Murder Down Under

Notorious, numerous and varied, serial murderers from Australia have an eclectic record of crimes, methods and trademarks. Scrutinizing these murderers at length, this book aims to identify characteristics exclusive to Australian serial killers, connecting the crimes with the continent’s geography, culture and social structure.

Featured are murderers like the “Granny Killer” John Wayne Glover, William “The Sydney Mutilator” McDonald and “Backpacker Killer” Ivan Milat. Also covered are well-known events like the Snowtown Murders and killer couples like David and Catherine Birnie. Unique in the true crime genre, this book studies fictional Australian murderer Mick Taylor to examine how pop culture portrayals develop the distinct psychology of killers from “down under.”

Anthony Ferguson is an author and editor living in Perth, Australia. He has published over forty short stories and non-fiction articles in a range of magazines and anthologies in Australia, Britain and the United States and is the secretary of the Australasian Horror Writers Association.

Anthony Ferguson

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 213
Bibliographic Info: 11 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8284-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4151-5
Imprint: Exposit Books

Preface 1
Introduction: The Age of Motiveless Murder 3
1. Bushrangers, Blaggards and Bastards 19
2. Deemania: Frederick Bailey Deeming and the Origins of the ­Killer-Celebrity in 19th-Century Australia
By T.C. Phillips 32
3. The Itinerant Schoolgirl Strangler 42
4. The Brownout Strangler 52
5. The Mutilator: Dead Man Walking 67
6. The Night Caller 78
7. In the Court of the Tattoo King 96
8. The Lonely Hearts Killer 117
9. Truro: The Absent Protagonist 124
10. The Beauty Queen Killer 129
11. The Birnies and the Killer Couple Trope 137
12. No More Grannies 145
13. The Backpacker Murders 157
14. The Frankston Serial Killer 164
15. Snowtown and the South Australian Nightmare
By Claire Fitzpatrick 178
16. Mick Taylor and the Tyranny of Distance 183
Conclusion: The Golden Age of Serial Killing 193
About the Contributors 199
Bibliography 201
Index 205