In May 2012 Auckland businessman Matt Blomfield found himself the target of a vicious online attack, the work of Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater. The attack came out of the blue, destroying Blomfield’s re­putation and career, stealing his identity, turning him into a social outcast. Two years after the online attack began an armed gunman came to Blomfield’s house and tried to kill him. He only survived because the intruder’s shotgun misfired.

But Matt Blomfield decided to fight back. He spent seven years and many hundreds of thousands of dollars taking a defamation case against Slater, which he ultimately won, establishing that Slater’s vendetta was based entirely on lies.

This book is a remarkable piece of investigative writing, a story of courage and tenacity, which reminds us how important it is to stand up to bullies, and to be reassured that in the end they do not always win.

About the author:
Margie Thomson’s many books have brought the stories of extraordinary people to wide audiences. Her titles include Womankind, All Blacks Don’t Cry, The Good Doctor and The Resilient Farmer.

She has a Masters of Creative Writing with first class honours from the University of Auckland, and she won the Sir James Wallace Publication Prize.