This book examines the Kelly Outbreak against its geographical and social background. Failure to unlock the land through selection had created a class of struggling selectors who felt that the established authority of squatters and police denied them justice. Their sympathy and support helped Ned come and go as he pleased, despite the price on his head.

McQuilton's exciting narrative maintains suspense, and his unobtrusive scholarship fills in the details and corrects many errors whch the Kelly myth has accumulated over the years.