End of Innocence

The remarkable story of one woman's fight for justice

Growing up in Perth in the 1950s and 60s was idyllic until one night in 1963 when Eric Edgar Cooke shot five people in cold blood.

From the bestselling author of 'Broken Lives' the Walkley Award-winning true-crime book on the investigation into the life and untold crimes of the last man to hang in WA, comes 'The End of Innocence', a behind the scenes,no holds barred account of Estelle's fight for justice.

Life so many Australians, Estelle Blackburn lived through the horror as Cooke stole cars and money, ran women over, and shot, stabbed and strangled others. In a tragic twist of fate, Cooke crossed paths with 19 year old John Button, whose girlfriend Rosemary Anderson, had been killed in a hit and run. Although both men had confessed to the crime - and Cooke became the last person to be executed in Western Australia - John Button was convicted and jailed.

Estelle went on to forge a successful career as a newspaper, radio and television journalist. But a chance social meeting with John Button's brother in 1991 prompted a search for the truth about Rosemary's death. Estelle painstakingly examined police and prison files, trial material and media reports, and spoke to previously unknown witnesses, publishing the groundbreaking book 'Broken Lives' in 1998.

Estelle's 13 year quest for justice turned her life upside down, almost bankrupting her, as she helped expose a deep vein of injustice in the WA legal system. Her efforts led to two innocent men - John Button and Darryl Beamish - being exonerated.

Here, for the first time, Estelle goes behind the scenes of 'Broken Lives' - the investigative trail, the suspects and the police involved, the families she befriended. Passionate, inspiring and compelling, 'The End of Innocence' takes the reader on a journey to the heart of our criminal justice system - where good and evil are tightly entwined and truth is sometimes hard to find....

Hardie Grant
Author: Estelle Blackburn
ISBN: 9781740661621
RRP: $29.95