True Crime

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. 

This is the story of the life of Adele Baily, her death and the connection between the location of her body and the house in which Jenny Tanner died.  Victorians, in particular, will probably be well aware of the case of the supposed suicide of Jenny Tanner - who supposedly shot herself in the head, twice, with a shotgun, fired by her toes.  But this book's not about Jenny Tanner - it's about Adele Baily and the location of her body and the connection with ex-policeman Denis Tanner.

Reading this book wasn't a very satisfying experience to be brutally honest.  Probably a personal opinion, as I think I prefer my true crime reading to lay out the details of a case and allow me to draw my own conclusions.  NO JUSTICE felt, to me, like there were viewpoints being expanded and conclusions drawn for me. 

ROUGH JUSTICE comes from that section of True Crime books which include telling the story of particular cases, and then analysing aspects of those cases.

As with all these sorts of books whether or not it will work for the reader depends on a number of highly subjective elements - whether you agree with the issues raised by the author (either that they exist or they are issues); whether you agree with the outcome or the methodology of that analysis; and whether or not you like or dislike either the tone of book, the raising of the case, the author or any combination of these and/or any other elements you want to raise.

Makes this sort of book a tricky read for a lot of people and you'd have to be silly not to think that True Crime, in particular, is an easy path for either author or reader. 

What I appreciated in this book in particular is that the cases that were raised were raised, that the issues that were highlighted were highlighted, and the analysis that was undertaken was voiced.  No idea if I agree or disagree or even came up with my own conclusions in the main.  But the justice system in this country has to be robust enough to stand up to scrutiny, which is part of the reason that I read these sorts of books - regardless of the cases, the author, the issues or the period of time that has passed.

You can't possibly say that you've ever been looking forward to reading a book about a case like this, but I have had this book here since it was first published, and I've picked it up and read a little now and then since then.  Frankly, the subject matter made me queasy.

But in the same way that the author wanted to know what on earth made Knight go so far over the top, ultimately, I was wondering the same thing.  So I eventually stopped sooking and sat down and read this book.

It's no wonder that Katherine Knight is never to be released, and whilst the circumstances of her life are delved into in this book, you still wonder why or how it is that a woman could go so far over the top.  So very very far over the top.  I think BLOOD STAIN does give you an inkling into what can turn a woman into a killer.  I'm not sure anyone could explain what would turn a woman into the sort of killer Kath Knight became.  Interesting book about a very stomach turning case.

I bought this book at last years Crime & Justice festival, and at the time Susanna Lobez was kind enough to sign it with me including the inscription "Stay curious!".

And that is the best way I can recommend this book - staying curious, reading this sort of historical true crime fiction, reminds you that nothing is ever really new.  And nothing is ever "the worst it has ever been" or "never before in the history...." or whatever else the media feeds you (obviously I'm thinking of the "Underbelly Wars" here).

Commencing at the beginning of the arrival of the British in Australia, this book takes you right through to the 1990's, outlining the various criminal gangs, crimelords and warlords, as well as their lesser and greater known exploits.  So much is touched on - the drug dealing, prostitution, stand-over merchants, infights, murders, and bashings. 

And it ranges over a range of different cities, nationalities, groupings, allegiances, loyalties and disloyalties.

This is a great book to read through, or to dip in and out of.  And it is a tremendous book to remind you that there's very little new under the sun.

I'm one of those people who have vaguely heard of the Kangaroo Gang but didn't really know many of the specific details.  What I never realised was how wide the reach of this gang of thieves was.

KING OF THIEVES is a wonderful tale about the exploits of a brazen bunch of Aussie thieves and shoplifters who hit London and the Continent, with aplomb, starting in the mid 1960s.

It's also one of those books that makes you feel slightly guilty - it's hard not admire this bunch of astounding, brazen, clever, and straight out cunning band of crooks.  One of the things that does sober your estimation just a bit is the revelation that interwoven with the story of the Kangaroo Gang is the story of some of the biggest villains in Australia, and some of their connections to the American Mafia and beyond.

Adam Shand has told a wonderfully readable tale in this book - full of stories of exploits, failed and successful and character studies of many of the members of the Gang.  He's also outlined some of the downsides of a life of crime, as well as the upsides.  Perhaps what the book doesn't do is give you an indepth analysis of some of the key players, but that's not to underestimate what the book actually does tell you.  The story of the Kangaroo Gang is one of careful analysis, and careful planning, as well as playing fair with all members of the group.  They used a sophisticated setup of "head pullers", distraction, fleet of hand and fleet of foot, timing and extreme care.  They never resorted to violence, and they distributed the funds fairly amongst everyone involved - from the person doing the actual stealing right through to all the "head pullers" no matter how many there were.  And they also worked most successfully in the days before security cameras, large numbers of store detectives, and in a time when police weren't automatically able to access photo ID's for Gang Members.  They also had a startling range of faked and alternative ID's and they seemed to travel almost without detection.  Particularly enlightening is the end of the book where the author walks some of the paths that the Gang took, visits some of the very upmarket jewellery stores that they frequented and looks at how easy it is to "fit in".  

A fantastic introduction to a period of time in Australia's history - where it just has to be said - exporting our crims back to the land that sent so many of them here in the first place is tantalisingly funny.  The book is discussing a serious crime wave, with victims that should be remembered, and a gang from which many members ultimately did turn to less "savoury" areas such as drugs.  But if for no other reason, read KING OF THIEVES to find out something about a little known Australian Gang.  If that doesn't work for you, the connections between the Kangaroo Gang and so many "names" of the current criminal world will really make you think.

Whilst WOMEN WHO KILL is Lindy Cameron's 5th True Crime book, it is the first for WA based writer Ruth Wykes.  This is a book in which individual chapters look at a range of Australian and New Zealand murderers.  All of them female.  None of these murder fall into the category of defence killings.  It's an odd feeling to come to this book, knowing that somehow, somewhere in the back of your head is the idea that it's almost "understandable" for a woman to kill in defence - against violence, in defence of her children, in defence of her family.  Cameron and Wykes look at 12 separate cases, under the major headings "Truly, Madly, Deadly'; 'Vicious Young Things' and 'Overkill', none of which could ever be remotely classified as "understandable".

Reading the details of what these women did is a very telling experience.  Leaving aside all of the social taboos, it's a series of motives, outcomes and methodologies that, sadly, in terms of True Crime, are often told.  Thrill killing, killing to cover up another crime, killing as a way of gaining or exerting power over somebody else - the scenarios are all here.  The range of perpetrator types are also here.  Abused, powerless, desperate, cunning, stupid - the full range of how people get themselves into the position of killing another human being.

Most of the cases discussed in this book are chilling enough, add the idea of a female perpetrator, and some of the circumstances in which the victims were placed and you're left with a rather sinking feeling.  

There are, however, a few particularly memorable moments, Wykes recounts the story of Catherine Birnie in some detail, finishing off with her own face to face, and way too close for comfort encounter with the real Birnie, deep in the library stacks of Bandyup Prison.  The section 'Vicious Young Things' starts off with the reminder that violent crime by young women is on the rise, making you think long and hard about what it was like to be a young woman all those years ago and wonder when the barriers shifted.  The story of Vicki Efandis (Dinner and a Murder) that ends with the reader wondering how you'd deal with being face to face with somebody so unfeeling and arrogant.  Just three examples in an overall set of cases that will all give you something to think about for a long time after you've put the book down.

For this reader, True Crime reading is about the search for understanding.  WOMEN WHO KILL also provided illumination.  I think I'm right in my understanding that thrill killing and psychopathic behaviour only exhibits (or most frequently exhibits) in the human race.  Why on earth we would assume that it only applies in the case of one of the sexes is mystifying.  WOMEN WHO KILL clearly demonstrates that human nature (in this case the worst of) most definitely is not the domain of the male of the species.

The blurb of this book really really intrigued me - and it's true there are stories that I've heard of, some I knew a lot about, some simply rang a bit of a bell.  There were others that I knew absolutely nothing about.  As the blurb goes on to say, they range across our past and our present: the heartbreaking story of the fire at Luna Park; the unstoppable opportunist who snatched innocent men and women from Palm Island to be part of P.T. Barnum's 'Greatest Show on Earth'; a world-class boxer who lost his battle with alcohol and ended up in an unmarked American grave; Steve Irwin, who was written off as a joke by the media, only to be hailed as a hero by the same media on his sudden death; and a man who heroically survived a war to find himself crushed and defeated by events much closer to home.

Sounds intriguing doesn't it.  A real page turner.  And most of the stories are intriguing, or enlightening, and there were some moments of real analysis and taut observation (such as the Steve Irwin story), but mostly, I found the book hard going.  I think, in the end, the over-melodramatic storytelling style dragged the whole thing out.  It made the reading of most of the stories overly difficult and the style took away too much from the content.  Which is a pity.  There's some history in this book that should have stood out more.

Part personal story, part historical overview, part warning about how easy going wrong can sometimes be, CONFESSIONS OF A CROOKED COP is the story of NSW Policeman Trevor Haken as told to author Sean Padraic.

This book is flagged in the media release as "The corrupt cop from UNDERBELLY 3 tells his side of the story" so it's not going to come as a lot of surprise to see this book out and the timing in which it was released.  I haven't seen a lot of the publicity for UNDERBELLY 3 but I'd take a wild guess that this book tells the personal story of one of the main figures of the upcoming series.  It is the personal story of one of the most important police informants testifying before the Wood Royal Commission into corruption in the New South Wales Police Service.

Given that it is a personal story, and despite it being told by a third party author, there is a single viewpoint slant to the book with little external analysis or review of the story being told.  There also doesn't appear to be overly strenuous attempts to paper over the corrupt activities that Haken was involved in, although the details are somewhat sketchy and there is an unavoidable feeling of things that the teller of the tale simply did not want to talk about / expand on.  There's definitely a sense of careful explanation going on.  This is possibly one of the most interesting aspects of the book - that slightly reticent feeling.  Perhaps a dance with the truth because it sits more comfortably, or is it as a result of the voiced concern for Haken's welfare (he's in Witness Protection still)?

Either way, in something that strikes me as particularly telling, I doubt the revelations in this book are as explosive or startling as they may have been at the time of the Royal Commission itself.  What was undoubtedly disturbing is the extent to which exposure of the corrupt and illegal activities within the New South Wales police system ultimately relied on the testimony of personnel within the ranks.  The risks that Haken (and others like him) took to bring the truth to light obviously takes courage and nerve.  The way in which he was treated after the event, and how he now must live his life is the real exposé of the book.