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My Brother the Killer: A Family Story
In this remarkable memoir, a harrowing true story of family, violence, guilt and atonement, a journalist reflects on his own journey to come to terms with his brother’s terrible crimes—and to find justice for the young girl he killed. In the gritty docklands of south-east England, Alix Sharkey and his younger siblings grew up in awe of their charismatic yet violent father, a vicious alcoholic. Yet it was Alix’s kid brother Stuart—button-cute and fearless—who defended his siblings at home, at school and on the streets. Their fraternal bond was deep and powerful until Alix moved away from their rough hometown. Stuart remained—and slid into a furtive life of sexual violence against teenage girls, punctuated by prison time.
Having started out inseparable, their paths diverged radically. Alix became a journalist, cosmopolitan and bilingual, working for upmarket media in London, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles. Today, Stuart remains incarcerated in Britain’s most notorious high security prison, awaiting imminent parole. Twenty years ago, he was convicted of the kidnap and murder of his 15-year old niece Danielle, daughter of his wife’s brother. Despite his conviction, a lost appeal, and repeated pleas by her parents, Stuart has steadfastly refused to reveal the location of his victim’s remains, condemning the girl’s parents to two decades of unresolved grief.
How do two brothers choose such different paths? Could anything have prevented Stuart from becoming a killer? What factors contributed to his fall? What does Alix owe to Stuart—the fiercely protective kid brother—and what does he owe to the truth? With the clock ticking, can he convince Stuart to do the right thing and give the victim’s family the closure and peace they’ve sought for so long? Or will Stuart walk free, unrepentant and defiant?
In this piercing and unforgettable memoir, laced with bleak irony and heartrending honesty, Alix tackles these questions and confronts a harsh reality: that the younger brother he once adored not only deceived their own family for decades, but destroyed another with his truly heinous crime.
Having started out inseparable, their paths diverged radically. Alix became a journalist, cosmopolitan and bilingual, working for upmarket media in London, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles. Today, Stuart remains incarcerated in Britain’s most notorious high security prison, awaiting imminent parole. Twenty years ago, he was convicted of the kidnap and murder of his 15-year old niece Danielle, daughter of his wife’s brother. Despite his conviction, a lost appeal, and repeated pleas by her parents, Stuart has steadfastly refused to reveal the location of his victim’s remains, condemning the girl’s parents to two decades of unresolved grief.
How do two brothers choose such different paths? Could anything have prevented Stuart from becoming a killer? What factors contributed to his fall? What does Alix owe to Stuart—the fiercely protective kid brother—and what does he owe to the truth? With the clock ticking, can he convince Stuart to do the right thing and give the victim’s family the closure and peace they’ve sought for so long? Or will Stuart walk free, unrepentant and defiant?
In this piercing and unforgettable memoir, laced with bleak irony and heartrending honesty, Alix tackles these questions and confronts a harsh reality: that the younger brother he once adored not only deceived their own family for decades, but destroyed another with his truly heinous crime.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published August 24, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
December 15, 2023
Never heard of this crime story before, although it was much in the news (in the U.K.). Not an easy book to read because of the content, but it does have a coherent flow. The brother in the title is somewhat of a mystery, an enigma, so the book is really about the family. Essentially it is a memoir about the author and growing up in a rough neighbourhood outside London, with an alcoholic father, and then later dealing with the revelation that his brother has been accused of abducting and killing a 15 year old girl (and to make the story even worse, the victim is the niece of her accused killer).
A family can hold many secrets. Sometimes, a secret is just something that happened and is never mentioned again.
May be spoilers. One particularly upsetting element for everyone involved is that the girl's body has never been located. The convicted killer refuses to help. Understandably, this is an ongoing open wound for all the families touched by this tragedy.
There was a moment of foreshadowing in the text that never seems to have been pursued. When the brother went to another school, the writer was jealous and destroyed his brother's electronic calculator (a new device at the time). Even though the writer was beaten by his mother, he never confessed and refused to admit his guilt because then he would have had to apologize. When I read this I thought, well, that is the same pattern as the killer years later — he will never admit his crime, will never apologize. The writer did not seem to have made this connection, how his own behaviour as a boy so strongly evokes his brother's actions years later.
Why does one brother turn to crime and another turn to the arts? Some of it is pure luck—who gets caught at a particular time. But much of the divergence seem inexplicable. Sharkey wonders what happened at the special school his brother was sent to as a vulnerable youth; the same school where the headmaster was later convicted of sexually abusing students.
The book is interesting because it is a composite of a family story, social history, true crime, and a career in journalism. It is very readable, and very disturbing.
A family can hold many secrets. Sometimes, a secret is just something that happened and is never mentioned again.
May be spoilers. One particularly upsetting element for everyone involved is that the girl's body has never been located. The convicted killer refuses to help. Understandably, this is an ongoing open wound for all the families touched by this tragedy.
There was a moment of foreshadowing in the text that never seems to have been pursued. When the brother went to another school, the writer was jealous and destroyed his brother's electronic calculator (a new device at the time). Even though the writer was beaten by his mother, he never confessed and refused to admit his guilt because then he would have had to apologize. When I read this I thought, well, that is the same pattern as the killer years later — he will never admit his crime, will never apologize. The writer did not seem to have made this connection, how his own behaviour as a boy so strongly evokes his brother's actions years later.
Why does one brother turn to crime and another turn to the arts? Some of it is pure luck—who gets caught at a particular time. But much of the divergence seem inexplicable. Sharkey wonders what happened at the special school his brother was sent to as a vulnerable youth; the same school where the headmaster was later convicted of sexually abusing students.
The book is interesting because it is a composite of a family story, social history, true crime, and a career in journalism. It is very readable, and very disturbing.
December 29, 2021
This was... interesting. A very smooth read, for better or worse -- there was a certain glibness to the prose at times, which, combined with the fact that this is basically a memoir, gave me the impression that Mr. Sharkey only told as much as he felt comfortable with or able to, while there were other layers to the story that were not delved into. Which I guess is only natural, but it also underscored what I felt was a certain shallowness he cultivated in his public persona -- this is someone who is very eager to tell us about his accomplishments (Parisian condo; young girlfriend; lots of money), the parties he went to, his fantastic cool friends, there's a lot of breathless hedonism that's very 1990s. Which is fine, especially considering the precarious conditions he grew up under (power to him to make it out of there), but it feels a bit weird to hear him talk about the missing Danielle and her family in between the bits about his crazy French life and whatever else he had going on; it's not like he knew the missing girl, or her family, beyond meeting them once at a family wedding, so the whole "poor Danielle; her parents must be going through hell" bit feels a bit hollow.
As it must, because you can't trawl the depths of that despair and write about your screwball life and your alcoholic fun-when-he's-not-beating-you dad and your lovely daughter and your funky flat in the same book, it just wouldn't work. Still, when it came to the aftermath of Danielle's presumed murder and Mr. Sharkey's main focus was on his own daughter (and her schoolmates) possibly finding out that her uncle was the main suspect, and what that might mean for Daughter's social life... I don't know. I mean, there's this girl missing, presumed dead, and he's worried that some little f*cks at school might call his daughter names? Talk about priorities.
Especially since he's not even around -- his daughter lives hundreds of miles away in another country, and Mr. Sharkey is basically Fun Dad who pops over every now and then. The Danielle chapters IMO had a bit of "me me me" to them ("OMG that was MY brother, what does that mean for ME, what if the press find out that he's related to ME, what do I do now", etc. etc.), and Daughter seemed to function almost as an extension of the author.
Of course we never really find out what it was like to grow up with an alleged murderer. Sharkey's brother didn't run around the house wielding knives; the boys and their sister had a less than idyllic upbringing, but it wasn't brutally hopeless either, thanks to their mum, and until puberty hit the brother seems to have been more or less okay. There's no explanation for why he turned out the way he did (while Sharkey didn't), other than the hinted-at possibility of sexual abuse at the hands of a teacher, and no warning signs of the cutting-heads-off-bunnies variety, other than the brother's callous/cruel treatment of and early predilection for young girls; which obviously wasn't enough to set off alarm bells, at least during the 1970s and 80s. So if "My Life with a Murderer!" is what you're after, this book (thankfully) won't deliver. It's more of a memoir of growing up under very particular circumstances during a time that seems very far away now.
I enjoyed following along this guided tour of the author's funny/tragic family, but when it came to the events of 2001 I felt a bit icky too, because I was prying into something that was much more massive and unfathomable than Mr. Sharkey's stories about his charismatic dad or building a bike with his brother; it would have been different if Mr. Sharkey had succeeded in getting his jailed brother to open up, I guess, but as it is, this is a tragicomic story that points toward and then runs alongside a tragedy without a resolution, and the mixture makes me uneasy. Is it okay to enjoy this book? It's funny and touching and evokes a way of life that doesn't exist anymore, so it would be crazy not to enjoy it. On the other hand, at the end of the day, however directly or indirectly, this is a book about the murder of a 15-year-old girl, and I don't want to be the kind of person who finds entertainment in that.
As it must, because you can't trawl the depths of that despair and write about your screwball life and your alcoholic fun-when-he's-not-beating-you dad and your lovely daughter and your funky flat in the same book, it just wouldn't work. Still, when it came to the aftermath of Danielle's presumed murder and Mr. Sharkey's main focus was on his own daughter (and her schoolmates) possibly finding out that her uncle was the main suspect, and what that might mean for Daughter's social life... I don't know. I mean, there's this girl missing, presumed dead, and he's worried that some little f*cks at school might call his daughter names? Talk about priorities.
Especially since he's not even around -- his daughter lives hundreds of miles away in another country, and Mr. Sharkey is basically Fun Dad who pops over every now and then. The Danielle chapters IMO had a bit of "me me me" to them ("OMG that was MY brother, what does that mean for ME, what if the press find out that he's related to ME, what do I do now", etc. etc.), and Daughter seemed to function almost as an extension of the author.
Of course we never really find out what it was like to grow up with an alleged murderer. Sharkey's brother didn't run around the house wielding knives; the boys and their sister had a less than idyllic upbringing, but it wasn't brutally hopeless either, thanks to their mum, and until puberty hit the brother seems to have been more or less okay. There's no explanation for why he turned out the way he did (while Sharkey didn't), other than the hinted-at possibility of sexual abuse at the hands of a teacher, and no warning signs of the cutting-heads-off-bunnies variety, other than the brother's callous/cruel treatment of and early predilection for young girls; which obviously wasn't enough to set off alarm bells, at least during the 1970s and 80s. So if "My Life with a Murderer!" is what you're after, this book (thankfully) won't deliver. It's more of a memoir of growing up under very particular circumstances during a time that seems very far away now.
I enjoyed following along this guided tour of the author's funny/tragic family, but when it came to the events of 2001 I felt a bit icky too, because I was prying into something that was much more massive and unfathomable than Mr. Sharkey's stories about his charismatic dad or building a bike with his brother; it would have been different if Mr. Sharkey had succeeded in getting his jailed brother to open up, I guess, but as it is, this is a tragicomic story that points toward and then runs alongside a tragedy without a resolution, and the mixture makes me uneasy. Is it okay to enjoy this book? It's funny and touching and evokes a way of life that doesn't exist anymore, so it would be crazy not to enjoy it. On the other hand, at the end of the day, however directly or indirectly, this is a book about the murder of a 15-year-old girl, and I don't want to be the kind of person who finds entertainment in that.
August 6, 2021
What an insightful book that didn't require the epilogue to tell us just how much it must have taken the author to reach back into the past and rake over his early life with his brother.
Stuart Campbell, Alix Sharkey's brother abducted and murdered Danielle Jones one June day in 2001. Her remains have never been found and Stuart is coming to the end of his minimum 20 year sentence imposed on him.
This book simultaneously reaches into the past in two different time periods, one counting the time since Danielle's disappearance and secondly to their earliest days as brothers and both timelines shine through with an honesty that took my breath away.
What makes this book so special is that Alix doesn't cast himself as a wider victim, although I would disagree on some levels, but nor does he minimise the brutal childhood the boys shared. He shares his story, his fears that he shares his brother's, and father's, DNA and it is so easy for someone outside the story to truly understand how large those fears must loom. By writing the book in a way that avoids sensationalising poor Danielle's murder and focussing the story on the facts, the story is far more powerful than almost any other true crime portrait I have read by a relative of the perpetrator.
As readers we are lucky that Alix Sharkey is a journalist, the writing is engaging and is given texture by the range of episodes that is shared with us. Thank you Alix.
Stuart Campbell, Alix Sharkey's brother abducted and murdered Danielle Jones one June day in 2001. Her remains have never been found and Stuart is coming to the end of his minimum 20 year sentence imposed on him.
This book simultaneously reaches into the past in two different time periods, one counting the time since Danielle's disappearance and secondly to their earliest days as brothers and both timelines shine through with an honesty that took my breath away.
What makes this book so special is that Alix doesn't cast himself as a wider victim, although I would disagree on some levels, but nor does he minimise the brutal childhood the boys shared. He shares his story, his fears that he shares his brother's, and father's, DNA and it is so easy for someone outside the story to truly understand how large those fears must loom. By writing the book in a way that avoids sensationalising poor Danielle's murder and focussing the story on the facts, the story is far more powerful than almost any other true crime portrait I have read by a relative of the perpetrator.
As readers we are lucky that Alix Sharkey is a journalist, the writing is engaging and is given texture by the range of episodes that is shared with us. Thank you Alix.
August 14, 2021
A sad tale of two brothers.
Alix and Stuart are brothers, there are just 14 months between them. In this book, Alix Sharkey examines the brothers' history, and what had been an unhappy, violent childhood. They both had the same start, but one brother would go on to commit crimes, culminating in one so terrible, and it would be within his own family.
This book has changing time frames; the author tells quite a bit about their family history, events that shaped the course of their lives, then jumps back to the time of Danielle Jones' disappearance, and how the case develops. I sometimes found it annoying as it would be just getting on with the story about Danielle missing, closing in on Stuart, tension building..... then he'd jump back to a chapter in the 60s again, when they were kids. In the later stages of the book, it seems to build momentum and moves along better, with past and present alternating more equally. I found it easier to read here, and could understand better why he had chosen this style of writing their story.
A good true crime read about a very sad case, and from which the victim's family may never get closure.
Alix and Stuart are brothers, there are just 14 months between them. In this book, Alix Sharkey examines the brothers' history, and what had been an unhappy, violent childhood. They both had the same start, but one brother would go on to commit crimes, culminating in one so terrible, and it would be within his own family.
This book has changing time frames; the author tells quite a bit about their family history, events that shaped the course of their lives, then jumps back to the time of Danielle Jones' disappearance, and how the case develops. I sometimes found it annoying as it would be just getting on with the story about Danielle missing, closing in on Stuart, tension building..... then he'd jump back to a chapter in the 60s again, when they were kids. In the later stages of the book, it seems to build momentum and moves along better, with past and present alternating more equally. I found it easier to read here, and could understand better why he had chosen this style of writing their story.
A good true crime read about a very sad case, and from which the victim's family may never get closure.
January 17, 2024
I expected this to be his brothers story but the author simply wanted to explain away all his problems with the at least I’m not my brother. Author should have just done an autobiography. Hated this approach and am glad I finished it. If you’re looking for a book by a narcissist this is it.
October 11, 2021
This book was atrocious. I had to literally force myself through it, just so I could finish my first book of the month. I expected it to be about the authors brother, with inputs from the author about growing up with a brother who would become a convicted killer. This wasn't the case.
If the author wasn't being offensive, he was writing about things that didn't matter. He would constantly talk about how the case affected him, despite the fact that Danielle Jones lost her life and her body has never been recovered. He talked about how the trial affected him, and how he didn't know who to cry for. Himself, or Danielle?
I don't know how this man writes for a living, it's so bad. Part of the book feels like he's writing a personal autobiography then it switches to a true crime write up then it switches again to a thriller where he's beating the hell out of a guy in a strip club. Half of the things the author wrote about really didn't need to be included, and I swear he repeated a few things. Then on top of all that, he throws in this random theory that his brother killed Danielle Jones because he could have been molested by a paedophile from when he attended boarding school. Maybe he was, but it just felt like the author crammed the theory in there, and then hoped for the best.
Thanks to NetGalley for the eBook.
If the author wasn't being offensive, he was writing about things that didn't matter. He would constantly talk about how the case affected him, despite the fact that Danielle Jones lost her life and her body has never been recovered. He talked about how the trial affected him, and how he didn't know who to cry for. Himself, or Danielle?
I don't know how this man writes for a living, it's so bad. Part of the book feels like he's writing a personal autobiography then it switches to a true crime write up then it switches again to a thriller where he's beating the hell out of a guy in a strip club. Half of the things the author wrote about really didn't need to be included, and I swear he repeated a few things. Then on top of all that, he throws in this random theory that his brother killed Danielle Jones because he could have been molested by a paedophile from when he attended boarding school. Maybe he was, but it just felt like the author crammed the theory in there, and then hoped for the best.
Thanks to NetGalley for the eBook.
November 19, 2021
3.5/5 Interesting & well-written but also a tad boring.
September 6, 2021
This book was difficult to read, especially about the brothers' violent, dysfunctional and crime-ridden childhood. Amazingly, Alix came out okay and became a successful journalist. What makes one child successful and the other a pedophile and killer when they both grew up in the same household? Is an evil child born that way? It is scary to think Stuart might be released from jail soon. Although he would be in his 60s, he can still commit crimes and even kill again. It is such a sad and scary situation for Danielle's parents.
November 26, 2023
An interesting and insightful account of what it is like to discover your family member has killed a child, and the questions it ponders. I felt this was well handled, it spoke sympathetically for the victim’s family and did not shower Stuart Campbell in excuses for doing what he did.
September 22, 2023
This is a good book because it makes you want to read it and it's interesting. Unfortunately the subject is making you sick to your stomach and the further you read the worse you feel.
No wonder the author felt awful by the end of writing it.
Frankly? I wouldn't recommend it. Give it a miss.
No wonder the author felt awful by the end of writing it.
Frankly? I wouldn't recommend it. Give it a miss.
June 10, 2025
3.5 stars. Really sad, interesting, true crime book from the perspective of the criminal's brother.
September 9, 2021
In 2001, 15 year old Danielle Jones vanished on her way to school. In 2002, Stuart Campbell, Danielle's uncle, was convicted of her murder. Her body has never been found.
True crime usually tells the story from the point of view of the victim or the perpetrator - this book comes from a different angle. Alix Sharkey, is Stuart Campbells brother. In this book, which covers a dual time line, the events of Danielle's disappearance and subsequent investigation and Stuart's childhood in an attempt to find out what makes a killer.
Alix and his sister both grew up to have successful careers, Stuart entered a life of criminality at a young age. Alix has written a book which tells the story of two families, his own and the Jones, in a deeply reverential way. He doesn't hold back on his own issues and gives a unique insight into the forgotten victims of killers - their immediate family.
Unfortunately we are no closer to learning why Stuart did what he did or why he continues to keep Danielle's location secret but I applaud Alix for trying and I hope that he is able to find peace after the events described.
True crime usually tells the story from the point of view of the victim or the perpetrator - this book comes from a different angle. Alix Sharkey, is Stuart Campbells brother. In this book, which covers a dual time line, the events of Danielle's disappearance and subsequent investigation and Stuart's childhood in an attempt to find out what makes a killer.
Alix and his sister both grew up to have successful careers, Stuart entered a life of criminality at a young age. Alix has written a book which tells the story of two families, his own and the Jones, in a deeply reverential way. He doesn't hold back on his own issues and gives a unique insight into the forgotten victims of killers - their immediate family.
Unfortunately we are no closer to learning why Stuart did what he did or why he continues to keep Danielle's location secret but I applaud Alix for trying and I hope that he is able to find peace after the events described.
November 18, 2021
well written - but a little shallow. Wanted more.
November 28, 2021
To read this whole book and not to know at the end what happened to Danielle?!?!?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2022
A memoir heavily focused on a crime committed by the author's brother, I found this to be a tremendous work, and impossible to put down. The author Alix Sharkey jumps between two time periods in the past, examining his childhood and young adulthood, and then focusing on the moments immediately before and after the murder of 15-year-old Danielle Jones, for which Sharkey's brother – the girl's uncle – was ultimately convicted. I think in talking about their past, Sharkey deftly describes why both he and his brother ended up with the problems they had in early adulthood, but without excusing any of his brother's behavior, musing near the end that if their childhood caused his brother to murder a teenage girl, wouldn't he be right there in prison with him?
I think what was most interesting to watch unfold was the divide between the two brothers, who were once best friends until Stuart, the younger of the two, went off to a boarding school and came back 'different.' Stuart continued down a path of deviancy which the author eventually grew out of, often wondering when his brother would also grow up, but instead, he spends his time in and out of prison after committing crimes from burglary to sexual assault, the latter of which he hides from his family. Seeing how two boys only 14 months apart could come from the same violent background but end up following two wildly different paths also brings up some nature/nurture discussion, which I found important to the story.
The one thing that kind of nagged at me was the author trying so hard to pinpoint an exact reason for why his brother was attracted to adolescent girls and how he could escalate to assaulting and killing his own niece. This doesn't really come up until near the epilogue, when the author discovers that the headmaster of the boarding school his brother attended was abusing young boys, and wonders whether Stuart was one of them, or at the very least knew what was happening and was affected by it. His brother has neither confirmed nor denied, so it's only speculation on the author's part, but there's a sense that he's desperate for it to be true, as this could wrap up his entire deviation with a neat little bow. While this theory could be spot-on, it follows the same logic he used in tossing out the theory of their childhood causing him to murder – why didn't EVERY boy from that school also go on to become pedophiles and child murderers?
I think people who are expecting this to be a straight true crime story could be turned off by the fact that much, if not most, of the focus is on the story of the brothers and their experiences, and not so much about the victim, Danielle Jones, and normally, I'd agree that any true crime books that make the killers the focus instead of the victims are missing the point. But if you come into this knowing it's an exploration of the crime through the lens of a memoir about the author and his brother, you'll understand in advance what you're getting into. No, the victim is not discussed much at all aside from the aftermath of her death, but the author didn't know her and as he did not have any involvement in investigating the crime, it makes sense that he would write about his own perspective of what was happening through the wider look at his and his brother's lives. I don't think an investigative true crime book written by the brother of the killer would be appropriate, honestly, but this is more than that and I think how he approached it worked well.
I think what was most interesting to watch unfold was the divide between the two brothers, who were once best friends until Stuart, the younger of the two, went off to a boarding school and came back 'different.' Stuart continued down a path of deviancy which the author eventually grew out of, often wondering when his brother would also grow up, but instead, he spends his time in and out of prison after committing crimes from burglary to sexual assault, the latter of which he hides from his family. Seeing how two boys only 14 months apart could come from the same violent background but end up following two wildly different paths also brings up some nature/nurture discussion, which I found important to the story.
The one thing that kind of nagged at me was the author trying so hard to pinpoint an exact reason for why his brother was attracted to adolescent girls and how he could escalate to assaulting and killing his own niece. This doesn't really come up until near the epilogue, when the author discovers that the headmaster of the boarding school his brother attended was abusing young boys, and wonders whether Stuart was one of them, or at the very least knew what was happening and was affected by it. His brother has neither confirmed nor denied, so it's only speculation on the author's part, but there's a sense that he's desperate for it to be true, as this could wrap up his entire deviation with a neat little bow. While this theory could be spot-on, it follows the same logic he used in tossing out the theory of their childhood causing him to murder – why didn't EVERY boy from that school also go on to become pedophiles and child murderers?
I think people who are expecting this to be a straight true crime story could be turned off by the fact that much, if not most, of the focus is on the story of the brothers and their experiences, and not so much about the victim, Danielle Jones, and normally, I'd agree that any true crime books that make the killers the focus instead of the victims are missing the point. But if you come into this knowing it's an exploration of the crime through the lens of a memoir about the author and his brother, you'll understand in advance what you're getting into. No, the victim is not discussed much at all aside from the aftermath of her death, but the author didn't know her and as he did not have any involvement in investigating the crime, it makes sense that he would write about his own perspective of what was happening through the wider look at his and his brother's lives. I don't think an investigative true crime book written by the brother of the killer would be appropriate, honestly, but this is more than that and I think how he approached it worked well.
August 26, 2021
Alix Sharkey is the older brother of Stuart Campbell, the man convicted in 2002 of murdering 15-year-old, Danielle Jones. Danielle's body was never found, and the author wrote this book in the hope his brother would finally do the right thing and reveal where Danielle's body is before his parole hearing scheduled for later this year.
As I began reading this book, I tried to recollect the circumstances around Danielle's disappearance, but it wasn't until I googled her and saw her picture that I remembered her from all those years before. The murder of Danielle is a very sad story, not just because of her age and the fact that her body has never been found, but also because Stuart Campbell was her uncle, someone who she should have been able to trust.
The author does a good job of detailing their family history, with the early years’ chapters interspersed with later year ones featuring information from around the time Danielle went missing and the subsequent trial. Their childhood didn't sound like a particularly happy one, suffering physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their father. It is to be wondered though, as you read, where it all went wrong - what happened to Campbell to make him become a child killer? Are you born with those tendencies or is it due to socio-economic factors (lifestyle, education, upbringing), and if so why didn't both brothers end up going down the same path? The author has recounted their past well, although the switching of the timeframes throughout the first half of the book did slow up the story of Danielle's disappearance for me. The recollection from the half way point onwards was interesting though and I found the information given throughout the trial gripping.
Of course, this isn't ever a book you could say you enjoyed, purely for the nature of the crime, but it was a captivating read which was well written. I was particularly interested in the forthcoming parole hearing due at the end of this year, especially with 'Helen's Law's now in force, meaning cases where the location of a body is never disclosed a parole review is likely to be denied - no body, no parole. The author has done really well to not make the book all about himself or his brother, voicing his concerns on many occasions throughout the book of the anguish and upset Danielle's family are still going through.
A very difficult but interesting read which I would definitely recommend. My heart goes out to the families of all those who have never been found - Keith Bennett (1964), Mark Tildesley (1984), Suzy Lamplugh (1986), Helen McCourt (1988), Suzanne Pilley (2010), April Jones (2012), of course Danielle Jones and countless others. Hopefully this book will go some way to encourage Campbell to disclose where Danielle's body is and give her family the closure they need.
As I began reading this book, I tried to recollect the circumstances around Danielle's disappearance, but it wasn't until I googled her and saw her picture that I remembered her from all those years before. The murder of Danielle is a very sad story, not just because of her age and the fact that her body has never been found, but also because Stuart Campbell was her uncle, someone who she should have been able to trust.
The author does a good job of detailing their family history, with the early years’ chapters interspersed with later year ones featuring information from around the time Danielle went missing and the subsequent trial. Their childhood didn't sound like a particularly happy one, suffering physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their father. It is to be wondered though, as you read, where it all went wrong - what happened to Campbell to make him become a child killer? Are you born with those tendencies or is it due to socio-economic factors (lifestyle, education, upbringing), and if so why didn't both brothers end up going down the same path? The author has recounted their past well, although the switching of the timeframes throughout the first half of the book did slow up the story of Danielle's disappearance for me. The recollection from the half way point onwards was interesting though and I found the information given throughout the trial gripping.
Of course, this isn't ever a book you could say you enjoyed, purely for the nature of the crime, but it was a captivating read which was well written. I was particularly interested in the forthcoming parole hearing due at the end of this year, especially with 'Helen's Law's now in force, meaning cases where the location of a body is never disclosed a parole review is likely to be denied - no body, no parole. The author has done really well to not make the book all about himself or his brother, voicing his concerns on many occasions throughout the book of the anguish and upset Danielle's family are still going through.
A very difficult but interesting read which I would definitely recommend. My heart goes out to the families of all those who have never been found - Keith Bennett (1964), Mark Tildesley (1984), Suzy Lamplugh (1986), Helen McCourt (1988), Suzanne Pilley (2010), April Jones (2012), of course Danielle Jones and countless others. Hopefully this book will go some way to encourage Campbell to disclose where Danielle's body is and give her family the closure they need.
January 30, 2022
When I picked up My Brother the Killer, I had no idea what case it was pertaining to yet, within a couple of pages, was astounded to realise it was the case of Danielle Jones, a 15-year-old who sadly went missing in Essex in the early 00s. I remember this case vividly, being only a couple of years older than her at the time. A schoolgirl vanished on her way to school in broad daylight, it was a nation horrified and subsequently enraptured by the unfolding news coverage.
As the title so aptly demonstrates, this is an account from the brother of the killer. A brother who had no idea about the man his kid brother had become. He writes with honesty and insightfulness, noting his observations with intelligence and reflection. He delves into a childhood immersed in domestic violence and alcoholism. There is a raw truthfulness to his words as he walked us back through their childhood growing up in working class Essex. His writing created a tangible, feeling as he explores genetics, upbringing, history and early influences. He was forthcoming in his condemnation of a man who, to this day, refuses to reveal where her body is.
There have also since been documentaries that interestingly showed the betrayal, grooming and manipulation prior to Danielle’s murder. This was an interesting and personal account that demonstrated the effect this heinous crime had- and continues to have- on so many lives.
As the title so aptly demonstrates, this is an account from the brother of the killer. A brother who had no idea about the man his kid brother had become. He writes with honesty and insightfulness, noting his observations with intelligence and reflection. He delves into a childhood immersed in domestic violence and alcoholism. There is a raw truthfulness to his words as he walked us back through their childhood growing up in working class Essex. His writing created a tangible, feeling as he explores genetics, upbringing, history and early influences. He was forthcoming in his condemnation of a man who, to this day, refuses to reveal where her body is.
There have also since been documentaries that interestingly showed the betrayal, grooming and manipulation prior to Danielle’s murder. This was an interesting and personal account that demonstrated the effect this heinous crime had- and continues to have- on so many lives.
November 1, 2021
True crime is usually such compelling reading and this book is no exception. Journalist Alix Sharkey (who took his mother’s maiden name as his surname) has detailed his life growing up in a violent household (alcoholic father) and in an alternating timeline he reveals what he knows of his younger brother Stuart Campbell - but as the book progresses we realise there’s so much Alix didn’t know about Stuart. There are moments where I wondered why Alix didn’t also become a killer as he certainly had episodes where he also committed violent acts. The whole nature versus nurture question is lurking in the background and when Sharkey refers to Stuart's education at a 'special' school where the head teacher was later convicted of several counts of child sexual abuse I did wonder if that was the 'nurture' experience that helped turn Stuart Campbell into a killer.
Some reviewers have commented that Sharkey doesn’t empathise enough with the murder victim Danielle Jones and her family but the subtitle is 'a family story' and that’s exactly what Sharkey has written. He barely remembers Danielle who was a 10 year old bridesmaid at Stuart's wedding then disappeared as a 15 year old. Her body still hasn’t been found yet there was enough other evidence to convict Campbell. This was a disturbing book but felt matter of fact and unapologetic. All round an excellent read.
Some reviewers have commented that Sharkey doesn’t empathise enough with the murder victim Danielle Jones and her family but the subtitle is 'a family story' and that’s exactly what Sharkey has written. He barely remembers Danielle who was a 10 year old bridesmaid at Stuart's wedding then disappeared as a 15 year old. Her body still hasn’t been found yet there was enough other evidence to convict Campbell. This was a disturbing book but felt matter of fact and unapologetic. All round an excellent read.
February 8, 2023
When Danielle Jones went missing in 2001 it quickly made National news as the country searched for the 15 year old schoolgirl. What quickly followed was to leave families horrified and shocked, that her uncle, Stuart Campbell, was the sole suspect in the disappearance and presumed murder of Danielle. For more than 20 years Stuart Campbell has denied his guilt and refused to divulge the whereabouts of Danielle’s body, causing her parents continuing grief every day. In this book, Campbell’s brother , Alix Sharkey, revisits his childhood, growing up side by side with Campbell, reflecting on childhood traumas that have certainly moulded both their adult lives, and discussing the many warning signs which came from Campbell’s behaviour and crimes over the years, but which in many instances, the author was not aware of at the time. In a case of nature or nurture, it is indeed a main question of the book whether Campbell would have still become the monster he is had he had a different childhood? The other main question of the book is, with he ever tell the family of Danielle Jones where he put her body so that they may lay her to rest and provide some comfort to all who have suffered her loss?
November 6, 2021
I found this book an entertaining read and backstory into one of the UK's most notorious killer's family.
I read it as I wanted to understand how you would feel if you found out someone you knew - were related to - had committed a horrific crime. It certainly delivered in this regard; the book shows the authors evolving emotions from confusion, to disbelief, to anger, and then to understanding (the cause - his brother's own history of being abused) - whilst never reaching forgiveness and retaining contempt at the pain he put his victims family through.
The book has a great narrative style flowing backwards and forwards between the past and present as the author investigates his own back story and relationships with his father, mother and friends at school, as well as the different stages of the investigation and subsequent trial of his brother as he finds out more of his hidden past. Though this sometimes does get confusing it is more entertaining and keeps your attention better than a straightforward linear narrative book would.
Overall, an excellent book and I would definitely recommend it!
I read it as I wanted to understand how you would feel if you found out someone you knew - were related to - had committed a horrific crime. It certainly delivered in this regard; the book shows the authors evolving emotions from confusion, to disbelief, to anger, and then to understanding (the cause - his brother's own history of being abused) - whilst never reaching forgiveness and retaining contempt at the pain he put his victims family through.
The book has a great narrative style flowing backwards and forwards between the past and present as the author investigates his own back story and relationships with his father, mother and friends at school, as well as the different stages of the investigation and subsequent trial of his brother as he finds out more of his hidden past. Though this sometimes does get confusing it is more entertaining and keeps your attention better than a straightforward linear narrative book would.
Overall, an excellent book and I would definitely recommend it!
August 11, 2021
This is a case that I didn't think I knew, until I searched up the crime online, and I remember it being such a high profile case.
I'm a huge fan of true crime, and so was really intrigued to read about the crime from the perspective of the brother of the murderer. This isn't a perspective I have read from with true crime before.
I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed reading this book - purely because of the nature of what this book is about. However it was super interesting, and the idea of nature vs nurture was a strong theme within this book - particularly with the final couple of chapters. (i won't say more in case it's a spoiler)
I will never understand why murderers who have been convicted, and are already in prison for life, don't reveal where the victims bodies are. It's heatless and incredibly frustrating - this is something I still don;t understand from reading this book. I wish it could have looked at this further.
This book is definitely a must for fans of true crime, and people that remember the specific case.
I'm a huge fan of true crime, and so was really intrigued to read about the crime from the perspective of the brother of the murderer. This isn't a perspective I have read from with true crime before.
I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed reading this book - purely because of the nature of what this book is about. However it was super interesting, and the idea of nature vs nurture was a strong theme within this book - particularly with the final couple of chapters. (i won't say more in case it's a spoiler)
I will never understand why murderers who have been convicted, and are already in prison for life, don't reveal where the victims bodies are. It's heatless and incredibly frustrating - this is something I still don;t understand from reading this book. I wish it could have looked at this further.
This book is definitely a must for fans of true crime, and people that remember the specific case.
December 23, 2021
My brother, the killer is an interesting, first hand account into the life of child-killer Stuart Campbell. It’s written by Alix Sharpley, his elder brother, and describes in great detail events such as their childhood and the murder charge itself.
It must have been a mammoth task for Alix to reach so far back into him and his brothers shared past. It’s an incredibly emotional account, with subjects such as living with their abusive father being discussed.
Alix switches back between writing about their childhood, to events after the crime took place. It gives the reader a greater insight and a deeper context into Stuarts mindset, allowing us to make our own decisions and theories about why he could commit such a heinous crime. You get the impression that Alix consistently asks himself “what if?”, and feels partially responsible for his younger brothers actions. I felt sick to my stomach at moments within this book, such as Stuart’s reluctance to reveal the whereabouts of Danielle’s body.
Overall, it’s a disturbing and heavily emotional read, but an interesting one nonetheless.
It must have been a mammoth task for Alix to reach so far back into him and his brothers shared past. It’s an incredibly emotional account, with subjects such as living with their abusive father being discussed.
Alix switches back between writing about their childhood, to events after the crime took place. It gives the reader a greater insight and a deeper context into Stuarts mindset, allowing us to make our own decisions and theories about why he could commit such a heinous crime. You get the impression that Alix consistently asks himself “what if?”, and feels partially responsible for his younger brothers actions. I felt sick to my stomach at moments within this book, such as Stuart’s reluctance to reveal the whereabouts of Danielle’s body.
Overall, it’s a disturbing and heavily emotional read, but an interesting one nonetheless.
February 3, 2024
I had never heard of this case before I bought this book. Alix starts the book by writing about how suprised he was on finding out who his brother really is. Stuart. And then proceeds to state how aggresive, violent and scary Stuart has always been, with examples since he was 5 years old. So how surprised can he really be?
Stuart Campbell was convicted in 2002 for the abduction and murder of 15 year old Danielle Jones, who was his niece by marriage.
While his trial was ongoing, it came out everything he has done throughout his life. Several girls came to testify that they had been Stuart's victims as well and established that this was who he really was.
'Til this day Danielle's body has never been found and Stuart has never spoken up about anything about this case.
In this book Alix tells the story of them growing up. To try and understand more about his brother, and maybe try to get him to talk.
Stuart Campbell was convicted in 2002 for the abduction and murder of 15 year old Danielle Jones, who was his niece by marriage.
While his trial was ongoing, it came out everything he has done throughout his life. Several girls came to testify that they had been Stuart's victims as well and established that this was who he really was.
'Til this day Danielle's body has never been found and Stuart has never spoken up about anything about this case.
In this book Alix tells the story of them growing up. To try and understand more about his brother, and maybe try to get him to talk.
August 6, 2021
Alix Sharkey's journalistic background sets him off to a good start with this book. He is lucid, forthright and very candid about how tough his childhood was. Also, rather than injecting himself further into his brother's orbit than he actually was, Alix paints a picture of himself and his brother as growing apart as adults and tries to figure out why they turned out so differently.
The book is part memoir, part true-crime story, part legal procedural. All of the parts gel and flow seamlessly, Alix has taken this complicated story and presented it in a straightforward way without artifice. It reads so much better because of this.
What also strikes me as very truthful about this book is that Alix does not really speak too much about Danielle Jones. He clearly barely knew her and, rather than subsume her tragedy into his life, he simply acknowledges the clear heartbreak her parents face and he moves on.
This is an excellent read and is a cut above the usual memoir of this type.
The book is part memoir, part true-crime story, part legal procedural. All of the parts gel and flow seamlessly, Alix has taken this complicated story and presented it in a straightforward way without artifice. It reads so much better because of this.
What also strikes me as very truthful about this book is that Alix does not really speak too much about Danielle Jones. He clearly barely knew her and, rather than subsume her tragedy into his life, he simply acknowledges the clear heartbreak her parents face and he moves on.
This is an excellent read and is a cut above the usual memoir of this type.
October 25, 2022
In 2001 a 15 year old girl, Danielle Jones, goes missing and the killer refuses to say where her body lies causing untold grief to her family. The killer is the author’s younger brother Stuart. Have to say that it doesn’t really sit well with me that a book is written and profited from on the back of such a tragedy unless money is being raised for suitable charities. Interesting to hear how the children were raised in Tilbury, Essex with a brute of a father but I don’t feel as if there’s very much insight into Stuart as it’s mainly about the author, what he did, how he felt etc. This is definitely a book which would have been much improved had it been written in chronological order rather than flitting about all over the place. A book for those who have an interest in real life crime. I was given this ARC by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 26, 2021
3.5
I wasn't familiar with Danielle's story, and I had a hard time putting the book down. As someone who likes true crime, especially trying to understand how a killer becomes a killer, I found the story of their childhood, with an abusive father, an often enabling mother, and possible abuse at a school that was supposed to help, intriguing. The author obviously has made it out on the other side of a what was and still is a terrible situation.
That said, the author showed some lack of empathy that left me cold, at one point noting that he wasn't crying, and wondering "who would I cry for?" As someone who has cried at the story of the death of more than one child I've never met, I couldn't identify with this. An interesting story, but one told in a way that felt a somewhat self-serving.
I wasn't familiar with Danielle's story, and I had a hard time putting the book down. As someone who likes true crime, especially trying to understand how a killer becomes a killer, I found the story of their childhood, with an abusive father, an often enabling mother, and possible abuse at a school that was supposed to help, intriguing. The author obviously has made it out on the other side of a what was and still is a terrible situation.
That said, the author showed some lack of empathy that left me cold, at one point noting that he wasn't crying, and wondering "who would I cry for?" As someone who has cried at the story of the death of more than one child I've never met, I couldn't identify with this. An interesting story, but one told in a way that felt a somewhat self-serving.
March 6, 2022
What this book probably doesn’t need is another review. But there are a few things I will say: Content warning as well as a profusion of foul language. That said, the author is an engaging writer (as a journalist by trade).
A little disappointed that my library categorized this as true crime. This is a family memoir and is focused on the author’s experience, thoughts and feelings in particular. While there was a crime, there is never a resolution. The author could have at least detailed what the prosecutors THOUGHT (or alleged in court) happened to the 15-year-old girl. But he didn’t. And the convicted murderer won’t talk. So you are left with a very unsatisfying vagueness about what really happened.
I did find the judicial system differences between here and the UK to be interesting.
A little disappointed that my library categorized this as true crime. This is a family memoir and is focused on the author’s experience, thoughts and feelings in particular. While there was a crime, there is never a resolution. The author could have at least detailed what the prosecutors THOUGHT (or alleged in court) happened to the 15-year-old girl. But he didn’t. And the convicted murderer won’t talk. So you are left with a very unsatisfying vagueness about what really happened.
I did find the judicial system differences between here and the UK to be interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2022
This hard hitting memoir for the brother of convicted killer was an eye-opening account of his life growing up in an abusive environement and how this could have contributed to the path that his brother took.
I found the method for this book confusing at times as we were jumping back and forth through the timeline and this was confusing for me. Once I got used to the author's method of writing this account then I was able to connect with the author and his feelings and motivation to write this book. Reading through the account you can see and feel the anguish that he has had when making the decision to write this account and what to include.
This is definitely a gripping and raw story of emotion.
I found the method for this book confusing at times as we were jumping back and forth through the timeline and this was confusing for me. Once I got used to the author's method of writing this account then I was able to connect with the author and his feelings and motivation to write this book. Reading through the account you can see and feel the anguish that he has had when making the decision to write this account and what to include.
This is definitely a gripping and raw story of emotion.
April 28, 2025
This was really a fascinating read...I'm pretty sure that I've seen a TV news show regarding this case (i.e. Dateline, 24 Hours, etc.) but I'm not positive. Anyway, Stuart, the brother of the author, was convicted of killing his 15 year old niece. Her body has never been located and he has never actually even confessed to the crime, but he had a long history of seducing young girls...taking their photos and promising them big careers in modeling. It's always difficult to imagine how a person can go so wrong and sink to such behavior. The saddest part is knowing that her family has never really been able to achieve closure. One of the better, more readable true crime stories that I've read.
August 15, 2021
I raced through this haunting but important book. I have to disclose that I know the author so that obviously added another layer of intrigue. But from anyone's perspective, it begs the question, how can someone I grew up with and thought I knew so well behave so monstrously? And why won't he 'fess up to the whereabouts of her body?
Alix paints a vivid grim picture of his family history and flits between time zones to recount the events which lead up to and following a teenage girl's disappearance. He bears all in acknowledging his own behaviour, recognising the influence of his violent father, and you know that this must have been an incredibly demanding book to write.
Alix paints a vivid grim picture of his family history and flits between time zones to recount the events which lead up to and following a teenage girl's disappearance. He bears all in acknowledging his own behaviour, recognising the influence of his violent father, and you know that this must have been an incredibly demanding book to write.
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