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Shark Arm
Truth can be stranger than fiction. In a Coogee aquarium in 1935 a shark coughed up a man's tattooed arm. The authors of Shark Arm have unravelled an extraordinary tale of high-class smuggling around Sydney Harbour and police collusion that has eluded many investigations into this famous cold case.
It all started with a ruthless murder. An ex-boxer and petty police informer was efficiently disposed of, sending a ghastly warning to others. That would have been the end of it, had not a shark, in a million-to-one chance, vomited up the victim's arm in an aquarium and shone an unwelcome light into some very dark places.
With so much at stake, the guilty closed ranks and gradually, with intimidation, money, and the murder of a mate who they feared would betray them, they re-imposed their control and the light was turned off again. The memory of those events, and the terrible fear they inspired, kept those who knew the truth silent unto the grave.
Others have written about the Shark Arm murder but Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher, having digested the entire cold-case police file, reveal a very different story: an extraordinary tale of high-class smuggling, a frantic cover-up and the truth behind one of the most infamous cases in Australia. Except there were actually two gruesome murders . . .
It all started with a ruthless murder. An ex-boxer and petty police informer was efficiently disposed of, sending a ghastly warning to others. That would have been the end of it, had not a shark, in a million-to-one chance, vomited up the victim's arm in an aquarium and shone an unwelcome light into some very dark places.
With so much at stake, the guilty closed ranks and gradually, with intimidation, money, and the murder of a mate who they feared would betray them, they re-imposed their control and the light was turned off again. The memory of those events, and the terrible fear they inspired, kept those who knew the truth silent unto the grave.
Others have written about the Shark Arm murder but Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher, having digested the entire cold-case police file, reveal a very different story: an extraordinary tale of high-class smuggling, a frantic cover-up and the truth behind one of the most infamous cases in Australia. Except there were actually two gruesome murders . . .
291 pages, Paperback
First published January 7, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 19, 2020
The first line of Shark Arm sets up its premise beautifully: “On 25 April 1935, a. 4.4 metre tiger shark – caught one week earlier off the coast of New South Wales – horrified onlookers at a Sydney aquarium when it vomited up a human arm.” This is one of the most bizarre and unlikely true crime stories in recorded Australian history, and this new book turns every stone in an attempt to get to the truth of the decades-old cold case. Allen & Unwin were kind enough to send me this copy for review.
The “shark arm”, as it obviously became known, led police down a rabbit hole of smuggling, insurance fraud, and – not one, but two – grisly murders. Though it’s presented in classic true crime fashion, complete with glossy photograph inserts, I'd say it's best suited to Aussie history buffs, particularly those with a keen interest in law enforcement bungles.
An extended review is available to subscribers at Keeping Up With The Penguins.
The “shark arm”, as it obviously became known, led police down a rabbit hole of smuggling, insurance fraud, and – not one, but two – grisly murders. Though it’s presented in classic true crime fashion, complete with glossy photograph inserts, I'd say it's best suited to Aussie history buffs, particularly those with a keen interest in law enforcement bungles.
An extended review is available to subscribers at Keeping Up With The Penguins.
June 13, 2021
Trigger warnings: murder, animal death, graphic descriptions of wounds and body parts, smuggling, fraud.
I've known the basics of this case for years - a tiger shark was captured off the coast of Sydney in 1935 and dumped in an aquarium for people to see, right up until it puked up a human arm - but I never did any further reading about it...until now. The authors definitely did the case justice - the story was told in a compelling way that was also informative and managed to avoid leaning into the more...sensational...elements of the case.
The legal ramifications mentioned in the book are fascinating - how can you determine whether a murder has occurred if all you have is an arm? - and I'd love to see this adapted for screen in some way.
I've known the basics of this case for years - a tiger shark was captured off the coast of Sydney in 1935 and dumped in an aquarium for people to see, right up until it puked up a human arm - but I never did any further reading about it...until now. The authors definitely did the case justice - the story was told in a compelling way that was also informative and managed to avoid leaning into the more...sensational...elements of the case.
The legal ramifications mentioned in the book are fascinating - how can you determine whether a murder has occurred if all you have is an arm? - and I'd love to see this adapted for screen in some way.
February 28, 2020
Picture this. Sydney, 1935. In an aquarium in Coogee, a tiger shark captured off the coast of Sydney a week ago is swimming around, looking poorly. It swims to the bottom of the pool and is sick, and up floats a human arm with a tattoo of two boxers clearly visible on the forearm. It sounds too crazy to be true right? But this really happened.
In Shark Arm - A Shark, A Tattooed Arm and Two Unsolved Murders, Australian authors Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher delve deep into this mystifying cold case in an attempt to find out what happened and who was responsible.
The odds of the arm being revealed like that must be a billion to one and it certainly sparked my interest in the case. Just imagine, if it had been the victim's other arm then identification would have been impossible. In the 1930s tattoos weren't nearly as prevalent as they are today and this made the case an immediate sensation in the press.
The victim was quickly identified and the door was opened onto some very shady dealings going on in Sydney at the time. Some of the characters involved in the case were petty criminals, stand over guys, informers, smugglers, insurance scammers and one was even a forger of cheques.
There was one dry patch in this account that followed the suspect as he made several trips around Sydney (perp goes here, does a thing, then goes here and does another thing) but the action certainly picked up when we got to the high speed boat chase on the harbour and the second murder related to the case.
At the end of the book the authors share their own theory on the case and I found myself agreeing with their conclusions. They were open and honest about disclosing source material and referencing previous books on the topic while highlighting their contribution to the material.
Shark Arm by Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher is a memorable addition to the Australian true crime genre.
* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *
In Shark Arm - A Shark, A Tattooed Arm and Two Unsolved Murders, Australian authors Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher delve deep into this mystifying cold case in an attempt to find out what happened and who was responsible.
The odds of the arm being revealed like that must be a billion to one and it certainly sparked my interest in the case. Just imagine, if it had been the victim's other arm then identification would have been impossible. In the 1930s tattoos weren't nearly as prevalent as they are today and this made the case an immediate sensation in the press.
The victim was quickly identified and the door was opened onto some very shady dealings going on in Sydney at the time. Some of the characters involved in the case were petty criminals, stand over guys, informers, smugglers, insurance scammers and one was even a forger of cheques.
There was one dry patch in this account that followed the suspect as he made several trips around Sydney (perp goes here, does a thing, then goes here and does another thing) but the action certainly picked up when we got to the high speed boat chase on the harbour and the second murder related to the case.
At the end of the book the authors share their own theory on the case and I found myself agreeing with their conclusions. They were open and honest about disclosing source material and referencing previous books on the topic while highlighting their contribution to the material.
Shark Arm by Phillip Roope and Kevin Meagher is a memorable addition to the Australian true crime genre.
* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin *
May 24, 2024
A little long, but thorough. A fascinating true story!
Quite a sensation at the time - ANZAC Day, 1935, and a tiger shark in an aquarium vomits up a human arm.
It's that fact that makes this crime stand out so much more, and it's frustrating that the secrets of what really happened to the victim have likely already been taken to the grave.
Covered in this book is the initial discovery, then a back track to tell the history of the important players. Slowly, we watch how their lives (and crimes) intertwine and start to get an idea of what might have gone down, with the book concluding with the authors' opinions of what might have actually happened.
Unfortunately, this is still an unsolved case, so all we've got is educated guesses as to what happened.
I really enjoyed the layout here, and the authors did well to cover so much ground as concisely as they did. That said, I did find it dull at times, and the smuggling trade of Sydney in the 30s doesn't interest me in general, so without the sensational murder this probably isn't a story that I'd have been intrigued by.
By no fault of the authors, there just wasn't enough evidence or fact to suck me right in - so much of what happened was without explanation, and guesswork isn't quite as satisfying as knowing the truth.
Still, I found it an easy, interesting read and I'm glad to be further informed on this case.
I wonder if the rest of him will ever be found? Hmm ...
With thanks to A&U for a copy
Quite a sensation at the time - ANZAC Day, 1935, and a tiger shark in an aquarium vomits up a human arm.
It's that fact that makes this crime stand out so much more, and it's frustrating that the secrets of what really happened to the victim have likely already been taken to the grave.
Covered in this book is the initial discovery, then a back track to tell the history of the important players. Slowly, we watch how their lives (and crimes) intertwine and start to get an idea of what might have gone down, with the book concluding with the authors' opinions of what might have actually happened.
Unfortunately, this is still an unsolved case, so all we've got is educated guesses as to what happened.
I really enjoyed the layout here, and the authors did well to cover so much ground as concisely as they did. That said, I did find it dull at times, and the smuggling trade of Sydney in the 30s doesn't interest me in general, so without the sensational murder this probably isn't a story that I'd have been intrigued by.
By no fault of the authors, there just wasn't enough evidence or fact to suck me right in - so much of what happened was without explanation, and guesswork isn't quite as satisfying as knowing the truth.
Still, I found it an easy, interesting read and I'm glad to be further informed on this case.
I wonder if the rest of him will ever be found? Hmm ...
With thanks to A&U for a copy
May 25, 2021
I’ll admit I issued this book from the library purely based on its title- who doesn’t want to read a book called “Shark Arm”. It didn’t disappoint my expectations- literally opening with a captured shark in a Sydney aquarium, vomiting up a severed, tattooed arm. What evolves, is a story of a criminal underworld in 1930s Sydney. There’s smuggling, gambling, drugs, insurance fraud, violence, you name it, it’s here. It’s a context which I wasn’t overly familiar with and was really interesting to read about. On the whole, very pleased with this impulse selection.
April 18, 2020
3.75 Stars - Fabulously well researched, this diacritic & peculiarly or perhaps distinctly & undeniably Australian tale has a hook that is explicitly irresistible for any true crime nut (and perhaps positively drool-worthy for one partial to both crime & shark tales) which serves it well initially, however once the reader passes 35 pages or so it is abundantly clear the coauthors will need to have nous to hold interest form there.
Luckily, the research that has been done here, most notably into the background of not just the dodgy types involved in this heinous act, but admirably, the detail
given into the world of the lead detective, his superiors & associates in the NSW CIB - is simply flawless!
A crime and story that crosses socioeconomic lines, classes & indeed species - this could be a deadly shallow novel if it where not so well researched, but clearly both Roope & Meagher have taken their time & infected each image with their passion & enthusiasm for this one of a kind case, that all begins with a shark spewing up It’s week old lunch into an outdoor swimming pool come winter aquarium along the shores of Urban NSW.
Great read, one to be enjoyed & that can be digested rather quickly, this & all above puns thoroughly intended.
Luckily, the research that has been done here, most notably into the background of not just the dodgy types involved in this heinous act, but admirably, the detail
given into the world of the lead detective, his superiors & associates in the NSW CIB - is simply flawless!
A crime and story that crosses socioeconomic lines, classes & indeed species - this could be a deadly shallow novel if it where not so well researched, but clearly both Roope & Meagher have taken their time & infected each image with their passion & enthusiasm for this one of a kind case, that all begins with a shark spewing up It’s week old lunch into an outdoor swimming pool come winter aquarium along the shores of Urban NSW.
Great read, one to be enjoyed & that can be digested rather quickly, this & all above puns thoroughly intended.
January 7, 2023
Sensational read about gangster life in Sydney in the 1930’s. As an ex-Coogee girl, I couldn’t believe a shark had once coughed up an arm at the old aquarium! Had to read about it. The lives people lead! An interesting, jaw-dropping at times, and well-presented piece of (local) history. (Especially if you have some general knowledge about the places/sites documented in the story).
Read
July 24, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Graphic physical injury & body parts
Murder
Animal death
Graphic physical injury & body parts
Murder
Animal death
March 23, 2021
This is an account of the true Australian Shark Arm Case. The backstory: at the Coogee Aquarium Baths, Sydney, in 1935, a recently captured tiger shark regurgitated a human arm. Due to a distinctive tattoo, the arm's owner was quickly identified and so began a years long pandemonium of murder trials and the uncovering of a dark web of criminal activity in Sydney.
This is obviously Australian true crime, though it reads a little like proofreading student essays in my university history classes. It feels a little amateur, but there is a disclaimer at the end of the book pretty much accepting this and saying that this work was created after recent developments in the case and based on a lot of information available to the public via various museums and societies. After I learned that I thought it was pretty decent given the sources they had available to them.
However, I struggled with the structure of the book. It follows events more or less chronologically with some sections jumping about a bit, but I don't think enough was done to differentiate between the figures involved in the cases. A criminal/detective/family member/member of the community was mentioned by their full name only a couple of times and then it was up to the reader to remember everyone by their surname or else which wife was married to which criminal by just their first name (they came up quite a lot during investigations). If you're going to read the entire 300 page book/9 hour audiobook in one sitting that might be alright but it was a nightmare trying to remember everyone in this wild story as I read it in smaller chunks.
There are also sections where a lot of creative license was used to give a blow-by-blow of events that the authors would have been completely incapable of knowing. This technique in non-fiction writing was made quite popular with “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote, but again in this context felt very amateur and over-dramatic. I personally felt that they would have done better to stick to the facts.
Overall, if it’s a true crime case that you’re interested in then give it a crack, but it’s not going to be the most masterful thing you ever read.
This is obviously Australian true crime, though it reads a little like proofreading student essays in my university history classes. It feels a little amateur, but there is a disclaimer at the end of the book pretty much accepting this and saying that this work was created after recent developments in the case and based on a lot of information available to the public via various museums and societies. After I learned that I thought it was pretty decent given the sources they had available to them.
However, I struggled with the structure of the book. It follows events more or less chronologically with some sections jumping about a bit, but I don't think enough was done to differentiate between the figures involved in the cases. A criminal/detective/family member/member of the community was mentioned by their full name only a couple of times and then it was up to the reader to remember everyone by their surname or else which wife was married to which criminal by just their first name (they came up quite a lot during investigations). If you're going to read the entire 300 page book/9 hour audiobook in one sitting that might be alright but it was a nightmare trying to remember everyone in this wild story as I read it in smaller chunks.
There are also sections where a lot of creative license was used to give a blow-by-blow of events that the authors would have been completely incapable of knowing. This technique in non-fiction writing was made quite popular with “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote, but again in this context felt very amateur and over-dramatic. I personally felt that they would have done better to stick to the facts.
Overall, if it’s a true crime case that you’re interested in then give it a crack, but it’s not going to be the most masterful thing you ever read.
June 11, 2020
Good example of true crime and was well written and researched. Great Aussie yarn that highlighted life around the city dockyards and inner west. Interesting contrasts between Lower north shore, inner west and Cronulla. Great commentary on police operations of the 1930’s. Would be very interested in learning what if any information is contributed to the forum mentioned in the final chapter of the book. Also loved the author talk hosted by Sutherland Library on Zoom tonight (11/5/2020). Many thanks Phillip
July 14, 2020
I remember reading about this case in the 90's and being fascinated, so when I heard a new book had been released I jumped on it. This one goes into more depth and has unearthed new information since the previous books were written. I did find a few sections a little dry (the chapters on the first coronial inquest could have been trimmed I'm sure) but otherwise it was really engaging and informative.
September 15, 2025
"True Crime" is not my scene, but this was a page turner. The narrative actually quite quickly left behind the tattooed arm which was vomited up by a cruelly captured shark, the arm's owner being identified as an ex-boxer living off his wits in depression-era Sydney's waterfront. As such it's an excellent account of gangster-ism and the trafficking of cocaine and heroin into 1930s Australia. It would make an excellent novel or TV series.
August 6, 2023
A weird little tale and a case that couldn't be done anywhere else but here in the land Down Under. While I think the case of Shark is interesting and the twists and turn are good, some other aspects of this case and the events of later in the story get a bit blurry for me but I am glad I got to give this a proper read.
August 11, 2020
An mildly interesting analysis of the existing evidence that doesn't really draw any new conclusions. If you've never heard about this story it makes for an intereting historical look at the people and the times.
February 2, 2020
Blah, rehashed historical true crime sensationalism, pretty dull
February 23, 2020
An interesting tale. Having never heard of this before I'm unsure to a lot of the references to past books but still just a real intriguing true event.
April 7, 2020
Really enjoyed this. Sheds a different view on what could have happened. The 30’s around Sydney would have been pretty harsh.
September 2, 2020
What an absolutely sensational read.
A must for anyone who is interested in Aussie history.
A must for anyone who is interested in Aussie history.
May 14, 2024
loved it, good notion of history for Family members who may have had to keep silent and not talk about Patrick Brady growing up.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews