Recipe for Murder

by Duncan McNab

THE DEFINITIVE ACCOUNT OF ERIN PATTERSON AND THE MUSHROOM MURDER TRIAL THAT ENTHRALLED THE WORLD

It is the case that has fascinated many.

On 29 July 2023 in Leongatha, a small town in rural Victoria, family and friends of local woman Erin Patterson sit down for Saturday lunch. On the menu, Beef Wellington.

The next day, four of the guests are hospitalised. Doctors suspect death cap mushroom poisoning. Within a week, three of them will be dead.

On 2 November that same year, Erin Patterson is arrested and charged with three counts of murder and five of attempted murder. Held in custody at Dame Phyllis Frost women's prison until her trial began in April 2025, the case captured media attention around the world.

Did Patterson deliberately poison her estranged husband's parents, aunt and uncle?

Was the lunch a recipe for murder? Patterson insisted no. She was innocent of any crime. Not guilty, she declared to the court.

A jury of her peers have now decided the answer to those two questions. So how did a respected country woman come to find her relationships and behaviour dissected by police and prosecutors?

Bestselling author, investigative journalist and former detective, Duncan McNab has sifted through the evidence, spoken to witnesses and attended the nine-week trial.

In this gripping book, McNab expertly explains the sequence of events that left three people dead, a community and family shattered and brought Erin Patterson to stand trial. With forensic detail he reveals why the verdict fell the way it did. GUILTY!

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Crime

299 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2025

Reviews

[Rowan MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was 2023 when beef wellingtons made news headlines around the world. Like many others, I was immediately captivated by this harrowing case – something which seemed lifted from an Agatha Christie novel.

“I think it’s a fair bet that the Patterson case was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, courtroom events in Australian history.”

This isn’t the kind of book to read before dinner! Duncan McNab delivers a straightforward, yet detailed account of the case which became known as the mushroom murders. He tells the story in chronological order, making you feel part of the lives involved.

The first half is excellent. Duncan builds a vivid portrait of Erin Patterson – making her seem terrifyingly real, like someone you could know. I also learned plenty about Leongatha, Korumburra and Morwell – places I’d never heard about prior to these events.

I was blown away to discover there are one hundred mushroom deaths each year – including numerous fatalities attributed to death caps. Duncan reminds us about the tragedies at the heart of this story too. A recap of funerals reinforced how nice Don, Gail and Heather were – good people who made a positive difference in their communities.

“I’ve been attending court cases for nearly five decades, and the evidence we’d heard that morning - the mechanics of slow and horrible death - was the saddest I can recall.”

The latter half of the book details the court case. It best excels when Duncan draws upon his former policing career and experience with trials – I even learned about Australia’s jury selection process.

What started as an engaging read started to unravel once the trial progressed though. It’s such a detailed retelling of the trial, that it repeats points and evidence already raised in the book. There’s not much here that can’t be found in podcasts or documentaries.

It might have been interesting to delve deeper into the public’s obsession with the story – there are multiple layers of human psychology at play that could’ve been explored further.

Recipe for Murder is a faithful and comprehensive portrayal of a true crime story that captivated the world – yet also proves that media saturation can sometimes impact your engagement with a subject. For those unfamiliar with the case and wanting a decent overview, this is a great starting point.

“Now I am no longer Erin Patterson’s victim and she has become the victim of my kindness.” - survivor, Ian Wilkinson.

This review can also be found on my blog, where I write about books and feature author interviews. You can read it here.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

It’s so wild to hear all the names of the places mentioned in this book. I grew up in Leongatha and it is a small country town. Very relaxed and quiet. Now it will forever be known as the place of the “mushroom killer”! What a horrible thing to put you on the map 😭 I’m very glad Patterson is in prison where she belongs. The multiple attempts to murder her ex husband is truly diabolical and my heart goes out to the family of those who passed due to her horrible actions. A very thorough and interesting account of this event, a bit long and dragging in it detail at times, but that may be because I already knew quite a lot of the content. If you are interested in this case then this is 100% worth a read!

[Tom J · Rating 3 out of 5]

what happened, in chronological order. not much more. while it's fair to say that this is an appropriate way to approach writing one of these books, it's hard to not feel like there's something fairly dramatic missing here in terms of the writing and the overall vibe of the book.

the first half of the book does a good job of running through the leadup to the fatal lunch, as well as the lunch itself. patterson is obviously, comically guilty and it's infuriating to read her running around being a self-interested piece of shit who rapidly loses control of the situation. there's a certain amount of schadenfreude at watching her instantly realise that she is out of her depth, and when she's arrested it is extremely satisfying.

the problems really start in the second half of the book. the author writes in a fairly clinical, detached tone, and as a result the book slows to an absolute crawl as we wade through chapter after chapter of uninteresting legal procedure. every single witness gets at least a paragraph, regardless of how meaningful or important their testimony is, and we hear ad nauseum about the affability and politeness of all involved. is this accurate? probably! is it interesting? god no

beyond this there's a lot of shit that simply is irrelevant that gets mentioned constantly. erin was in a lot of facebook groups, and changed her name on there a few times. this is completely irrelevant to the trial but because some of the trial witnesses are from the facebook groups we need to have what feel like dozens of references to these fucking groups. stop mentioning the groups!

i guess the book is the victim of how well the trial was run and the obvious guilt of patterson. there's few surprises, the trial runs smoothly, the police are in rare form in terms of procedural competency and, well, she obviously did it. once things are in motion there's a fairly set outcome and there is no real question of whether she'll be found guilty. as a result the court part of the book feels intolerably dry and drawn out and leaves you with a fairly tedious plod to the end. on the one hand i'm not sure that the author investing more of himself into the book or increasing the emotionality of the story would be necessarily an improvement, but as it is it's like eating ten dry weetbix back to back.

there's a bit towards the end where one of the doctors who'd treated the victims speaks and he says "holy fucking shit, you fucking did it, you crazy bitch, you poisoned them all". it was notable because it was the first time that anyone, at any point of the book, spoke in a tone that felt even slightly appropriate to the tragedy. where is the outrage? where is the grief? everyone feels like they've been taking valium and can't react, there's a strange concussed vibe to the whole thing. why is it only at the very end that we hear someone have a genuine human reaction?

it's a book that will tell you what happened and why, and as a result it's hard to score it lower than a 3. it's entirely functional if heartless, and you should pick it up if you want to get an idea of the case. there will likely be better versions though, if you are happy to wait

ps: the book ends with the author making a pun out of the title saying "erin patterson really had found... a recipe for murder". fuck off!

[Sue Gerhardt Griffiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️s

This book has sworn me off mushrooms for life! True story.

The author does a good job outlining the investigation into how a simple family lunch turned deadly. It is a chilling, moderately paced, and thoroughly researched look into a very very strange method of murder.

Only a truly disturbed and twisted person would poison their husband.

I’d recommend it to anyone fascinated or unfamiliar with this case.



Audiobook via BorrowBox
Published by: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd-Bolinda audio
Read by Duncan McNab
Duration: 8 hrs 27 min. 1.50x Speed

[Sandra Hurren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recipe for Murder by Duncan McNab is a gripping and meticulously researched deep dive into one of Australia’s most disturbing true-crime cases. McNab blends his background in policing and journalism to create a narrative that is both sharply analytical and highly readable, turning court documents and interviews into a story that unfolds with cinematic clarity.

What sets this book apart is McNab’s ability to honour the victims while exposing the dark psychology behind the crime and the complexities of the investigation. The pacing is tight, the insights are compelling, and the storytelling never loses momentum. For true-crime readers who value accuracy as much as atmosphere, Recipe for Murder is an outstanding and unforgettable read.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recipe for Murder by Duncan McNab ia a true crime account of the Erin Patterson case, where she served deadly poisonous deathcap mushrooms in a Beef Wellington dish to family members, resulting in their deaths. A fascinating case and very well written.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow. I tried to not get to involved with the coverage at the time or forming a strong opinion of her guilt or innocence, keeping an open mind especially as main stream and social media taint everything for a story but this book really outlined the facts and the trial that really showed the undeniable truth.
Well worth the read.

[C.S. Burrough · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 2023 Erin Patterson mushroom murder case gripped not just Australia but the world, spawning months of newsreel, podcasts and online debate, attracting near comparable public attention to the 1982 Lindy 'a dingo ate my baby' Chamberlain case. There's even an ABC drama series in the works, aptly entitled: Toxic.

So, it seems right and natural that this author, an old hand at true crime, should attend the court hearings and research the town of Leongatha, Patterson's family and history, with his usual expertise.

It has often been said there's a peculiar intimacy to crimes that happen in kitchens: the choreography of hands, the small rituals of preparation, the way ordinary gestures can be turned into instruments.

Duncan McNab’s A Recipe for Murder takes that intimacy and tilts it until the familiar becomes uncanny, tracing a case where domestic routine and lethal intent meet with devastating clarity.

The book reads like a slow, precise unpeeling of a life — layer by layer — until the raw, exposed truth is left trembling on the page.

McNab writes with the authority of someone who has spent years watching how investigations unfold. He reconstructs scenes with a reporter’s fidelity to fact and a novelist’s ear for the telling detail: the texture of a sauce, the smell of mushrooms, the small, almost accidental choices that accumulate into motive and method.

These sensory particulars do more than decorate the narrative; they become the book’s moral compass, guiding the reader through the ordinary textures of family life toward the extraordinary consequences that follow when trust is weaponised.

The hush of the kitchen — the clink of a spoon, the slow slide of a lid, steam fogging a window — is a recurring motif, and McNab uses it to remarkable effect. He lingers on domestic minutiae not as filler but as evidence: grocery lists, recipes, polite exchanges at the dinner table are all clues in a human drama.

In his hands, the kitchen becomes a stage where motive and method are both cooked and consumed, and the reader learns to read the ordinary as if it were a ledger of intent.

What distinguishes McNab’s account is its restraint. He resists the sensational turn that so often marks true-crime retellings, preferring instead a cool patience. The legal machinery — the police work, the forensic tests, the courtroom choreography — is laid out with clarity and respect for complexity, never reduced to melodrama.

This measured approach allows the human elements to breathe: grief, denial, the small hypocrisies and loyalties that complicate any neat assignment of guilt. The result is a narrative that feels both rigorous and humane.

Characterisation is subtle rather than theatrical. McNab sketches the people involved with an economy that trusts the reader to fill in the spaces: the accused are not monsters on a stage but people whose ordinary habits and private resentments become legible under scrutiny.

Victims, jurors, lawyers and investigators are rendered as fallible, complicated beings rather than mere archetypes.

This humane restraint deepens the moral ambiguity at the heart of the story: culpability is not a single, bright line but a series of shadows and reflections.

The book balances procedural chronology with intimate domestic vignettes, and that alternation keeps the narrative taut. McNab’s prose is spare and precise; he lets scenes accumulate rather than insisting on rhetorical flourish.

The legal passages are lucid without being dry, and the procedural detail never overwhelms the human story. There is a clear respect for the reader’s intelligence throughout: the book explains what must be explained and leaves the rest to the reader’s imagination.

McNab’s attention to texture is one of the book’s most haunting qualities. He lingers over the sensory — the smell of mushrooms, the way a sauce thickens, the tactile certainty of a knife in the hand — and these details become instruments of suspense. They do not merely set scene; they map motive.

The ordinary becomes ominous because McNab shows how easily domestic acts can be repurposed into instruments of harm. That transformation is the book’s central, chilling insight.

The narrative’s coolness is a deliberate choice that often serves the subject. A crime executed with clinical deliberation is best examined with a steady hand, and McNab has it.

Yet there are moments when this very steadiness can feel like distance. The refusal to indulge melodrama is admirable, but occasionally a sharper emotional edge might have made the stakes feel more immediate.

Even so, the restraint is more often an asset, mirroring the methodical nature of the investigation and the quiet, bureaucratic courtroom rhythms.

McNab’s reporting is patient and measured. He reconstructs the meals, the markets, the small decisions that accumulate into catastrophe, and he does so without the breathless cadence of tabloid retelling.

Instead, the book offers a steady accumulation of small facts and human moments that, together, form a convincing portrait of how a murder could be both planned and hidden in plain sight.

The reader is invited to watch the slow unravelling, to notice the tiny misalignments that, when added together, become decisive.

There is also a moral seriousness to this work. He refuses easy answers and resists the temptation to turn people into symbols. The book asks the reader to sit with ambiguity: to feel sympathy and suspicion in the same breath, to understand that culpability can be braided through everyday life.

This ethical complexity is one of the book’s strengths; it makes the narrative feel less like a verdict and more like an inquiry into the human condition.

The courtroom scenes are handled with the same measured craft as the domestic ones. The author does not dramatise legal procedure for effect; he renders it as a sequence of human decisions, technical tests and rhetorical manoeuvres.

The law appears not as an abstract moral arbiter but as a human institution, fallible and procedural, where truth is teased out through cross-examination, expert testimony and the slow accretion of evidence. That depiction lends the book a sober realism: justice is not a sudden revelation but a painstaking construction.

For readers who come to true crime seeking gore or spectacle, A Recipe for Murder will be a different sort of satisfaction: a slow, exacting unravelling that rewards attention.

For those who appreciate prose that attends to the small, telling details of life, McNab’s work will feel like a well-made dish — composed, balanced, and quietly devastating.

The book does not promise catharsis; it offers instead a careful, literate excavation of a case that is as much about ordinary human routines as it is about the extraordinary consequences that can follow when those routines are weaponised.

In the end, the book’s quiet power lies in its refusal to sensationalise. It treats its subjects with a kind of austere compassion and trusts the reader to sit with the discomfort that follows.

A Recipe for Murder is a work of attentive reporting and disciplined storytelling: a book that reads like a well-composed dish, balanced in flavour and devastating in its aftertaste.

It is a study in contrasts — warmth against chill, patience against sudden loss — and it leaves the reader with the uneasy knowledge that the most intimate spaces of our lives can also be the most dangerous.

If this author’s aim is to make us look again at the ordinary and see how easily it can be turned lethal, he succeeds. This is not a book that will be devoured in a single breathless sitting; it is one to be read slowly, with attention to the small, telling details.

In that slow reading there is a kind of moral education: a reminder that the domestic is never merely domestic, and that the rituals of everyday life can, in the wrong hands, become instruments of ruin.

I've enjoyed several of Duncan McNab's true crime books, most notably The Usual Suspect: The Life of Abe Saffron(2005); Killing Mr Rent-a-Kill (2012); Roger Rogerson: From hero cop to convicted murderer – The inside story (2016) and Getting Away With Murder(2017).

This latest kept me up late for weeks.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true crime looking at the "mushroom murders": probably the most famous/notorious Australian court cases, alongside the Lindy Chamberlain case. Why is it that female murder cases are so much more interesting to the press than males? Just because they are quite rare?

Anyhow, not being much of a non-fiction reader, I didn't expect much from this book. At the beginning, the retelling of content from newspapers and other public information sources seemed dry to me and made me think the author was being lazy.
However, after not very long, I was fully engaged and wanting to know more. The author (and the content) does a good job of keeping the reader interested.

Although I was in Victoria when the deaths happened, I was in the UK through most of the investigation and all of the court case, so I only saw the snippets that made it to the UK media - which I'm kind of glad about. This book then was a good insight into what was being reported in Australia, and much of which was kept out of the media until after the trial.

The case was covered in a partly balanced way: Erin Patterson's case and her claims were aired, and some explanation was provided to help readers understand how difficult it is to judge other people's actions in these kinds of situations.

However, she was found guilty, and the author doesn't just say she was found guilty, but that she is guilty. I expect this is probably true, but no-one knows for sure except the woman herself. After all, we know the outcome of the Lindy Chamberlain conviction after all the years she spent in jail and was then later acquitted.

The book gives insight into court procedure in Australia, and shows it to be often mundane. It makes me want to never have to serve on a jury on a big case - to have spent so many weeks of your life immersed in a story like this must have been beyond difficult.

There is also much commentary on the way the media followed the case, how it was reported, what was and was not allowed, the issues that arose and the final flurry of publications and content once the media suppression was removed - assumably including this book.

The author does show compassion to the victims and the wider family, friends and community who are impacted by these events, helping the reader to understand just how wide-ranging the impact is, particularly in a small Australian town where everyone knows one another. The fact that the events all took place in country Victoria also made a difference to how the case was tried and reported on.

It makes me wonder about the people I know living in Leongatha: how close they might have been to the families, how this all might have impacted them and will continue to do so.

[Ally Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

On 29 July 2023 in Leongatha, a small town in rural Victoria, family and friends of local woman Erin Patterson sit down for Saturday lunch. On the menu, Beef Wellington. The next day, four of the guests are hospitalised. Doctors suspect death cap mushroom poisoning. Within a week, three of them will be dead.

On 2 November that same year, Erin Patterson is arrested and charged with three counts of murder and five of attempted murder. Held in custody at Dame Phyllis Frost women's prison until her trial began in April 2025, the case captured media attention around the world.

Did Patterson deliberately poison her estranged husband's parents, aunt and uncle?
Was the lunch a recipe for murder? Patterson insisted she was innocent, not guilty. A jury decided otherwise. So how did a respected country woman come to be found guilty of three counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder?

Bestselling author, investigative journalist and former detective, Duncan McNab has sifted through the evidence, spoken to witnesses and attended the nine-week trial.

If you are interested in the Erin Patterson case then this book is 100% worth a read! When the media were covering the case I deliberately steered clear of the coverage as I wanted to wait for a book that laid the evidence out in a clear, concise timeline from start to finish. McNab has expertly done this by explaining the sequence of events that left three people dead, a community and family shattered and the evidence that brought Erin Patterson to stand trial. I was surprised to learn that Erin had previously attempted to murder her ex-husband in multiple attempts. I also found it baffling that, despite becoming seriously ill and being hospitalised three times after eating Erin’s cooking, her ex-husband did not warn his parents or express any concerns.

McNab also examines the evidence that was withheld from the jury. While I can understand the desire to keep the charges relating to Erin Patterson’s alleged attempts to murder her ex-husband separate from this trial. It is far more difficult to understand why internet searches for death cap mushrooms and hemlock on her devices were not presented to the jury. Equally baffling is the decision to prevent jurors from knowing that Erin went to the tip immediately after her lunch guests left, despite her household bins being virtually empty. Although it could not be proven exactly what she disposed of, possibly the plates from the meal, which were never recovered by police, surely assessing the significance of this information should have been left to the jury instead of being excluded.

Recipe for Murder by Duncan McNab is a gripping and meticulously researched deep dive into one of Australia’s most disturbing true-crime cases. McNab blends his background in policing and journalism to create a narrative that is both sharply analytical and highly readable, turning court documents and interviews into a story that unfolds with cinematic clarity.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I intend reading all of the books published about this trial, this is the second.

Again it brings up my pet hate in jury trials, how much is withheld from the jury, but known by the judge, the prosecutor and the defence. The jurors are not given enough respect for their ability to decide what is, and what is not, important in a trial.
I can understand the desire to hold back the trial of Erin Patterson on charges of thrice attempting to murder her husband, keeping the issues separate arguably has merit. But why were searches for death cap mushrooms and hemlock on her devices not put before the jury? To ban the jury's knowledge that Erin went to the tip immediately after her lunch guests left, even though her own bins were virtually empty, defies explanation. It couldn't be proven what she'd dumped (though likely it was the plates from the meal which were never discovered by police in their searches). But surely that is up to the jury to work out, not for the judge to hide as she falsely claimed to have been at home then, gorging on leftover cake from the lunch.
The book is a worthwhile contribution to the discussion of this baffling case. It did cause me to consider whether the victims' deaths were what she intended. If in fact she did poison her husband three times and he survived, perhaps her intent was to punish, rather than kill, his close relatives. It was fascinating that when he was seriously ill in hospital on those occasions, Erin cleaned his house, paid his bills and even had his car serviced, subsequently looking after him at her home while he recovered.

[Natalie M · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Underwhelming.

Lead-up: the book lays out the months before the fatal lunch — Erin’s online activity, social ties and the slow build of motive and opportunity.

The lunch: the narrative runs well. Patterson comes across as selfish; watching her lose control is satisfyingly grim.

The trial: initially, the procedural reporting is tight and clear — evidence, witnesses and the straightforward unravelling of Patterson’s guilt. The trial then drags: then the book collapses into clinical tedium. Chapter after chapter of legal minutiae, every witness given equal, often pointless space.

Emotional vacuum: despite the gravity, the tone is sedated throughout. Outrage and grief are almost entirely absent; only one late, profane outburst from a doctor briefly gives the story any human qualities.

Conclusion: Despite enjoying McNab's writing, this isn't one I enjoyed. There are better accounts of this case out there.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew a lot of the details due to media articles but still found this book interesting as it added in details that I didn’t know. I read it very quickly as chapters structured well. The legal case and investigation were described well. The fact that Simon kept going on trips with her despite getting extremely ill on multiple occasions beggared belief that he didn’t suspect her sooner. Or perhaps she was very duplicitous acting very caring while secretly revelling in his near death experiences. Or he was an unassuming person who did not really see her for what she was. It was very sad how the three kind hearted in-laws died and that was retold with compassion by Mcnab. I would have liked to have learned a bit more about the couple’s relationship but perhaps that could not be included ? Her motive for killing all her in-laws still remains unclear.

[This Gal Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recipe for Murder was a really thorough deep dive into a case that had a huge impact on my local area. You can tell the author has a strong grasp of the investigative process, and everything is handled in a detailed but respectful way toward everyone involved. Some parts did feel a bit long, but that’s mostly because I’ve followed the case closely and was already familiar with a lot of the information - still, it kept my interest.

I especially liked how Erin’s family history was explored. I’d always wondered what her family life and relationships were like before she committed such a horrific crime, so that insight was really interesting.

Overall, it’s a well-researched and engaging read, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the case.

[Biggus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another prime example of why authors should stick to writing. This guy has a good voice, reads well and generally ticks every box, barring his constant habit of using a rising inflection AT THE BEGINNING of every (seems that way anyway) sentence. In normal upspeak, the rising inflection comes at the end of the sentences, but no, Dunc wants to sound like a primary teacher instead. Honestly, why doesn't someone tell him to listen to his own book and hear how ridiculous he sounds and how freaking annoying and grating this idiotic inflection is.

That aside, a decent book, because Duncan is a decent writer. Thankfully, his other books aren't read by him :)

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There would be very few people (at least in Victoria) that aren’t familiar with the infamous lunch. Considering I’d heard a lot about this in the media and recently watched a documentary, I actually found the book to go into quite a bit of detail and reveal things I wasn’t aware of, which was very interesting. I found this book to very easy to read and follow along chronologically, and also liked how it explained some of the behind the scenes investigative and court processes.

[Tamika Maree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duncan McNab is a fantastic author and i love reading all he writes. I enjoy the bits and pieces that I had not heard from this case. The media was bombing us with so much information I could not keep up.
I just want to make mention that I have bookshelves full of true crime and I haven't and will never kill anyone. I felt I should defend myself from something that was in this book. I felt really called out. (joking)

[Susannah PK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the strongest of the "three" books that have been published all around the same time. Duncan McNab's research and expertise were really valuable and his opinions and personal anecdotes really fascinating.

I commend him on withstanding such a long trial and for his excellent and powerful book.

[Helen Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a comprehensive account of the poisonous truth behind the crimes and the court case of Erin Patterson, the mushroom murderer of Leongatha, Australia. She must have really hated her ex and her in-laws and thought she could get away with serving them up Beef Wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms.
A cold, calculated killer!

[Lacee Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting and sad case!!
I can’t believe she could do something so cruel and think she’d get away with it.
The fact that she had poisoned her husband multiple times before was crazy to me.

[Christine Muller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating re-telling of this story which I thoroughly enjoyed. An awful story about how someone felt the need to take lives away because she felt threatened. We may never fully understand the full story but I did enjoy reading this book from my favourite crime book store in York.

[Elise Douglas · Rating 2 out of 5]

While an incredibly interesting story. It didn’t offer anything more than what had been availed in the Media at the time of the trial. I had hoped to learn more about this fascinating case but there was nothing I hadn’t already heard.
For those unfamiliar with this case it’s a great read.

[Tierney Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This dude hates women, huh?
The credibility of this book was shot for me after a few chapters...if you write a book about Leongatha, you should probably learn how to pronounce it. Also, in what universe are Morwell houses "neat" and the last coal mine in Gippsland closed in 2015???? Huhhhh?

[Gabrielle Geddes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose this book would be interesting to someone who had not consumed any other media in relation to this case, but for me (obsessed with Australian true crime) this was nothing special and did nothing new.

[Caitlin Salomons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual read, but my librarian recommended it and I actually found it super fascinating. The author had me intrigued as little snippets of evidence and backstory came to light, details that hadn’t been allowed in court, in front of the jury etc.

[Caitlin G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the investigative journalist take on Erin Patterson and the events that lead up to the day of the lunch that killed 3 people and injuring another. Duncan provides detailed descriptions of Erin, her upbringing, family life and events of the trial.

[Jenny Bean · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting read with enough back story and courtroom evidence to make it interesting without becoming boring or overly full of minutiae.

[Tina Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed account of the murders and the surrounding issues.

[Debbie Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

His career in policing gives Duncan McNab a well rounded knowledge of the court process.
This book explained the legalities of the evidence and summed up the case well

[Somayyeh Ghaffari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is well researched and informative and does an excellent job of laying out the facts. That said, I personally did not find the narrative flow and writing style very interesting.