The Devil's Garden: The Claremont Serial Killings

by Debi Marshall

In the mid-1990s, three girls went missing within a short space of time after visiting nightclubs in Claremont Western Australia. The state of Western Australia was in shock. Claremont is a salubrious suburb of Perth. Three women disappearing from relatively safe streets without a trace was very disturbing. The investigation has continued full-time for more than 10 years, the biggest in the history of the WA Police. And it is now Australia’s longest-running and most expensive murder investigation. Controversy surrounding the Claremont killings has not faded with time. There are a number of suspects. Bodies of two of the three missing women have been found. But what about all those other young women in Western Australia who have not been seen for years—are they also victims of the Claremont serial killer? Debi Marshall looks critically at the police investigations and 16 other disappearances in Western Australia. She talks to everyone involved including forensic investigators, criminologists, the police, the media, and the victims’ parents. The results of her investigations should not be ignored.

Genres: True Crime

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name]

This book is way too long. The focus is not at all on the outrageous murders of three wonderfully giving and beautiful women but on the outrageous miscalculated and slipshod investigation into those murders. I think the book was titled “the Claremont murders” just so the author would attract true crime readers who would then slog through the apparently disgraceful practices of the WA investigators because that’s pretty much all that’s happened for about the past 2/3 of the book. I won’t star rate this book per my new polic, but I’m close to 90% finish and I’m pulling the plug.

Im going to make this short because GR disappeared my decently sized discussion. A relative of one of the young women missing starts taking antidepressant. That’s fine and completely understandable. My concern though is a statement made by the author who states that this gentleman is taking 32 times more than recommended daily dosage. Yes 32 times! How are his kidneys and liver withstanding this pharmaceutical onslaught. I’m actually stunned by this. What doctor would even write a prescription for that amount? I guess regulations are different in WA? Because this guy is killing himself just slowly. And that is the friendly neighborhood pharmacy technician news of the day.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because it was one sale for under .25 and because I had just finished Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery. Because I am an American, I cannot speak to the factual conflicts that some reveiws seem to reference. I found the read compelling, overall, I finished it, but the constant verb tense shifting was really annoying, and the it seems like the book is really two books mashed into one.

[bookswithpaulette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this again, the trial is underway for The Claremont Serial Killer. I was living in Perth at the time it was a very scary time, people where frightened. I was a similar age and frequented these places in Claremont.

I wanted to read this again to see if these were any details that highlighted to the accused it sent shivers up my spine and yes there were some scary revelations. I’ve you lived in Perth at the time and where in the middle of this I’m sure you will be following along with the case:

It is set to run for 6 months, it will be the case of the century for Western Australia.

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

focussed mostly on the investigation, rather than the crime itself.

Didn't really like this authors style, she overstepped boundries, over dramatised (her attitude to travelling in cars whilst in Perth was just plain stupid) and at times decended into self promotion and 'police bashing' It was no wonder that the West Australian police force didn't want to assist.

Unfortunatly she exposed a police force, that tends to suffer 'tunnel vision' and is not into sharing or gaining assistance where it probably could have benifited from it.

Sadly I doubt this crime will ever be solved, and I doubt we will ever know who did it, it has been too long now.

Addit: I would like to say, "Thank heavens I was wrong about them never working out who did it"
Hope Bradley Johns suffers for a long time for the crimes he committed.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. This book could have been written more successfully with half the number of pages and more informaton on the crime and the victims history and LESS, far less on the police and the authors bias towards how they handled her enquiries and also the investigation as a whole.

A fair critique would have been ok but after the first 150 pages I skimmed the rest looking for relevant material to the crime and fast forwarded the police bashing.

Unless you want a book that actually lists all the faults according to the author of the police in detail during this investigation you would be well served to find another book as after awhile its just boring and repetitive - I had high hopes for this book, it didn't live up to any of them :(

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably the worst written/edited book I have ever read. Numerous factual errors and even more factual omissions.

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the weirdest of coincidences I had ordered this just before Christmas, and two days later it was announced that they had arrested a suspect. So I had a really weird feeling reading this book, especially as it is written long before this new event - there is a lot of conjecture about the killer, and the main suspects in the case who now seem to be cleared, and also a listing of cases that could be pertinent to the case but never put under the Claremont Serial Killer's umbrella and now have been proven to be linked to him. It has been interesting reading the book from this perspective and seeing how much was wrong, and mistakes made along the way. I guess once the trial's over and new information is released to the public we'll get the inevitable follow-up.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

THE DEVIL'S GARDEN was a book I picked up because the case it covers - The Claremont Serial Killings - is unfortunately still unsolved, and because I've been reading a little about a number of cases in WA recently. It made me want to find out more about the nature of the investigation into the murders of two young women, and the disappearance of a third in 1996 and 1997.

What I discovered from this book is an inkling into the tunnel vision of the police force which appears to be consistent with the attitude displayed in another case in the same state of Australia.

I also managed to discover a little about the girls who died, the impact their deaths had on the families, and in particular the devastation felt by one family, whose daughter's has never been found - assumed dead at the hands of the same killer.


True Crime for me works best when it either lays out the facts of a case allowing the reader to come to a better understanding of the events or when, in the case of miscarriages of justice or unsolved cases, it investigates, analyses the evidence and builds a possible scenario with supporting details.

What doesn't work for me is something that I'm increasingly noticing from books from this author - gratuitous intrusion of the author into the story. Fair enough if the author is interviewing witnesses, drawing out aspects of the case, working on an investigation on behalf of a wrongly convicted person, then observations / commentary are expected. What's not expected, and seemed increasingly discomforting are the author's "feelings" on driving around in cars in Perth, the way that the scene where one of the poor girls was found "felt", and enough other off-pitch elements that left me with an increasing impression of grandstanding.

Which is unfortunate, as this is a case that seems to deserve a considered, factual telling.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the book about the Claremont Serial Killings and it was sad that a book had to be written about this.
What was sadder was the way the police did not tell the public anything about the murders. I mean it has never been officially announced what the cause of death was, and what injuries the girls had sustained.
It did make me laugh when police told the public be wary of people who obsessively clean their cars (most men do) and might act a bit odd. Well surely that counts in the entire population because we can all act odd.
The police never caught the person responsible and believe that as they have the suspect under surveillance, they have done their job as they have stopped more people from being killed.
It is not a book that is kind to the Western Australian Police

[Stephanie Phipps · Rating 2 out of 5]

This title is way miss leading, learned more about cops, not about the missing girls. This work should be more about the girls and their lives before they were murdered. Not about how WA cannot catch the murderer.

[Black Swan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tania - 4.60

[Michelle See · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living in Perth, and having worked with one of the girls brother, as well as my Mum living in Wellard - this book brings it all back, even now with 20 odd years gone by. I helped tape up 'missing' flyers in freo when Sarah went missing. I feared for my young sister in law at the time, she liked the clubs.
The police have a suspect in custody, but that happened months ago - and no more has been mentioned.
I pray that the 'clubbers' out enjoying their time do remember the horror of the disappearances and deaths of these 3 beautiful souls, that they remain vigilant.
Mostly I pray the WA police are like the Canadian Mounties & actually do have their man