In August 1925, Audrey Jacob publicly shot dead her ex-fiancée Cyril Gidley at an extravagant ball in Perth’s Government House. The case seemed like a no-brainer – Audrey still had the gun in her hand when she was arrested – but the unexpected outcome of the ensuing investigation and trial made sure both Audrey’s name, and that of her lawyer Arthur Haynes, went down in history.
The Ballroom Murder clips along with a pace to rival that of any thriller, except this was reality. Leigh Straw uses extensive research and her unique skills as a writer to bring to life the characters involved in this tale of murderous love that happened almost a century ago. The story could have been a dry depiction of an open-and-shut murder case, but instead it’s as gripping and exciting as any modern crime novel.