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Dear Madman
In the Lockyer Valley in 1911, my great grandfather unwittingly hired a dangerously disturbed man with a history of violent crimes against girls to work on the family farm, endangering the lives of his wife and four young daughters. But when the man accidentally revealed his true identity, my great grandfather fired him, setting in motion a chain of events that inevitably led to murder.
After he killed the girl, the murderer hid in the bushes and wrote three notes of confession to the girl’s mother.
Mrs Williams, Dear Madman, he wrote, misspelling madam.
I humbly confers to you for a deed of murder …
These notes were always part of the story my nana had told me since I was seven. My great aunt told a different version. There were no notes. No remorse or forgiveness.
How can you forgive the murder of a child?
When my great aunt died, she hoped the curse she believed had been placed upon her with the death of her sister would die with her, but it didn’t. The pattern of intergenerational trauma followed us all. Loss after loss after loss. Desperate to free us, I began to search for the truth behind the myth of the madman who’d shadowed our days.
What I discovered was only the beginning of a story that twisted and turned as often as the river that flowed through the farm.
A story that changed me forever.
After he killed the girl, the murderer hid in the bushes and wrote three notes of confession to the girl’s mother.
Mrs Williams, Dear Madman, he wrote, misspelling madam.
I humbly confers to you for a deed of murder …
These notes were always part of the story my nana had told me since I was seven. My great aunt told a different version. There were no notes. No remorse or forgiveness.
How can you forgive the murder of a child?
When my great aunt died, she hoped the curse she believed had been placed upon her with the death of her sister would die with her, but it didn’t. The pattern of intergenerational trauma followed us all. Loss after loss after loss. Desperate to free us, I began to search for the truth behind the myth of the madman who’d shadowed our days.
What I discovered was only the beginning of a story that twisted and turned as often as the river that flowed through the farm.
A story that changed me forever.
384 pages, Paperback
Published March 6, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 9, 2026
Edwina Shaw heard the story from her grandmother and had nightmares about him ever since. No one in the family was allowed to talk about the murder but it kept haunting all of them. As an adult and writer, Edwina decided to find out more about the murdered but also to investigate her own family and the mark this had left ok all of them.
At Varuna, where I met Edwina, she was already several years into that research. I was privileged to witness the journey she took to tell this story and to read early on about her own experiences in investigating this story but also the story of the killer.
The story intertwines Edwina’s own experiences as a member of this family and a writer/researcher with her family’s story and the story of the killer.
Edwina took a risk in telling his story in first person. But I believe she managed it magnificently to allow us to be in his mind as he grows up, impoverished and abused, spiralling from one disaster to the next. Despite her family’s tragedy, she manages to portray him empathetically.
Even though I’m biased, of course, as Edwina is my friend, I’d still recommend the story wholeheartedly to anyone interested in exploring inter-generational trauma and how a little twist early in life can turn anyone into a murderer.
At Varuna, where I met Edwina, she was already several years into that research. I was privileged to witness the journey she took to tell this story and to read early on about her own experiences in investigating this story but also the story of the killer.
The story intertwines Edwina’s own experiences as a member of this family and a writer/researcher with her family’s story and the story of the killer.
Edwina took a risk in telling his story in first person. But I believe she managed it magnificently to allow us to be in his mind as he grows up, impoverished and abused, spiralling from one disaster to the next. Despite her family’s tragedy, she manages to portray him empathetically.
Even though I’m biased, of course, as Edwina is my friend, I’d still recommend the story wholeheartedly to anyone interested in exploring inter-generational trauma and how a little twist early in life can turn anyone into a murderer.
March 12, 2026
Edwina Shaw is a rebellious QLD writer, editor, yoga teacher and independent publisher. A 32/5 life path Freedom-seeker in numerology, she’s here to open her throat chakra. 5’s are world travellers and ‘doctor/ professor’ types who help others find their voice.
I turned up to Edwina’s Queensland Writers Centre workshop in Beaudesert, not knowing who she was and instantly felt at home. She brought in meditation and ancestral mediumship to help us create memoir material.
Dear Madman took decades to write. It is a confronting look at a child’s murder that shocked the Laidley community and devastated Edwina’s family. The book blends true crime and her reflections in a unique, creative way.
I loved: the incredible quality of the dialogue, the characters are truly vivid. There are tender themes of forgiveness, sibling care and spiritual curiosity. Edwina’s writing is so absorbing, I read this in a night!
I was challenged by: the familiar agony of loss and systematic coverup, the institutional and prison abuse and emotional tension. Edwina’s story of police turning up after her newborn son Teddy died was tough. Many times, the women knew better, but were overruled by men (argh). I wish family pics were included but many were destroyed.
Overall: This book is a triumph of loving truth over censorship. It may just inspire you to explore your family secrets too.
They say, blessed are the cracked for they let in the light (Groucho Marx). My year six teacher Mrs Krauth said that to me when I was struggling and it has stayed with me for decades.
Thank you Edwina for doing what others could or would not do. Your words are Divinely timed medicine. This will heal many inner and outer children.
Best wishes x 555 Angels!
Sarah
P.s. Edwina has taught in a max security Juvenile Justice Centre, worked with students with severe disabilities, taught English to refugees and creative writing to Forgotten Australians (those who suffered institutional and/or out of home care). Her Soul is strong and true xx
Full blog: https://sarahyip.com/spiritual-book-r...
I turned up to Edwina’s Queensland Writers Centre workshop in Beaudesert, not knowing who she was and instantly felt at home. She brought in meditation and ancestral mediumship to help us create memoir material.
Dear Madman took decades to write. It is a confronting look at a child’s murder that shocked the Laidley community and devastated Edwina’s family. The book blends true crime and her reflections in a unique, creative way.
I loved: the incredible quality of the dialogue, the characters are truly vivid. There are tender themes of forgiveness, sibling care and spiritual curiosity. Edwina’s writing is so absorbing, I read this in a night!
I was challenged by: the familiar agony of loss and systematic coverup, the institutional and prison abuse and emotional tension. Edwina’s story of police turning up after her newborn son Teddy died was tough. Many times, the women knew better, but were overruled by men (argh). I wish family pics were included but many were destroyed.
Overall: This book is a triumph of loving truth over censorship. It may just inspire you to explore your family secrets too.
They say, blessed are the cracked for they let in the light (Groucho Marx). My year six teacher Mrs Krauth said that to me when I was struggling and it has stayed with me for decades.
Thank you Edwina for doing what others could or would not do. Your words are Divinely timed medicine. This will heal many inner and outer children.
Best wishes x 555 Angels!
Sarah
P.s. Edwina has taught in a max security Juvenile Justice Centre, worked with students with severe disabilities, taught English to refugees and creative writing to Forgotten Australians (those who suffered institutional and/or out of home care). Her Soul is strong and true xx
Full blog: https://sarahyip.com/spiritual-book-r...
March 10, 2026
The fact that I finished this book within 24 hours, ignoring family and work because I was so engrossed, tells you how compelling it is.
What left me most in awe, though, is Edwina extraordinary ability to write about something so dark with such compassion and humanity.
The book explores a horrifying crime that has haunted her family for generations. Edwina did an incredible amount of research to untangle the truth behind the story of a murdered child that her family had kept hushed in quiet shame.
But this is so much more than a true crime story. It’s Edwina’s search for understanding and meaning, and the complicated ways intergenerational trauma impacts families across decades.
It would be easy to write a story like this in a simplified Monster and Victim narrative. But Edwina was so much braver in exploring the humanity inside a man who committed an unspeakable act. That takes courage and skill. Because somehow she manages to create a sense of compassion without ever excusing the crime itself.
My favourite reads are books that ask difficult questions and help us see from perspectives we may never have been willing to consider.
Dear Madman does that brilliantly. Thank you Edwina!
What left me most in awe, though, is Edwina extraordinary ability to write about something so dark with such compassion and humanity.
The book explores a horrifying crime that has haunted her family for generations. Edwina did an incredible amount of research to untangle the truth behind the story of a murdered child that her family had kept hushed in quiet shame.
But this is so much more than a true crime story. It’s Edwina’s search for understanding and meaning, and the complicated ways intergenerational trauma impacts families across decades.
It would be easy to write a story like this in a simplified Monster and Victim narrative. But Edwina was so much braver in exploring the humanity inside a man who committed an unspeakable act. That takes courage and skill. Because somehow she manages to create a sense of compassion without ever excusing the crime itself.
My favourite reads are books that ask difficult questions and help us see from perspectives we may never have been willing to consider.
Dear Madman does that brilliantly. Thank you Edwina!
March 8, 2026
This is a riveting and beautifully written book. A true crime thriller that captures the voices of the killer, the narrator and the survivors through the generations. It carries the reader through a narrative that moves between horror on one hand and deep tenderness on the other.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews