Loraine Peck
The Second Son
Duty always has a price.
When Ivan Novak is shot dead putting out his garbage bins in Sydney’s west, his family wants revenge, especially his father Milan, a notorious crime boss. It’s a job for the second son, Ivan’s younger brother, Johnny.
But Johnny loves his wife Amy and their son Sasha. And she’s about to deliver her ultimatum: either the three of them escape this wave of killing or she’ll leave, taking Sasha.
Torn between loyalty to his family and love for his wife, Johnny plans the heist of a lifetime and takes a huge risk. Is he prepared to pay the price? And what choice will Amy make?
The Second Son is a brilliant action-packed debut that creates a world where honour is everything, violence is its own language, and love means breaking all the rules.
Liz Dennis manages the translation rights for The Second Son
Audio Rights
AvailableThe audio rights are handled by Alice Lutyens.
Film Rights
AvailableContact Luke Speed for more information
Translation Rights Sold
A tense, sinuous, fast-moving debut where hard answers are given to questions of honour and justice.
At first glance, The Second Son is a modern-day Godfather that paints a brutal, bullet-ridden picture of gang warfare in Sydney’s Western Suburbs. Look again, and it’s a compelling exploration of inherited trauma and the endless cycle of violence. Get right up close and it’s a tender story of fear, love and— ultimately—hope. A sharp and striking debut.
Outstanding…a gripping whodunnit. Original and straight from the heart.
Compelling and gritty, at its heart this crime thriller is also the He says/She says tale of a marriage disintegrating under a Molotov cocktail of toxic masculinity and family honour. Hi-octane, brutal, raw and emotional, this is one striking crime debut.
Loraine Peck’s debut novel is as relentless as headlights following you at night, full of spark, simmering violence and outright gang bloodshed.
Tight and tense, The Second Son is a wonderfully sharp-toothed crime thriller.
