I Shot the Devil

I used to think that I'd escaped Southport . . .

Now I realised, Southport had been coming for me all this time.

Erin Sloane was sixteen when high school senior Andre Villiers was murdered by his friends. They were her friends, too, led by the intense, charismatic Ricky Hell. Five people went into West Cypress Woods the night Andre was murdered. Only three came out.

Ativan, alcohol and distance had dimmed Erin's memories of that time. But nearly twenty years later, an ageing father will bring her home. Now a journalist, she is asked to write a story about the Southport Three and the thrill-kill murder that electrified the country. Erin's investigation propels her closer and closer to a terrifying truth. And closer and closer to danger.

An unforgettable story of murder, trauma and childhoods lost, I SHOT THE DEVIL is a taut, page-turning debut novel from an electrifying new talent.

About the Author

Ruth McIver recently completed her PhD in the field of true crime inspired fiction with Curtin University. Her first novel, Nothing Gold, was runner up in the inaugural Banjo Prize (2018) and was one of seven novels selected to be pitched at Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival (2014). Ruth's novel-in-verse, The Sunset Club (2014), is a DIY publication that was highly commended in the Anne Elder category by the FAW (Fellowship of Australian Writers). I Shot the Devil won the 2018 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers.