Captain Starlight: the strange but true story of a bushranger, impostor and murderer

by Jane Smith

Perth, 1899: a respected public servant mistakes a bottle of cyanide for his heart medicine, swallows it and dies. Months later on the other side of the country, a prisoner of Pentridge gaol with the same name as the deceased reads of the inquest with alarm. He writes to the coroner with his suspicions: the supposedly upstanding government accountant was an impostor – an ex-con – who had stolen his identity and deceived people at the highest level.
The claims sent the authorities into a spin; who really was the deceased? Was it possible he was the bushranger known as ‘Captain Starlight’ who, thirty years earlier, had callously murdered a policeman and been sentenced to hang? How had he pulled off the subterfuge and what other secrets remained hidden? As the investigation unfolds, the remarkable life and crimes of Captain Starlight, committed across four states of Australia under countless aliases, are revealed.
Author Jane Smith’s meticulous research reveals the stranger than fiction story of a compulsive liar and serial impostor: a doctor, a stockman and an accountant – and a bushranger, forger, con-man and killer. It is a true story of murder and deceit that reveals new information and presents, for the first time, a theory as to the real identity of the bushranger known as ‘Captain Starlight’.

Genres: History

276 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

I’m an author, librarian/archivist and freelance book editor. ​I love bringing history to life through fiction and non-fiction for all ages. Four of my books have been short- or long-listed for literary awards.

Reviews

[Karen Dustman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a phenomenal true crime/who-dunnit! As the sub-title says, this is the "strange but true" story of a bushranger (hold-up man) in Australia's outback -- and an inside look at its early prisons. The author has done an outstanding job of following the long and winding trail of "Captain Starlight" (with his many crimes and akas), and comes up with the best possible explanation likely for who this mystery man really was. It's an amazing true story of lies, deception, and surprising twists you won't forget!

[Gary Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving forward and back in his story timeline can be unnerving. Had to go back and check where I was or what was being referred to. This could have been done better. Still, an intriguing history mystery that urges you on through good writing and asking question time and again.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captain Starlight: The Strange but True Story of a Bushranger, Imposter and Murderer is author Jane Smith's exploration of the life of Frank Pearson alias Captain Starlight, alias Frank Gordon, alias Major P. F. Pelly alias a whole bunch of other things. Pearson is undeniably fascinating. He appears to have been something of a chronic liar, changing identities frequently. Very little can be known for certain about him and his true identity has never been discovered. He first came to attention with the name 'Frank Pearson', but it appears clear he didn't enter Australia under the name, much less was born with it.

With that in mind, I'm beyond thrilled with Captain Starlight for introducing me to the story of Frank Pearson. It's a fascinating, although unsavoury, tale and I'm just happy to know a little bit more about this part of Australian history.

However, I found Captain Starlight was not to my tastes as a reader. The writing style didn't gel with me, particularly in the opening chapters, which read more like breathless fiction than non-fiction. It wasn't even a style of fiction-writing that worked for me – it just felt juvenile, aimed at an easily-bored audience rather than one that wanted to know the details.

[Pikei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captain Starlight or Private Somebody

The book was interesting and a good read, but the story was a little disappointing. It seems that Captain Starlight was a bushranger for about two weeks and then was on the run for a further two months before he was captured. Not much of a bushranger in my eyes. The rest of his life was in and out of gaol for petty crimes. Did anyone know him as Starlight anyway. Most thought he was Thunderbolt. Ben Hall or Ned Kelly he wasn't. He was just a petty criminal!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the story of Captain Starlight fascinating. As the book progressed it stripped layers off "Frank" and we got to know this man's character fairly well. But who was he really? And where did he come from? The research that has gone into this book is phenomenal and a great read for those who are interested in bushrangers or Australian history.

[Zuzu Burford · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have to admire the research involved. Certainly a story for historical buffs.