The Curious Case of the Stolen Mace

The book that finally solves Australia’s most infamous political crime.

In 1891, the sacred symbol of the Victorian Parliament, its ceremonial mace, was stolen. A long, heavy club topped with a crown, it was popularly thought to be made of solid gold.

The colony’s best detectives, a dour Scot named Tom Nixon and the famous Ned Kelly-hunter Mick Ward, were assigned to the case, but the mace was never recovered. No one was ever charged and a substantial reward r…