Perfect Victim: A chilling account of a bizarre and callous murder
Jun 2003 · Sold by Penguin Group Australia
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About this ebook
One night in March 1999, fifteen-year-old dance student Rachel Elizabeth Barber vanished. No one could have guessed that she had become another girl's 'perfect' victim. Happy. Beautiful. Talented. She had everything her killer could want.
Perceived by crime experts everywhere as one of the most bizarre homicides they had encountered, Perfect Victim recounts two stories: Rachel's mother Elizabeth Southall tells of her family's heart-rendering experience – how they lived through unimaginable tragedy, going to extraordinary lengths to prove their daughter wasn't a runaway. Criminal court reporter Megan Norris provides another side of the picture; the analysis, the astonishment of professionals when faced with the killer's weird and unsettling letters, and the police proceedings that led, eventually, to the Rachel Barber case being solved.
Confronting and compelling, this is an incredible story about a callous and calculated crime.
Also available from Foxtel Movies as 'In Her Skin' starring Guy Pearce, Miranda Otto and Sam Neill.
Perceived by crime experts everywhere as one of the most bizarre homicides they had encountered, Perfect Victim recounts two stories: Rachel's mother Elizabeth Southall tells of her family's heart-rendering experience – how they lived through unimaginable tragedy, going to extraordinary lengths to prove their daughter wasn't a runaway. Criminal court reporter Megan Norris provides another side of the picture; the analysis, the astonishment of professionals when faced with the killer's weird and unsettling letters, and the police proceedings that led, eventually, to the Rachel Barber case being solved.
Confronting and compelling, this is an incredible story about a callous and calculated crime.
Also available from Foxtel Movies as 'In Her Skin' starring Guy Pearce, Miranda Otto and Sam Neill.
One night in March 1999, fifteen-year-old dance student Rachel Elizabeth Barber vanished. No one could have guessed that she had become another girl's 'perfect' victim. Happy. Beautiful. Talented. She had everything her killer could want.
Perceived by crime experts everywhere as one of the most b...
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About the author
Megan Norris (Author)
Megan Norris is a UK-trained journalist and award-winning author whose portfolio includes covering some of Australia’s most notorious crimes.
Her first book, Perfect Victim, co-authored with Elizabeth Southall, is now a movie starring Sam Neill, Miranda Otto and Guy Pearce. Her last book Look What You Made Me Do was awarded the 2017 Sisters in Crime Australia Davitt Award for best non-fiction crime book.
A regular contributor to Australian Women’s Weekly, Megan has appeared on Foxtel’s Crimes That Shook Australia, Channel Seven’s Sunday Night and Today Tonight and on Ten’s The Project. She has also been a regular guest on Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb’s acclaimed podcast, Australian True Crime, on the Stalking Australia podcast and ABC Radio’s Nightlife. Her work has been syndicated worldwide.
Megan lives on the Gold Coast with her husband Steve, their grandson, and their dog Larry. The Messiah’s Bride is her seventh book.
Elizabeth Southall (Author)
Elizabeth Southall is the pen-name of Elizabeth Barber. She was born in Victoria in 1959, one of four children of Ivan Southall, a distinguished Australian writer of children's literature. Elizabeth herself is known for her work as a children's book specialist.
The disappearance and murder of Elizabeth and Michael's eldest daughter Rachael first made headlines around Australia in the first weeks of march 1999. Elizabeth kept a journal from that time on, including letters she'd written to Rachael. Perfect Victim stems from those writings.
Elizabeth lives in Heathmont, Victoria, an outer suburb of Melbourne, with her husband Michael who is a toymaker and designer, and their two other daughters, Ashleigh-Rose and Heather. She is currently studying for a Bachelor of Theology degree and a Diploma of Ministry.
Rachel Barber
1983 -1999
Official Memorial Website rachelbarberofficialmemorial.com
Megan Norris is a UK-trained journalist and award-winning author whose portfolio includes covering some of Australia’s most notorious crimes.
Her first book, Perfect Victim, co-authored with Elizabeth Southall, is now a movie starring Sam Neill, Miranda Otto and Guy Pearce. Her last book Look What You Made Me Do was awarded the 2017 Sisters in Crime Australia Davitt Award for best non-fiction crime book.
A regular contributor to Australian Women’s Weekly, Megan has appeared on Foxtel’s Crimes That Shook Australia, Channel Seven’s Sunday Night and Today Tonight and on Ten’s The Project. She has also been a regular guest on Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb’s acclaimed podcast, Australian True Crime, on the Stalking Australia podcast and ABC Radio’s Nightlife. Her work has been syndicated worldwide.
Megan lives on the Gold Coast with her husband Steve, their grandson, and their dog Larry. The Messiah’s Bride is her seventh book.
Elizabeth Southall (Author)
Elizabeth Southall is the pen-name of Elizabeth Barber. She was born in Victoria in 1959, one of four children of Ivan Southall, a distinguished Australian writer of children's literature. Elizabeth herself is known for her work as a children's book specialist.
The disappearance and murder of Elizabeth and Michael's eldest daughter Rachael first made headlines around Australia in the first weeks of march 1999. Elizabeth kept a journal from that time on, including letters she'd written to Rachael. Perfect Victim stems from those writings.
Elizabeth lives in Heathmont, Victoria, an outer suburb of Melbourne, with her husband Michael who is a toymaker and designer, and their two other daughters, Ashleigh-Rose and Heather. She is currently studying for a Bachelor of Theology degree and a Diploma of Ministry.
Rachel Barber
1983 -1999
Official Memorial Website rachelbarberofficialmemorial.com
Megan Norris (Author)
Megan Norris is a UK-trained journalist and award-winning author whose portfolio includes covering some of Australia’s most notorious crimes.
Her first book, Perfect Victim, co-authored with Elizabeth Southall, is now a movie starring Sam Neill, Miranda Otto and Guy Pearc...
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