The Stolen by Vikki Petraitis (out September 2, 2025)
'Gripping, heartfelt, and intelligent, The Stolen is an emotionally rich thriller that crackles with tension.' Christian White, author of The Ledge
'The Stolen is compelling, down-to-earth Australian crime fiction that delivers on absolutely every page. Vikki Petraitis is the real deal!' Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town and Girl Falling
Senior Detective Antigone Pollard is fearless. Armed with a trained police dog, a black belt in judo and the will to speak her mind, she faces opposition head-on.
After six months, Antigone is feeling more settled in Deception Bay. The summer holiday season is off to a slow start and crime rates are down. But when a distraught mother calls the station to report her baby missing, Antigone and Wozza begin a race against time to find the baby and the person who brazenly took him.
In the middle of the frantic investigation, Antigone's mother, Dr Jilly Pollard, arrives for an unexpected visit and shares a tragic family secret, which she needs Antigone's help to resolve. Antigone takes a DNA test that yields two surprising results.
And just when things at the Deception Bay police station are running smoothly with a new commander, Senior Sergeant Amanda Filipovic, at the helm, circumstances change one stormy night. In the blink of an eye, Antigone's old boss, Bill Wheeler, is back, making the missing baby investigation harder every day.
Once again, Antigone faces the questions: who's protecting the women? And what happens when we don't believe them?
'To read a Vikki Petraitis crime novel is to be let in on the secret of how things really work, both at a procedural level, and in terms of the best and worst ways humans behave. It was a treat to revisit Senior Detective Antigone Pollard as she unravelled another twisty and topical mystery with the help of her authentic and (mostly) faithful support crew. Like The Unbelieved, The Stolen is a clear-eyed, fast-paced take on the reverberating effects of a crime on survivors and their community, making it a must-read for anyone who likes to go beyond the headlines, to where the true story waits.' Jacqueline Bublitz, author of Before You Knew My Name and Leave the Girls Behind
'Vikki Petraitis knows how to draw us into a story and hold us there. She has the gift of making us become emotionally invested in her characters. If you begin The Stolen, you will finish it, and you will have experienced a richly satisfying range of emotions along the way.' Robert Gott, author of The Port Fairy Murders and Naked Ambition
'I couldn't put The Stolen down. Vikki Petraitis has a way of getting under your skin, not just with her tight plotting, but with the emotional weight behind every chapter. Antigone Pollard is such a refreshingly real character: no clichés, no tropes, just a smart, tough, deeply caring cop doing the work. This isn't just crime fiction, it's fiction that makes you feel.' Anonymous Casefile host
