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.

Details

ISBN13: 9781761823855
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 352
Edition:
Publication Date: 01 Sep 2026
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
Publication City, Country: Australia
Dimensions (cm): 23.4(H)x15.3(L)566
Weight (gm): 566

Author Biography

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.

Reviews

‘An unflinching, morally uncompromising crime novel about thwarted justice, institutional failure, exacted revenge and the price paid when the system looks away.’ * Readings *
‘Hard hitting, full of tension and pace that doesn’t stop until you’ve turned the last page.’ -- Fleur McDonald, author of The Witness
‘The Reckoning opens with a menacing scenario that’s truly ominous. Petraitis then skillfully takes the reader galloping through ever-escalating situations, thankfully interspersed with Waffles, Wozza and plenty of cake. Petraitis fans – all crime fans – will lap this up.’ -- Michelle Prak, author of The Rush
‘No one writes true crime fiction like Vikki Petraitis. In the tradition of her two earlier Antigone Pollard books, The Reckoning shines the spotlight on the stories – and the victims – behind the headlines that capture us all. Reading a Petraitis novel is akin to sitting down with your own case file and discovering how the system really works, yet any return to Deception Bay also feels like sitting down over tea and biscuits with old, dear friends. Such is the skill of Petraitis as a crime writer. She melds the personal and the political perfectly.’ -- Jacqueline Bublitz, author of Before You Knew My Name