We are delighted to invite you to the launch of The Lost Girls by Ava Benny-Morrison. Join us on the cafe level of Berkelouw Books Paddington at 6pm for a 6.30pm start on Wednesday, May 1^st.

 

About the book:

 

The chilling true story of the heinous murder of Karlie Pearce-Stevenson and daughter Khandalyce and how the case was cracked.

 

How did two girls go missing for six years and nobody noticed?

 

In August 2010, dirt bike riders discovered human bones in the notorious Belanglo State Forest, where, years earlier, Ivan Milat had so cruelly tortured and slain seven young backpackers. The remains were those of a young woman, who police dubbed 'Angel' after a T-shirt emblazoned with the word 'Angelic' found nearby. But 'Angel' lay unidentified for years. Who was she, how did she die, and at whose hand?

 

Then, in July 2015, the bones of an unknown child were found in a suitcase by a highway in South Australia. Weeks later, a call to Crime Stoppers was the lead police needed. Clothing and a blanket found near the suitcase matched those in a photo of two-year-old Khandalyce Pearce who, with her young mother, had left Alice Springs in 2008 and hadn't been seen since. Through DNA, police were quick to identify Angel as Karlie Pearce-Stevenson, Khandalyce's mother. In the grimmest of scenarios, mother and daughter were reunited at last.

 

The Lost Girls is the chilling true story of this heinous double murder and how investigators tracked down the killer, who not only murdered the two girls but stole the young mother's identity to defraud authorities and her worried family of more than $70,000. It's the tale of a vivacious young woman keen to discover the world; a loving family desperate for answers; dedicated investigators who never give up; and a vicious killer with form who lies to the end in a bid to save himself. Gripping and authentic, The Lost Girls celebrates the short lives of a young woman and her daughter and the investigators determined to bring them home.

 

About the author:

 

Ava Benny‐Morrison is a crime reporter with The Sunday Telegraph. She was previously a crime reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and has covered crime and courts for 10 years in New South Wales and Queensland. The Lost Girls is Ava’s first book.

 

Please email rsvp.events@harpercollins.com.au to RSVP.