Bush Tragedies: True stories of crime, murder, misery and heartache from western New South Wales

Award-winning journalist Bill Poulos delves deep into Australia's turbulent and lawless past with this collection of stories recalling crimes, murders and tragedies that once made headlines around the nation.

His detailed research takes the reader into townships, settlements and the wide-open spaces of the outback where there is no escape from the shocking and often brutal events he vividly recreates.

Bush Tragedies throws a light on shocking events that occurred far from the big cities - tragedies that disrupted and divided tight knit communities in obscure towns and settlements.

The author takes us well beyond the bare facts of crime and punishment. Postscripts add fascinating backgrounds and outcomes to those involved - the cause and effect of the brutal deeds he describes.

Readers become observers at inquests and trials, even joining the witnesses at the gallows.

We are introduced to rogues and villains, their unfortunate victims, and the lawyers and judges who decide their fate.

This rollicking time capsule brings to life the truly appalling crimes and tragedies that horrified a nation all those years ago.

They are retold in graphic detail from start to finish, complete with the cut and thrust of cross-examinations by police and lawyers.

It can be a tragic world out there in the bush . . .