Praise

‘utterly compelling.’ ―The Guardian

‘a laudable success’ ― The Canberra Times

‘Often moving and occasionally profound.’ ― Herald Sun

‘True crime adventure, bold memoir and investigative masterclass, but above all a breathtakingly original story.' ― Robert Drewe, author of The Shark Net and The Bodysurfers

'A remarkable true story that reads like fiction because of the quality of the writing. Enthralling.' ― Michael Robotham, author of Lying Beside You and When She Was Good

‘Reading in parts like the crime fiction that made Marele Day so famous, Reckless is an extraordinary story of dramatic adventures spanning continents and decades: international fugitive and benevolent thief Jean Kay is as good a character as any a crime writer could invent. But Day also recounts her own need to escape and take risks, producing a touching memoir of grief and loss informed by a writer’s attentive curiosity, one that candidly explores every angle of a story, even that of the friendship of a lifetime.' ― Debra Adelaide, author of The Household Guide to Dying and The Women's Pages

‘Reckless is about a woman who transforms the paralysis of unexpected grief into an adventure so dazzling that readers may have to remind themselves to breathe. But that is only part of it. In later life, a profound exploration of her experience leads the author to France and Brazil and to unexplored territories of faith, trust, and friendship, revealing the differences between the charming stories we are told and the stories we have no choice but to believe.' ― Brenda Walker, author of Reading by Moonlight and The Wing of Night

‘Marele Day’s Reckless has the pace of a great thriller with the heart of the most beautifully crafted memoir. Both riveting and touching, Reckless is truly a gift. I feel so privileged to have read this gorgeous book.’ ― Mirandi Riwoe, author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain and The Burnished Sun

‘Little did I suspect that crime queen Marele Day had first hand experience of an international fugitive, part French Robin Hood, part Shantaram seeker. Every page of her crazy youthful adventure  at sea and her later attempt to follow the trail  of her mysterious mercenary-turned-champion-of-the-poor skipper bristles with danger and fizzes with tension as she  tries to unravel an international heist that made headlines in France. Fraud, glamour, friendship, loss and betrayal create a heady cocktail as the trail heats up from Australia to Brazil. Sometimes, fiction just can’t match fact, seems pale by comparison. This is one of those stories.’ ― Caroline Baum, author of Only

‘Not only the strangest true crime story you’ll read this year, Reckless is also the most beautifully told.’ ― Geordie Williamson, chief literary critic of The Australian

‘Reckless is a book that takes you on a journey with a writer at the top of her game, trying to piece together the story of a man, a friendship, and a crime that she’s been so inescapably linked to for a lifetime. Revealing and personal, I loved being let in to the journey of a writer who I’ve long admired, making peace with the ghosts of her past.’ ― Sarah Lambert, award-winning writer and producer

‘Reckless is an astonishing tour de force, a tale riven with so many unforgettable characters, exotic locations and plot-twists that it could have come from the novelist Day’s own electric imagination, but it’s all true. Day’s memoir is as gripping as any thriller. It’s also a brilliant meditation on love and loss, ageing, grief, memory, and the craft of writing itself.’ ― Matthew Condon, author of Three Crooked Kings and The Night Dragon