Missing, Presumed Dead: The double murder case that shocked Australia

Written by Mark Tedeschi

Narrated by Stephen Briggs

It was the double murder case that gripped Australia, and former Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi KC is finally able to share all the astonishing details.

Shortlisted for the 2023 Danger Awards

Dorothy Davis and Kerry Whelan were both happy, healthy, affluent, middle-class women from conservative, loving families.

Such women are hardly ever among the ranks of the missing. They were not hitchhikers, or associates of drug dealers, or unhappy with their family relationships, or suffering from mental health issues. Dorothy Davis and Kerry Whelan came from different parts of Sydney, mixed in quite different circles, and led completely different lives. They had never met each other, and if they had, they would have had little in common. But Dorothy and Kerry did have one thing in common – they both knew Bruce Allan Burrell.

The disappearance of these two women without trace led to massive police investigations and resulted in sensational trials that gripped the nation. This book explores the intricacies of those investigations and delves into the twisted, tortuous processes of legal proceedings, while exploring the dark recesses of the mind of Bruce Burrell.

'Gripping writing, from an expert on the inside of some of the state's worst murders and disappearances.' Peter FitzSimons

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
• Release date: Mar 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781761104466

Mark Tedeschi

Mark Tedeschi KC has worked as a Barrister and Crown Prosecutor for more than forty years, working on some of Australia’s most significant criminal cases. He was the Senior Crown Prosecutor in New South Wales for twenty years, during which he also served as President of the Australian Association of Crown Prosecutors. Mark has published many articles on the law, history, genealogy and photography, and is the author of critically acclaimed non-fiction titles Eugenia, Kidnapped, Murder at Myall Creek and Missing, Presumed Dead.

Reviews for Missing, Presumed Dead

[Ged Bee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I truly fascinating first hand account of this unbelievable tragedy. Hearing the evidence presented by the crown prosecutor makes you feel as though you are in the court room. Whilst the case is now fairly well documented, there’s much in the stories that most people will not be aware of. Highly recommended.

[jennifer gillies · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this audio book very much.So well written and narrated.

[KatyM · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The four stars is for the first 60% of the book, which is about one of the most notorious cases in Australia. If you love seeing a pompous, puffed up conman get his through sheer stupidity, this book is for you. But when it shifts into the trial phase, the author (who was the prosecutor) gets way, way bogged down in detail and legal strategy. If you were studying to be a barrister in Australia, it would be perfect. For anyone else, it gets repetitive and boring.