Killing for Country

A Family Story

By: David Marr

Narrated by: David Marr

David Marr was shocked to discover forebears who served with the brutal Native Police in the bloodiest years on the frontier. Killing for Country is the result – a soul-searching Australian history.

This is a richly detailed saga of politics and power in the colonial world – of land seized, fortunes made and lost, and the violence let loose as squatters and their allies fought for possession of the country – a war still unresolved in today's Australia.

2024, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Non-Fiction Book Award, Short-listed

2023, The Readings Prize Non-Fiction, Winner

2024, Indie Book Awards Non Fiction, Winner

2024, Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) Small Publishers' Adult, Short-listed

2024, Indie Book Awards Book of the Year, Winner

2024, Danger Awards Non-Fiction, Short-listed

2024, Ned Kelly Award Best True Crime, Short-listed

2024, Nib Literary Award (aka 'The Nib': CAL Waverley Library Award for Literature) Long-listed

2024, Prime Minister's Literary Awards Australian History, Short-listed

2024, Australian Political Book of the Year Award, Short-listed

2024, BookPeople (formerly ABA) Book of the Year Award Adult Non-Fiction, Short-listed

©2023 David Marr (P)2024 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'Killing For Country is a timely exercise in truth-telling amid a disturbing resurgence of denialism.' (The Age)

'Killing for Country ... stands out for its unflinching eye, its dogged research, and the quality and power of its writing.' (The Australian Book Review)

'Killing for Country … shines a light into the dark shameful corners of our collective national experience. What we will find when we look and listen won't be pretty, but it is necessary to confront – not to be captives of history, but to learn from it and transcend it.' (The Conversation)

Highly recommended

Brilliant, disturbing, passionate, an absolute must read to understand Australia. Read by the author, which gives it even greater resonance. A brave, unsparing look at a family's dark history.

An important story

A part of our history that is poorly understood and hardly ever told, especially in a personal way