What do you think?
Rate this book
City of Evil: The Truth about Adelaide's Strange and Violent Underbelly
Adelaide, an elegantly designed, civilised city, where the inhabitants are known for their love of the arts, good food and fine wine, is also the place where many of Australia's most bizarre and macabre crimes have taken place. The cases in this book show that Adelaide truly does have another side.
346 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
28 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 2, 2016
Adelaide has an image of being the home of some particularly unsavoury crimes - the Bodies in the Barrel; The Family; the Truro murders, etc. This book chronicles several more similarly ghastly crimes, including the tale of two drug-fix-desperate lesbians murdering a transvestite truck driver and dismembering the body. In fact, the truckie, a well-liked member of the community despite his cross-dressing, was keeping some money for them in a special account, to try to stop them raiding it to feed their drug habits.
Although this crime seems to corner the market on sensationalism, it is really just very sad. The women both had terrible backgrounds and took to drugs to cope with their painful lives. Their cross-dressing friend seemed naive in dealing with hardened drug users. The outcome - his death and long prison terms for the women - is simply another instance of tragic, wasted lives. Unfortunately, the author doesn't seem able to forget the sensationalism; similarly with other cases described.
Although the cases are interesting and feature a wide range of bizarre criminals, from animal hoarders to a delusional psychiatrist, the best part of the book, for me, was the introduction, detailing some oddities in the story of Adelaide's founding and making a strong case for this background influencing excessive secrecy in the legal system, causing constant clashes with journalists trying to bring news to the public.
Apart from that, though, Fewster doesn't succeed in painting Adelaide as any worse than anywhere else in Australia for crime. Ivan Milat's killing spree was pretty bad and Melbourne's gangland wars take some beating. Perhaps it's just the contrast between the the horror of some of its crimes and the gentle, churchy image of Adelaide nestling below its blue hills that does it.
Although this crime seems to corner the market on sensationalism, it is really just very sad. The women both had terrible backgrounds and took to drugs to cope with their painful lives. Their cross-dressing friend seemed naive in dealing with hardened drug users. The outcome - his death and long prison terms for the women - is simply another instance of tragic, wasted lives. Unfortunately, the author doesn't seem able to forget the sensationalism; similarly with other cases described.
Although the cases are interesting and feature a wide range of bizarre criminals, from animal hoarders to a delusional psychiatrist, the best part of the book, for me, was the introduction, detailing some oddities in the story of Adelaide's founding and making a strong case for this background influencing excessive secrecy in the legal system, causing constant clashes with journalists trying to bring news to the public.
Apart from that, though, Fewster doesn't succeed in painting Adelaide as any worse than anywhere else in Australia for crime. Ivan Milat's killing spree was pretty bad and Melbourne's gangland wars take some beating. Perhaps it's just the contrast between the the horror of some of its crimes and the gentle, churchy image of Adelaide nestling below its blue hills that does it.
April 14, 2019
This is the first time I’ve read a non-fiction book featuring multiple true-crime stories. Reading about these spine-chilling crimes I think I’m scarred now for life - ghastly stories like these I think should be read in dribs and drabs or perhaps not at all. Definitely not a book for the faint-hearted although there are a couple of tame stories that I felt were worth reading.
January 29, 2012
Full disclosure: the author is a friend of mine. (Hi, Sean!)
Sean is a respected, experienced crime reporter in Adelaide, SA, and the vast majority of weirdo cases in this book are cases he has personally covered, and he compiled the stories from his own notes, news archives, court transcripts, and public record.
These cases vary in their import, from the staight-up horrifying (Newton and Bone, Casagrande and McGuinness), to the politically sensitive (Paul Habib Nemer), to those that test the legal system (Rebecca Jane Clark). And every one of them offers a peek into the often-twisted psyche of the perpetrator, and sometimes those of the investigators, prosecutors, victims, and survivors.
The journalistic prose is clean and easy to follow, and the stories are factual and follow the chronological development of the case. There is no sensationalism (beyond what occurred at the time), no dramatization of events or personalities.
Obviously, this book is not a light, fun read. It's not the kind of thing I can read large swaths of at a time, or suitable for bedtime reading (which is when I do much of my reading). And that explains why it took me so long to finish reading it. It's well worth the reading, though.
Good job, Sean.
Disclaimer: I will confess to not having read the chapter called "Much Ado About Wombats" - it's about animal cruelty and I haven't the stomach for such things.
Sean is a respected, experienced crime reporter in Adelaide, SA, and the vast majority of weirdo cases in this book are cases he has personally covered, and he compiled the stories from his own notes, news archives, court transcripts, and public record.
These cases vary in their import, from the staight-up horrifying (Newton and Bone, Casagrande and McGuinness), to the politically sensitive (Paul Habib Nemer), to those that test the legal system (Rebecca Jane Clark). And every one of them offers a peek into the often-twisted psyche of the perpetrator, and sometimes those of the investigators, prosecutors, victims, and survivors.
The journalistic prose is clean and easy to follow, and the stories are factual and follow the chronological development of the case. There is no sensationalism (beyond what occurred at the time), no dramatization of events or personalities.
Obviously, this book is not a light, fun read. It's not the kind of thing I can read large swaths of at a time, or suitable for bedtime reading (which is when I do much of my reading). And that explains why it took me so long to finish reading it. It's well worth the reading, though.
Good job, Sean.
Disclaimer: I will confess to not having read the chapter called "Much Ado About Wombats" - it's about animal cruelty and I haven't the stomach for such things.
May 12, 2022
Sean Fewster starts off his book telling us how one may consider Adelaide an evil city, but then goes on to say that it isn't really evil. Instead bizarre and unusual crimes happen there and this a book about them. I'm not usually in for short stories but hey, bizarre and unusual crimes! Except they weren't that bizarre, different or unusual.... Even 12 years ago I don't think they were that weird. One story is the killing of a transgender person by addicts--sadly not unusual. Another is about a guy who abuses animals--again, horrific and not unusual. There's the one about the guy that killed several women and they called in a tip about one when the police failed to find the body--sounds like typical serial killer behavior to me. There's a guy who killed an innocent bystander in a shootout--probably happens monthly in my town. Sean is normally a reporter and the stories are written in that dry "just the facts" style that doesn't give them much substance. I learned quite a bit about the Australian justice system by reading this book, so there was that.
Read
February 21, 2022Adelaide has been painted as the serial killer capital of the world. And while that is not true objectively, it is certainly a place where truly bizarre things occur.
What is so thoroughly frustrating about City of Evil, however, is that out of all the unthinkably macarbe things that have happened in this sleepy city, it seems to focus on the most mundane.
The family murders? No. Bodies in the barrels? No. The Beaumont children? No. The Truro Killer? No.
But we do have the story of a couple of inbred lowlifes who kept their animals in squalor.
The entire premise of the book is also a bit hazy, in its insistence that media blackouts somehow cause the crime.
In short, City of Evil is an underwhelming snap shot of the slightly odd in the city, and overlooks the true depths of depravity that Adelaide has produced.
What is so thoroughly frustrating about City of Evil, however, is that out of all the unthinkably macarbe things that have happened in this sleepy city, it seems to focus on the most mundane.
The family murders? No. Bodies in the barrels? No. The Beaumont children? No. The Truro Killer? No.
But we do have the story of a couple of inbred lowlifes who kept their animals in squalor.
The entire premise of the book is also a bit hazy, in its insistence that media blackouts somehow cause the crime.
In short, City of Evil is an underwhelming snap shot of the slightly odd in the city, and overlooks the true depths of depravity that Adelaide has produced.
July 24, 2019
Seems to have an ulterior motive, the author is constantly bringing up perceived flaws with the Adelaide justice system.
Other than that, it is a very easy read, with some very entertaining and little known stories.
Other than that, it is a very easy read, with some very entertaining and little known stories.
May 3, 2023
It feels like Fewster just slapped together some of his long-form news articles. It doesn't even have a conclusion or something to tie it all together - it just ends abruptly.
Most of the cases are interesting, and Fewster eschews the ones we've all heard about (Snowtown, etc.) The emphasis is more on the legal proceedings than the crimes, as the author is a court reporter.
I do feel the book could have been trimmed down - the proceedings go for a bit too long, sometimes. Also, the chapter 'Much Ado About Wombats' was hard to get through. It didn't hook me, and made it hard to finish the book. Also, I didn't appreciate the moralistic tone of the writing. City of Evil is the trashiest type of true crime, all about good guys and bad guys. There's very little nuance, and almost no thoughtful analysis.
At the end of the day, I feel like this book was worth reading, just to learn about some interesting local history in a neat and tidy little package. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone without a specific interest in SA.
Most of the cases are interesting, and Fewster eschews the ones we've all heard about (Snowtown, etc.) The emphasis is more on the legal proceedings than the crimes, as the author is a court reporter.
I do feel the book could have been trimmed down - the proceedings go for a bit too long, sometimes. Also, the chapter 'Much Ado About Wombats' was hard to get through. It didn't hook me, and made it hard to finish the book. Also, I didn't appreciate the moralistic tone of the writing. City of Evil is the trashiest type of true crime, all about good guys and bad guys. There's very little nuance, and almost no thoughtful analysis.
At the end of the day, I feel like this book was worth reading, just to learn about some interesting local history in a neat and tidy little package. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone without a specific interest in SA.
March 29, 2019
A friend from work passed this book on to me, knowing my love of reading, especially true crime. I enjoyed the fact that the crimes were south australian, some I'd heard a bit about, others not at all. Each story was riveting, and I feel covered the facts from beginning to end. At some points, the legal stuff got a bit heavy and I found myself skimming over it, but otherwise I found the content interesting and well researched
September 22, 2020
Very interesting and disturbing read! Each case was well reported on by Sean Fewster and gave a clear depiction of the horrific events that have taken place in my hometown. I know there is plenty more cases that were not mentioned which was the only let down. But besides that, this is one you should definitely check out if you’re from this city or a lover of crime in general.
June 12, 2023
Interesting and in depth insight into stories across Adelaide, some of which are difficult to find any details about online. As a true crime consumer, It’s often easy to seperate myself from them as they’re usually American, but to read things that happened in your city, places where you’ve worked, shopped at, or even LIVED is all the more bone chilling.
February 21, 2020
Definitely worth a read particularly for those who want to find out more about the infamous cases detailed in the book. Crime and Legal thriller fiction lovers will probably like it too. A good crossover book. Now back to fiction... It is less scary 😀
June 22, 2019
While I take a little umbrage at my capital city being called the 'City of Evil', this is an interesting history of some of Adelaide's most infamous crimes and a few that were not so infamous.
July 27, 2019
A bit tedious
The book lost me in places, sometimes a little bit too descriptive and rambling. An average read at most. Just ok
The book lost me in places, sometimes a little bit too descriptive and rambling. An average read at most. Just ok
January 20, 2011
Loved this book it talked about a series of different crimes all committed in Adelaide, I even came across some crimes I've never heard of like The Running Man who got convicted (well slap over the wrist) for Animal Cruelty when the R.S.P.C.A took him to court.
Any one who loves criminology would love this book.
Any one who loves criminology would love this book.
January 26, 2021
Despite what the title of the book and the blurb details the book spends most of its time dealing with the court cases and really dealing with some crimes that aren't that unusual. It was interesting just not what I was expecting
January 18, 2017
Didnt finish ...
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews