Sandra's Books
Sandra loved writing about crime. Her first two books, co-authored with Lindsay Simpson, were Brothers in Arms and My Husband My Killer. Both were made into television shows. Her solo book, The Ghost of Ludwig Gertsch, led to a second inquest into his death. Her final book, about restaurant-related crime, was long-listed for the Ned Kelly Crime Writing Awards.
Brothers in Arms (1989)
co-authored with Lindsay Simpson
Brothers in Arms chronicles the fatal shootout and aftermath between rival bikie gangs: the newly formed Bandidos and the Comancheros at the Viking Tavern on Father's Day in September 1984. Brothers in Arms was made into a six-part television series called Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms by Screentime Productions in 2012. It starred Matthew Nable as Jock and Callan Mulvey as Snoddy. The premiere episode peaked at 1.43 million viewers.
My Husband My Killer (1992, 2001)
co-authored with Lindsay Simpson
My Husband My Killer is about the murder of Megan Kalajzich. Megan was shot and killed by a hired hitman at her home in Manly, Sydney. Her husband Andrew Kalajzich served life imprisonment for her murder. My Husband My Killer was made into a telemovie of the same name in 2001. Colin Friels, Martin Sacks, Craig McLachlan starred in the movie. It was filmed in the Kalajzich's former family home in Manly.
The Killer Next Door (1994)
co-authored with Lindsay Simpson
Sandra and Lindsay conducted 14 interviews in jail with infamous serial killer, John Wayne Glover. Glover pleaded guilty to killing six elderly women in Sydney's North Shore. He has since died while serving life imprisonment for his crimes.
The Ghost of Ludwig Gertsch (2000)
This was a true crime investigation into the murder of underworld figure Ludwig Gertsch, murdered in his lover's bedroom in Sydney not long before his body was found in the Blue Mountains, wrapped in a doona, in November 1990. Gertsch left behind a multimillion-dollar fortune built from gay saunas, nightclubs and shady dealings, but within three years the money was gone. The book explores the underworld Gertsch inhabited and the criminals and other celebrities with whom he mixed. Sandra's book led to a second inquest into Gertsch's death, in 2007.
Done Like a Dinner (2007)
co-authored with Jennifer Cooke
Done Like a Dinner takes the readers on a cook's tour of notorious crimes committed in Sydney and Melbourne's restaurants. A murder no one saw on the edge of a busy nightclub dance floor. A killing among the tinned tomatoes in a popular Melbourne eatery. Credit card scamming at Australia's largest Chinese restaurant. After all, even crooks have to eat.