Don't Make a Fuss: It's only the Claremont Serial Killer

by Wendy Davis

In 2020, after the longest and most expensive trial in Western Australian history, Bradley Robert Edwards was convicted of two of the Claremont Serial Killings, a series of unsolved murders that had haunted the state since the mid-1990s. But before he went to trial, before he started killing, Edwards violently assaulted a social worker while he was working on the telephone system at Hollywood Hospital. Not only did Edwards keep his job, but he was convicted only of common assault for the attack, a minor charge that left him off the police radar during their desperate hunt for the sexual predator responsible for the Claremont murders.
Begun as way to deal with the resurgence of trauma after Edwards’ arrest, this memoir looks at the pressure on women to minimise and excuse certain behaviours in others, and demonstrates the devastating consequences of not making a fuss.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime, True Crime

216 pages, PB, C

Published June 1, 2022

Reviews

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend! Could not put it down.

Wendy Davis has written an incredible memoir that shares a workplace attack on her in 1990 that wasn’t taken seriously by the police or her attacker’s employer. In 2016, twenty- six years after her attack, Davis received a phone call that her attacker had been caught and he had raped and murdered several women. He was known as the Claremont Serial Killer.

Four years later, his trial began and the COVID pandemic started.

Davis began writing about her experience and the trial as a form of therapy and the book is the result. It shares the ups and downs of her life and the impact of the assault. It is a must-read about the importance of listening and responding to assaults.

As a side note, I was visiting Australia when I bought this book. I try to visit independent bookstores when I travel. I went into Dymocks, a family owned bookstore in Sydney, Australia that opened in the 1870s and is still owned and managed by the same family. It is a fabulous bookstore.

This memoir takes place in Australia, primarily in Perth and Tasmania. I hope to visit both of those places someday.

[Veronica ⭐️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews at: https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
Don't Make a Fuss is a brave and courageous memoir highlighting the ongoing culture of women's unimportance and suppression.

Wendy was attacked at her workplace by Bradley Edwards. Wendy's attack was minimised and her account ignored by both police and authorities. Edwards went on to murder two, possibly three, women in the Claremont area which sparked a police investigation spanning decades.

Wendy Davis tells her story in this important novel broken up between present-day and the current investigation, and at the time of the attack 30 years ago and how it affected her.

I was appalled how the initial attack on Wendy had little consequence for the perpetrator, brushed under the carpet. However, it affected Wendy's life for years to come.
The story made me angry how crimes against women are being downplayed and because Wendy had a strong personality her trauma was devalued. She was expected to just get on with it.
I can't even fathom the monumental stress she has had to live with during the dragged out court case with years passing from arrest to sentence of this evil man.

I do hope that writing this book has been cathartic for Wendy. However, I am sure that the events of 1990 will be with her forever.

Thank you Wendy for this insightful memoir. We need to make a fuss and not only be heard but also actioned upon appropriately

[Jen Mactaggart]

Thanks to the author for sharing her story. It is important to hear how frightening the attack was and how horrifying it would have been to learn the attacker had gone on to murder three women. It's also incredibly disheartening to learn of how the attack was downplayed, devaluing the author's experience. I hope one day to see a feminist analysis of this episode which will show how the patriarchy serves to minimise violence on women and cause further harm. Best wishes to the author and all the individuals and families impacted directly by this depraved criminal.

[Xanthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written and important book. I chose to read it because I lived in Perth at the time of these crimes covered in this book, and was in the same age group as the victims and the perpetrator. I became aware of the author’s frightening experience once Edwards was caught but didn’t know much about it. The podcast about the murders expanded a bit on the attack on the author but still, the full ramifications weren’t clear. Reading this book gave me an insight to her experience and what it did to her career and her life in the aftermath of it. This book also covers what the lead up to the trial (which lasted for years) and her testimony at that trial, involved, and how it affected her emotionally. Edward’s arrest dredged up a lot of anguished memories for the author and a lot of reflection on a patriarchal society that dismisses women, as a matter of course. I felt a lot of anger, reading this book, but also strong empathy for the author. I’m glad she finally got the opportunity to be heard.

[Jess Checkland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful true crime memoir of a victim of the Claremont serial killer and her struggle with the justice system when no one wanted to listen. A must read.

[Nicole Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the author telling her story, however the book felt really repetitive.

[Jen Coates · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quietly powerful memoir, full of undercurrents that become recurring themes that gently creep up on you and make you want to put the book down to reflect. Like many women, the author had a lifetime of being told "don't make a fuss", don't rock the boat, don't push consequences on this 'poor man', i.e. perpetrator. It occurred in her abusive marriage and it occurred at her workplace where she was attacked. It occurred in the board room of the perpetrator's employer, and in the subsequent court case - all men who deemed that the price the perpetrator might pay for HIS actions was too high. But at what cost? The cost to Wendy was enormous, something she was forced to grapple with when she was first attacked, and again 25 years later. But what other costs? The implications for other women when men don't listen, or when they circle the wagons to protect their own, including psychopaths, can be beyond measure. This book is a sad indictment on men in powerful positions who don't listen and don't care.

[lauren ♡]

like always i don't feel comfortable 'rating' non-fiction, especially when it's someone's personal story, but this was such an incredible, confronting and eye opening read. as a perth resident i've always had an interest in the claremont case and have spent a lot of time researching it, i didn't think anything was going to give me something new but this book made me look at the case in a totally new perspective. it’s also an extremely important report on how women are never taken seriously and how we’re constantly told we should be grateful things weren’t worse etc. if you can handle the subject matter i definitely recommend you give this one a read! wendy is such an amazing, strong woman and i can't thank her enough for sharing her story.

[Frangipani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book I had to read the moment I saw it in the bookstore. I’ve lived in Perth all my life, and through 2 serial killers. I had one very burning question which was answered by this book, and that was how on earth did this guy NOT go to jail for the attack on the author in her workplace?!!! Sadly, the answer was as I had expected, patriarchy rules.
Beautifully written memoir of a disturbing incident which greatly affected the authors life. A brave and determined woman who had to fight in court for the right to have her name un-suppressed in order to have this book published!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was really interested to read this woman’s account, and although I got through it quickly, I found it extremely repetitive and disappointing. I can’t help but feel it could’ve been so much more insightful had she have provided more detail about things we didn’t already know. Good on her for getting it off her chest on her own terms, though, which was her aim in writing it. It was clearly a terrifying and life-changing attack.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Davis tells her survival story about being attacked by Bradley Edwards, who went on to become the Claremont serial killer, in her office in WA in the 90s, and how she wasn’t properly listened to at the time.

Her story was originally downplayed by the police and Telstra in traditional patriarchal fashion, protecting Edward’s “promising career" in telecoms instead of worrying about Davis’ immediate and lifelong trauma.

The damage control by the telecom company at the time was appalling. Trauma ruined her career, the victim, but for some reason the violent abuser’s career was valued and protected.

I felt the book could have benefited from a trim and more focus. Davis tended to ramble a bit. On a few occasions half a page was taken up by back to back to back speculative questions which wasn’t fun to read. She also mentioned how she wondered how the parents of other victims were feeling at least seven times (keep in mind I’m critiquing the reading experience here and not Davis’ life or story).

It was interesting how she still felt unheard after her testimony made the front page of the news. I guess in that case she was still just a dramatic news story, not a real person who almost died.

There wasn’t as much true crime information here as I was looking for, there’s another book called Enigma of the Dark which focuses more on the overall case, but this was still a good account of a brave woman’s survival and self-empowerment.

[Tracy Mackay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Fremantle Press for my copy.

I really wanted to read this book as the crime happened in my home town of Perth. The attack on Wendy happened in Nedlands just down the road from Claremont where I worked at the times of the Claremont Serial killings. In 1990 when Wendy was attacked I don't think it was ever mentioned in the media. I only ever heard about the Hollywood hospital attack after Bradley Edwards was arrested around 25 years later.
Wendy describes the attack very well, the fear, the trauma and the disbelief that no one really seemed to be interested in what happened to her. Everyone seemed more concerned about poor "young Bradley" how he was having relationship problems and the fact that he tried to abduct and rape Wendy somehow got overlooked by the Police and his employer Telecom.
I liked Wendy's style of writing, it flows well and she gives some background of her life before the attack, her private life and how her life was affected after the attack. She buried the memories for over 20 years and then describes really well how it all came rushing back after a phone call informing her that her attacker had been arrested for the murders of 3 young women, kidnapping and raping a teenager and other attacks.
Well worth a read.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book by Wendy Davis. I read it in one sitting & could not put it down. Well-written, engaging, incredibly interesting, & extremely moving. The author perfectly achieves the delicate balance between conveying the profoundly difficult subject matter & her experiences (forced upon her through no fault of her own), whilst making this true story engaging, accessible (this is particularly well-done and could have been difficult as her experiences are so unique) & highly informative of her unique experiences, those of others, and the continuous injustices faced. Thank you Wendy Davis for sharing your story. A vital read for everyone in Western Australia & rating it 5 stars isn’t enough.

[Prabin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a roller coaster ride through author memory of what had happened all those years ago. How more serious crime could have been avoided if the incident was taken seriously. System failed her and a women voice was lost and Mr Edwards was in a way went on doing things unchecked for so many years.

It provokes never to accept things for granted always challenge decisions as those who are doing humans and errors do happens sometimes to this serious consequences. I liked it and felt sorry for the author especially with a indirect guilt of how things could have been avoided had it was taken seriously.

[Clarissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the main point of this book was for the victim, Wendy Davis, to share her side of the story in her own words. I totally understand her need to write this after her traumatic experience. The downfall is, because of all th coverage of this case, much of what you read in the book has already been told, including her story, through the media. Very repetitive and I didn't really learn anything new.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only he had been stopped at the point he committed his crime against the author.
So glad she has found a form of peace away from it all, living in Tasmania.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Gemma Laidlaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another perspective of the Claremont murders. Very sad that this case was not treated with importance. If it had of been they may have prevented the murders.

[Zoe Kellam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in a day. Thank you Wendy for telling your story.

[Sandy Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did get bored with this book quite quickly but I might go back to it one day to finish it.

[Jess Gibbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

An important message and the trauma that Wendy went through is expressed vividly. You feel the fury of being told that to be violently and randomly attacked is normal and acceptable. It isn't now and it wasn't then.

However, the book is quite repetitive and needs a shave - if you removed talk of the weather you'd lose about 20 pages. The constant reference to the title of the book feels forced and jarring.

This would have been an exceptional essay, one I'd have considered essential reading.