Looking For Madeleine

by Anthony Summers, Robbyn Swan

The 2007 disappearance of a three-year-old Madeleine McCann from her bed in Portugal proved an instant, worldwide sensation. There's been nothing like it since America's Lindbergh kidnapping eighty years ago.Award-winning authors Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan have produced the first independent, objective account of the case. They have examined the released Portuguese files, conducted in-depth interviews and original research to answer the What can we really know about this most emotive of cases? What can we learn from it?The Portuguese police probe ran into a dead end. Parents Gerry and Kate McCann, however, have never given up the search for Madeleine. They blitzed the media, hired private detectives, kept the case in the public eye. Speculation that the McCanns played a role in their daughter's fate, the authors demonstrate, is unfounded.Scotland Yard's 'investigative review', ordered by the Prime Minister and begun in 2011, identified some 200 potential leads. The Yard's suspects have included a mystery paedophile who preyed on other British children. The Detective Chief Inspector heading the probe has said the little girl may still be alive.The McCann family's private tragedy has touched millions around the world and aroused sometimes dark controversy. Looking for Madeleine is the most definitive account possible.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Audiobook, Crime

336 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2014

About the author

Anthony Summers is the bestselling author of eight nonfiction books. His investigative books include Not in Your Lifetime, the critically acclaimed book about the assassination of John F. Kennedy; Official & Confidential: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover; and most recently The Eleventh Day, on the 9/11 attacks—a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for History.

Reviews

[Francis Cummings · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the author was totally biased in favour of the McCanns and their friends. As far as there being no contradictions in their statements, all of the Tapis seven's initial statements contradicted each other. Every statement taken or while being interviewed for the media changed as the facts were collated.
1. Crime scene photos show shutter and window closed
2. Maddie's bed not slept in.
3. Kate McCann entered through the apartment door using a key then changed to French doors that were unlocked.
The list goes on and on and on.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Madeleine McCann case is perhaps the most famous case of modern times - so thoroughly did it capture the world, and still to this day is talked about, written about, endlessly speculated on and with the latest investigation has been very much back in the media spotlight.

I've read a lot about it over the years, from Kate's book (recommended) to the Police files now in the public domain and Amaral's book (currently banned in the UK) - so I was interested to read this from Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan as it claims to be "The most definitive" account.

It is definitely well researched and well written for sure. If you are someone who has not read a lot of the nitty gritty surrounding Madeleine's disappearance and you want a good overview with some added commentary I would definitely recommend it.

If you have already read a lot about it I'm not sure it can add anything new however - I found it interesting to see it all laid out in order and with a very matter of fact and logical viewpoint, and there is a lot of information in here.

Overall then a good, succinct account of the events of that night and the following furore and worth a look if you are interested in the Mccann case.

As a final note I would like to say that always, when I'm reading things about Madeleine, I try very hard to keep in mind that despite the endless theorising and genuine public obsession, the heart of this is about that little girl who went missing and so far, has not been found. Professional investigators claim that this case is solvable. One would hope for all those involved that this is the case.

Recommended.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never known what I believed about the disappearance of Maddie and I chose to read this book hoping it would help me to make up my mind. The book starts with a claim by the authors that they wrote it with no bias towards Maddie's parents, the Portuguese police, theories as to what happened etc. The authors claim that the book merely stated all the facts, timelines etc. I did not find this to be the case. Reading it, I detected a definite bias in favour of the Mccann family and against anybody who had ever criticised them or suggested guilt on their behalf. Having said this, it is a very interesting read, at times sharing some very scary statistics. I did find it went on a little too long as though the authors did not know when or how to finish it. An example of this is after they have run out of facts about Maddie's case, the book went on for another hundred pages or so about the number of paedophile cases in various countries, other child abduction cases, etc. Having said this, I enjoyed the book and it did help me to make up my mind about what I believe.

[Yvette · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a comprehensive but superficial account of what happened and of the subsequent investigation.
It's supposed to be an objective account, but there is certainly a strong bias pro McCann family. Towards the end the narrative just fizzles out, pages are filled with info on known paedophiles operating in Europe, without linking this info to the investigation.

[Anya Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and found it kept me wanting to hear more. However, it states multiple times they have no bias towards anyone involved, but continues on to show a very strong bias towards Madeleine’s parents throughout and also makes statements about ‘thousands of parents’ before them having done the same and left their young children alone… who? Where are these mystery child neglecters as even at the time, I remember nothing but shock through the country that anyone would leave those kids alone.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was certainly informative. I liked the way the authors took a very unbiased approach, and simply presented the facts. It was clearly a well researched and thoroughly detailed book, which not only considered the Madeleine McCann case, but other missing person cases which helped to demonstrate just how far-reaching the problem is. Suffice to say, it’s put me off the Algarve. But if you are at all interested in the Madeleine McCann case or borderline obsessed (like me), I would definitely recommend this book.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only reason I read this book was I saw the authors on the Netflix documentary. Glad I saw documentary first.

[teddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly? As I was listening to this, I couldn’t help but feel as though the authors are very much partial to the McCann’s. They failed to mention certain aspects that shine the McCann’s in a negative light, and those that they did mention, they seemed to brush under the rug, as though not important.

Personally and as a heads up, I don’t have an opinion on what actually happened to Madeleine that night since I tend to toe the line between The Big Three Possibilities: that of her parents hurting her, a stranger abducting her or she herself wandering out of the apartment and getting injured/lost in some way. Just making that clear. I have zero idea as to what happened.

What I do know however, is that it should not have happened. Madeleine should not have disappeared that night. She should have continued sleeping peacefully, enjoyed the rest of her time in Portugal and come home with no drama. Of course, just because that should have happened, doesn’t mean it did. And as such, here we are. Madeleine is gone and this book exists.

What I have to say may annoy some people, may make me out to be selfish and/or tactless but I don’t care. It has to be said.

Madeleine’s parents did not act like parents on that holiday. If they had, their daughter may have come home on that plane with them. Instead, their lives changed forever, and for the worse.

They took their three children to a foreign country, left them ALONE in an UNLOCKED apartment at NIGHT, just so they could spend some time with friends. How insane is that? Like, I know I’m not a parent, so maybe I’m not one to talk, but I cannot even fathom leaving a three-year-old alone in my own home just so I could pop down to the local Tesco five minutes away. But hey, maybe I’m just one of those weirdos. You know the ones, they have that thing, what’s it called? Uh.... responsibility! That’s it.

In all seriousness, I don’t understand why haven’t they faced more of an inquest into just how irresponsible they are? I’m sure that even when at home in the UK, the McCann's keep their bloody front door locked, so why not lock the apartment? Answer: They claim they didn’t lock up because leaving the door unlocked made going back to check on the kids every 30 minutes quicker and was less likely to wake them. (Am I the only one whose eye is twitching?)

So, why not take them to the creche service the hotel provided so they could drink with friends, you ask? Answer: Because OBVIOUSLY, when they went back to pick them up once dinnertime was done, the kids would wake up and would therefore defeat the purpose of letting them sleep at the creche. (Honestly? I’m about to kick the fucking chair.)

I truly feel as though it is undeniable that if Gerry and Kate were not middle class doctors, but instead relied on the Benefit system or were minimum wage workers, there would have been an uproar about their lack of parenting skills and even a full Social Services case opened. I’m convinced that their twins would have been taken from them because, hello, can no one see how bad they are at parenting if they just leave their three toddlers alone when abroad?!

Don’t even get me started on the whole using donations that were supposed to go into finding Madeleine being used to pay their fucking mortgage. It makes me want to be sick.

All in all, I don’t think this book is as clear cut as it’s made out to be. The writing is fine, if a bit lacklustre. The narrator is good though.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a 'slight' obsession with the Madeleine McCann case. I have read/ watched most things written about the case, so I was interested to see if this book could shine any light on the case. It didn't. Everything printed in this book has been printed before by the McCanns, the British Police or the media. It was very biased towards the McCanns and conveniently skimmed over crucial evidence such as the cadaver dogs (who have never been wrong before) and the fact that no-one except their friendship group and one nannie had seen Madeleine since Sunday. At times, I was so frustrated that I was shouting in my car (listening to the audiobook while driving to work). Make sure you read other things before deciding the McCanns are innocent.

[Olivia Simmonds · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF'd at around 50-60% of the way through.

I tried to read this book via audiobook, but it didn't pique my interest. This was surprising considering this case is probably one of Europe's most known missing children's cases. The topic is thought-provoking, but this book seems to be anti-Portuguese police and pro-McCann parents. Perhaps unconsciously biased, the author should merely present facts in a case recount, avoiding any pro/anti opinions of those involved.

[Christine Tursunoglu · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book (as it is factual) in some places did not interest me but it left me wondering about a few things - why were the children so tired - were they given medication so that they slept through Madeleine's kidnapping/killing - were her parents involved etc.

We still do not know if she is dead or alive.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives a more impartial viewpoint than 'Madeleine' maybe and worth a read when you think that this child is still missing - everyone should read it - someones memory must be jogged

[Mr Allan Goldie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the second book that I have read on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. It is an excellent timeline account of the disappearance in May 2007 and the subsequent years of the enquiry by the Portuguese police and the team from the UK who did a thorough investigation and is still ongoing. This book gave me a lot of information that allowed me to have a thorough knowledge of the documented events and process of the enquiry. Like most people I long to know exactly what happened to Madeleine and always live in hope that she will be found even after 14 years…..hard to imagine she would now be in her mid teens. There of course has been a great deal of adverse publicity about Mr and Mrs McCann and how the Portuguese police suspected they were involved in her disappearance and this is well detailed in the book but in a very sensitive way bearing in mind what they have obviously experienced in trauma since their daughter vanished. In the other book I read I firmly believed that the parents were not involved in their daughters disappearance. Now…having finished this book I am more convinced that the McCanns as parents were not involved in any way. I am also very clear on the fact that in general the Portuguese police did not do well at all in the investigation…but the UK team and the authors of this book did a great deal in uncovering important points in the timeline of the investigation. Also in the previous book I was convinced that the German suspect was the one who had taken Madeleine and sadly I felt from things he had said that Madeleine was now dead. My thoughts now from reading this book are that certainly Madeleine was abducted from the apartment while the adults gathered nearby at the Tapas. Who that person or persons are….is now not as clear to me. The book towards the end gives an indication that there is a more positive line of enquiry that points towards someone…a female is a person now living in an Eastern European country who has taken Madeleine or received her. There was another theory that perhaps Madeleine had wandered out of the apartment and either came to grief by falling in an open drain, or had been knocked down. I don’t see this as likely…..the timeline and thorough investigation by the authors convince me that Madeleine was abducted…..now that could have been by a paedophile team or person….or by someone seeking a child. There are cases documented where abducted children many years later have been found alive. It is very possible that this could be the case…..she was only 4 years old when she went missing…I can imagine after a period of time that such a young child would adapt and change to new circumstances and memories of a 4 year old would diminish as that time period grew year by year. This gives hope that one day she will be found…..and all the unanswered questions we have will be answered. This was a great book to read which for me filled in the gaps in knowledge that I had.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is potentially quite a controversial and difficult book to review, not only because it's nonfiction but because the reality behind the book is obviously incredibly harrowing. Whatever you believe happened to Madeleine, I think everyone comes to the consensus that she must have suffered and had an entire life stolen from her. That, for me, is as far as I can comment on the case itself. I don't know everything there is to know, nor will I ever, nor will a lot of people, unfortunately I imagine. I can only view it from my own perspective and come to my own conclusions, or not, as many other people will and do.
The book however I thought was a good overview of the case, based on the other media I've read or watched about Madeleine's disappearance. I can see how some people could see the book as favouring the McCanns and I think there are valid criticisms here and there, especially for me when there were discussions about potential criminals in the area which didn't link back and became a little bit confusing while reading. But overall, I think the book itself is informative, encompassing of most aspects of the case and actually righted a lot of misconceptions I had about previously so I appreciated that. The case itself is overwhelming with a lot of narratives and a lot of people involved so having a comprehensive account was really helpful.
Obviously we don't currently know what happened to Madeleine and hopefully one day we will, but I would urge anyone who has an interest in the case, the family or the ongoing search to find Madeleine to read this book.

[Biggus · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am glad (I think) that the author did what no author of a book like this should ever do, namely, start out by saying that his mind is made up, and this is what happened (or didn't as the case may be). Dude, I don't care what YOU think, how about you tell me the facts, present both sides of the case, and let me decide? Radicial idea eh? Confirmation bias much? Anyway, I can get past the bias, but what I cannot get past is the ridiculous narration (audiobook obviously).

Apart from sounding like a 12 year old, better suited to teen chick lit, the, quote, narrator, end of quote, literally, quote, read, end of quote, every
single
freaking
quotation mark
as a literal, quote/end of quote thing to be 'read'.

It is ok to do this to make a point, or stress something, but every paragraph, sometimes every sentence? I was going insane. Obviously, in the physical book, these quotes might be italicised or actually in quotation marks, but ask yourself, does ANYONE actually literally say, 'quote/end of quote' every time they see this? Well, this narrator did. No idea if she was told to, no idea if anyone actually listened to this in some editing process (ha!), but I just couldn't tolerate the never ending incessant and totally unneccessary quote end of quote nonsense.

I don't want to read the mother's book, because she obviously cannot be objective, so unless there are others on audio, I guess I'll have to just watch the doco :(

[CJ | cjeverafter · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If you made a dozen movies out of this, no one would believe them.” - Kelvin MacKenzie, Former Editor, The Sun Newspaper.

“I don’t remember any child abduction case globally, larger, more high profile, more impactful than Madeleine McCann.” - Ernie Allen, Former President & CEO of the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

Looking for Madeleine by Anthony Summers & Robbyn Swan tells the story of the 2007 disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann who was taken from her bed while vacationing with family in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Despite identifying some two hundred potential leads over fourteen years, Madeleine has never been found.

Skeptics will say that Summers & Swan are biased in favour of the McCanns, when the reality is that they have simply laid out the facts in an expertly researched and devastatingly detailed account of the case. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that her parents; Kate & Gerry McCann had anything to do with their daughter’s disappearance. For more information on the case and details of the investigation, you can also watch a series based on this book on Netflix called The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

[Richie Carville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragic tale, brilliantly told.

A superb book, brilliantly written and researched. A truly tragic event hijacked by those more interested in fame than a little girl. Shame on those who still invent nonsense regarding Madeleine's disappearance and fail to see the issues here. The decision of her parents to leave the children is a separate issue from what happened next. The scurrilous comments of the PJ (and abdolute shoddy police work) and the conspiracy theorists likely means her family will always wonder what happened to their daughter.

So many of the accusations against the McCanns are poorly researched and often fail to stand up to 60 seconds of research. Hopefully this book is the start of the fight back- they deserve to know what happened.

[Fiona Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting at the end first - the authors throw light on the 'haters' who are pathalogical in their spoken and written violence towards the McCanns and explain about their campaign to reduce the status of this book by leaving bad reviews and it is not difficult to spot them here.
If people are reading the book to find 'the' answer then obviously that's not going to happen as that is the one thing that remains illusive. The authors set the book out very well and although I have read quite a lot about this case, it was still fresh and engaging material and did contain some information that I had not been aware of. There is no bias towards the McCanns - but their is common humanity shown - something the haters do not have the gene for.

[Natasha Mairs (Serenity You) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have followed the case of Madeleine McCann since it first hit the papers. My eldest son was around the same age when Maddie went missing, so it really touched a nerve.

Over the years, I have changed my mind many times about what I think happened to Maddie. But this is the first time I have read a book about what actually happened on that day. It goes, into detail and gives a timeline of what happened and when.

I did feel that the authors were on the side of the McCanns and didn't really go into too much detail about them being involved.

Overall, this book changed my opinion again and I think the police could have done so much more at the time. I enjoyed listening to this and I gave it 3/5 stars

[Rachel Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely well researched book that deals simply with the facts of the case. A lot of criticism directed at the book states that it’s ’pro McCann’, I would argue that the facts laid out in this book put to bed all the conspiracy and lies that have been perpetuated in this case, and there are many. I found the book to be a straightforward account of evidence and factual information that is provably true. A gripping read.

[Belinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Authors hopelessly biased and concerned with exonerating parents rather than discovering the truth. They dismiss out of hand anything that doesn't gel with their idea of Kate and Gerry as latterday saints. Rather than positing possible reasons for the findings of the cadaver and blood dogs, they just decide these are unreliable, for instance.

[thebookfox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can’t remember when I started listening to this but it took me a few false starts before I got into it.

Not bad as an overview of the Madeleine McCann case but the authors repeatedly tell you that they don’t think Kate and/or Gerry are involved which makes me think that a huge chunk of theories are just swept under the carpet.

Narrator: very good.

[Gill smeal · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Breaking News* New suspect in Madeleine McCann disappearance

Literally just finished this book last night..it is an accurate and factual account of all of the circumstances. I finished it literally thinking when will this mystery be finally solved. The answers are there somewhere. Tonight a new suspect is breaking news. Very ironic indeed.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, comprehensive and completely unsensationalistic. The authors have worked hard in getting the facts together from an impartial viewpoint, and not dwelling on scandal or the vile abuse aimed at the McCanns by various trolls.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive, un sensationalistic, and fair. Including details about other break ins and abduction attempts, something that was not made widely known to the public at the time of the disappearance. Good book.

[Rhiannon Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook. Wasn't the easiest of books to listen to. I think I've read/watched so much about the case now that I felt there was nothing new. Obviously, I would love there to have been a happy ending, and I do look forward to when an explanation and answers are found.

[Suzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's biased in favour of the McCann parents which I didn't expect because it did claim to be an "independent, objective account of the case."
So if you're looking for all sides of the story, this isn't for you.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well researched and written account of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. However, as others have said, I also felt there was a bias in favour of the parents. Once I realised that I found it a harder read.

[Maurene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good unbiased version about the disappearance of Madeleine. Entirely evidence based with no personal assumptions or allegations. It held my interest throughout, just wish it could be further updated.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A good summary for someone like myself who has not read much about this. Very factual account with no sensationalism.