Debi Marshall

THE DEVIL'S GARDEN was a book I picked up because the case it covers - The Claremont Serial Killings - is unfortunately still unsolved, and because I've been reading a little about a number of cases in WA recently.  It made me want to find out more about the nature of the investigation into the murders of two young women, and the disappearance of a third in 1996 and 1997.

What I discovered from this book is an inkling into the tunnel vision of the police force which appears to be consistent with the attitude displayed in another case in the same state of Australia.

I also managed to discover a little about the girls who died, the impact their deaths had on the families, and in particular the devastation felt by one family, whose daughter's has never been found - assumed dead at the hands of the same killer.

True Crime for me works best when it either lays out the facts of a case allowing the reader to come to a better understanding of the events or when, in the case of miscarriages of justice or unsolved cases, it investigates, analyses the evidence and builds a possible scenario with supporting details.

What doesn't work for me is something that I'm increasingly noticing from books from this author - gratuitous intrusion of the author into the story.  Fair enough if the author is interviewing witnesses, drawing out aspects of the case, working on an investigation on behalf of a wrongly convicted person, then observations / commentary are expected.  What's not expected, and seemed increasingly discomforting are the author's "feelings" on driving around in cars in Perth, the way that the scene where one of the poor girls was found "felt", and enough other off-pitch elements that left me with an increasing impression of grandstanding.  

Which is unfortunate, as this is a case that seems to deserve a considered, factual telling.

The strange thing about starting out reading a book like LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER was a vague feeling of uncertainty.  Mostly because the man at the centre of this book - Derek Ernest Percy - has one of those names that instantly rings very loud bells.  Uncertainty because despite knowing that he's the man that so many law-enforcement agencies in Australia are convinced is a multiple child-killer, I found I didn't really know much about him at all.  At the end of LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER, the disturbing thing is that you still aren't going to know a lot about what makes the man tick.  No fault of the author mind you, Derek Ernest Percy is one of our world's strangest, most disturbing, worrying individuals.

Marshall uses her investigative background to inform the way that she's approached this book - going through a detailed examination of the crime that the man is definitely known to have committed, his modus operandi and, as much as is possible, his personality, character and background.  What is slightly unexpected is the way that the tone quickly moves from that of a dispassionate investigator to something that's obviously become very much a personal journey.  Partially this is because Percy has been tried for one child killing (which was horrendous, leaving behind a lot of devastated people), but also because Percy is the chief suspect in so many other child disappearances and murders.  Obviously Marshall feels a considerable debt to the families and friends of all the people who have been unwittingly affected by Derek Percy.  There's also a personal consideration which she touches on in the narrative.  Those aspects might explain why the tone of the book isn't completely dispassionate.  The subject matter is emotive, and dire and sobering, and somehow the tone wrongfooted this particular reader - making the informative aspects seem to lack a little informed gravitas.  Undoubtedly that reaction's very much a personal thing and I wouldn't be at all surprised for it not to be a shared experience.

Percy has baffled psychiatrists for many many years, he was found not guilty of murder once on the grounds of insanity, and he is effectively held indefinitely, considered too dangerous to be released.  One of the interesting parts of this book is Percy's current legal status - which is unique.  Part of the difficulty in understanding Percy is that he will not engage with anyone, has always refused all offers of treatment.  Marshall therefore uses interviews with Percy's own mother, his victim's families, police officers, former Armed Forces colleagues, and a number of psychiatrists as fodder for her investigations and propositions.  What is, and seemingly will always be missing, is any personal insights from Percy himself who resolutely refuses to discuss, acknowledge, or even engage with anyone around him.  

The downside to a book such as this is as a direct result of the subject matter - as long as there are so many suspicions swirling around Percy, there's always going to be speculation.  Justifiable speculation undoubtedly, but it appears that without changes to the current law or his personal testimony, the truth may never be known - hence conclusions are drawn, possibilities discussed.  I don't know what it must feel like to be a parent, or sibling of any of his suspected victims, and know that probably you'll never know for sure what really happened.

The question behind the book, as declared in the blurb - "is Derek Percy responsible for Australia's worst unsolved child abductions and murders?  Is he mad - or just bad?" seemingly cannot be answered.  What the book really does is give an indication of how frustrating and painful it must be for so many people to know that he's there - held in custody.  Keeping his secrets.

Quick comments, rather than a full review, but for those that aren't aware - this is a book about the notorious South Australian "Snowtown" killings.  There's only ever been a couple of other books that have taken me longer to read - KILLING FOR PLEASURE has been picked up, read a bit and put down since 2006.

Not because of the writing, or the analysis or even the nature of the crimes - this book covers one of those completely inexplicable, sad, pointless, horrible crimes that really did happen - as unlikely as that could possibly be.  It also attempts to look for some answers, albeit seemingly on the basis of the author's own research - there appears to be little by way of official explanations or consideration. Ultimately this was a very difficult book to read because this is real life and this is about the nature of a place and society that allowed twelve people (they know about) to disappear over seven years.