Real Crime Island Time

Real Crime Island Time: The dark side of Rarotonga’s Cook Islands paradise

By Rod Henderson

Published by New Holland

$29.99 Paperback

 For an island that is only 32 kilometres in circumference, Rarotonga has had more than its fair share of nefarious intrigue, murder and disappearances. Widely regarded as the jewel of the Pacific, this subtropical Polynesian paradise with a resident population of about 10,000 is not only a popular destination for fun-loving tourists seeking a laidback lifestyle of South Seas hospitality, it has from its earliest colonial days attracted some of humanity’s more redoubtable scoundrels.

Career criminal investigator Rod Henderson uncovers the murders, disappearances, abductions and escapes that have long added a rather menacing twist to the otherwise idyllic island known as the ‘Jewel of the Pacific’ – from the daring escapades of Charles Wells Banks to the haunting murder of John Chambers

Real Crime Island Time tells it how it is on Rarotonga ... the sun, the sand, the suspicion and the sorrow.

About the author

Rod Henderson’s writing comes with the eye of a practiced sleuth and the nose for a good story. With 31 years of service under his belt in the Australian Police Force, he retired at the rank of Chief Inspector. In 1997 Rod moved with his family to his wife’s island home on Rarotonga, where they established and still operate holiday accommodation. Rod offered his services as a consulting detective to the island’s police force and soon picked up work in the private and government sectors. He started researching and writing ‘true crime’ stories for the two local newspapers, which he was encouraged to expand into a book.