Perfect Victim: A chilling account of a bizarre and callous murder
(Paperback)
Publishing Details
Perfect Victim: A chilling account of a bizarre and callous murder
By (Author) Megan Norris
By (author) Elizabeth Southall
Penguin Random House Australia
Penguin Random House Australia
2nd June 2003
Australia
Classifications
Physical Properties
Paperback
352
Width 109mm, Height 182mm, Spine 26mm
260g
Description
One night in March 1999, fifteen-year-old dance student Rachel Elizabeth Barber vanished. No one could have guessed that she had become another girl's 'perfect' victim. Happy. Beautiful. Talented. She had everything her killer could want. Perceived by crime experts everywhere as one of the most bizarre homicides they had encountered, Perfect Victim recounts two stories- Rachel's mother Elizabeth Southall tells of her family's heart-rendering experience - how they lived through unimaginable tragedy, going to extraordinary lengths to prove their daughter wasn't a runaway. Criminal court reporter Megan Norris provides another side of the picture; the analysis, the astonishment of professionals when faced with the killer's weird and unsettling letters, and the police proceedings that led, eventually, to the Rachel Barber case being solved. Confronting and compelling, this is an incredible story about a callous and calculated crime. Coming soon to Foxtel Movies as 'I am You' starring Guy Pearce, Miranda Otto and Sam Neill.
Author Bio
Megan Norris is a 44-year-old UK-born journalist experienced in the criminal justice system. Her career in journalism began in 1976 as a reporter in the UK covering courts, police rounds and general news. Later, specialising in court coverage, she wrote about the impact of crime on victims and their families. She has covered stories including the aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre and some of Australia's most high-profile serial killers and stalkers. Her first contract with Elizabeth came when she was preparing a story about the Barber family for Australian Consolidated Press. Elizabeth and Megan became firm friends and a collaboration began. Megan's following of the Rachel Barber case and her research for Perfect Victim has occupied her life for over three years. She lives in Melbourne, Victoria, with her husband Stephen and their two sons Alex and Peter.
