What do you think?
Rate this book
Australia's Most Bizarre Crimes
True tales of crimes so bizarre you might not believe them.
The mysterious disappearance of thousands of false teeth, international travel via the postal system, doughnut delivery heists, clowns terrorising a neighbourhood, the theft of a three-storey-high replica mango, criminal clairvoyants making off with haunted cash: could crime get any weirder, and could people get any stupider?
In Australia's Most Bizarre Crimes, Peter Coleman explores the archives and recent records to produce this astounding collection of criminal mishaps that will have you laughing even as you shake your head in disbelief.
The mysterious disappearance of thousands of false teeth, international travel via the postal system, doughnut delivery heists, clowns terrorising a neighbourhood, the theft of a three-storey-high replica mango, criminal clairvoyants making off with haunted cash: could crime get any weirder, and could people get any stupider?
In Australia's Most Bizarre Crimes, Peter Coleman explores the archives and recent records to produce this astounding collection of criminal mishaps that will have you laughing even as you shake your head in disbelief.
- GenresNonfictionTrue Crime
282 pages, Paperback
Published July 30, 2024
19 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 5, 2024
The best kind of nonfiction gets you laughing and sharing anecdotes with friends and family – Australia's Most Bizarre Crimes delivers that in spades.
“Given one in five Australians is descended from convicts, it’s perhaps unsurprising that we’re intrigued by the criminal element lurking in our collective DNA.”
This book is filled with stories to make you laugh, smile, or shake your head – often ensuring you feel better about your own life decisions. Peter Coleman writes in a light-hearted, friendly style that also demonstrates a significant amount of research. It’s a fun, interesting reading experience, the perfect way to recover from heavier books.
There’s no shortage of shenanigans to keep you entertained, along with a bunch of mind-boggling laws I didn’t know existed. It has a bit of everything – even heartache, as evident by the woman who stole a van full of donuts, only for them to become spoiled and inedible by the time police caught her.
Some of my favourites included:
- Tram Boy, a teenager obsessed with trams, who then stole one, driving it around the streets of Melbourne picking up passengers. I hope Tram Boy takes me somewhere in Melbourne one day.
- Homesick Brian Robson, who attempted to mail himself from Sydney to the UK in a crate.
- Hank the Pest Controller, who stole hundreds of zoological specimens and skeletons from the museum he worked at.
- Mr King, his coffin, and the goat.
- The Crutchy Push. Who needs Peaky Blinders when you have these guys? They take the prize for most needing their own Netflix series.
“The Crutchy Push was an amputee-only gang whose members weaponised their crutches.”
Don’t even get me started on the Garden Gnome Liberation Army, or (best chapter title) The Taco Van for Jackie Chan the Ram! I could easily imagine many of these cases appearing on the likes of Better Call Saul. I also enjoyed the names Pete gave to various criminals when not using their real name – shoutout to Dwayne and Brayden.
Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes gave me laughs when I needed some. For that, I’m grateful. It sent me down rabbit holes eager to learn more, and was something I came to look forward to reading each night. This is true crime at its most hilarious. If you’re after fun stories and crazy antics, I recommend this book.
“They say crime doesn’t pay, but it can give you a good chuckle at someone else’s expense.”
Many thanks to Affirm Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“Given one in five Australians is descended from convicts, it’s perhaps unsurprising that we’re intrigued by the criminal element lurking in our collective DNA.”
This book is filled with stories to make you laugh, smile, or shake your head – often ensuring you feel better about your own life decisions. Peter Coleman writes in a light-hearted, friendly style that also demonstrates a significant amount of research. It’s a fun, interesting reading experience, the perfect way to recover from heavier books.
There’s no shortage of shenanigans to keep you entertained, along with a bunch of mind-boggling laws I didn’t know existed. It has a bit of everything – even heartache, as evident by the woman who stole a van full of donuts, only for them to become spoiled and inedible by the time police caught her.
Some of my favourites included:
- Tram Boy, a teenager obsessed with trams, who then stole one, driving it around the streets of Melbourne picking up passengers. I hope Tram Boy takes me somewhere in Melbourne one day.
- Homesick Brian Robson, who attempted to mail himself from Sydney to the UK in a crate.
- Hank the Pest Controller, who stole hundreds of zoological specimens and skeletons from the museum he worked at.
- Mr King, his coffin, and the goat.
- The Crutchy Push. Who needs Peaky Blinders when you have these guys? They take the prize for most needing their own Netflix series.
“The Crutchy Push was an amputee-only gang whose members weaponised their crutches.”
Don’t even get me started on the Garden Gnome Liberation Army, or (best chapter title) The Taco Van for Jackie Chan the Ram! I could easily imagine many of these cases appearing on the likes of Better Call Saul. I also enjoyed the names Pete gave to various criminals when not using their real name – shoutout to Dwayne and Brayden.
Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes gave me laughs when I needed some. For that, I’m grateful. It sent me down rabbit holes eager to learn more, and was something I came to look forward to reading each night. This is true crime at its most hilarious. If you’re after fun stories and crazy antics, I recommend this book.
“They say crime doesn’t pay, but it can give you a good chuckle at someone else’s expense.”
Many thanks to Affirm Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 11, 2024
‘True crime teaches us that humans can be horrible. But we can also be annoying, creative, courageous, dramatic, dishonest, dimwitted, hopeful, hypocritical, impulsive, ingenious, inventive, loving, noble, passionate, prejudiced, remorseful, selfish, self-sacrificing, and weird - really weird. That’s what this book is about.’
Australia's Most Bizarre Crimes by Peter Coleman delves into some of the most unusual and intriguing criminal cases in Australian history. Coleman compiles a series of narratives that showcase the diversity and peculiarity of criminal acts committed in Australia. The book covers a wide range of crimes, from bizarre heists to strange murders, and includes both well known cases and lesser known incidents. Coleman's storytelling brings these real life mysteries to life, offering insights into the motivations and backgrounds of the perpetrators. If you're interested in true crime with an Australian twist, this book is likely to captivate you.
With chapter titles like Bondage, Machetes, and Eggs. The Barossa Teddy Bear beheadings, Who stole those teeth?, Faecal felonies, The Taco van for Jackie Chan the Ram and The witch of Kings Cross. You automatically know you’re in for an interesting time!
Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes is a well written and sometimes funny collection that provides a unique window into the strange and often shocking world of crime in Australia. It's a must read for anyone interested in true crime stories that go beyond the ordinary.
I Highly Recommend.
Available now!
Thank you Affirm Press for gifting me an advanced copy of Australia’s most Bizarre Crimes for review.
Australia's Most Bizarre Crimes by Peter Coleman delves into some of the most unusual and intriguing criminal cases in Australian history. Coleman compiles a series of narratives that showcase the diversity and peculiarity of criminal acts committed in Australia. The book covers a wide range of crimes, from bizarre heists to strange murders, and includes both well known cases and lesser known incidents. Coleman's storytelling brings these real life mysteries to life, offering insights into the motivations and backgrounds of the perpetrators. If you're interested in true crime with an Australian twist, this book is likely to captivate you.
With chapter titles like Bondage, Machetes, and Eggs. The Barossa Teddy Bear beheadings, Who stole those teeth?, Faecal felonies, The Taco van for Jackie Chan the Ram and The witch of Kings Cross. You automatically know you’re in for an interesting time!
Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes is a well written and sometimes funny collection that provides a unique window into the strange and often shocking world of crime in Australia. It's a must read for anyone interested in true crime stories that go beyond the ordinary.
I Highly Recommend.
Available now!
Thank you Affirm Press for gifting me an advanced copy of Australia’s most Bizarre Crimes for review.
August 7, 2025
3 Stars = Okay. Maybe not a page-turner, but not sorry I read it.
This is probably a 2.5* rounded up.
There were a few ... very few ... tidbits in here that were amusing enough to share with my hubby over dinner. The rest were just so-so.
This is probably a 2.5* rounded up.
There were a few ... very few ... tidbits in here that were amusing enough to share with my hubby over dinner. The rest were just so-so.
September 13, 2024
This book was a great read & also had me chuckling through out cause some crimes were really bizarre recommend this book to anyone who loves reading about crime
September 3, 2024
Thank you Affirm Press for sending us a copy to read and review.
This country is full of larrikins, funny yarns and dumb criminals.
Our nation was shaped by its convict heritage and meritocracy.
To have a collection of criminally inspired anecdotes and cases was nostalgic and interesting.
Tongue in cheek humour littered throughout providing a giggle to lighten the devious crimes committed.
These bizarre crimes have been collated from several centuries and reiterate that a miscreant gene must flow through certain bloodlines.
The theft of our nationally renowned giant statues, teenagers stealing trams and multiple stolen doll cases are just a few of the violations covered in this book.
In addition a summary of bizarre laws that have been enacted in this country reflect even our law makers can be bozos.
It’s great to have a laugh at ourselves as a nation and this refreshing read will not disappoint.
This country is full of larrikins, funny yarns and dumb criminals.
Our nation was shaped by its convict heritage and meritocracy.
To have a collection of criminally inspired anecdotes and cases was nostalgic and interesting.
Tongue in cheek humour littered throughout providing a giggle to lighten the devious crimes committed.
These bizarre crimes have been collated from several centuries and reiterate that a miscreant gene must flow through certain bloodlines.
The theft of our nationally renowned giant statues, teenagers stealing trams and multiple stolen doll cases are just a few of the violations covered in this book.
In addition a summary of bizarre laws that have been enacted in this country reflect even our law makers can be bozos.
It’s great to have a laugh at ourselves as a nation and this refreshing read will not disappoint.
June 8, 2025
I read this one after @bmichie31 featured it on her booksta.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when true crime takes a sharp left turn into the land of “Wait, what now?” — this one’s for you.
In Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes, Peter Coleman dives headfirst into the criminal oddities that make this sunburnt country the weirdest crime scene in the Southern Hemisphere. From haunted cash and clairvoyants doing runners to a whole gang of thugs called the Crutchy Push who were all amputees (yes, really), this book reads like your nan’s Facebook feed after a glass of sherry — full of drama, confusion, and things you wish weren’t true.
I was hooked from the start, especially by the historic rabbit hole that was the Crutchy Push (vicious, hilarious, and horrifying all at once — does laughing make me a terrible person?). There were so many jaw-dropping moments, I honestly lost count — possibly somewhere between the missing mango and the mail-order escape artist.
Confession time: I mostly enjoyed Coleman’s storytelling, but some of the bracketed asides felt a bit like that one uncle at Christmas trying to land a dad joke that just isn’t happening. Thankfully, the real-life weirdness of the crimes didn’t need much help — the stories themselves are outrageously entertaining.
Perfect for fans of the strange-but-true and lovers of all things “Only in Australia.”
October 26, 2024
I enjoyed how short and digestible the chapters were.
December 26, 2024
Quirky and fun!!
June 5, 2025
Some of the stories are funny, I thoroughly enjoyed the first 50 pages, however, after that I found the book a bit dull and I struggled to keep reading it.
April 27, 2025
I love this type of book, well-written, easy to read, interesting. Have shared a few of the stories with friends and it was endlessly entertaining to retell. I did not finish the entire book because books consume me and it ended up back at the library before I was finished, but I will easily get it out again one day and read the whole thing again.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews