Suicides, hangings, shootings, car accidents, drownings, cliff falls, electrocutions …
Detective Peter Seymour has seen every type of death imaginable in his time in the NSW Coroner’s Court and, after many years in law enforcement, the tragedies are beginning to take their toll.
Dealing with death day in day out becomes too much for Seymour and this seasoned veteran starts to grapple with overwhelming feelings of fear and doubt. He decides to return to the police force hoping the operational work might offer some reprieve. Fate would have it otherwise as he is thrust straight back into an intense murder investigation.
One Friday night in the year 2000, Nick Hanes is heading home after a night out with his mates. Barely two-hundred and fifty metres from his home, he is set upon by two men. Bashed, beaten then murdered, Hanes dies after a senseless and random attack.
Seymour is called to the St Mary’s crime scene. He examines the body and discovers that there are very few clues, no leads and no witnesses. As the case unravels it takes every bit of his experience, tenacity and determination to not only discover the identity of the perpetrators but to also deal with his own demons that are beginning to spiral out of control.
Shattered Lives tells the true story of two men embarking on dangerous paths. One man finds himself the victim of a violent crime, the other searching for justice for the dead man’s family as he struggles with his own battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the result of a life spent giving his all for others. Both paths are intertwined, and there is no turning back.
About the Authors
Peter Seymour joined the New South Wales Police Force in 1980 as an eighteen-year-old, spending four years in uniform, twelve years as a detective and eight years as a police prosecutor. His career spanned 24 years before being discharged suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2004. At the time of his discharge he had attained the specialist qualifications of Designated Detective, Designated Police Prosecutor, Specialist Coronial Prosecutor and Trained Internal Affairs Investigator.
Jason K. Foster is an author, freelance journalist and history teacher who grew up in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. He is currently studying his PhD in Media and Communication at RMIT, focusing on the representations of history in film and other media. He holds a Master’s degree, as well as degrees in Journalism, Secondary History teaching, and Spanish.
