Isolated in a small cell at Brisbane's maximum-security prison awaiting trial, Joe Tog composed a series of short narratives for his defence barrister. The purpose was to overcome the confusion with the chronology of the events leading up to his arrest. However, the barrister commented to his client during the trial that the notes gave him a clarity that he did not normally get from cold, hard facts and dates.

In this compilation of twenty short stories by Joe Tog, the criminal genre is nailed exactly as it was during the 70's and the 80's - he experienced it - both inside prison and on the outside. Step by step he describes how a convicted murderer carried out an audacious escape from Pentridge Prison. An arsonist at work, along with bomb-making and how to morph a gun, are just some of the criminal subjects covered in this book. Card cheating, safe breaking and a street rort, all colourfully detailed as he segues from story to story.