Vikki Petraitis

Vikki Petraitis (born 1965) is an Australian true crime author, based in Melbourne, Victoria.

Media

Petraitis regularly speaks on the Australian True Crime podcast hosted by Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb.^[1] In September 2019, Petraitis was interviewed by Casefile for their From the Files podcast titled From Frankston to Philip Island.^[2] She was also instrumental in creating Casefile True Crime Podcast episode titled The Vanishing of Vivienne Cameron^[3] – a 10-episode Australian crime podcast series released in 2020 covering the case. In 2021, she also created and narrated a 9-episode podcast on the disappearance of Sarah Macdiarmid.^[4]

Awards

Petraitis was nominated for the 2007 Sisters in Crime Davitt Award for her book Forensics. In 2007, she won the Scarlet Stiletto Award for Best New Talent for a fiction piece she wrote called "Side Window".^[5] She won the Readers' Choice Award^[6] and was shortlisted for the Adult novel category of the 2023 Davitt Awards for The Unbelieved.^[7]

Books

The Phillip Island Murder – the true account of a brutal killing (with Paul Daley), 1993, Kerr Publishing ISBN 1875703098
Victims, Crimes and Investigators, 1995, Victoria Press
The Frankston Murders – the true story of serial killer, Paul Denyer, 1995, Nivar Press ISBN 0646228285
The Great John Coleman (with Wayne Miller), 1998, Nivar Press ISBN 0646316168
Rockspider – the danger of paedophiles – untold stories, (with Chris O’Connor), April 2000, Hybrid Publishers ISBN 9781876462031
On Murder II – (chapter: Serial Killers are Losers) Edited by Kerry Greenwood, Black Inc, 2002
Cops – True stories from Australian Police, 2005, The Five Mile Press ISBN 9781741246087
Forensics – true stories from Australian Police Files, 2006, The Five Mile Press ISBN 9781741240801
"The Frankston Murders and The Paedophile Witch" in Outside the Law, 2008, The Five Mile Press
Crime Scene Investigations – more stories from the Australian Police Files, 2008, The Five Mile Press ISBN 9781741784091
Salvation – the true story of Rod Braybon's fight for justice, 2009, Jewel Publishing ISBN 9780980621303
The Russell Street Bombing, 2013, Clan Destine Press ISBN 9780987553812
The Dog Squad – incredible true stories of courageous police dogs and their handlers, 2015, Michael Joseph, ISBN 9780143799641
Once a Copper: The life and times of Brian "The Skull" Murphy, 2018, Wild Dingo Press ISBN 978-0648066330
The Frankston Murders: 25 Years On, 2018
Inside the Law: 25 Years of True Crime Writing, 2019, Clan Destine Press ISBN 978-0648293712
Cops, drugs, Lawyer X and me (with Paul Dale), 2020, Hachette Australia ISBN 9780733643804
Police Stories: Compelling True Stories from the Frontline of Australia's Police, 2020, Lake Press ISBN 9780655219927
The Unbelieved, 2022, Allen & Unwin ISBN 9781761067396

References

^ "Vikki Petraitis Archives". Australian True Crime Podcast. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
^ "Celebrating Vikki Petraitis and Casefile: True Crime Podcast". Clan Destine Press. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
^ ""Casefile Case 80: Beth Barnard"". Casefile. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
^ "Searching for Sarah MacDiarmid". Casefile Presents. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
^ "2007 Davitt Awards". Five Mile Press. Archived from the original on 16 December 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
^ "Davitt Awards 2023 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
^ "Davitt Awards 2023 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.