by Jane Jago
Gabe Lowe’s desk was at the centre of an open-plan office that covered half the floor space of a large, light-filled atrium. ‘Hey!’ He stood up and shook the incomer’s hand. ‘You’re early. I like that.’ He waved in the direction of one of his co-workers. ‘Brian! Come meet Anderson. This is the guy I told you about, our new systems-installation administrator.’
‘Good to meet you, Anderson.’
‘Brian looks after our brains trust, so to speak. He makes sure everyone stays up to speed and keeps doing what they do best.’
Anderson nodded awkwardly.
‘Sit, sit. First the paperwork.’ Lowe pulled out several sheets from a ring binder. ‘The usual stuff . . . Tax forms, Superfund, personal details, salary sacrifice.’ He laid the forms down one by one.
Anderson began writing, furiously replicating his details across the top of the pages.
‘First aid. Don’t worry if it’s not current. The firm runs a refresher every quarter. Police background check.’
Anderson paused, halfway through a word.
‘That’s a legal due diligence, given that some of our clients are libraries and educational institutes.’
He put the pen back to the paper and continued writing Geoffrey Wade Anderson.
‘Welcome on board, Anderson – or do you prefer Geoffrey?’
‘Anderson is just fine,’ he replied, without looking up.
Acknowledgements
Heartfelt thanks to my agent Piers Blofeld, for his conviction and enthusiasm in championing this book.
To the entire team at Penguin MJ. Louise Moore, Maxine Hitchcock. My Editor Clare Bowron for her insight, patience and sensitivity. Copy-editor Hazel Orme for all her help. Hana Osman for hers.
To loved ones, parents, family, friends, and readers past and present, who have offered encouragement along the way; you know who you are.
Thanks to my son Martin for his love and support.
To my son Hari for his love and support, and for his editorial input, creative feedback and counsel throughout the project.
To Lauren for the love, laughter and guidance. To Bill for the letters and the words, RIP.
To past mentors: NRWC, QWR, Hachette, AFC, Mark Malatesta, Bernadette Foley, Marele Day, Annette Barlow, Sarah Armstrong, Rebecca Sparrow, Angela Slatter, and Peter Bishop.
And God, who sent them.
Reading Group Discussion Questions
Has your response to the plight of the three families involved in this tragedy surprised you at all?
Do you feel Danny and Graham were too young to be ‘capable of malice’? How does this affect your views on the nature/nurture debate?
Many would say the perpetrators of a crime like this were ‘born evil’, but this book disputes that in a very thought-provoking way. What do you think?
Alex Reiser finds a surprising number of precedent cases in his research, and the public and legal responses are all quite different. What did you make of the Norwegian case and the decision not to report it as a crime but as a tragedy?
Rachel and Mathew grieve in conflicting ways for Benjamin and it seems that all too often after loss or trauma a marriage fails. Do you think it would ever be possible for a marriage to survive something like this?
The author shows how greatly the lives of the perpetrators and their families were destroyed as well as those of the Allen family. Do you think this is appropriate punishment for such a heinous crime? Or a further tragedy in itself?
And what does this make you feel about the penal system and the responsibilities of the press?
Rachel Allen talks very movingly about how much harder her grieving process was, due to the press intrusion and Benjamin being ‘public property’. Do you think this was inevitable given the nature of the crime or do you think the press had an unsavoury role that would benefit from being addressed going forwards?
THE BEGINNING
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PENGUIN BOOKS
UK | USA | Canada | Ireland | Australia
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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 2016
Copyright © Jane Jago, 2016
The moral right of the author has been asserted
Cover images © Alamy
ISBN: 978-1-405-9204-38
Table of Contents
Title Page
About the Author
Author’s Note
Dedication
Prologue
Choices
Clues
Habits
Shame
Doubts
History
Chemistry
Ghosts
Code Blue
Wanted
Names
Voices
Truth
Fruits
Living
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Reading Group Discussion Questions
Follow Penguin
Copyright