There is a history with this gentleman of, shall we say, a reluctance to stay in custody.

On a sunny Thursday morning, in a helicopter near Silverwater Prison Complex, a woman pulled a gun from a shopping bag and said "This is a hijack."

The pilot, options running out, dropped into the prison and lifted John Reginald Killick, armed robber and escapee, to freedom.

This book charts the pathway to that extraordinary act, and its devastating consequences for those charged. It unfolded in prison visits, correspondence, police stations, pubs and cafes, parks, private homes, courtrooms, libraries and legal offices for the most part. The author's journey has been a revelation to him. Much of what he found was grim by any standard. Hideous things.

But he also found there was a lot of love and friendship abroad in the world as well. Heaps.