Deal With The Devil

For the ten years after Matts disappearance in September 2007, they tirelessly searched bushland for his body and doggedly pursued the man they believed responsible, Michael Atkins. Matts older boyfriend always denied involvement with their sons disappearance, despite the compelling evidence stacked against him. Atkins was, in fact, a serial liar. But to expose his deceit and achieve their main objective, to find Matts body, the Levesons agreed in late 2016 to make a deal with the devil. In an unprecedented move, Atkins received immunity from prosecution in exchange for revealing where he had buried Matt. Atkins, however, claimed that Matt had died of a drug overdose and wasnt murdered. Deal with the Devil is the story of the Leveson family from the journalist who was closest to them throughout the four-year police reinvestigation of Matts case. This is a firsthand account of the Levesons ordeal, from their harrowing decision to grant Atkins immunity to the extraordinary search for Matts body in Sydneys Royal National Park. There is also an unnerving insight into Atkins past, as well as exclusive interviews with his ex-boyfriends, lovers and former friends. But, above all, what emerges is a portrait of a loving family, and of two parents bound by their public quest to achieve justice for their son.