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Southern Justice
Who really murdered Bob Chappell? Veteran ex-detective and author of The Smoking Gun, Colin McLaren, uncovers disturbing new evidence that an innocent woman is in jail.Daybreak, Sandy Bay, Hobart, 27 January 2009. A yacht, the Four Winds, is seen listing low to the waterline. When police board the sinking vessel there is no sign of the owners, Bob Chappell and Sue Neill-Fraser but, disturbingly, they find blood and a knife.Bob Chappell is never seen again. The blood spatter leads police to the conclusion that he has been murdered. Remarkably, Sue Neill-Fraser is arrested, found guilty and sentenced to 26 years' imprisonment.May, 2016. Bestselling true-crime author Colin McLaren probes the notorious cold case that grips Australia. What he discovers shocks him. No body, no motive, no witnesses, a puddle of unexplained DNA liquid, undisclosed police documents, insubstantial scenarios - all lead him to believe Sue Neill-Fraser was wrongly convicted. He is not alone, as lawyers line up to help her.August 2017. Sue Neill-Fraser remains in prison. When questions are asked of her conviction, new witnesses are charged, including a lawyer, and unbearable pressure is applied until, fearing for his own liberty, Colin McLaren flees the country. Southern Justice lays out the evidence that should force a Royal Commission to reopen the case and exonerate an innocent woman.The guilty are still out there!'. . . the worst miscarriage of justice in Australia's history' Robert Richter QC
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
259 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 29, 2019
8 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Colin McLaren
14 books12 followersColin McLaren was one of Australia's best detectives; he travelled the world on high-end investigations during the 1980s and 1990s. He faced down the underbelly of Australian crime and his work has been the subject of many police genre documentaries and television series. A film of his own life, based on his hugely successful first book Infiltration, the true story of his efforts as an undercover cop, was made in 2011. Colin writes constantly and is a regular advisor to TV and film productions. His book on John F. Kennedy's death, JFK: The Smoking Gun, was an Australian bestseller. He is an Emmy judge and highly respected in the US as well as Australia for his investigative journalism. Southern Justice is his latest work - and his most important to date.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 24, 2019
Recently I commented in this space at how shocked I was by the US case written up by John Grisham of an innocent man convicted on false evidence. This book ‘Southern Justice ‘ has shocked me even further. I’m shocked because like the author I believe in a strong but fair judicial system and respect the honest pursuit of the truth. This is Australia, this is where we should have learnt the necessary lessons about keeping the investigation honest after the shameful conviction of Lindy Chamberlain. Obviously the Tasmanian Police Force are more concerned with protecting their reputations than with justice for Sue Neil-Fraser. I hope many Australians will read this book and that the end result of all the hard work by writer and the Justice For Sue team will be Sue’s immediate release and the true culprits jailed.
March 31, 2019
Tasmania is a strange (and nepotistic) place.
Must read. Well written page turner. Colin McLaren is a former task force homicide detective that made documentary films proving that Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK and the Diana Spencer death in the Paris tunnel was an accident.
Can't wait to see what else Colin writes. Added his memoir to TBR List.
#FreeSue.
Must read. Well written page turner. Colin McLaren is a former task force homicide detective that made documentary films proving that Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK and the Diana Spencer death in the Paris tunnel was an accident.
Can't wait to see what else Colin writes. Added his memoir to TBR List.
#FreeSue.
March 24, 2019
One of the best true crime books I've read. I hope that there will now be justice and freedom for Sue Neill -Fraser
May 2, 2020
There are two types of true crime novel - those which rely predominantly on primary sources and assess any theories from an objective standpoint (eg. Philip Sugden's excellent The Complete History of Jack the Ripper), and those which peddle the author's pet theory as to the crime, and tend to minimise or ignore any evidence which doesn't support it (eg. Patricia Daniels Cornwell's Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper - Case Closed).
This book definitely belongs in the second group, although sadly (and rather worryingly), many readers seem to have accepted its contentions as truth. Perhaps many of these same readers are also basing their understanding of the case on the appallingly one-sided episode of "60 Minutes" which was aired in Australia during 2014.
Poorly written, full of the author's self-aggrandisment (he doth protest too much, methinks?) and at times blatantly misleading. For those readers with a genuine interest in what occurred at Sandy Bay on the night of Australia Day 2009, I recommend going to the source - the full transcripts of the trial and appeals are easily accessible online.
Personally, I don't know whether Ms. Neill-Fraser committed the crime or not (I doubt anybody but her does), but there was undoubtedly a case to answer.
This book definitely belongs in the second group, although sadly (and rather worryingly), many readers seem to have accepted its contentions as truth. Perhaps many of these same readers are also basing their understanding of the case on the appallingly one-sided episode of "60 Minutes" which was aired in Australia during 2014.
Poorly written, full of the author's self-aggrandisment (he doth protest too much, methinks?) and at times blatantly misleading. For those readers with a genuine interest in what occurred at Sandy Bay on the night of Australia Day 2009, I recommend going to the source - the full transcripts of the trial and appeals are easily accessible online.
Personally, I don't know whether Ms. Neill-Fraser committed the crime or not (I doubt anybody but her does), but there was undoubtedly a case to answer.
January 31, 2019
Copy received from Hachette Australia for an honest review
Forget watching Making A Murderer - read Southern Justice instead!
Over the past year, I have been reading articles and hearing about the case of Sue Neill-Fraser and her conviction for murdering her partner Bob Chappell.
I have read articles about her conviction, and about how an innocent woman has probably been put behind bars for 23 years.
What I have read previously is so, so much less than what has really happened to this woman.
I had such a visceral reaction as I was reading. I was gripping the book so hard as I turned each page, getting more angry, more upset and more frustrated with what these so called police officers and prosecutors have done to not only Ms Neill-Fraser, but to the people who were doing their own investigation.
Gah, even writing this review I am getting frustrated again.
What I really liked about this book was the writing. Often when you read true crime books, the writing is very dry and hard to get into the story, hard to read. This was so not the case with Southern Justice.
I was drawn right into the unbelievable, yet sadly true story. I felt i was there with the writer as he was investigating.
I hope, that with the TV documentary Undercurrent now showing, and the more media attention this case receives, that something can be done to see justice served.
Forget watching Making A Murderer - read Southern Justice instead!
Over the past year, I have been reading articles and hearing about the case of Sue Neill-Fraser and her conviction for murdering her partner Bob Chappell.
I have read articles about her conviction, and about how an innocent woman has probably been put behind bars for 23 years.
What I have read previously is so, so much less than what has really happened to this woman.
I had such a visceral reaction as I was reading. I was gripping the book so hard as I turned each page, getting more angry, more upset and more frustrated with what these so called police officers and prosecutors have done to not only Ms Neill-Fraser, but to the people who were doing their own investigation.
Gah, even writing this review I am getting frustrated again.
What I really liked about this book was the writing. Often when you read true crime books, the writing is very dry and hard to get into the story, hard to read. This was so not the case with Southern Justice.
I was drawn right into the unbelievable, yet sadly true story. I felt i was there with the writer as he was investigating.
I hope, that with the TV documentary Undercurrent now showing, and the more media attention this case receives, that something can be done to see justice served.
July 18, 2019
A page turner of a book regarding the investigation of a possible breach of justice in Tasmania. The style is journalistic - entirely lucid and well argued - and a remedy to any lazy assumption that institutional power is generally benign. Would be good for school leavers to read this, so that the officially authorised view that "if you've done nothing wrong then you've nothing to fear" is blended with the reality of an adversarial police and courts (not that an examining magistrate system is necessarily better).
A powerful reminder that where separation of powers is poorly observed, corrupt outcomes can thrive - so that an executive power (police) that consorts with the judiciary inevitably leads to serious danger for individuals seeking a just outcome.
A powerful reminder that where separation of powers is poorly observed, corrupt outcomes can thrive - so that an executive power (police) that consorts with the judiciary inevitably leads to serious danger for individuals seeking a just outcome.
January 26, 2020
So I don't normally read true crime novels but I am a huge fan of true crime podcasts. But this book got me hooked practically straight away. I was definitely recommend you read this book if you have any interest in true crime and/or if you are Australian. A great read and an important read. One of the best books I have read in over a year.
January 10, 2024
This is a record of a cold case investigation into the trial and conviction of Sue Neill-Fraser. She was arrested and charged with the murder of her partner, Bob Chappell, on their yacht, the 'Four Winds', moores in Sandy Bay, Hobart, Tasmania, on Australia Day, January 27th 2009.
Sue Neill-Fraser is given a 26 year sentence for her crime.
Colin McLaren is asked to join a team of people who are investigating the case. There are no witnesses to the crime. Some of the evidence is either disregarded, or mysteriously disappears. Some of the witnesses prove to be unreliable, in so far as they keep altering their statements. Even the Tasmanian Police seem to be blinkered.
Despite the investigation, Sue Neill-Fraser remained imprisoned until 2022. Her partner's remains were never found, and how some of the evidence managed to find its way onto 'Four Winds' cannot be explained, either.
Started off well, but towards the end, I began to get bored. Nothing wrong with the book, but for me, it was a bit too long and drawn out.
Sue Neill-Fraser is given a 26 year sentence for her crime.
Colin McLaren is asked to join a team of people who are investigating the case. There are no witnesses to the crime. Some of the evidence is either disregarded, or mysteriously disappears. Some of the witnesses prove to be unreliable, in so far as they keep altering their statements. Even the Tasmanian Police seem to be blinkered.
Despite the investigation, Sue Neill-Fraser remained imprisoned until 2022. Her partner's remains were never found, and how some of the evidence managed to find its way onto 'Four Winds' cannot be explained, either.
Started off well, but towards the end, I began to get bored. Nothing wrong with the book, but for me, it was a bit too long and drawn out.
April 10, 2019
Fantastic book. Colin Mclaren is a terrific writer. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can honestly say it is one of the best true crime books I’ve read. I just hope someday soon we see justice for Sue Neill Fraser... absolutely shocking that this sort of injustice and cover ups can happen in this day and age.. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Australian true crime.
April 22, 2019
Insightful and damning.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews