by Alex Hammond
For advice on early drafts I owe gratitude to Belinda Byrne and Jodie Lee as well as Ben Chessell, Patrick O’Shea, David Witteveen and Rjurik Davidson – who are exactly the kind of first readers a writer could hope for. Thanks again to Miles Browne who I should really put on retainer for his shrewd legal insight.
And of course my family for their unfaltering encouragement, deepest thanks to Carol-Anne, Terence and Claire. Finally to my remarkable wife, Berni, without whom I would never have written this book, and to my daughters Francesca and Genevieve, who are already an inspiration.
ALSO BY ALEX HAMMOND
One man’s search for justice and redemption plunges him into the violent world of Melbourne’s underbelly.
Defence lawyer Will Harris is reluctantly drawn into a bizarre murder trial. A terminally ill man claims to have witnessed the brutal crime – in a vision. But the looming trial is more than just a media circus: it’s Will’s first big case since the tragic death of his fiancée.
With the pressure mounting, Will’s loyalties are split when his fiancée’s sister is charged with drug trafficking. The strain of balancing both cases takes its toll and Will finds himself torn between following the law and seeking justice.
Blood Witness is a dark powerful thriller from a talented new voice.
‘A slick, fast-paced legal thriller set in Melbourne but with a genuine international flavour and with enough twists to surprise even the most avid fans of the genre’ West Australian
‘An entertaining and interesting thriller and a great start to a new Australian crime series with lots of potential’ Book’d Out
‘A lot of fun . . . and a cracking twist in the tale’ Courier-Mail
MICHAEL JOSEPH
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Penguin Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies
whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
First published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2015
Copyright © Alex Hammond, 2015
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Cover and text design by Adam Laszczuk © Penguin Group (Australia)
Cover photographs: Eric Forey / Trevillion Images
penguin.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74253-830-3
THE BEGINNING
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