by Vikki Petraitis
Publisher: Allen & Unwin,2025
Review
by Carol Woeltjes
It is no exaggeration to say that I was 100% committed to this book after reading just the first paragraph. In fact, I dare you to read the first paragraph and not compulsively read the rest of the novel. But a hint, all is not what it seems.
The Stolen by Vikki Petraitis is the second novel to feature Detective Antigone Pollard. The first, The Unbelieved, left my skin prickling with recognition, fatigue and a need for more, so I was very glad to find myself back in Deception Bay. Now I know that sounds very wrong, but you read crime fiction, you understand.
Antigone was a cop in the city before a horrible case left her reeling and in need of a slower pace. But, Deception Bay has not proved itself as crime-free as she’d hoped. I grew up in a regional town, so know that it’s not that there are fewer crimes, it’s that the community can be less inclined to out their neighbours – and bonds that go back generations can be more influential than justice.
Antigone and her partner, Wozza, fought against these currents in The Unbelieved with ripples of those events still evident months later, but when a baby is taken from its cot surely they can expect nothing but cooperation. The SES and CWA are out in force and locals are combing the area when Antigone’s mother arrives with a secret that swiftly becomes its own investigation. Combine this with a late-night car accident and an unpredictable boss and you have The Stolen.
The overlap of the personal and professional struck me as real, and the perfectly threaded plot proved Petraitis’s skill, but it was my building rage that propelled me through the pages. This rage will be familiar to many of you and hinges on two questions: Who’s protecting the women, and what happens when we don’t believe them? It’s not a spoiler to mention the questions, they’re in the blurb, but I can’t emphasis how much of a shadow those questions cast over the novel and over my thinking.
The Stolen has it all. The wry humour, the suspense and creeping dread, the barely contained rage and an ending that near breaks you. It’s a lot to go through while sitting on the couch, but worth every moment. If you haven’t already read The Unbelieved, I would recommend you read this first or be aware that The Stolen does mention previous events, albeit with minimal detail. I can confidently say I loved both books and desperately hope there is more to come for Antigone.
Publisher’s blurb
Senior Detective Antigone Pollard is fearless. Armed with a trained police dog, a black belt in judo and the will to speak her mind, she faces opposition head-on.
After six months, Antigone is feeling more settled in Deception Bay. The summer holiday season is off to a slow start and crime rates are down. But when a distraught mother calls the station to report her baby missing, Antigone and Wozza begin a race against time to find the baby and the person who brazenly took him.
In the middle of the frantic investigation, Antigone’s mother, Dr Jilly Pollard, arrives for an unexpected visit and shares a tragic family secret, which she needs Antigone’s help to resolve. Antigone takes a DNA test that yields two surprising results.
And just when things at the Deception Bay police station are running smoothly with a new commander, Senior Sergeant Amanda Filipovic, at the helm, circumstances change one stormy night. In the blink of an eye, Antigone’s old boss, Bill Wheeler, is back, making the missing baby investigation harder every day.
Once again, Antigone faces the questions: who’s protecting the women? And what happens when we don’t believe them?