Young Blood: The Story of the Family Murders

by Bob R. O'Brien

the Story of the Family Murders No one has been able to put the whole saga of the notorious so-called Family murders together before now. After years of speculation and rumour, for the first time the real-life expose about this famous series of murders in Adelaide can be told by the man who solved the case. South Australia has an international reputation for being the home of some very strange murders. But during the 1970s this capital city was shocked when a series of young men, all fit and healthy, disappeared from its streets one by one. their bodies were found dumped in the countryside outside the city. All were mutilated and some were dismembered. A group of prominent SA judges and businessmen, believed to be gay, were suspected of being involved with the killings (they weren'9291t). this group were dubbed the Family. the author he detective who investigated the murder of the most high profile of the victims (the son of the city'9291s pre-eminent tV newsreaders) ventually arrested accountant Bevan Von Einem, who is still in gaol for his crimes.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[Kevin Dye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book haunted me, for more reasons than the content. In 1978 I had the joy of being picked up by this creep...who tried his hardest to lure me back to his house. His behaviour was off, to say the least, and when he pretended not to know where to turn off to the city I jumped out of his car and RAN!!!

I have read this book twice over the years, each time I get shudders about the crimes and how it could have just as easily had been me had I taken the bait. That in itself is the biggest horror of all!

[Bella Fiori · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really interesting, even though it is based in Australia I had no idea what it was about. This man was a monster, what he did to those poor young men makes my blood boil. I really hope that karma comes after him.

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok! I have quite a bit of good and bad to say about this book - i'll start with the good.

It's very well written and easily read, it's actually written by one of the lead detectives that was assigned to the original case back in the 80's so it's all very accurate and personal, the descriptions are very graphic which makes you feel as though you are on a journey with the author, a completely harrowing and horrific journey. Bob O'Brien has written a great true crime book that details one of the nastiest bunch of murders in Australian history, it's also the only book written on the subject so if you're looking for something to read on the family murders you've really got no other choice. Now onto the bad, there were more than a few times throughout this book where the authors comes across as homophobic and even misogynistic, one passage at the beginning that annoyed me was when he was referring to female police officers, he said something along the lines of "a couple of women who thought of giving policing a try" as though it is just a fad for a female to want to be a police officer and not seriously consider it as a career, it may not sound like much but it bothered me, especially considering this book was published in 2002. Another example of this is when he's describing the female lawyer that defended the murderer, he basically gives a short description of her where he touches solely on her appearance whereas when he describes males throughout the book he goes over and above to mention their career and all their accomplishments, again it may not sound like much but it bugged me a lot - he also came across as being a little homophobic, the book deals with a sick and twisted homosexual killer and his associates (mostly gay, bi or transgender) and there were a few times when it seemed as though the author thought homosexuality was a perversion and that ALL homosexuals are capable of such atrocities as Bevan Von Einem, I may be reading a little too much into it but it was just the feeling I got while reading, I think when dealing with a minority group you need to be careful with how you word things as to not offend and to definitely not judge an entire community on one persons actions. The sub-title is The True Story of the Family Murders, however this book is mainly focused on the murder of the Kelvin boy and doesn't delve so much into the other murders or the rumours that it was a group of people (high ranking) that were involved, it does touch on that a little but not near as much as I think it should when that is a part of the title, the main focus is Bevan Von Einem and the Kelvin boy... Another thing (sorry I probably sound very negative in this review) but the police work that is described throughout the book isn't that great, basically all the leads they got were from people associated with Von Einem, they found out very little on their own without help, to me that doesn't scream great detective work.

When all is said and done it's a riveting and scary book about a truly awful part of Australian history, it could've been better if written by a reporter or true crime author but it's the only book we've got on the subject and is does the job.

[Fishface · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. Dear. Scrod. What a horrible case. I hope there aren't too many others like this in the annals of Australian crime. This would be over the top for my own home town of Detroit. A hideous story, well told by one of the police officers investigating the murders.

[Sandy Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book that gives a lot of information on the The Family Murders which were quite unsettling and horrific. This is a group of sexually depraved men who shared victims for days to weeks at a time. Due to the sharing they also protected either from law enforcement even though it was pretty much known in certain circles who the preps were. Trying to prove it was another matter. One person was eventually caught but rather than dob in his like minded friends he took the fall on his own.
It is one of the most shocking crimes in Australia and just knowing even a small amount of what the boys went through is enough to keep you awake at night.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough story, thorough work by the Police. 5 stars for me because I was a young man hanging around the area Richard Kelvin was taken at the time he was abducted. It could have been me or any of my friends. I still remember a car pulling up next to me in O’Connell Street and offering a lift when I was about 20. I declined. Could have been any of us.

[Andrew Tweedie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed. Good read.

[Alexandra Maree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this book in three days! I couldn’t put it down!
Love the way it’s written. Highly recommend

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very confronting but so interesting. I love how the book was written. Very clear and straight to the point.

[Jazz · Rating 4 out of 5]

very informative & gives a detailed layout of what occurred and when. So surreal to be reading about places and locations that I know well and have been to!

[Erin Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not for the faint-hearted. It is graphic and horrifying, revealing an almost unimaginable type of evil that can exist among us.

Bob O'Brien is a reliable and straightforward storyteller, meticulously detailing the crime to make it as understandable and comprehensible as possible. The inclusion of black and white photographs throughout the book adds an eerie and haunting touch, showing the smiling faces of the victims and the seemingly ordinary home of the perpetrator where unspeakable horrors took place.

For any true crime enthusiast, especially those from Australia, this book is a must-read.

[Kristian Thoroughgood · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book about one of the most famous crimes in my hometown of Adelaide. Written by one of the investigating officers, this book is a discussion of the investigative process, the questioning, the evidence, and as such it is very 'to the point' - meaning it includes almost no fluff, no conjecture, and definitely no sensationalism - and as such many may find it a bit dry. As an exploration of genuine police process however it is an excellent reference guide.

Warning: the murders this book covers are brutal, and I found reading the clinical discussion of how the bodies were found an unsettling experience.

Cheers
KT

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made the mistake of reading a page from this years ago, and I now know I just happened to read, literally, the worst page in the whole book. This book is very graphic and disturbing. It also comes across as pretty homophobic/transphobic, and while I guess these were "homosexual in nature crimes" that doesn't make us all murderers and abusers?! What about the millions of "heterosexual crimes"! So that was kind of disappointing. But on the whole this was a super engaging book and I am scared and want to know more about the rest of the "family" as the main focus here is von Einem.

[Vikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth reading..