Swamp-Who Murdered Margaret Clement?

by Richard Shears

Rich, beautiful and well educated, Margaret Clement was the belle of Melbourne society. With a legacy from her wealthy father, she and her sisters set up a mansion called Tullaree in the pastures near the Tarwin River. With staff to run the property, they impressed the cream of Edwardian society with Japanese screens, tapestries and furniture from their trips abroad. Hit hard by the Great Depression and World War I, their finances declined and the ditches that kept the Tarwin River back collapsed through neglect. The lush paddocks sank under a vast swamp as the elderly belles clung to their beloved Tullaree. As the swamp rose, so too did the presence of opportunists, scammers, lawyers - and a killer.

Genres: Crime, True Crime, Nonfiction

237 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2008

About the author

Richard Shears is an Australian journalist who has covered stories all over the world. His published books encompass fiction, true crime and general nonfiction.

He is the Australian and South East Asian correspondent for the London' respected 'Daily Mail' newspaper.

NB: The exact date of birth is not known so 1 January has been used to complete the entry above.

Reviews

[Vera Campli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually read the whole of the first book that Shears wrote about Margaret Clement, which is called The Lady of the Swamp (published in 1981). This book was published in 2008 and it's an updated, coffee table version of the earlier book - sensationalised, with more photos. Most of the text is lifted from the previous book, so I skipped to the last chapter.

What prompted me to read these books was listening to a radio program about Margaret Clement which contains a final twist to the story that's not present in either of these books.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/p...

The story reminded me of the Beales of Grey Gardens but with a murder mystery tacked on the end.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

What makes this account of a murder and subsequent investigation a little different is the preliminary historical detail. Indeed, I think the story of the rich, then poor, Clement family in Gippsland, Victoria is a story in its own right. The book spans the second half of the eighteenth century and first half of the twentieth century, giving a glimpse into the lives of a wealthy Australian family. Two of the sisters began living a reclusive life in Gippsland after the First World War, living there until the early 1950’s, as their property was gradually surrounded by water which could not drain away due to silting up. Her disappearance in 1952 sparked a big police search, but nothing was ever solved.

[Saskia · Rating 3 out of 5]

a devastating story. a bit of a slow read. some fascinating history. that poor lady.

[Barbara-Anne Lees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read of a local murder mystery!

[Kerenza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like reading a book in the exact places events took place, even got to wander past the location bones were located yesterday…talk about bringing a book to life (or death)

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it - stayed up all night to finish it!

[Emma (nicestack) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true mystery local to my area that had me gripped from start to finish. Having only known titbits about this story, I went in fairly blind. It's fascinating and so well researched. Looking forward to chatting about it in book club!

[Cat Kerney · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into a facet of Victorian History

This was a nice read and definitely got me invested, curious and speculative about what happened to the Lady of the Swamp

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Poor sad Margaret and her sister Jeanie
Who will ever prove what really happened to her?

[Heather Fraser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this and being a resident of the local area made it very apppealing. Would like to know what has happened since!

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remembered that there was a book about the district's very own murder mystery/disappearance when Tullaree came up for sale recently, and I'm pretty sure I've read either this or the author's 1980 original. But it is a well-written account of the mystery providing a solid answer to the title question

[Ky Thorson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I often think, late at night, when it is coldest and blackest, of this woman, not so alone in that dark, cold swamp that seemingly swallowed her off the face of the earth.

[Cat]

LOVED this book. Fascinating history. The vivid descriptions of the house and the times in which those women lived, plus the character portrayal made this an intriguing and at times quite tense read, I could hardly put it down. Highly recommend.