingo's got my baby!'. That 'cry in the dark' on 17 August, 1980 of her mother Lindy Chamberlain remains imprinted in the world's mind.

In Heart of Stone Michael takes the reader back to the place where it all began - Ayers Rock (before it was also named Uluru) . In a detailed, methodical and emotional account he writes of all tragic moment when Lindy heard the 'cry in the dark' and the discovery of the empty baby's bed. Michael describes that long night - with Aboriginal trackers springing to their aid to search, and the head ranger who had agonized for three months previous about the troublesome dingoes in the camping areas.

He describes in detail the heartache of the first inquest at Ayers Rock - the first to be broadcast live - which declared that the dingo had taken the baby, and then the turnaround, when he and his wife were charged with suspected murder.

Michael describes his life in the painful and horrendous lead up to the arrest and persecution of his wife Lindy and her wrongful imprisonment for the murder of her own child in the 'trial of the century'. He takes the reader through their ordeal of the following inquests, the tragic breakup of their marriage. When an English tourist fell off the rock the search led to the discovery of the 'matinee jacket' in a dingo lair. The news led to Lindy's release 'on compassionate grounds' and yet another inquiry.

All of these events are described, as Michael lived in the unrelenting glare of the media, whose opinion and fostering of rumours added to the impression of the public of Michael and his family. There were unfounded rumours, for example, that Azaria meant 'sacrifice in the desert' when it actually means 'blessed'. Questions over Michael's reluctance to cry in public, or his reserved nature were taken to mean he was hiding the truth.

Michael's own determination for justice has led to a fourth inquest in the Northern Territory of Australian into the death of Azaria.

"This book is about getting justice for a family, full circle. It is about the impossible mission driven this time by me, against all odds; to open the fourth inquest and the truth, backed by the law, declaring that a dingo killed Azaria."

While Lindy has published her own book, with a TV mini series based on that, John Bryson has written Evil Angels and Meryl Streep starred in Cry in the Dark, this book is a missing link in the story of Azaria, written in his own hand by her father

About the Author

Michael describes his life in the painful and horrendous lead up to the arrest and persecution of his wife Lindy and her wrongful imprisonment for the murder of her own child in the "trial of the century".

ISBN: 9781742572895
ISBN-10: 1742572898
Audience: General
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 456
Published: 1st July 2012
Dimensions (cm): 24.4 x 16.3  x 4.2
Weight (kg): 0.87