The Double Bind

You can run, but you can never escape your family.

Amy and Johnny Novak have fled to a seaside town in northern New South Wales. They want a fresh start with their eleven-year-old son Sasha, and Amy is determined to shake off the legacy of Johnny’s criminal family.

But it’s hard to outrun the Novaks.

Are Amy and Johnny still keeping secrets from each other? And how did they get involved in a high-stakes game with Arturo Raoul De Leon, aka The Snake? Can Amy rise to the occasion to keep her family safe or will she be forced to become Johnny’s partner in crime?

Loraine Peck’s The Second Son won the 2021 Best Debut Crime Fiction Ned Kelly Award and was shortlisted for two Davitt Awards and the Danger Award. With its character-driven plot, psychological finesse, humour and sparkling dialogue, The Double Bind is an enthralling sequel.

From magician’s assistant to crime novelist, it’s all about mastering the art of subterfuge for Loraine Peck, whose love of crime fiction propelled her to write the kind of book she loves to read.

The Second Son, Loraine’s debut novel, won the 2021 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction from the Australian Crime Writers Association. It was shortlisted for two Davitt Awards by Sisters in Crime and for a Danger Award by BAD Crime Sydney. 

The Double Bind, the sequel to The Second Son, will be out in April 2023.

Loraine and her husband spend their time between Sydney and the Gold Coast.

‘Tight and tense…a wonderfully sharp-toothed crime thriller.' Christian White on The Second Son

‘Dark, gritty, and full of deliciously complex characters.’ Candice Fox on The Second Son

‘A tense, sinuous, fast-moving debut where hard answers are given to questions of honour and justice.’ Garry Disher on The Second Son