Australians are fascinated by crime and the people who commit it. Theyre intrigued by their motives and their methods, and the way theyre caught. Society has long been burdened by its share of bad guys, thugs and standover men, by crooks and corruption and by a pervasive and destructive drug culture. Those elements have regularly led to crimes of passion, hate and greed, and it seems the more lurid the detail, the more bizarre the circumstances, the more fascinated we are by it. Our best connection with major crime stories has often been the front pages of our newspapers, and the authors of this true crime collection have written many of the frontpage stories that have whetted our appetites and often left us wanting more details and more inside information. The stories in this line-up take us behind the scenes in cases that have made headlines over the past 25 years. Some of them are well known and instantly recognisable; some were overtaken by events and never dominated the news. All are good yarns, written by two of Victorias most experienced crime writers. Geoff Wilkinson and Keith Moor have been loitering with intent around cop shops and courtrooms for 50 years between them. They know their stuff and they know a good crime story.
Geoff Wilkinson retired from daily journalism after 43 years in the media, working in newspapers, television and as founding Media Director of Victoria Police. While working for the police between 1981-89 he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship, and in 1987 established Australias first Crime Stoppers program. He was a board member of Crime Stoppers Victoria for 18 years, is a life member of Crime Stoppers Victoria and was also a foundation member of the Blue Ribbon Day Council. In 2008, he was awarded an Order Of Australia medal for community service. Shortly after his retirement from full-time journalism in 2012 he was appointed to the board of Victorias Sentencing Advisory Council, a position he held for the next six years. In September 2014, he was appointed a community member of the Adult Parole Board, and was reappointed for another three-year term in 2018. He is the co-author of Mugshots 1. Keith Moor is Insight Editor of the Herald Sun. Keith won Australias top journalism award, the Walkley Award for news reporting, in 1986. He won the coveted award for his coverage of the kidnap of two Victorian aid workers in Pakistan. Keith travelled into war-torn Afghanistan to fi nd the couple. He became the Herald Suns fi rst Chief of Staff when the paper was formed in 1990, later progressing to become its News Editor and then Managing Editor (News) in 1995. Keith is the head of the Herald Suns investigative unit, having been appointed Insight Editor in November 1996. appointed a community member of the Adult Parole Board, and was reappointed for another three-year term in 2018.
