[]
The Second Son
Published 17 January 2023
ISBN 9781922458971
Format Paperback
Extent 464pp
AU Price $22.99
NZ Price $26.00

The Second Son

Winner of the 2021 Best Debut Crime Fiction Ned Kelly Award

Formats & editions
Paperback
17 Jan 2023
EBook
2 Feb 2021
Buy from…
Amazon Booktopia Dymocks QBD Readings Your Bookstore Abbeys Boomerang Collins Gleebooks Harry Hartog Kinokuniya Robinsons The Nile Mighty Ape

Winner of the 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction, The Second Son takes readers on a exhilarating ride on the mean streets of Western Sydney

Duty always has a price.

When Ivan Novak is shot dead putting out his garbage bins in Sydney’s west, his family wants revenge, especially his father Milan, a notorious crime boss. It’s a job for the second son, Ivan’s younger brother Johnny.

But Johnny loves his wife Amy and their son Sasha. And she’s about to deliver her ultimatum: either the three of them escape this wave of killing or she’ll leave, taking Sasha.

Torn between loyalty to his family and love for his wife, Johnny plans the heist of a lifetime and takes a huge risk. Is he prepared to pay the price? And what choice will Amy make?

The Second Son is a brilliant action-packed crime debut that creates a world where honour is everything, violence is its own language, and love means breaking all the rules.
Published 17 January 2023
ISBN 9781922458971
Format Paperback
Extent 464pp
AU Price $22.99
NZ Price $26.00

About the author

Loraine Peck

From magician’s assistant to crime novelist, it’s all about mastering the art of subterfuge for Loraine Peck, whose love of crime fiction propelled her to write the kind of book she loves to read. The Double Bind is the sequel to Loraine’s debut novel, The Second Son, which won the 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction from the Australian Crime Writers Association. It was shortlisted for two Davitt Awards by Sisters in Crime and for a Danger Award by BAD Crime Sydney. Loraine and her husband spend their time between Sydney and the Gold Coast.
portrait photo of Loraine Peck

Also by Loraine Peck

The Double Bind
See all

Praise for The Second Son

Dark, gritty, and full of deliciously complex characters.

Candice Fox

Tight and tense, The Second Son is a wonderfully sharp-toothed crime thriller.

Christian White

At first glance, The Second Son is a modern-day Godfather that paints a brutal, bullet-ridden picture of gang warfare in Sydney’s western suburbs. Look again, and it’s a compelling exploration of inherited trauma and the endless cycle of violence. Get right up close and it’s a tender story of fear, love and—ultimately—hope. A sharp and striking debut.

Anna Downes