A solid addition to any true crime lover’s bookshelf.
CW: mention of murder and rape.
Emily Webb is a freelance journalist, podcaster, producer, and self-confessed crime-buff. She hosts two popular podcasts: Australian True Crime and Killer Content.
Suburban True Crime gathers together stories of murders in Australia from as far back as the early 20th century, all of which took place in suburban settings. Many of these are quite well-known, at least in the cities in which they took place. Others are fascinatingly obscure. There seems to be no thematic thread tying these cases together, other than their suburban settings. Nor are they in chronological order. This structure, although meaning there is a surprise around every corner, is also slightly annoying at times. One is left yearning for some sort of framework.
An Afternoon of Random Violence tells the story of a medical student who went on a sudden spree of violence in Melbourne one afternoon in 1974. The Unsolved University Murder discusses the brutal rape and murder of Annette Morgan on the grounds of the University of Sydney (a case which gave rise to greater on-campus security). Campaign of Terror tells of the strange happenings in the days before Nanette Ellis was randomly murdered in her own home in 1984 (this crime has as yet not been solved). The Brownout Strangler discusses the case of killer Edward Leonski, the first US soldier to be executed on foreign soil. And most South Australians over a certain age will recall with horror The Adelaide Zoo Killings, when two teenagers broke into Adelaide Zoo in 1985 and slaughtered 64 animals. Each of the 35 stories contained within Suburban True Crime tells of victims, perpetrators, investigators, and media. Each one is an ugly slice of Australian urban history.
Of course, jamming 35 stories into only 360 large-print pages means that there is not a lot of depth in any of them. The basic facts are laid out, along with quotes from media, or those involved. Each one reads more like a Wiki entry than a piece of long-form journalism, which makes some of the writing a little dissatisfying. Some of the older cases are not given updates at the end about where perpetrators or victims are now, leaving the reader with a sense of unfinished business. However, despite the fairly superficial nature of the information, Webb writes with liveliness, respect, and clarity, delivering a generally interesting and surprising collection.
Suburban True Crime is a great starting point for anyone interested in Australian urban crime. Webb certainly whets the appetite for more reading around these cases, and to hope that some, if not all, of the unsolved soon become solved.
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
Twitter: @TraceyKorsten
This review is the opinion of the reviewer and not necessarily of Glam Adelaide.
Distributed by: Simon & Schuster
Released: May 2022
RRP: $29.99
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