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9781743057810

Dead by Friday

How lust and greed led to murder in the suburbs

Abraham Maddison / Derek Pedley

He was once a bronzed lifesaver but is now a balding, overweight Beaurepaires manager nearing 40, an ambitious man with desires his marriage cannot satisfy. She is 29, the wife of one of his employees; a serial cheater and manipulator, she can curl her lips into a knowing smile and bat bedroom eyes at any man who cares to take a second look. Kevin Matthews and Michelle Burgess are made for each other.

The affair begins with furtive sex in parks and offices, moving on to whiskey fuelled, lunch-time trysts in motels. Their marriages crumble, his career and finances suffer and the obsession deepens. Pillow talk turns sinister and two murder plots are hatched. Contracts are issued. From the suburbs that brought us the Snowtown killers, enter the hitman, David Key.

But their lust and greed are infectious; Key is instantly infatuated with Michelle, the 'high-class sheila', and a second, parallel affair begins. Key buys drugs instead of a gun with his down-payment, forcing them to hatch a new plan. Michelle tips over the edge, leading to a shocking crime.

Recounted through the eyes of witnesses, families, friends, lovers and one of the intended victims, Dead by Friday draws on the meticulous police investigation and puts readers at the detectives' sides as they hunt the killers.

Shortlisted in the 2013 Ned Kelly Awards, True Crime section

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Journalist Abraham Maddison has worked in WA and SA newspapers since 1988, reporting and editing under his adoptive name, Derek Pedley. Under that name, he also published three true crime books, including two shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Crime Awards. He was a News Editor at the Advertiser in Adelaide and edited the paper's state and federal political coverage from 2013-2020. Abraham walked away from journalism in 2020 to complete Crazy Bastard, a memoir of his 1972 forced adoption, which took four years to research and write. He is now a sub editor at the Sunraysia Daily in Mildura. He lives in Adelaide and is married to historian Dr Shannon Schedlich, who co-researched and edited his memoir.

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ISBN   
CATEGORIES: ,
IMAGES   Greyscale images in section
PAGE COUNT   318
DIMENSIONS   234 x 156 mm