Vikki Petraitis

Vikki Petraitis (born 1965) is an Australian true crime author, podcaster, and educator known for her investigative works on crime and justice. Her work has contributed to raising public awareness of crime and justice issues in Australia. She is based in Melbourne, Victoria.

Career Petraitis has written extensively about Australian criminal cases, including infamous murders and police investigations. Her books and presentations often focus on real-life crimes, providing in-depth analysis and firsthand accounts from those involved, including law enforcement officers and victims' families. Some of her notable books include The Frankston Murders, which examines the case of serial killer Paul Denyer, and Once a Copper, a biography of former police officer Brian "The Skull" Murphy. She has also contributed to various anthologies and crime-related publications.

In addition to her books, Petraitis has gained recognition for her true crime podcasts, where she delves into both well-known and lesser-known cases. Petraitis regularly speaks on podcasts, including Australian True Crime hosted by Meshel Laurie and Emily Webb. In September 2019, Petraitis was interviewed by Casefile for their From the Files podcast titled From Frankston to Philip Island. She was also instrumental in creating the Casefile Presents series titled The Vanishing of Vivienne Cameron – a 10-episode podcast released in 2020 covering the case. In 2021, she also created and narrated a 9-episode podcast called Searching for Sarah Macdiarmid.

More recently, she has also hosted presentations, workshops, interviews, and true crime events.

Awards Petraitis was nominated for the 2007 Davitt Award for her book Forensics. In 2007, she won the Scarlet Stiletto Award for Best New Talent for a fiction piece she wrote called "Side Window". She won the Readers' Choice Award and was shortlisted for the 2023 Davitt Award in Adult Novel for The Unbelieved.

Books