Imagine waking up a glamorous millionaire with a Dover Heights mansion and a closet full of Chanel, only to vanish into thin air the morning after federal agents raid your front door—leaving behind an empty corporate vault and a trail of shattered lives.
In this episode of The DownUnder Mystery Club, authors AJ Blythe and Ava Ness delve into the extraordinary real-life mystery of Melissa Caddick, the Sydney woman who spent years running a systematic multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme before completely disappearing without her keys, wallet, or phone.
We’ll be unpacking the crazy history of her high-end fraud, the bizarre public conspiracy theories that erupted when her running shoe and foot washed up hundreds of kilometres away, and wrapping up with our Mystery Book Club segment to chat about the fiction books that match this exact vibe of unreliable narrators and financial ruin!
Leave a comment and tell us your thoughts: was it a calculated corporate escape act or did the truth finally catch up with her? And don’t forget to share your favourite mystery book.
[Transcript in post below]
Book Links:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
The Model Murder by Amanda Hampson
The Campers and Criminals series by Tonya Kappes
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
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References:
ABC News Australia, 2021. Why the Melissa Caddick case has captivated Australia. Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Australian Securities and Investments Commission, 2021. ASIC v Caddick & Maliver Pty Ltd (Online File). Sydney: Federal Court of Australia.
Christie, A., 1926. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. London: Collins Crime Club.
CPA Australia, 2022. ‘Ponzi schemes exposed: From Bernie Madoff to Melissa Caddick’, CPA Australia Podcast Series [Audio podcast episode]. Melbourne: CPA Australia.
Flynn, G., 2012. Gone Girl. New York: Crown Publishing Group.
Hampson, A., 2025. The Model Murder. Sydney: Penguin Random House Australia.
Kappes, T., 2018–2026. The Campers and Criminals Cozy Mystery Series. London: Henery Press.
McClymont, K. and Cormack, L., 2022. Liar Liar: Melissa Caddick and the missing millions [Audio podcast]. Sydney: The Sydney Morning Herald / Nine Publishing.
Moore, L., 2024. The God of the Woods. New York: Riverhead Books.
News.com.au, 2026. ‘Anthony Koletti defends assault charges in Downing Centre Local Court’, News.com.au, 12 May.
NSW State Coroner’s Court, 2023. Inquest into the disappearance and suspected death of Melissa Louise Caddick. Sydney: Coroners Court of New South Wales.
Perrin, K., 2024. How to Solve Your Own Murder. London: Michael Joseph.
The Guardian Australia, 2025. ‘Melissa Caddick investors win multi-million dollar settlement against auditors’, The Guardian Australia, 14 November.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 2021. ‘Liquidators confirm fraudulent CommSec documents found in Melissa Caddick’s affairs’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 February.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 2026. ‘Melissa Caddick’s widower faces common assault hearing over Vaucluse incident’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 May.