The History of Australian True Crime

by Nigel Cawthorne

The criminal history of Australia from bushrangers who robbed, raped and murdered their way across the Outback in the late 18th and 19th centuries to today's breed of celebrity villain, from Ned Kelly and Jack the Rammer to Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read and Alan Bond. The author presents a carefully chosen cross-section of Australian history s most infamous criminals whose grisly exploits are guaranteed to keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Nigel Cawthorne is an Anglo-American writer of fiction and non-fiction, and an editor. He has written more than 80 books on a wide range of subjects and has contributed to The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail and The New York Times. He has appeared on television and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Many of Nigel Cawthorne's books are compilations of popular history, without footnotes, references or bibliographies. His own web site refers to a description of his home as a "book-writing factory" and says, "More than half my books were commissioned by publishers and packagers for a flat fee or for a for a reduced royalty".

One of his most notable works was Taking Back My Name, an autobiography of Ike Turner, with whom he spent a number of weeks working with him on, taking up residence in Turner's house. The book caused much controversy, resulting in court cases for three years following its release.

Cawthorne currently lives in Bloomsbury, London with his girlfriend and son, Colin (born 1982).

Reviews

[Steven Whitemore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, glimpse into some psychos but not tonnes of detail as they only have two pages each.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good intreseting reading about Australian crime. Never boring.