Synopsis

Like Michael Connelly’s Bosch, former war correspondent John Bailey will risk everything to get to the truth – and expose a deadly enemy. He heard a voice, someone calling out in the distance, followed by a loud fluttering of birds. Bailey looked up just in time to see a body falling from the sky ... Investigative journalist John Bailey will risk everything to get to the truth so being kicked when he’s down comes with the territory. Having lost the one woman who was always there to pick him up, the former war correspondent is doing his best to turn his life around without her. He has a new job. He’s given up the drink. He even has a dog. But then Federal Police raid his home with a warrant granting them unprecedented powers to take anything they want – including all his electronic devices and passwords. When Bailey protests, they threaten to put him in a prison cell if he doesn’t comply. Someone wants to stop Bailey doing what he does best – exposing the truth. He has been investigating the rise of a global white supremacist group and suspects that a notorious neo-Nazi in the United States has been directing deadly racist attacks on Sydney’s streets. When a body of one of his key sources washes up on a nearby beach, it’s clear Bailey and anyone helping him have become targets. Bailey reaches out for help from a reliable and ruthless old friend – CIA veteran, Ronnie Johnson – and the pair discover a deadly enemy emerging from the shadows. An enemy who thought they were untouchable. Until now … ‘Sharp, gritty, sophisticated. Ayliffe’s criminal world is terrifyingly real’ Candice Fox Praise for State of Fear ‘Another brilliantly crafted thriller from Ayliffe that fits perfectly in today’s worrying world … Verdict: Get this guy on TV’ Herald Sun ‘Sharp, incisive and scarily prescient, I was hooked from the first chapter to the final page.’ Sara Foster, bestselling author of The Hidden Hours ‘Utterly compelling and terrifyingly timely. I could not put it down’ Pip Drysdale, bestselling author of The Sunday Girl ‘As a correspondent, I lived this world. Tim Ayliffe has written it’ Stan Grant, writer and broadcaster Praise for The Greater Good ‘A brilliantly written character starring in cracking crime thriller’ Herald Sun ‘A fun and exhilarating political crime thriller that is guaranteed to electrify and entertain in good measure.’ The Unseen Library ‘Readers will not fail to enjoy the ride from start to finish.’ Good Reading ‘A crime thriller with the lot: murder, deceit, corruption and a hint of romance … Ayliffe takes you deep inside the worlds of politics and the media, with a heavy dose of international intrigue thrown in.’ Michael Rowland 'Ayliffe delivers a taut, nail-biting page-turner, stamping his mark on the modern day Australian thriller.’ Better Reading ‘If Rake were a journalist, with a talent that equals his capacity to survive being beaten up, Bailey would be him.’ Julia Baird ‘An absolute cracker of a thriller.’ Chris Uhlmann,

Release date: July 28, 2021

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia

Print pages: 368

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