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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 expose a deadly enemy.

There’s nothing more dangerous than a man who can fall no further …


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

He had never killed anyone who hadn’t deserved it. The means always justified the end. He didn’t need forgiveness. He needed justification. The greater good.

Battered war correspondent John Bailey is a man living on the edge. He’s haunted by nightmares of being kidnapped and tortured in Iraq and he’s drinking too much to drown the memories. As he battles to get his life back together, a story breaks that will force him back into the spotlight – and into the crosshairs of a deadly international player.

When a beautiful prostitute is found murdered in her luxury apartment, Bailey is ordered to cover the story by The Journal’s editor and his old friend, Gerald Summers, because he can’t trust anyone else.

One of the victim’s clients, a key advisor to the Defence Minister, is chief suspect in her murder and he’s on the run. When he contacts Bailey, claiming to have information that will bring down the government, the stakes become deadly. To complicate matters, the investigating police detective is the woman Bailey walked out on a decade ago.

When a ruthless CIA fixer turns up, followed by a murderous Chinese agent hot on his trail, Bailey realises he has stumbled onto the story of a lifetime – one that he may not live to tell.

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

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 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

Praise for 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 © Mike Bowers

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 Fear, The Enemy Within, Killer Traitor Spy and his most recent novel, The Wrong Man. 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 (February 1, 2020)
  • Length: 384 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781925640939

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Raves and Reviews

‘Action-packed scenes . . . as tight as any novel from the likes of David Baldacci or Lee Child.’

Glam Adelaide

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

Julia Baird

'Who needs Jason Bourne when you can have John Bailey?’

Chris Bath

‘An absolute cracker of a thriller.’

Chris Uhlmann

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

Better Reading

‘Bailey is charismatic, sarcastic and broken all rolled into one . . . a brilliantly written character starring in a cracking crime thriller.’

Herald Sun

'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

‘A thriller ripped straight from the headlines.’

Sydney Morning Herald

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