Sobering read: the Ghislaine Maxwell trial by a child abuse victim

WHEN a celebrity is convicted of a crime, it ignites a media circus.

- Tristan Kirk

More often than not, the narrative is of a fallen star; someone with a great life who has thrown it all away and is now brought to book because of their own terrible behaviour. In the telling of that story, there is often precious little oxygen given to the victims, their feelings, emotions, and the journey towards achieving justice.

Lucia Osborne-Crowley’s third book, The Lasting Harm, tells the story of the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who facilitated the horrific crimes of Jeffrey Epstein. This is truly a story that many people will think they know inside out. The billionaire financier, his little black book of VIP contacts from presidents to Hollywood stars, sexual abuse perpetuated on an industrial scale at his portfolio of luxury homes, and Maxwell — the ex-girlfriend who managed his homes and lured in victim after victim.

Yet Osborne-Crowley is not telling the story that we already know.