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Mayhem
"A Gonzo portrait of the Mad Max of Supermax" Andrew Rule, author of Underbelly
Meet BADNE$$. He's the enigmatic, impulsive, exasperating, destructive, big-hearted Aussie outlaw who stole millions of dollars in daring bank robberies and became a folk hero as big as Ned Kelly when he masterminded two spectacular prison breaks in the space of six weeks.
Now Christopher 'BADNE$$' Binse is serving a crushing 18 years in solitary. He craves death more than infamy. The only way he can find redemption is to open his tortured soul to acclaimed journalist Matthew Thompson, in the hope another wild child out there will learn from the strange and savage saga of his life and think twice.
Mayhem is the bizarre, scary, brilliantly unique and jaw-dropping inside story of how a naughty little boy became Australia's most notorious prisoner.
Let's get hectic!
MORE PRAISE FOR MAYHEM
"This book is like brutal poetry. A cage flight with life, by a man who spent most of his life in that cage." John Birmingham
Meet BADNE$$. He's the enigmatic, impulsive, exasperating, destructive, big-hearted Aussie outlaw who stole millions of dollars in daring bank robberies and became a folk hero as big as Ned Kelly when he masterminded two spectacular prison breaks in the space of six weeks.
Now Christopher 'BADNE$$' Binse is serving a crushing 18 years in solitary. He craves death more than infamy. The only way he can find redemption is to open his tortured soul to acclaimed journalist Matthew Thompson, in the hope another wild child out there will learn from the strange and savage saga of his life and think twice.
Mayhem is the bizarre, scary, brilliantly unique and jaw-dropping inside story of how a naughty little boy became Australia's most notorious prisoner.
Let's get hectic!
MORE PRAISE FOR MAYHEM
"This book is like brutal poetry. A cage flight with life, by a man who spent most of his life in that cage." John Birmingham
- GenresTrue CrimeBiography
416 pages, Paperback
Published July 26, 2016
4 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Thompson
3 books9 followersDr Matthew Thompson is the author of MAYHEM, a blistering account of the life and times of Australia's most notorious bandit and prisoner, Christopher 'Badness' Binse.
He has also written two acclaimed books of international reportage: My Colombian Death and Running with the Blood God.
Dr Thompson has worked and written for a range of newspapers and magazines, edited book manuscripts, and has written and produced radio documentaries. He lectures at universities, enjoys public speaking and has many colourful stories to tell.
Born in Portland, Oregon, USA, Thompson lives in Dungog, New South Wales, Australia, where he is a part-time firefighter and rescue operator. He is a Doctor of Creative Arts, with his dissertation examined by New York University’s Director of Literary Reportage, Robert Boynton.
Dr Thompson is a Conjoint Fellow at the Centre for the History of Violence at the University of Newcastle.
Dr Thompson, who has taught journalism and writing at universities in Australia and Fiji, tells his students that if they wholeheartedly embrace writing then there will be casualties.
He has also written two acclaimed books of international reportage: My Colombian Death and Running with the Blood God.
Dr Thompson has worked and written for a range of newspapers and magazines, edited book manuscripts, and has written and produced radio documentaries. He lectures at universities, enjoys public speaking and has many colourful stories to tell.
Born in Portland, Oregon, USA, Thompson lives in Dungog, New South Wales, Australia, where he is a part-time firefighter and rescue operator. He is a Doctor of Creative Arts, with his dissertation examined by New York University’s Director of Literary Reportage, Robert Boynton.
Dr Thompson is a Conjoint Fellow at the Centre for the History of Violence at the University of Newcastle.
Dr Thompson, who has taught journalism and writing at universities in Australia and Fiji, tells his students that if they wholeheartedly embrace writing then there will be casualties.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 21, 2017
There's absolutely no doubt that author Matthew Thompson intended MAYHEM to be a fast paced, gonzo styled expose of Australian outlaw Christopher Binse. If you like that style, then the problems telling where the myth of Binse's own making ends, and the recounting starts might not be so concerning. For this reader there seemed to be some self-awareness issues, with Binse and the author, coming across as number 1 subscribers to the myth they were attempting to build.
I will admit that I was over the idea of Binse's hard man reputation when the blame for everything bad that ever happened to him came down to the women in his life. It wasn't helped by the feeling that somehow this was a "naughty little boy" and that everything would have been just okay if somebody else had stopped him. Nor was it clear that there was any awareness that his father came across as a complete waste of space, and whilst some early intervention in the justice system might have derailed the worst of the behaviour, trying to make out that Binse is an exasperating, big-hearted "Aussie outlaw" was frankly frustrating and annoying.
Either way, the style of the book was slightly too "reverential" for this reader's liking. It seemed too focused on the myth, and not enough on the reality of who Binse is and what he did. Whilst they might have had a go at redemption, at no stage did Binse ever really seem like the "tortured soul" of the blurb. Rather the whole thing felt like a transparent reputation construction, and an attempt to turn a thug into some sort of "misunderstood hero". There's nothing much in this story that seems in any way educational for any wild children of the future, and a lot that serves as a tutorial in how to blame everybody else if they do get into trouble.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
I will admit that I was over the idea of Binse's hard man reputation when the blame for everything bad that ever happened to him came down to the women in his life. It wasn't helped by the feeling that somehow this was a "naughty little boy" and that everything would have been just okay if somebody else had stopped him. Nor was it clear that there was any awareness that his father came across as a complete waste of space, and whilst some early intervention in the justice system might have derailed the worst of the behaviour, trying to make out that Binse is an exasperating, big-hearted "Aussie outlaw" was frankly frustrating and annoying.
Either way, the style of the book was slightly too "reverential" for this reader's liking. It seemed too focused on the myth, and not enough on the reality of who Binse is and what he did. Whilst they might have had a go at redemption, at no stage did Binse ever really seem like the "tortured soul" of the blurb. Rather the whole thing felt like a transparent reputation construction, and an attempt to turn a thug into some sort of "misunderstood hero". There's nothing much in this story that seems in any way educational for any wild children of the future, and a lot that serves as a tutorial in how to blame everybody else if they do get into trouble.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
March 25, 2020
Mayhem tells the story of Australia’s notorious armed robber Christopher Binse. Binse’s other claim to fame was that practically no prison in the country could hold him and he was also a very prickly customer. Often after a robbery or another prison escape he would taunt the police with messages sometimes accompanied with a photo but he was never far from trouble. His prison life brought him into contact with many of Australia’s most hardened criminals but Binse was not one to make friends for the sake of his own safety and sometimes this attitude meant that he was a wanted man on the outside by more than just the police.
Binse gave himself the nickname Badne$$, a name that was well suited. Thompson’s book is written as a narrative of Binse’s life from his early childhood when trouble found him in his early teens not long after his parent’s split. By the time he was 17 he had been in juvenile incarceration and escaped several times so he found himself in Melbourne’s Pentridge Prison, a high security adult prison.
Thompson’s narrative is broken up with paragraphs of Binse’s own words like he is being interviewed or he has handed over his life’s journals. It did not take me long to realise I don’t like the guy but as this is not a fictional tale being ‘on board’ with the characters is not the point. I found that he tried very hard to justify his actions, tried playing the pity card saying he was hard done by but then turned it on its head and played the macho criminal not scared of anbody.
Putting my feelings for Binse aside I gave four stars just for the insight into modern prison systems. We all know they do not work as a rehabilitation model and Badne$$ is the perfect example. Entering the juvenile system after petty thefts and other misdemeanours , Christopher became a career criminal specialising in armed robberies and standover tactics. The book flows well and is easy to read, although there are quite a few people that come in and out of his life I never found myself lost or confused.
Binse gave himself the nickname Badne$$, a name that was well suited. Thompson’s book is written as a narrative of Binse’s life from his early childhood when trouble found him in his early teens not long after his parent’s split. By the time he was 17 he had been in juvenile incarceration and escaped several times so he found himself in Melbourne’s Pentridge Prison, a high security adult prison.
Thompson’s narrative is broken up with paragraphs of Binse’s own words like he is being interviewed or he has handed over his life’s journals. It did not take me long to realise I don’t like the guy but as this is not a fictional tale being ‘on board’ with the characters is not the point. I found that he tried very hard to justify his actions, tried playing the pity card saying he was hard done by but then turned it on its head and played the macho criminal not scared of anbody.
Putting my feelings for Binse aside I gave four stars just for the insight into modern prison systems. We all know they do not work as a rehabilitation model and Badne$$ is the perfect example. Entering the juvenile system after petty thefts and other misdemeanours , Christopher became a career criminal specialising in armed robberies and standover tactics. The book flows well and is easy to read, although there are quite a few people that come in and out of his life I never found myself lost or confused.
February 7, 2018
An interesting account of a flawed life. Unfortunately the story became repetitive with prisons, hold ups, and Badlands. A strange mix of emotions from a terribly disturbed person. I come away thinking, what if. The options down life's journey are no more than a roll of the dice with the circumstances in play at the time being a huge influence and his story reflects this time after time. Worth 3 1/2 stars.
February 23, 2026
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Underbelly type slop, not necessarily a bad thing but a bit of a slog.
October 15, 2016
Easy, interesting read, appears to be an honest account of the life of Chris Binse. With no illusions as to his mental state and what he was capable of, the book had me believing that Chris had a good heart and may have led a different life if he had been treated differently as a child and those early years of incarceration. Who can blame the man for wanting to be free? Worth reading, I enjoyed it.
January 16, 2017
A bit choppy at times but very interesting story. Well worth a read!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews