The Kelly Hunters

by Grantlee Kieza

The desperate manhunt to bring down Australia's most notorious outlaw

When Ned Kelly and his band of young tearaways ambushed and killed three brave policemen in a remote mountain camp in 1878, they sparked the biggest and most expensive manhunt Australia had seen. The desperate search would end when Kelly and his gang, wearing suits of armour, tried to derail a train before waging their final bloody gun battle with police in the small Victorian town of Glenrowan.

In the 20 months between those shootouts and aided by a network of informers, hundreds of lawmen, soldiers, undercover agents and a team of Aboriginal trackers combed rugged mountains in freezing conditions in search of the outlaws. The police officers were brave, poorly paid and often ailing, some nearing retirement and others young with small children, but they risked death and illness in the hope of finding the men who had killed their comrades.

The hunt for the Kelly gang became a fierce battle of egos between senior police as they prepared for the final shootout with Australia's most infamous bushrangers, a gun battle that etched Ned Kelly's physical toughness and defiance of authority into Australian folklore. By the author of the critically acclaimed Mrs Kelly, as well as other bestsellers such as Banks, Monash and Banjo, The Kelly Hunters is a fascinating and compelling account of the other side of the legendary Kelly story.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook

423 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2022

Reviews

[MelbourneSharonB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting insight into the story. At first, I thought, don't bother - you know this story. But the reading provided more specific details that I hadn't been aware of and dispelled some of the myths.

[Jakob Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy to read and well researched. I loved how the author gave information on both the Kelly hunters and Kelly gang side by side. Made the story compelling and thrilling seeing both sides of the story.

[Hayley Burge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the history! Learnt a lot.

[Queenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book that tells the story of the brave policemen who chased down Ned Kelly. Good to see the hard-working police get the credit they deserve

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonishing - I knew nothing of this amazing hunt

[Christine Cranson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio version

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slightly different perspective of the Kelly story (told from the perspective of the people who tried to hunt them down) but enjoyable and informative nonetheless.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not Grantlee Kieza's best, but it is still bloody good. It retells a lot from his previous Kelly books, as well as some of the background from the Royal Commission into the Victoria Police Force on their handling of the tracking and apprehension of the 'Kelly Gang'. Although the Kelly Gang were a bunch of marauding killers and robbers, I find it hard to judge them with the standards of today. For example, they were Irish Australians, with Ned being the first generation descendant of an Irish convict. I can remember from my childhood the enormous social gulf between the Catholics of Irish descent and the Protestants and that was much greater 100 years ago. I have no doubt that the police targeted and needled the poor Kelly tribe and contributed to the situation that eventually developed. After Ned was apprehended and put in prison, it was only a matter of time before he was executed by the State after a puny defence. It is ironic that the sentencing judge (Judge Barry) died 12 days after Ned was hung, which seems like justice to me as Ned has told him from the dock that he would see him soon.

[Atlanta Bushnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kelly Hunters by Grantlee Kieza is an extremely informative historical non-fiction focusing on the other side of the famous Ned Kelly narrative.

If you are from Australia, you likely know the tale of the infamous Ned Kelly and the Kelly Gang. But for those of you from overseas who may not know, Ned Kelly is Australia’s most famous outlaw. He was a bushranger in the late 1870s and early 1880s and known for bank robberies and hold ups. The events at Stringybark Creek sparked off the biggest manhunt Australia had ever seen.

While most books focus on The Kelly Gang’s POV and how they ended up there, this book focuses on the police, soldiers, undercover agents and Aboriginal trackers who were all involved in hunting the gang. This book is very much the other side of the story. It is filled with details, information and photos. I found it a very interesting read.

I would recommend it to readers of historical non-fiction or anyone who is interested in Australian history.

4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you Harper Collins Australia for the review copy.

[David Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you might expect from an experienced journalist and historian, Kieza has composed an immensely readable history of the hunt for the Kelly gang.

He took a relatively even handed approach to the story - critical of police like Fitzpatrick and Sadler but also unswayed by the current "poor put upon Irish" arguments. It is not likely to have influence on those who have firmly held opinions one way or the other, but it has a devastating picture of the treatment of the trackers, and indeed of first nations in general.

I can not help thinking that Kieza, like that other writer of popular history Peter Fitzsimons, invests much in research and researchers. This book tends to read at times like he has assembled the research, as the copious footnotes attest, and needed to cram it all in. Unlike Fitzsimons however, an adept editor has aided in the reduction of prolixity.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ned Kelly - Ruthless killer or misjudged bush ranger?
This is a question that has been asked and will continue to be asked for eons.
I very much enjoyed this book, with the author writing fair accounts for both camps.
What I do take away from this is that the police bungled badly due to their tunnel vision of capturing The Kelly Gang. As well as the greed, the in-fighting and horrific harassment of Ned’s family.
Hearing how the gang’s bodies, especially Ned’s, were treated post-mortem is heartbreaking, more so when police refused to return the bodies for a proper burial.
I’m inclined to sway favour towards the bush rangers.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This historical book is very detailed and well written. It was good to read it after Peter Carey's "True History of the Kelly Gang" and see the same events presented historically in this book and with added imaginative recount in Peter Carey's book. It was fascinating to read detailed accounts of who received different amounts of the reward for the capture of Ned Kelly. It was such an indictment that the Black Trackers did not actually receive the money they were awarded. The rush to collect memorabilia from the last confrontation was also fascinating. The Royal Commissions recount was insightful.

[Scott Tubman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst it's not the greatest writing in the world, it carries the story and had me hooked. Having grown up on the Kelly myth, rather than the Kelly history, it's a great treatment of a fascinating part of Aussie history. And even though it focuses on those hunting Ned Kelly, you really get a feel for the outlaw and his family too. I'd happily recommend it!

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Australian does not know the story of Ned Kelly? So I came to this book already aware of the ending, aiming to gain a greater understanding. I left feeling that regardless of whose side you take, there are no winners in this tale. There are so many deaths, so many bodies and hearts broken beyond repair.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting account of the hunt for the Kelly gang. No one covered themselves in glory in this unvarnished history.

[Cher · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read very interesting

[Lu Paddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read. The author did an amazing job in regard to researching then weaving all the details into a succinctly told historical tale.

[Thomas Reads books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good riddance to the OG sovcit.

[Craig Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moves along at a cracking pace.
Even if you know the Kelly story well there is still enough here to keep you interested.