The Man Who Wasn't There

(Paperback)

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A true story about lies, murder and the Territory

Sorry, mate, but thats the message. Zak says to grow some balls and defend him.
Youve got to remember he is still a young bloke, stuck in Darwin prison where its always hot, the food is slop and they get rats in the wet season.
Its not enough just to help him get out; Zak wants people to accept his innocence and that he was wrongfully convicted.
I dont know what you want to do with that, he tells me.

Zak Grieve grew up in an outback town, at the crossroads between right and wrong, white and black, punishment and forgiving. Convicted of a brutal killing despite even the judge saying he wasnt there when it happened, he spent years writing letters describing his hopes and dreams, his role in what happened, and how when the real world came down on him with a tonne of punishment, he wasnt ready.

This is a book about growing up, about dying and about writing. In the end, it is only Zaks imagination, given life in the novels he also writes inside prison, that hold the key to his survival.

In the grand tradition of Helen GarnersJoe Cinques Consolationand Chloe HoopersThe Tall Man, this is a gripping story of injustice in the Deep North of Australia.

Author Bio

Dan Box is aWalkley Award-winning journalist and bestselling author. He has previously worked for The Australian, the BBC and London's The Sunday Times. He has won awards in both the UK and Australia, including for investigative reporting, feature writing and true crime writing.