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Unmasking the Killer of the Missing Beaumont Children
On Australia day, 26 January 1966, Jane, Arnna, and Grant Beaumont were abducted from Colley Reserve, Glenelg, South Australia and never seen again, leading to one of Australia's most extensive police investigations and manhunts. Five decades later, no trace of the children has ever been found. Over the years, several individuals have been put forward and investigated as suspects, resulting in false leads and dead ends and with no real suspect until Harry Phipps. On the surface, he was a generous, charismatic, and intelligent-a person of wealth and influence in the community. However, a dramatically different person resided behind the walls of his Glenelg mansion, located a mere 190 metres in direct sight of Colley Reserve. In Unmasking the Killer , author Stuart Mullins ( The Satin Uncovering the Mystery of the Missing Beaumont Children (co-author), Joe My Story (author)) and former South Australian police detective Bill Hayes expose Harry Phipps as the prime suspect in the abduction, disappearance, and likely murder of the Beaumont children. Over ten pieces of circumstantial evidence linking Phipps to the Beaumont abduction are explored in detail, supported by geographic and predator profiling chapters, which detail how these monsters operate. The authors explore a potential link to the 1973 Adelaide Oval abduction of Kirste Gordon and Joanne Ratcliffe and reveal conversations with Haydn Phipps, the eldest son of Harry and a possible eyewitness to events on that fateful day. Stuart and Bill answer the where to next? Along with other experts, they firmly believe the answer to this baffling mystery lay buried at Castalloy, a factory once owned by Harry Phipps.
354 pages, Paperback
Published March 31, 2023
48 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 29, 2023
You only have to put “Beaumont Children” in the title of a book and I will buy it.
Three children disappear from a crowded beach in the mid 1969’s and are never seen again - the case caught Australia’s attention and has never let it go - we want to know what happened to Jane, Aarna and Grant.
The problem I found with this book was the constant repetition of what the author believes to be true even though I find myself agreeing with him. You only need to know three facts
1. The suspect’s home is in the vicinity of where the children went missing
2. Follow the one pound note evidence
3 the suspect’s public personality was not the same as his private personality.
The sad thing is, even if he is right the parents of the children are now deceased so they never found out what happened to their children.
Three children disappear from a crowded beach in the mid 1969’s and are never seen again - the case caught Australia’s attention and has never let it go - we want to know what happened to Jane, Aarna and Grant.
The problem I found with this book was the constant repetition of what the author believes to be true even though I find myself agreeing with him. You only need to know three facts
1. The suspect’s home is in the vicinity of where the children went missing
2. Follow the one pound note evidence
3 the suspect’s public personality was not the same as his private personality.
The sad thing is, even if he is right the parents of the children are now deceased so they never found out what happened to their children.
August 20, 2024
[IN PROGRESS]
3.5*
While I found the substance of this true crime book - investigating what is arguably Australia’s most notorious unsolved case - compelling, I’m marking it down for the rather amateurish execution. The book displays many of the hallmarks of a self-published title, and could have been much improved with some judicious editing.
3.5*
While I found the substance of this true crime book - investigating what is arguably Australia’s most notorious unsolved case - compelling, I’m marking it down for the rather amateurish execution. The book displays many of the hallmarks of a self-published title, and could have been much improved with some judicious editing.
April 11, 2024
Don't read this book if you're looking for an in depth analysis of all the potential main suspects, and then to narrow down who the author thinks is the likely culprit.
It's very clear that the authors believe Harry Phipps is the abductor and killer of the Beaumont children.
My main issue with this as a true crime book is that:-
1) it's very repetitive. It will repeat the same facts, ideas and theories multiple times throughout the books
2) There are chapters thrown in for the sake of trying to bulk up the story
3) I'm not quite sure why someone having a kink automatically makes them a sadistic, paedophile. They mention the fact that Harry Phipps had a kink for satin almost as though it was evidence that he is the culprit.
4) I think the most compelling evidence against Phipps in this book is the hole dug by the teenagers around the time the kids went missing. Other than that, everything is quite circumstantial. But so is the evidence against Arthur Stanley Brown and Stanley Arthur Hart. Both of whom are also leading candidates.
Could they all have been in cahoots? Absolutely. The composite of the man at the beach looks more like those two men - in my view.
No doubt, Harry Phipps was a shady character. Was he the killer? I don't think this books proves that it was him beyond the evidence which also leads to the other suspects too.
It's very clear that the authors believe Harry Phipps is the abductor and killer of the Beaumont children.
My main issue with this as a true crime book is that:-
1) it's very repetitive. It will repeat the same facts, ideas and theories multiple times throughout the books
2) There are chapters thrown in for the sake of trying to bulk up the story
3) I'm not quite sure why someone having a kink automatically makes them a sadistic, paedophile. They mention the fact that Harry Phipps had a kink for satin almost as though it was evidence that he is the culprit.
4) I think the most compelling evidence against Phipps in this book is the hole dug by the teenagers around the time the kids went missing. Other than that, everything is quite circumstantial. But so is the evidence against Arthur Stanley Brown and Stanley Arthur Hart. Both of whom are also leading candidates.
Could they all have been in cahoots? Absolutely. The composite of the man at the beach looks more like those two men - in my view.
No doubt, Harry Phipps was a shady character. Was he the killer? I don't think this books proves that it was him beyond the evidence which also leads to the other suspects too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2024
lil repetitive but overall enjoyable read
April 27, 2023
Really enjoyed this would love to get in touch with authors with some info but can’t find contact details
November 16, 2023
Convincing investigation by the authors and identification of the killer.
August 25, 2025
The topic and story were interesting, but this reads like a first draft.
A good editor could’ve cut out 100 pages as well a lot of the unnecessarily flowery language.
A good editor could’ve cut out 100 pages as well a lot of the unnecessarily flowery language.
May 6, 2024
All I can say is, I hope these guys are better detectives than they are writers. Holy repetition batman. There are only so many times can I be told about the colour of the satin, only so many times I can be told about the pound notes. This dude sounds suspect, but I fail to see how having a satin fetish qualifies you as a killer. Confirmation bias is a powerful thing.
I pulled the pin 75% through this book, which is a pity, I would have liked to finish it, despite me being reminded every page or so about the colours of satin, but the narrator is just SO bad that between her singing the thing not reading it, her laughable mispronunciations, and her reading words that aren't there, I just couldn't takes no more. She manages to mispronounce Catholic in one sentence (how the hell do you manage that? kath-oll-ick!) then get it right a paragraph later. A truly hopeless narrator.
Get an actual editor to cull the repetition, and find someone who can actually read, and this could be a decent book, but alas, that isn't going to happen.
I pulled the pin 75% through this book, which is a pity, I would have liked to finish it, despite me being reminded every page or so about the colours of satin, but the narrator is just SO bad that between her singing the thing not reading it, her laughable mispronunciations, and her reading words that aren't there, I just couldn't takes no more. She manages to mispronounce Catholic in one sentence (how the hell do you manage that? kath-oll-ick!) then get it right a paragraph later. A truly hopeless narrator.
Get an actual editor to cull the repetition, and find someone who can actually read, and this could be a decent book, but alas, that isn't going to happen.
December 28, 2023
From the moment I started this book, I couldn't put it down. It was well-written, engaging and engrossing, telling the tragic story of 3 beautiful little ones that disappeared, never to be seen again.
The authors make compelling arguments to support their theory of what happened, with corroborative evidence in line with their theory. It's well-written, easy to read and tells it's story well, dealing with each aspect of the story in well-defined chapters.
A sad and tragic story that terrified and remained with all Australians. Definitely worth a read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The authors make compelling arguments to support their theory of what happened, with corroborative evidence in line with their theory. It's well-written, easy to read and tells it's story well, dealing with each aspect of the story in well-defined chapters.
A sad and tragic story that terrified and remained with all Australians. Definitely worth a read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
March 1, 2024
A very thorough look at loads of circumstantial evidence pointing to Harry Phipps as the likely suspect in the missing Beaumont children case. Lots of conjecture on the part of the authors, but it’s hard to dispute their conclusions. Such a tragic story that changed Australia forever. wWe all wish it could have been solved while the parents were alive. Jim Beaumont just died in April 2023 at the age of 97.
August 15, 2023
The book presents a strong circumstantial case for a particular suspect. The book flowed well, however the repetitive nature peppered throughout the book on why the Author's suspect was the strongest became tiresome and I felt there was a lot of extra 'padding' throughout the book.
Overall an interesting case and hopefully this case is solved and justice can be had for the Beaumont's.
Overall an interesting case and hopefully this case is solved and justice can be had for the Beaumont's.
November 1, 2025
I’ve just finished the 2025 republication and wanted to say on the offset that I remain deeply supportive of the work done over the years by Mullins, Hayes, and also Whitaker in Satin Man. Their work to expose Phipps and to advocate for three missing children is invaluable. I very much hope that this case is one day resolved as I wish for the children to be laid to rest with dignity and decency.
That said, I was troubled by the significant shift in quality of the material added for this edition, particularly the chapter titled “The Revelation”. The contrast with the earlier more rigorous work is noticeable and I worry it risks undermining the authors’ otherwise strong investigative reputation.
My main concern is that we, as readers, are asked to accept Louise’s account without the level of contextualising, corroboration, or sourcing that the authors have carefully provided elsewhere. We do not know Louise. We are not told the extent to which her disclosures have been tested. The narrative, as it currently stands, reads more like a chain of second and third hand retellings (“X told Y who told Z…”) rather than a substantiated survivor testimony.
I want to be very clear, I support believing and empowering survivors of abuse. However, the way this particular chapter is written does not do Louise, or her story, any justice. It comes across as slightly conspiratorial in tone, and the dialogue from John disclosing detailed incriminating information whilst Louise is held at gunpoint had a cinematic, almost “villain monologue” quality to it, and seemed fanciful unfortunately.
Related to this is the issue of sequencing. For example, we are told almost in passing that Louise’s abuser had been arrested for offences against children. That is the sort of detail that should be presented earlier in the chapter rather than at the end. Throughout the earlier sections of the book, the authors are painstaking, sometimes repeating key facts until the reader fully accepts them. In the new material, by contrast, important details are sometimes dropped in half a sentence and never revisited. It makes the new chapter feel uneven compared with the original, very solid investigative work.
If, for safety reasons, Louise cannot provide further detail or supporting evidence that can be presented to readers, then I would suggest the chapter be postponed or reframed until such material is available. Her testimony also needs more space than a single chapter. I believe this would protect the integrity of the overall work, especially if Haydn is now being included amongst a number whom the authors do not wish a peaceful rest.
All in all, I believe in the work of the men, I also trust them with their work. The case of the missing children is extremely upsetting, and the crimes of Phipps are so heinous but also very typical of a city which has an awful culture of rich people doing vile things and getting away scot free. I attended boarding school in Adelaide and also lived at a private residential college whilst I was at university. My daily walk to university passed through the settings of some of the cities most infamous crimes. The elitist and classist culture that enables this kind of abuse is still very much alive. Books such as this are so important in exposing the underbelly of a city that prides itself for it's "prestige" and history. This is why it is so important to me that the final chapters be reworked for the authors to maintain their good standing as they shine light on this case and also the city. I also wish that a tribute be added for Mr. Beaumont who has since passed, as it was not mentioned.
Thank you very much for your good work.
That said, I was troubled by the significant shift in quality of the material added for this edition, particularly the chapter titled “The Revelation”. The contrast with the earlier more rigorous work is noticeable and I worry it risks undermining the authors’ otherwise strong investigative reputation.
My main concern is that we, as readers, are asked to accept Louise’s account without the level of contextualising, corroboration, or sourcing that the authors have carefully provided elsewhere. We do not know Louise. We are not told the extent to which her disclosures have been tested. The narrative, as it currently stands, reads more like a chain of second and third hand retellings (“X told Y who told Z…”) rather than a substantiated survivor testimony.
I want to be very clear, I support believing and empowering survivors of abuse. However, the way this particular chapter is written does not do Louise, or her story, any justice. It comes across as slightly conspiratorial in tone, and the dialogue from John disclosing detailed incriminating information whilst Louise is held at gunpoint had a cinematic, almost “villain monologue” quality to it, and seemed fanciful unfortunately.
Related to this is the issue of sequencing. For example, we are told almost in passing that Louise’s abuser had been arrested for offences against children. That is the sort of detail that should be presented earlier in the chapter rather than at the end. Throughout the earlier sections of the book, the authors are painstaking, sometimes repeating key facts until the reader fully accepts them. In the new material, by contrast, important details are sometimes dropped in half a sentence and never revisited. It makes the new chapter feel uneven compared with the original, very solid investigative work.
If, for safety reasons, Louise cannot provide further detail or supporting evidence that can be presented to readers, then I would suggest the chapter be postponed or reframed until such material is available. Her testimony also needs more space than a single chapter. I believe this would protect the integrity of the overall work, especially if Haydn is now being included amongst a number whom the authors do not wish a peaceful rest.
All in all, I believe in the work of the men, I also trust them with their work. The case of the missing children is extremely upsetting, and the crimes of Phipps are so heinous but also very typical of a city which has an awful culture of rich people doing vile things and getting away scot free. I attended boarding school in Adelaide and also lived at a private residential college whilst I was at university. My daily walk to university passed through the settings of some of the cities most infamous crimes. The elitist and classist culture that enables this kind of abuse is still very much alive. Books such as this are so important in exposing the underbelly of a city that prides itself for it's "prestige" and history. This is why it is so important to me that the final chapters be reworked for the authors to maintain their good standing as they shine light on this case and also the city. I also wish that a tribute be added for Mr. Beaumont who has since passed, as it was not mentioned.
Thank you very much for your good work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2023
Brilliantly researched, thoroughly investigated, I could not put this book down. The authors have shown a courageous determination to solve this crime ….. and I believe they have. This case has fascinated me for 40 years, and I am now convinced without a doubt that Harry Phipps and his evil associates were responsible for this crime. Rest in peace Jane, Aarna and Grant, with your loving parents. May the truth finally come to light.
March 14, 2025
This is one of those stories that haunts. It is just so devastating to know that no trace of these three little children has been found. What got my interest in this book is that a third dig recently took place but sadly it yielded no answers. It seems that the perpetrator of this crime has finally been named, but tragically all too late. This terrible crime continues to remain unsolved.
April 22, 2023
I enjoyed reading this book. New information on such a tragic case. Some repetition here, but still a good read I couldn't put down. I had the feeling while reading that the son Haydn was involved, maybe involuntarily. Well done guys, let's hope more leads come forth.
February 25, 2025
Chilling story, repetition is not a factor with me, at my age (85) I can forget what I’ve read and recaping helps me to think back and remember parts that were pertinent to where I am at in the story now.
November 4, 2025
There were some new perspectives on this tragedy. With the Beaumont parents, some investigating police and the prime ‘person of interest’ now passed away, it is, I believe, doubtful this mystery will be resolved.
November 11, 2023
Great book,, well researched , pretty sure it's solved by the evidence. Such a shame we will never know 100%
January 5, 2024
very interesting, but it’s repetition made some parts of the book rather dry.
January 8, 2024
I normally love true crime, but I found this book too repetitive...
March 7, 2024
A case that's gripped a nation for over 50 years. Finished it in one day! Couldn't put it down. Brilliant investigative writing.
March 19, 2024
Wow what a book a must read
January 19, 2025
Listened on Audible. It seemed quite repetitive of the facts and I admit I got a little bored.
Tragic story though.
Tragic story though.
March 3, 2025
Nothing new if you have looked into the case. Very, very, very repetitive!!! The same info chapter after chapter. Do I still think it was Harry? 100%
September 14, 2025
Reads like someone's true crime creative writing exercise. The repetition and the florid language made it virtually unreadable for me.
November 7, 2025
Everyone else's reviews are perfect, it is so repetitive!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews