Australia's Serial Killers : The Definitive History of Serial Multicide in Australia

by Paul B. Kidd

Since its first publication in 2000, Australia's Serial Killers has become a true crime classic. This B format edition is fully updated, bringing all the cases covered up to the minute.

They used to be known as mass murderers, spree killers or repeat offenders. Now the world knows them as serial killers - murderers that kill on compulsion again and again until they are finally brought to justice.

Australia's dark history of homicide has its own chamber of horrors; a rollcall that includes some of the most unique cases of serial murder in the world.

A recognised authority on Australia's most notorious criminals, Paul B. Kidd covers in unwavering detail 33 true stories of serial murder. In this gallery of infamy are world-renowned serial killers, the likes of the Night Caller, the Mutilator and the Granny Killer; serial poisoners such as the 'Rough on Rats' Killer; and serial child killers such as the Angel of Death and the Carbon Copy Killer.

Sixteen years in the researching, this comprehensive and ambitious work includes psychological opinions, courtroom trials, detailed confessions, and exclusive prison interviews with three of Australia's most infamous serial killers.

But be the murders in this book are horrifying, graphic and unforgettable - it is not for the faint-hearted.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

373 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Paul Benjamin Kidd (1945) was an Australian author, journalist, and radio show host. From 2001 until 2020, Kidd was the co-host of the 2UE George and Paul weekend show with George Moore; since 2020, he has co-hosted Weekends with John and Paul with John Stanley on 2GB. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are 33 Australian serial killers covered in this book, from 1822 through 2000. This was a pretty good book. Obviously, with only 373 pages to cover 33 killers, he isn't able to write at any great length on each one.

Interestingly enough, he befriends one of the killers, William MacDonald (The Mutilator), after getting to know him in a lengthy in-person interview. "I decided then that I would be his friend until he died and I told him so. In his curious and matter-of-fact manner he nodded his head and said that he would like that and that it would be something new as he had never had a friend before."

3 Stars = I liked the book. I'm glad I read it.

I have included the table of contents, for your reference.

Contents:
The Cannibal Convict (Alexander Pearce - Tasmania, 1822-23)
The Berrima Axe Murderer (John Lynch - New South Wales, 1840-41)
The 'Rough on Rats' Murderess (Martha Needle - Melbourne, 1885-94)
The Baby Farmers (John and Sarah Makin - Sydney, 1892)
(Frances Knorr - Melbourne, 1893)
(Alice Mitchell - Perth, 1900-06)
The Windsor Murderer (Frederick Bailey Deeming - England and Melbourne, 1891-92)
The Murderous Mistress (Martha Rendell - Perth, 1907-09)
The Schoolgirl Strangler (Arnold Karl Soderman - Melbourne, 1930-35)
The Swaggie Killer (Albert Andrew Moss - New South Wales, 1938-39)
The Brownout Strangler (Edward Joseph Leonski - Melbourne, 1942)
The Thallium Killers (Caroline 'Aunt Thally' Grills - Sydney, 1947-53)
(Yvonne Gladys Fletcher - Sydney, 1948-52)
The Romanian Maniac (John Balaban - Paris and Adelaide, 1946-53)
The Night Caller (Eric Edgar Cooke - Perth, 1959-63)
The Mutilator (William MacDonald - Sydney, 1960-62)
The Carbon Copy Killer (Barry Gordon Hadlow - Queensland, 1962-90)
The 'Kill Seven' Serial Murders (Archibald Beattie McCafferty - Sydney, 1973
The Lonely Hearts Killer (Rodney Francis Cameron - Victoria and New South Wales, 1974-90)
The Truro Serial Murders (Christopher Robin Worrell and James William Miller - Adelaide, 1976-77)
The Angel of Death (Helen Patricia Moore - Sydney, 1979-80)
The Pederast Predator (Michael George Laurance - Griffith, New South Wales, 1984-86)
The Moorhouse Street Murders (Catherine and David Birnie - Perth, 1986)
The Kimberley Killer (Josef Schwab - Northern Territory and Western Australia, 1987)
The Granny Killer (John Wayne Glover - Sydney, 1989-91)
The Backpacker Murders (Ivan Robert Marko Milat - New South Wales, 1989-92)
The Frankston Serial Killer (Paul Charles Denyer - Frankston, Victoria, 1993)
Scattered Remains, Splattered Brains (Mark Mala Valera - Wollongong, New South Wales, 1998-2000)
The Wagga Serial Killer (Matthew James Harris - Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, 1998)
Lennie the Loon (Leonard John Fraser - Rockhampton, Queensland, 1998-99)
'How Did You Come to Be as You Are?' (Peter Norris Dupas - Melbourne, 1997-99)
Snowtown: The 'Bodies in the Barrels' Serial Murders (John Justin Bunting, Robert Joe Wagner and James Spyridon Vlassakis - Adelaide, 1992-99)
Mummy Dearest (Kathleen Megan Folbigg - Newcastle, New South Wales, 1989-99)

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was refreshing in a very disturbing 'I'm going to lock all my doors and windows and never leave my house from now on' sort of way to read an anthology of Australian serial killers. I've read books about U.S serial killers (and lets be honest there are alot of those floating around) but only 1 decent book about home-grown Aussie socio-paths.

This book was easy to read and informative. I had no idea that Australia had enough serial killers to fill an entire book, but there you go staying alive in Australia is just as hard as it is in the U.S. Definitely worth reading or you could just watch Crime Investigation Australia I guess.

[Tegan Boundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for Australians for sure.

[Aussie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My notes :
- love true crime stories
- love Paul B.Kidd books

Summary:
They used to be known as mass murderers, spree killers or repeat offenders. Now the world knows them as serial killers murderers who kills on compulsion again and again until they are finally brought to justice . Australia's dark history of homicide has its own chambers of horrors; a rollcall that includes some of the most unique cases of serial murder in the world . A recognized authority on Australia's covers in unwavering details 33 stories of serial murder.

[Abigail Brownsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book that went into detail about the cases, the killers, the victims and how it went down in the court room. My civics teacher is currently reading it and believes that it help us learn more in our lessons

[Stephen Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of fucked up stories

[Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written with a good bibliography.

[Tamika · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who enjoys true crime, i really enjoyed this book.
Some cases are much more intriguing than others but overall it gives you a well rounded look at prolific killers in Australia through the years.
It was also very interesting to read about the writers dynamic, almost friendship with one of the killers.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book filled with short details of some of Australia's serial killers, dating way back to early records of crime in Australia. I found it to be an interesting book, but at the same time, I felt that it was a little brief. Nevertheless, I found it reasonably easy to follow and fascinating enough to get me through the book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting read and not at all as gruesome as the title suggests. The murderers are varied in circumstances and personalities. This is quite contradictory to deranged loners of Hollywood's serial killer films.

Real life is indeed stranger than fiction.

[Nikki Balzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a disturbing yet fascinating book to read, it opened my eyes to a world we all know exists but one we normally don't concentrate on. i had to stop three quarters of the way through to read something lighter but it didn't take long before it drew me back in. well worth reading

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple yet detailed enough.
I didn't read all of the stores. But i read enough =]