A long-listed finalist for the 2009 Walkley non-fiction book of the year
The Killing of Caroline Byrne is billed as the definitive inside story, and Sydney Morning Herald journalist Robert Wainwright is certainly the man for the job. This book unravels the minutiae of one of Australia’s longest and most sensational murder cases.
The cast of characters could be straight from a television crime procedural – the beautiful, murdered model, her grief-stricken father doggedly seeking justice, the murder suspect tumbled from high-finance grace.
The Killing of Caroline Byrne is billed as the definitive inside story, and Sydney Morning Herald journalist Robert Wainwright is certainly the man for the job.
Wainwright didn’t just follow the case – he provided two key witnesses for the prosecution, and he was on the flight from London that returned suspect Gordon Wood to Australia.
Making use of exclusive interviews with Caroline’s father, Tony Byrne, Wainwright weaves a strong narrative bolstered with new revelations.
As Ross Fitzgerald wrote in his review of the book for The Australian, “Wainwright’s deceptively simple writing style gathers momentum as the enthralling but complicated tale unfolds.
The easy reading of The Killing of Caroline Byrne is the result of the author’s hard work and narrative persistence.
“Although the case was covered widely across Australia, he reveals fascinating snippets of previously inaccessible information. And then there are facts that are not well known. How many readers know, for example, that Byrne had a psychology degree from the University of Sydney and that Wood boasted a degree in economics?”
The Killing of Caroline Byrne: A journey to justice by Robert Wainwright, Allen & Unwin, RRP $24.99
