The Mushroom Murders – Greg Haddrick

The Mushroom Murders is the first of what I’m sure will be many, many books about “the most infamous lunch of the decade” – and my friends at Allen & Unwin were kind enough to send me a copy for review.

It has an interesting point-of-view that I’ve not seen in a true crime book before. Haddrick re-tells the whole poisoning saga from the perspective of an imaginary juror in the case. (A note for my American friends: in Australia, jurors are kept anonymous to protect them from influence and ensure their safety, even after a trial has concluded.)

I’m not sure taking this creative license was entirely necessary for such a sensational case, where the facts are already stranger than fiction. It blurred the line between fact and fiction a bit too much for me, and tries to misdirect the reader (IMHO) from the fact that Haddrick doesn’t have any exclusive knowledge or insight about the case.

As a result, The Mushroom Murders is padded out with extraneous (and even imagined) detail. There is an upside: this point of view validates all of the questions we outsiders asked as the story unfolded in the media, and indulges our “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve” speculations. Still, even though it was ‘first’ to hit the shelves and an interesting read by the very nature of its subject, I don’t think The Mushroom Murders will be the final word on the crimes of Erin Patterson.

Read The Mushroom Murders on audiobook via Libro.fm here. (affiliate link)