Mike Richards' biography of Ronald Ryan provides a definitive account of the life and death of the man whose execution stopped a nation.
Drawing on previously unpublished documents and personal accounts - including details of Ryan's childhood and his early turn to crime - this book reveals the truth about Ryan's guilt. It also goes behind the scenes to tell for the first time of the life-long anguish of the judge who pronounced the death sentence, the inner workings of the Cabinet meeting that decided Ryan's fate, and the remarkable political process that resulted in the rejection of last-ditch appeals to save Ryan.
This is a masterly, compelling account that retrieves the individual and the drama at the centre of the most divisive capital case in Australia's history.
Joint winner of the 2002 Ned Kelly award for true crime non-fiction.
Pathetic
Ronald Ryan was hanged an innocent man. For Mike Richards to sell his idea of justice in a book is pathetic.
Guest, 03/11/2010
The Hanged Man
The book seems to be biased against Ronald Ryan by the author.
Guest, 22/10/2010
