The Cop Who Fell to Earth by Craig Semple

Before eighteen-year-old Craig Semple joined the New South Wales Police Force in 1988, he was someone who preferred to steer clear of trouble. But like so many young police officers, he gradually built resilience to fear through a process of selflessly, and often recklessly, turning towards danger. By the time he started locking horns with some of Australia's most notorious outlaw motorcycle gangs, Craig believed himself to be bulletproof.

After his brother, a rookie police officer, was near-fatally stabbed by a drug dealer in 1998, Craig's life suddenly jumped the track, his fight against drug crime becoming an obsession that took him to the brink of personal, professional and marital destruction. Attempting to give his family and career a new start, he moved to the New South Wales north coast, where he too became the victim of a violent crime, at the hands of outlaw bikies. This attack was the catalyst for a ten-year battle between one regional detective and a group of brutal motorcycle gangs.

Trained and shaped in a pre-Royal Commission era of alcohol abuse and maverick culture with the force, Craig saw just about everything during a career spanning a quarter of a century: murder, suicide, fatal accidents, armed robbery, organised crime and much more. This unforgiving environment would eventually take its toll. After many years struggling with his deteriorating mental health, Craig retired with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Ahead of him was a journey that would take him to the lowest point of his life and provide the opportunity to find a new purpose inspiring others as a mental health educator.

Craig Semple's story is one of profound personal growth through exposure to extreme life events. As compelling as a thriller, it shows how tenacity, sacrifice and belief in something beyond the self can ultimately lead to the triumph of good over evil.