Brave Kids

                                                         Sixth book in the ‘Kick-Ass’ series

BRAVE JUSTICE

by Clancy Tucker – winner of three awards in the

National Literary Awards: 2006, 2007 & 2011

 

After weeks in Thailand following the death of her fiancé, Sam returns to Australia, having indirectly cracked a global paedophile and child trafficking ring, taught eight Thai kids to swim, and established a home for homeless Thai kids – Baan Mick. An old friend of her father’s, Kitty, has secretly purchased her current office and two adjoining properties for Sam to repay a debt Kitty owed to Sam’s father in the 1970s. Sam throws herself into work, organises renovations, becomes involved in a sexual abuse case against a high-profile swimming instructor, Duncan Reith, and initiates a class action involving 60 clients.

Reith is arrested and granted bail but flees to Cambodia. Sam alerts the Chief of Police in Chiang Mai, Thailand and Reith is arrested and extradited to Australia. Criminals attempt to rescue Reith in-flight, but Thai police escorts overwhelm the criminals who are offloaded in Malaysia. With a mass of evidence, Sam is ready for trial until a leading barrister is killed and Sam is almost murdered by criminals. Now she has two bodyguards, but the DPP asks her to be the Leading Counsel in the case against Reith, learning that nine of Reith’s victims have committed suicide.

Negotiating a class action with the two rich owners of the swimming centre, Sam offers one of them sad, personal news but pushes both men for a fair settlement. Appearing in court with her young clients, Sam calls on police and forensic experts to provide credible evidence, her brave clients tell their sad stories and describe how they were groomed and how the abuse affected them. Duncan Reith is Sam’s last witness, but she has explosive, personal evidence to present to him.

Will the rich owners of the swimming complex compensate the victims? How will Sam honour the nine victims who have committed suicide? What information does Sam have on Duncan Reith?