The Unbelieved

By Vikki Petraitis,

Book cover of The Unbelieved

Book description

'So you believed the alleged rapists over the alleged victim?' Jane's voice took on an indignant pitch. 'Girls lie sometimes.' I nodded. 'And rapists lie all the time.'

When Senior Detective Antigone Pollard moves to the coastal town of Deception Bay, she is still in shock and grief. Back in…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Unbelieved as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is a story about women who are afraid to report rape and a female detective who is determined to change this.

Detective Antigone Pollard arrives at her small Australian hometown and is the victim of an attempted rape. She discovers that her boss and the other men in the town are protecting her assailant, as they have protected wife-beaters and rapists in the past.

I loved Antigone’s determination to change the poisonous town culture and to ensure her assailant is charged. One of the best moments in the story is when the browbeaten women of the town turn on…

Anyone who’s called Antigone already has to be tough, and this female detective starts the story by headbutting a would-be rapist. He’s a guy who she knows has got away with other attacks on young women, but why does nobody believe her? Delving into why sexual assault so often is not reported or not believed is at the heart of this story, and it takes the gentler side of Antigone to coax the truth out of the victims. It’s a lovely mix of lies, cover-ups, a strong female lead, and a male detective who has her back when she least…

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