The Reckoning

When the convictions of two men accused of rape are suddenly quashed, their return to Deception Bay is celebrated at a packed Australia Day cricket match. Before the day is done, dozens of people collapse with symptoms of poisoning – including the newly freed men themselves. Detective Antigone Pollard and her partner Wozza are thrown into a mass casualty crisis as emergency services are pushed to breaking point.

With medical resources exhausted, Antigone’s mother, Dr Jilly Pollard, agrees to assess a sick child on a nearby farm. When she fails to return, Antigone retraces her journey – and walks straight into a siege. Negotiators take control.

Protocol is enforced. Time is allowed to run out. With lives on the line and no good options left, Antigone makes a choice that will change everything.

She goes in.