The End of Innocence: The Remarkable True Story of One Woman's Fight for Justice by Estelle Blackburn

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Pages have sunned. Inside the front cover has been inscribed by the author. Body text and binding are still very good.

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. Like 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 confessed to the crime, and Cooke became the last person to be executed in Western Australia, John Button was convicted and jailed.

A chance social meeting with John Button’s brother in 1991 prompted Estelle to search for the truth about Rosemary’s death. Estelle’s 13-year quest for justice turned her life upside down and nearly bankrupted her as she helped expose a deep vein of injustice in the West Australian legal system. Her efforts led to the exoneration of two innocent men – John Button and Darryl Beamish.

Here, for the first time, Estelle goes behind the scenes and relates how she came to write Broken Lives - the investigative trail, the suspects and the cops involved, and 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 the truth is sometimes hard to find... (back cover)