What do you think?
Rate this book
And Then the Darkness
Two young English tourists waylaid in the outback by a predatory stranger, a single gunshot, and then the darkness.
Peter Falconio′s disappearance sparked one of the biggest manhunts and mysteries in Australia′s history. The only witness was Peter′s girlfriend, Joanne Lees, who was found wandering the highway, her hands bound in front of her and tape matted in her hair. The only clue was a pool of blood found by police at the back of the couple′s Kombi.
Joanne′s account of her ordeal - the apparent murder of her partner, her binding and gagging, and her miraculous escape into the bush away from her burly attacker and his dog - provoked a frenzy of media interest and a huge police operation, but as clues to the attacker′s identity were few and far between and police blunders mounted, doubts about Joanne′s story began to surface. Was this seemingly innocent English backpacker a liar, after all?
Three years on, the saga continues with the trial of Bradley Murdoch, a gun-happy drifter from Western Australia, numerous conspiracy theories and, finally, the discover of some vital genetic evidence.
Peter Falconio′s disappearance sparked one of the biggest manhunts and mysteries in Australia′s history. The only witness was Peter′s girlfriend, Joanne Lees, who was found wandering the highway, her hands bound in front of her and tape matted in her hair. The only clue was a pool of blood found by police at the back of the couple′s Kombi.
Joanne′s account of her ordeal - the apparent murder of her partner, her binding and gagging, and her miraculous escape into the bush away from her burly attacker and his dog - provoked a frenzy of media interest and a huge police operation, but as clues to the attacker′s identity were few and far between and police blunders mounted, doubts about Joanne′s story began to surface. Was this seemingly innocent English backpacker a liar, after all?
Three years on, the saga continues with the trial of Bradley Murdoch, a gun-happy drifter from Western Australia, numerous conspiracy theories and, finally, the discover of some vital genetic evidence.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 10, 2021
Sue Williams presents the reader with a compelling true crime story about Peter Falconio’s disappearance. “Two young English tourists watch a glorious Australian outback sunset, and are waylaid in the middle of nowhere by a predatory stranger. There’s a single gunshot, and then the darkness.” Quite a few abductions, murders and rapes have taken place in remote and sparsely populated areas and after reading this book and many other terrifying true crime stories similar to this one has me now spooked and perhaps hubby and I should reconsider our outback travel plans…....no, definitely not the outback is just too enchanting and breathtaking to avoid. Just the same, I will be viewing everyone with beady-eyes. LOL!
Oh, the media… as one reviewer puts it “a bunch of attention grabbing idiots willing to print a story at any cost.” Yep, and it hasn’t changed, if anything it has gotten worse. The lies, so many lies, sadly too many people still believe what they hear in the mainstream news.
A good story with excellent narration.
Oh, the media… as one reviewer puts it “a bunch of attention grabbing idiots willing to print a story at any cost.” Yep, and it hasn’t changed, if anything it has gotten worse. The lies, so many lies, sadly too many people still believe what they hear in the mainstream news.
A good story with excellent narration.
March 6, 2014
Imported from tablet:And Then the Darkness
The land of Oz
spring 2012
tbr busting
pub 2006
mp3 fraudio
Book has 256 pages
3.86 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2005 — 5 editions
start 9/5/2012
Finish
Devils Marbles (The Eggs of the Rainbow Serpent) Conservation Reserve, Northern Territory
The Devils Marbles are clusters of mysterious rock spheres located in the scenic Australian desert near the outback town of Tennant Creek, scattered in heaps throughout a wide, shallow valley. The boulders, which are often precariously balanced on top of one another, were formed by millions of years of erosion. The local Aboriginal people, the Warumungu, believe that the boulders are the eggs of the Rainbow Serpent. The ancient Aboriginal mythology surrounding this fascinating geological marvel can be explored through a short self guided walking trail and informative signage. Hattip: http://www.pleasetakemeto.com/austral...
This tragedy starts in The Last of the Summer Wine country
Boulia Camel Races, Queensland
didn't come out to well in this - no surprises there then.::Each:and:every:: background detail for each and every one even remotely involved is fully included here. Another non-fiction of this murder is by Paul Toohey, The Killer Within, which also has a psychological profile of Brad Murdoch. Here is some footage of the ten year anniversaty of the crime: http://youtu.be/xx2ds6b7eU8
3*
-----------------------------------
Narrated by Kate Hood.
blurb - And Then the Darkness is a gripping account of the disappearance in the Australian Outback of English tourist Peter Falconio. His girlfriend Joanne Lees was found, cut and bleeding, wandering the highway, her hands bound. Joanne's account of her ordeal sparked a frenzy of media interest and the biggest manhunt ever mounted in
Australia. Questions arose about the police operation and about Joanne herself.
November 9, 2021
I spent so much time feeling so sorry for Joanne! What a horrible ordeal, both the crime and the trial and run-up to it! And the fact that it was based in Australia about victims who were from Great Britain did not make any difference in that :-(. I know that even if such a thing happened in the US, there would be no less criticism from the press or mistrust from observers. The amount that the victims have to experience is unacceptable, although the insistence of avoiding convicting an innocent person is necessary to avoid the unacceptable reverse. Oh, the whole thing is miserable and unacceptable in reverse!
I'm not sure why I am so attracted to true crime books and stories, but I hope that, in the end, they do tend to paint a true picture of some of the evil of people. Sigh. I am privileged: I've managed to make it through almost 61 years without having to experience any of this. Actually, MOST people in the US are, especially most white middle-class citizens. I'm sorry for those who are not…
I'm not sure why I am so attracted to true crime books and stories, but I hope that, in the end, they do tend to paint a true picture of some of the evil of people. Sigh. I am privileged: I've managed to make it through almost 61 years without having to experience any of this. Actually, MOST people in the US are, especially most white middle-class citizens. I'm sorry for those who are not…
June 10, 2020
A detailed look into the murder of Peter Falconio and attempted abduction of Joanne Lees his girlfriend. A frightening insight into the dangers of travelling along our desolate outback roads. This case along with Ivan Milat's backpacker murders inspired the Wolfcreek movie. A terrifying case, I cannot begin to imagine how terrified Joanne must have been when hiding from the killer just after he had murdered her partner Peter. #andthenthedarkness #suewilliams #goodreads #litsy #tea_sipping_bookworm #bookstagram #bookqueen #amazon#kindle #goodreads
August 23, 2025
An interesting look at what happened to Britain Peter Falconio when he disappeared when travelling across Australia with his girlfriend.
some thing(s) I liked:
✅well written
✅compelling evidence
some thing(s), not so much:
⭕I hate liking a book like this because I would rather nothing happened to the couple when they went on holiday and then need for the book would be nonexistent, but as it is, it's a fair homage to Peter which is nice.
some thing(s) I liked:
✅well written
✅compelling evidence
some thing(s), not so much:
⭕I hate liking a book like this because I would rather nothing happened to the couple when they went on holiday and then need for the book would be nonexistent, but as it is, it's a fair homage to Peter which is nice.
December 6, 2017
Terrifying stuff.
Peter Falconio's name has been on the news for as long as I can remember, and it was always a backpacker, wolf creek-esque murder, but I never actually knew that much about it.
A few weeks ago I heard a really interesting interview with one of the police officers on the task force investigating Falconio's disappearance and I decided it was time to learn more.
Peter Falconio's name has been on the news for as long as I can remember, and it was always a backpacker, wolf creek-esque murder, but I never actually knew that much about it.
A few weeks ago I heard a really interesting interview with one of the police officers on the task force investigating Falconio's disappearance and I decided it was time to learn more.
Read
June 1, 2020A long, read about an event, and trial in OZ. I read this immediately after finishing Bloodstain, a book written by a tabloid journalist about the same topic. I had both books on the shelf for about 5 years, and had time to read them book during the Covid pandemic. I'm going to find something a little cheerier to read next.
September 7, 2022
Ok fir an all in one in-depth narrative around the Peter Falconio murder. Pretty interesting when all the deets are laid out. I really do wonder about the behaviour of the press though… it’s pretty blood thirsty!
October 15, 2021
Really enjoyed this. It's written really well, all the details are there, and it's engaging as hell.
March 31, 2024
As with all Anne Rule true crime, this is very readable, very objective.
August 10, 2024
Couldn't finish it
Read
August 14, 2009And Then the Darkness: The Disappearance of Peter Falconio and the Trial: s of Joanne Lees, by Sue Williams, Audio CD's, by Bolinda Audio
And Then the Darkness, by Sue Williams. Narrated by Kate Hood, produced by Bolinda Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
This is the true story of two English backpackers who, while traveling in the isolated outback of Australia, were confronted by a man. Peter Falconio disappeared, everyone assuming as time went on that he had been murdered and buried somewhere, although his body has not yet been found. His girl friend Joanne Lees was the real target of the attack, and the man involved wanted to rape and kill her. But she escaped, managed to hide through the night, and was rescued by truck drivers in the morning. The case took several years to get to court. The police were looking for the man who did it. Williams gave us quite a bit of information about Australia itself and some of the dangers, both from humans and animals and plants, that one can run into in the outback. It was a fascinating book that I found it impossible to put down.
And Then the Darkness, by Sue Williams. Narrated by Kate Hood, produced by Bolinda Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
This is the true story of two English backpackers who, while traveling in the isolated outback of Australia, were confronted by a man. Peter Falconio disappeared, everyone assuming as time went on that he had been murdered and buried somewhere, although his body has not yet been found. His girl friend Joanne Lees was the real target of the attack, and the man involved wanted to rape and kill her. But she escaped, managed to hide through the night, and was rescued by truck drivers in the morning. The case took several years to get to court. The police were looking for the man who did it. Williams gave us quite a bit of information about Australia itself and some of the dangers, both from humans and animals and plants, that one can run into in the outback. It was a fascinating book that I found it impossible to put down.
January 6, 2014
Thedisappearance of Peter Falconio & the attempted abductionon of Joanne Lees......I came across this novel browsing on my Borrowbox audio library app. This novel was so well written & narrated by Kate Hood who did a fabulous job with all the characters accents. This true & chilling murder of Peter Falconio & the abduction of his girlfriend Joanne Lees who managed to flee to safety from the evil Bradley Murdoch while travelling in the outback of Alice Springs. This is a sensational read & will make most people cry as a Aussie I will never forget this tragic story or how Joanne Lees was treated by the British & Australian press❤❤❤
April 8, 2015
I could have read this in one day. It was one of those books that you can't put down. How judgemental are the 'Press' when you don't want to speak to them. The 'Press' ridiculed Lees because she remained silent on her terrible ordeal. What an terrifying ordeal for anyone to go through and the court process is just as bad.
March 11, 2016
Took way too long to get anywhere after the interesting opening hook. I lost interest in all the detailed back stories and I'm afraid the rest of the book will read the same. Too many books to read right now, sorry.
November 11, 2013
gripping and interesting insight into the case.
February 13, 2015
Well researched and presented reasonably chronologically. LOts of side stories. However, seems a bit biased from the outset. Fascinating story.
November 7, 2012
Fascinating, disturbing, couldn't put it down!!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews