The Murder of Allison Baden-Clay

Book excerpt: How did a father with no criminal history come to be on trial for the brutal murder of his wife? It began with a phone call to Brisbane police on 20 April 2012. Allison, wife of real estate agent Gerard Baden-Clay, was missing. When investigating officers arrived at the family home, in one of the city’s wealthiest suburbs, a neatly dressed Gerard was about to send the couple’s three daughters off to school. Scratches on his face were shaving cuts, he told them. Police weren’t so sure and opened one of Australia’s most high-profile investigations. Ten days after Gerard reported Allison’s disappearance, the body of the former beauty queen was discovered on a creek bank 14 kilometres from home. The Murder of Allison Baden-Clay is written by the investigative journalist who covered the case from the start. It weaves together exclusive interviews and police and court records to explain how an upstanding family man with no criminal history received a life sentence for murder. It's a story of love, lust, image, ambition and marriage. It’s also a story about everyday choices and their consequences.