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About The Book

SET TO BE ADAPTED FOR THE SCREEN. Like Michael Connelly’s Bosch, John Bailey will risk everything to get to the truth – and bring down the world’s most wanted terrorist.
Catching the world's most wanted terrorist was supposed to be someone else's job...

John Bailey has a history of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The former war correspondent has been kidnapped and tortured – twice. Finally he’s living something that resembles a normal life. But all that changes when a terrorist murders a woman in front of Bailey in London.

The mastermind behind the attack is Mustafa al-Baghdadi – No.1 on the FBI’s most wanted list – and the man who tortured Bailey in Fallujah a decade ago.

Mustafa has a deadly axe to grind with Bailey. He taunts him with threats of more attacks in other cities, closer to home. Back in Sydney, the people who matter most to Bailey have become targets.

Bailey turns to the only man who can help – ruthless CIA veteran Ronnie Johnson – to bring down the world’s most deadly terrorist.

The brilliant second book in Tim Ayliffe's bestselling John Bailey series. Bailey's adventures in State of Fear, The Greater Good and The Enemy Within will be adapted for the screen by CJZ Productions, Australia's largest independently owned production company.

Praise for State of Fear

‘Another brilliantly crafted thriller from Ayliffe that fits perfectly in today’s worrying world … Verdict: Get this guy on TV’ Herald Sun

‘Sharp, incisive and scarily prescient, I was hooked from the first chapter to the final page.’ Sara Foster, bestselling author of The Hidden Hours

‘Utterly compelling and terrifyingly timely. I could not put it down’ Pip Drysdale, bestselling author of The Sunday Girl

‘As a correspondent, I lived this world. Tim Ayliffe has written it’ Stan Grant, writer and broadcaster

Praise for The Greater Good


‘A brilliantly written character starring in cracking crime thriller’ Herald Sun

‘A fun and exhilarating political crime thriller that is guaranteed to electrify and entertain in good measure.’? The Unseen Library

‘Readers will not fail to enjoy the ride from start to finish.’ Good Reading

‘A crime thriller with the lot: murder, deceit, corruption and a hint of romance … Ayliffe takes you deep inside the worlds of politics and the media, with a heavy dose of international intrigue thrown in.’ Michael Rowland

'Ayliffe delivers a taut, nail-biting page-turner, stamping his mark on the modern day Australian thriller.’ Better Reading

‘If Rake were a journalist, with a talent that equals his capacity to survive being beaten up, Bailey would be him.’ Julia Baird

‘An absolute cracker of a thriller.’ Chris Uhlmann

Praise for The Enemy Within:


‘A breathlessly written book, ripped from today’s headlines, this is a cracking read that blurs the line between fact and fiction. More please.’ Michael Robotham

'A cracking yarn told at breakneck speed. I couldn't put it down.' Chris Hammer

‘Sharp, gritty, sophisticated. Ayliffe’s criminal world is terrifyingly real.’ Candice Fox

About The Author

Photograph © Courtney King Photography

Tim Ayliffe’s thriller novels have been informed by his 25-year career as a journalist in Australia and around the world. He writes about espionage, extremism, politics and the global power games at play in the 21st Century. He has been the Managing Editor of Television and Video for ABC News and also Executive Producer of News Breakfast. He is the author of the ‘John Bailey’ series including The Greater Good, State of FearThe Enemy Within and his most recent novel, Killer Traitor Spy. Tim's thrillers are also in development for TV. When he's not writing or chasing news stories, Tim watches rugby and surfs. He lives in Sydney.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia (July 22, 2019)
  • Length: 400 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781925640953

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