My intention is simple to take the reader on the same journey I took, and have them experience the real truth of it. This book is for me, my family, the Falconios, for Pete and for anyone who has been the victim of violent crime. Most Australians have heard of the murder of Peter Falconio and the attempted abduction of Joanne Lees on a quiet stretch of deserted highway in Central Australia in mid-2001. The media reported the case in sensational detail and its focus was often not on the man convicted of murder but on the woman who escaped him. Joanne has a unique and moving story to tell of the events of that terrible night, through the gruelling process of the police investigation, and the traumatic time of the trial, where she had to re-live so much. And she tells of the continuing effects on her life, on her family s life, and the Falconio family s life. Joanne Lees wasn t killed that night but from the moment she and Peter stopped their Kombi on the Stuart Highway her life was changed forever. No longer content to be a silent victim, Joanne Lees reclaims her life from other storytellers. This book is her story of what happened that night, and in the years that followed; and how she is facing the future. No Turning Back is a story of immense courage and survival.