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The Teacher's Pet

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The Teacher's Pet

By: Hedley Thomas
Narrated by: Full Cast, Hedley Thomas
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About this listen

If you thought you knew the story of The Teacher's Pet, get ready to be shocked.


Hedley Thomas takes you behind the scenes with a blow-by-blow account of one of the most intriguing and enduring murder mysteries of our time - the crime, the podcast investigation, the sexual exploitation of teenage students, the courtroom drama - and how justice was finally delivered.

Lynette Simms disappeared from Sydney's idyllic Northern Beaches in 1982 and was never seen again.

Lyn was a caring nurse, loving mother and devoted wife. Her husband Chris Dawson was a rugby league star, a popular teacher and exceptionally close to his identical twin brother, Paul.

But this facade of domestic bliss was shattered when Chris became infatuated with the family's babysitter - his 16-year-old student - a girl he moved into Lyn's home and bed just two days after her disappearance.

Thirty-six years later, investigative journalist Hedley Thomas revisited the story in a record-breaking podcast series that captured the unconditional support of Lyn's friends, colleagues, neighbours and family, and an international audience.


With fresh leads and old evidence resulting in a public groundswell for authorities to take action, Chris was arrested in late 2018 and after a dramatic trial was found guilty of murder in August 2022.

This audiobook comes with supplementary material, you can download this material at the following link: https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/The-Teachers-Pet_9781761269370_Supplementary_Material.pdf

FINALIST FOR THE WALKLEY BOOK AWARD 2024
WINNER OF THE ABIA AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
SHORTLISTED FOR THE DANGER AWARDS NON FICTION 2024


Praise for The Teacher's Pet

'A monumental work. A burrowing, twisting, spine-tingling, genre-defining tribute to the power - and the cost - of asking questions. If you think you know this story, think again. No Australian, alive nor dead, has given more to journalism than Hedley Thomas. True crime storytelling as we now know it begins with The Teacher's Pet.' Trent Dalton

'A masterclass in investigative journalism.' Leigh Sales

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Hedley Thomas (P)2023 Macmillan Australia Audio Abductions, Kidnapping & Missing Persons Murder True Crime Marriage Disappearance Student

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Critic reviews

'A monumental work. A burrowing, twisting, spine-tingling, genre-defining tribute to the power - and the cost - of asking questions. If you think you know this story, think again. No Australian, alive nor dead, has given more to journalism than Hedley Thomas. True crime storytelling as we now know it begins with The Teacher's Pet.' Trent Dalton

'A masterclass in investigative journalism.' Leigh Sales
All stars
Most relevant  
Well researched, well read and just a brilliant listen. I've been so invested in the case ever since the podcast came out. Thank you hedlely for all your hard work getting justice for lynn

Fantastic

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Hedley, your investigation into Lynette Simms murder made a crucial impact to the outcome of the case. So much detail in this book that was not in the podcast. You did your dad and Lynnette proud. Well done on this incredible book.

Amazing journalist investigation

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I absolutely loved this audio book. I came to this after consuming the Teacher’s Pet, Teacher’s Trial and the Teacher’s Accuser. There was still much to uncover and learn. Hedley Thomas is a Trojan of a journalist and with his single mindedness and tenacity he shone the light on the murder of Lynnette Simms and brought a killer to justice. I really loved this book, it saddened me and brought me to tears at times, but I felt like a passenger joining Hedley on his journey. Thank you for what you did for Lynette, all women need a man like you to help us fight the injustices of femicide and misogyny in our cultures.

Phenomenal and a real labour of love.

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In trying to reverse a forty year miscarriage of justice. Thomas used the contemporary medium of a true crime podcast to reignite this cold case on a global scale. In doing this he not only brought justice to a silent victim, but put himself at the zenith of investigative journalism. Considering the passage of time that he had to work with, along with the medium in which he delivered his findings, what Thomas achieved was unprecedented in the world of journalism. He stands tall with the Bernstein and Woodwards of the world. An excellent book.

Fantastic. A seminal work of investigative journalism.

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Didn’t know anything about the Lyn Dawson case but found this utterly riveting. Highly recommended

Wow. What a story

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Brilliant book with Lyn at its heart. Lots of new insights so not just the podcast repeated. Hedley Thomas is a wonderful narrator. Some of the additional voices didn’t fit well which was a shame eg wrong age range and one with a woeful accent but his own narration and some of the other voices were wonderful.
Well worth a listen.

Fascinating and intriguing

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This book is a worthy adjacent to the podcast’The Teacher’s Pet’. It is informative and puts Lynnette Sims family at the heart of this horrible tale of DV & one man’s wicked self absorption and the devastation that he has sowed still affecting so many today, the saddest part being the estrangement of his daughters. I got a real feeling-of the pressure Hadley & all the others who helped to bring justice for Lynn were under. Sadly I walked away feeling how many other Lynn’s are there out there & anger at the Educational Institutions and the Police, along with the DPP. Apart from the tenacity of one officer the old boy network is alive and kicking, so well done to everyone for bringing attention to Lynn, she mattered & I’m so glad that so many people cared, listened and demanded justice, for without the Podcast Chris Dawson would be free to continue his wicked ways. A leopard doesn’t change his spots and age is no barrier to evil.

Lynn Mattered

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I was an avid listener and this adds more context and background to the process and the toll it took. Thank you for the insight and diligence.

A great addition to the podcast

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This is some of the most thorough and thoughtful ‘true crime’ reporting.
I was in two minds whether to buy this audiobook, as I had listened & loved both The Teacher’s Pet and The Teacher’s Trial podcasts and I thought I knew all about the despicable murder of Lynette Simms by her husband Chris Dawson, but this book provides so much more information about the ordeal of her loving family and the many amazing people who refused to allow what happened to her be forgotten. Congratulations to everyone involved in finally getting justice for Lyn.

Congratulations Hedley

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Hedley Thomas is peerless. May we all remember Lynette Joy Sims, where justice remains hollow until we find her.

The crime story of a lifetime

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