There is no dispute that true crime has become a huge genre over the past few years, with cold case busting podcasts, a regular stream of new series on Netflix, and movie adaptations happening on the regular. There’s something we find fascinating in reading and watching true crime stories, they raise so many questions about the way we live and the relationships we build. Aotearoa is not without it’s fascinating true crime cases, and we’ve put together a selection of books you might like to try.
Missing persons / Braunias, Steve
“Twelve extraordinary tales of disappearance: a collection of true crime writing by New Zealand’s award-winning master of non-fiction. Former journalist Murray Mason, found dead in the Auckland Domain; the mysterious death of Socksay Chansy, found dead in a graveyard by the sea; the enduring mystery of the Lundy family murders… These are stories about how some New Zealanders go missing – the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
The Crewe murders : inside New Zealand’s most infamous cold case / Johnson, Kirsty
“The murder of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe in their Pukekawa farmhouse in 1970 remains New Zealand’s most infamous cold case. It spawned two trials, two appeals, several books, a film, and eventually a royal commission finding of police corruption. And still, the Crewes’ killer has not been found. Combining gripping narrative, detailed research and striking new testimony from those who were there, this book tells the complete story of the case for the first time.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Shot in the dark : unsolved New Zealand murders from the 1920s and ’30s / Bainbridge, Scott
“A Christchurch publican shot in a crowded pub, an Indian fruiterer beaten to death in Hawera, and a trail of destruction left across Waikato and the Bay of Plenty by a multiple murderer these are just some of the fascinating unsolved murders profiled in “Shot in the Dark.” While the ten cases profiled may sound like very modern crimes, they were all committed in the years between the First and Second World Wars.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Downfall : the destruction of Charles Mackay / Diamond, Paul
“In 1920 New Zealanders were shocked by the news that the brilliant, well-connected mayor of Whanganui had shot a young gay poet, D’Arcy Cresswell, who was blackmailing him. They were then riveted by the trial that followed. Mackay was sentenced to hard labour and later left the country, only to be shot by a police sniper during street unrest in Berlin during the rise of the Nazis. Mackay had married into Whanganui high society, and the story has long been the town’s dark secret.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Getting away with murder : the Jennifer Beard inquiry / Price, Mark
“In 1969 Jennifer Beard was murdered as she travelled a remote road near Haast Pass. Her killer was never arrested – he got away with murder. This book traces the murder of Jennifer and the prime suspect.” (Catalogue)
Far North / White, David
“In May and June 2016 a gang of four were hired to complete the importation of Methamphetamine worth $500 million. Over a short time a series of almost comical misadventures saw this group attract serious attention from locals in the far north, destroy one boat, and leave a trail of clues for the police, eventually, to catch them.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Prison break / Taylor, Arthur
“Arthur Taylor is New Zealand’s best known, most influential, and colourful career criminal. He has more than 150 convictions ranging from bank robberies to fraud, theft, escaping, and having weapons and explosives. But Arthur isn’t what most people might expect. Now in his sixties and living in Dunedin, Arthur is an engaging, highly intelligent man who studied law behind bars and took on precedent-setting cases against Corrections and the Crown, cementing himself as one of the foremost authorities on prisoners’ rights. He has become, perhaps, a poster child for redemption and rehabilitation. He is now an advocate for prisoners, and a bloody good storyteller.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
The Bassett Road machine-gun murders : New Zealand’s gangster killings / Bainbridge, Scott
“On Saturday, 7 December 1963, Eric Lewis called around to 115 Bassett Road, Remuera, Auckland to collect the rent. After his persistent knocking went unanswered, Lewis let himself in. He was not prepared for the scene awaited him when he opened the door.” (Catalogue)
Charlatan : the dishonest life and dishonoured loves of Thomas Guthrie Carr, stage mesmerist / Jinks, Catherine
“Charlatan is story of a notorious nineteenth-century court case. It’s also a mystery, a piece of true crime, and a delicately humorous portrait of a man whose eye for the main chance and ferocious pursuit of publicity makes him an oddly contemporary figure. With a star-studded supporting cast, including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Mad Dentist of Wynyard, the Nunawading Messiah, and a host of shady mesmerists, spiritualists, phrenologists and hired goons, Charlatan delves deep into a side of colonial history not often explored, and unearths a Victorian-era celebrity who should never have been forgotten.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
The fix : the story of one of New Zealand’s biggest swindles / Bainbridge, Scott
“In 1966, international con-man Robert Gardner brought a highly skilled crew of grifters to New Zealand to pull off one of the biggest swindles in the country’s history. This was executed with professional precision, until two young office girls played detective and stumbled upon a crucial mistake – but was it too late? This is the full story of the elaborate scam, which uncovered collusion with a high-powered organised crime group with links to the corrupt Sydney CIB, and shows how three Auckland detectives never gave up, playing cat and mouse around the world for two years to bring the offenders to justice.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
