The Reckoning

When the system fails, justice must take another form.

When two convicted rapists walk free on appeal, the town of Deception Bay splits down the middle. The men swagger onto a packed cricket ground on Australia Day to a hero’s welcome. Before lunch is over, dozens of people fall ill. Among them, the newly released men.

As panic rips through the town and emergency services buckle, Detective Antigone Pollard and her partner, Wozza, scramble to figure out what has happened. Is it an accident? Or was this deliberate?

When Antigone’s mother, a doctor, vanishes while responding to a call for help, Antigone enters a desperate race to find her. But time is running out.

Antigone faces a choice and, this time, she doesn’t wait for permission. With no good options left, she does what she always does – relies on herself.

The Reckoning is an unflinching, morally uncompromising crime novel about thwarted justice, institutional failure, exacted revenge and the price paid when the system looks away.

About the Author

Vikki Petraitis's true crime work includes the bestselling book The Frankston Murders and The Phillip Island Murder. Vikki has made both these cases into hugely successful podcast series with Casefile Presents, which have topped charts around the world and been downloaded millions of times. Her expertise lies in interviewing police and victims to create compelling narratives.

Vikki brought thirty years of true crime writing and investigating to create her first work of fiction, The Unbelieved, which won the inaugural A&U Crime Prize. The book is now being made into an ABC and BBC co-production, DUSTFALL, to be aired in late 2026. Vikki is also a popular presenter, well known for her compelling true crime talks and keynote addresses.