The Postcard Bandit

'Pedley nails the true story of Australia's Dillinger, Brenden Abbott, whose life and crimes raise echoes that go all the way back to Ned Kelly and Ben Hall.' Andrew Rule, author of The Chosen Few

Bank robber. Fugitive. Womaniser. Comedian. Conman. Chameleon.

Fully revised and updated with exclusive anecdotes and pictures, this is the story of the man who became Australia's most feared bank robber and notorious prison breaker. Three times Brenden Abbott escaped custody, and for more than six years during the nineties he evaded capture, hoodwinking the nation and strongarming millions of dollars.

Possessing enormous talents and chutzpah, Abbott proved quick to learn, quicker to joke and as cool as ice in the face of danger. After escaping under a hail of gunfire, he became the nation's most-wanted man, and following his recapture he was incarcerated in solitary confinement for years-perhaps longer than any other Australian.

But the 'Postcard Bandit' is more than a dramatised legend-a role he never encouraged. Now fighting for justice and freedom, Abbott is eager to be released to spend time with his son.

This is an extraordinary inside account, painstakingly researched by an experienced journalist over decades, and includes Abbott's own pithy recollections and reflections.