Poisoning On Parker Road
One Family, Two Deaths And All The Secrets In Between
Meet the author as she reveals the real events, chilling details, and personal journey behind her latest book. It’s a true-crime tale involving Victorian gossip, buried tensions and broken hearts – and the yearning for love, both then and now.
THIS TRUE STORY begins one night in 1892 when young settler William Thompson died, causing a storm of debate in Auckland about whether his poisoning was suicide or murder. Intrigued by how that shocking event affected his much-scorned widow and boys, I tracked the family into the 21st century to find out what happened next.
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“A colonial murder and its aftermath. Relentlessly compelling… simply engrossing. I couldn't put it down.”
Sir Bob Harvey
Meet The Cast Of Characters
Young Alice Thompson. Once a shy and pretty bride, she was later scorned by a judge as being a woman ‘lost to every sense of decency’.
In William Thompson’s boyhood his family was well off and his future bright. He became a lawyer and emigrated to New Zealand with Alice and their baby son – but he was headed for an early death from poisoning in 1892.
The Thompson house, built in the 1860s, became known in newspapers as ‘the house of desolation’. This photo was taken about 20 years after William’s death.
Alaric, the Thompsons’ firstborn son. This studio shot shows a contented and healthy toddler but he fell ill and died at only four.
Alexander Scott nursed his friend William through his last weeks of sickness, but was soon charged with his murder.
The two surviving Thompson boys, Alfgar (left) and Eric, were together in 1909 for this formal photo, but their lives soon took very different paths.
What People Are Saying
Utterly fascinating, astonishingly well researched...a very readable book written with accuracy, passion and emotion. A compelling historical narrative that opens up a window into early New Zealand and one of my best reads over the last few months.
RobNZ
Dawson’s prose is crisp and engaging, balancing factual reporting with a storyteller’s empathy. A haunting exploration of family secrets and the quiet devastation left in the wake of violence.
Sarah J
Dawson is a skilled storyteller whose attention to detail is what brings the story to life. Poisoning on Parker Road paints a vivid picture of 'the Waikomiti mystery' as it was called”…”what Dawson never loses sight of is that these aren't fictional characters in a spicy novel, but real people whose lives were ruined in tragic circumstances.
Joanna Wane, Canvas magazine. NZ Herald
This book is wonderful. The author’s blend of solid research and her own writing voice gives the story real authenticity. It also gives me huge insight into settlers’ lives and relationships in that period of New Zealand’s history.
Robyn Welsh
I’ve just finished this and could hardly put it down until the end. I much prefer non-fiction to fiction and this story is very intriguing and so well researched.”
Robin Essex
I really appreciated the research the author did. it was not so much a deep mystery but the story is fascinating. I loved the facts of the trial and felt that this book is well worth the reading time.
Tracy S
