The gripping second instalment of the rise – and spectacular fall – of one man, an entire state and generations of corruption.

‘The message was powerfully clear. If you threatened the harmony of the Joke, you didn’t last long.’

1976. Terry Lewis, exiled in Western Queensland, is soon to be controversially appointed Police Commissioner. As for the other two original Crooked Kings, Tony Murphy is set to ruthlessly take control of the workings of ‘The Joke’ while Glen Hallahan, retired from the force, begins to show a keen interest in the emerging illicit drug trade. Meanwhile, ex-cop and ‘Bagman’ Jack Herbert collects the payments and efficiently takes police graft to a whole new level.

The Joke heralds an era of hard drugs, illegal gambling and prostitution and leaves in its wake a string of unsolved murders and a trail of dirty money. With the highest levels of police and government turning a blind eye, the careers of honest police officers and the lives of innocent civilians are threatened and often lost as corruption escalates out of control.

Revealing more incredible facts and previously untold stories, award-winning journalist and novelist Matthew Condon once again exposes the shocking behaviour outside the law by the law.