Vikki Petraitis

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Vikki Petraitis (born 1965) is an Australian true crime author, podcaster, and educator known for her investigative works on crime and justice. Overall, her work has contributed to raising public awareness of crime and justice issues in Australia. She is based in Melbourne, Victoria.

Contents

Career

Petraitis has written extensively about Australian criminal cases, including infamous murders and police investigations. Her books and presentations often focus on real-life crimes, providing in-depth analysis and firsthand accounts from those involved, including law enforcement officers and victims' families. Some of her notable books include The Frankston Murders, which examines the case of serial killer Paul Denyer, and Once a Copper, a biography of former police officer Brian "The Skull" Murphy. She has also contributed to various anthologies and crime-related publications.

In addition to her books, Petraitis has gained recognition for her true crime podcasts, where she delves into both well-known and lesser-known cases. Petraitis regularly speaks on podcasts, including Australian True Crime hosted by Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb. [1] In September 2019, Petraitis was interviewed by Casefile for their From the Files podcast titled From Frankston to Philip Island. [2] She was also instrumental in creating the Casefile Presents series titled The Vanishing of Vivienne Cameron [3] – a 10-episode podcast released in 2020 covering the case. In 2021, she also created and narrated a 9-episode podcast called Searching for Sarah Macdiarmid. [4]

More recently, she has also hosted presentations, workshops, interviews, and true crime events. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Awards

Petraitis was nominated for the 2007 Davitt Award for her book Forensics. In 2007, she won the Scarlet Stiletto Award for Best New Talent for a fiction piece she wrote called "Side Window". [11] She won the Readers' Choice Award [12] and was shortlisted for the 2023 Davitt Award in Adult Novel for The Unbelieved. [13]

Books

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References

  1. "Vikki Petraitis Archives". Australian True Crime Podcast. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  2. "Celebrating Vikki Petraitis and Casefile: True Crime Podcast". Clan Destine Press. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  3. ""Casefile Case 80: Beth Barnard"". Casefile. 7 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  4. "Searching for Sarah MacDiarmid". Casefile Presents. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  5. "Rachael Brown and Vikki Petraitis - Lawyer X". Geelong Regional Libraries Event. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  6. "WordFest 2023: Author Talk with Vikki Petraitis". www.monlib.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  7. "Criminally good writing: A workshop with Vikki Petraitis - Mornington". Eventbrite. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  8. "WordFest 2024: Writing Workshop with Vikki Petraitis". www.monlib.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  9. "Casefile Presents Criminal Conversations with Vikki Petraitis & Emily Webb". Arkaba Hotel. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  10. "Memoir writing workshop with Vikki Petraitis". Melbourne - City of Literature. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  11. "2007 Davitt Awards". Five Mile Press. Archived from the original on 16 December 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
  12. "Davitt Awards 2023 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  13. "Davitt Awards 2023 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.