True Crime

An Irresistible Temptation: The true story of Jane New and a colonial scandal

sunniefromoz — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:21:43 +1000

In 1829 at the Supreme Court in Sydney, the bewitching Jane New was sentenced to death. Her crime: shoplifting a bolt of printed French silk. But was she guilty? Many had their doubts.

Although a legal technicality soon quashed Jane's sentence, the autocratic Governor Ralph Darling refused to set her free. Like bees to the honey pot, the gentlemen of Sydney swarmed to Jane's defence including barrister and political agitator William Charles Wentworth and Supreme Court Registrar John Stephen Jr, who were both vigorous and manipulative in their appeals to set her free.

An Irresistible Temptation is set against the backdrop of a particularly divisive period in colonial New South Wales. Not only did the scandal titillate Sydney and its legal and political ramifications push the colony to the brink of a constitutional crisis, but it contributed to the savagery of Governor Darling's public vilification and bestowed upon Jane New a place in the annals of Australian colonial history.

Compelling and fast-paced, An Irresistible Temptation is a meticulously researched history that takes us from the court docks of industrialising England, to Tasmania's raw penal settlement, the rough-house world of Sydney's Rocks and eventually back to the rarefied atmosphere of Britain' House of Commons.

Breaking the Bank: An extraordinary colonial robbery

sunniefromoz — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:17:41 +1000

It was the largest bank robbery in Australian history. On Sunday 14 September 1828, thieves tunnelled through a sewage drain into the vault of Sydney's Bank of Australia and stole 14 000 in notes and cash - the equivalent of $20 million in today's currency. This audacious group of convicts not only defied the weekly exhortation 'thou shalt not steal!', they targeted the bank owned by the colony's self-anointed nobility.

Delighted at this affront to their betters, Sydney's largely criminal and ex-criminal population did all they could to undermine the authorities' attempts to catch the robbers and retrieve the spoils. While the desperate bank directors offered increasingly large rewards and the government officers cast longing looks at the gallows, the robbers continued to elude detection. Then one day ...

With a rich cast of characters who refused to abase themselves to the establishment, this meticulously researched and fast-paced history tells the story of the daring Bank of Australia robbery and of the scheming robbers, greedy receivers and unfortunate suspects whose lives were irrevocably changed by this outrageous crime.

10 Months in Laos

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:51 +1000

ISBN 1863503854

Blurb from the book:

An updated edition of Lawyers, Gems and Money.

Conroy reveals a tale of corporate crime and deception that proves sometimes fact can be stranger than fiction.

Melbourne lawyer Max Green paid the ultimate price for his multi-million dollar fraud when he was murdered, and more recently Kerry and Kay Danes have been detained.

How did you feel about 10 Months in Laos?

Submitted by helen on Thu, 06/09/2007 - 11:29pm.

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A Chronicle of Scandal

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:51 +1000

ISBN 0330272616

Format: Paperback

Blurb from the book

How Did you Feel About A Chronicle of Scandal

Submitted by Karen on Sun, 05/08/2007 - 1:20pm.

A Dangerous Life

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:52 +1000

ISBN 9781865084886

Blurb from the book:

A powerful blend of biography and the detective novel, Huckstepp investigates the murder of a charismatic woman who has fascinated many Australians since she first appeared on national television to accuse New South Wales detectives of shooting her boyfriend, Warren Lanfranchi, in cold blood. Throughout her short life, Sallie-Anne Huckstepp lived a dangerous existence. This is a true story, brilliantly told, of a courageous woman who spoke out against corruption and murder.

Reviews / Chat about this book

How did you feel about A Dangerous Life?

Submitted by helen on Sun, 09/09/2007 - 5:14pm.

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After Port Arthur

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:52 +1000

ISBN 1741142687

Blurb from the book:

A decade on, journalist Carol Altmann looks at how the people, the place, the killer, and the whole country has changed since the horrific massacre at one of Australia's most infamous historic landmarks.

When the gunshots started no one could quite believe it.A beautiful day. A tranquil setting despite its grim past. It was 28 April 1996, the day of the worst civilian massacre in history. The day 35 innocent people were murdered at Port Arthur.

All Australians reeled in shock at the news. But what happens to those involved once the headlines have faded and the TV cameras have been switched off? For those who had witnessed the horror or lost loved ones, their lives had been changed irrevocably. Learning to cope with such an experience is a life-long process.

Through very personal stories, After Port Arthur documents the profound effects the event has had on the people involved. Their ongoing search to find strength in such tragedy is testament to the greater human spirit.

How did you feel about After Port Arthur?

Submitted by Karen on Tue, 26/06/2007 - 11:46am.

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All Things Bright and Beautiful

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:52 +1000

ISBN 1405036109

Blurb from the book

Adelaide has developed an eerie reputation for bizarre and horrific murders - even Salman Rushdie has called it a place "where things go bump in the night".

After the revelations of the so-called "bodies in the barrels" murders, in which twelve people were murdered and many of their bodies dismembered and defleshed, a British tabloid went so far as to christen Adelaide "the murder capital of the world".

Yet of all of Australia's cities, Adelaide prides itself on its civilisation and the moral foundations laid out at its creation - when it was founded as a shining model, a paradise of order and reason in the Great Southern Land. So what really is the truth behind this split society - city of light or city of murder?

Bestselling author Susan Mitchell was born and grew up in Adelaide, and in this fascinating and disturbing book she sets out to discover first-hand the truth behind the Snowtown murders and to ask how a city as cultured and civilised as Adelaide has spawned such terrible crimes. She takes us inside the worlds of its ruling class, cultured middle class and hidden underclass. Using a blend of storytelling, narrative and interviews in order to discover the truth, Mitchell has produced a gripping journey into the heart of a modern-day Utopia gone wrong.

How Did you Feel About All Things Bright and Beautiful?

Submitted by Karen on Thu, 27/09/2007 - 4:06pm.

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Almost Perfect

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:52 +1000

|ISBN 1877029882

Blurb from the book

Almost Perfect, by Greg Fogarty, is a true account of a brutal killing of a mother and her three children. Still to this day the killer has not been caught.

Theresa Crawford and her three children lost their lives on a cold day, July 2, 1970.

The case became one of the most intriguing murder mysteries in the modern history of Victoria. Greg Fogarty has meticulously pieced together the events surrounding the grisly family murder tracing coronial documents and interviewing key figures long ago caught in the tragedy. For many, the crime is just as fresh in their minds as it was when it happened - more than thirty years ago.

How Did you Feel About Almost Perfect?

Submitted by Karen on Tue, 11/09/2007 - 4:23pm.

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Altman, Carol

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:52 +1000

About the Author

Author's Website & Links

Bibliography

After Port Arthur

Is Carol Altman one of your favourite authors?

Submitted by Karen on Sun, 24/06/2007 - 9:49pm.

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An Almost Perfect Murder

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:52 +1000

ISBN 9780733319273

Blurb from the book

The story behind the investigation into the murder of Ulrike 'Ricky' Conway

On a Sunday evening Ricky Conway, mother of two and estranged wife of a serving police officer, was found deceased in her Canberra suburban home. Police suspected Ricky had committed suicide, as the day before she had tried but failed. But one detective on the case noticed something unusual, the toilet seat had been left up. Ricky, however, had been home alone all weekend. From this one observation, suspicions grew and an exhaustive investigation was launched into her death. Some thought the detectives were wasting their time, particularly as they began to focus on one of their own. Despite criticism, the investigation continued, uncovering an evil conspiracy of deceit and manipulation. Even so, there was no hard evidence to incriminate their prime suspect, John Conway. The pressure was on the investigators to find the evidence or disband. It seemed Ricky's murder would be unsolved, that was, till a break-through came from an unlikely source. Without it, Ricky's death would have been a perfect murder.

How Did you Feel About An Almost Perfect Murder?

Submitted by Karen on Thu, 20/09/2007 - 2:41pm.

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