The Crewe Murders: Inside New Zealand’s Most Infamous Cold Case

by Kirsty Johnston, James Hollings

The murder of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe in their Pukekawa farmhouse in 1970 remains New Zealand' s most infamous cold case. It spawned two trials, two appeals, several books, a film, and eventually a royal commission finding of police corruption.It also resulted in a free pardon, the only time the New Zealand government has bypassed the courts to set a convicted murderer free. And still, the Crewes' killer has not been found.Combining gripping narrative, detailed research and striking new testimony from those who were there, this book tells the complete story of the case for the first time.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

Published November 9, 2023

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone with an interest in the Crewe murders, New Zealand's most infamous cold case, Johnston and Hollings have written the most thorough, up to date and unbiased book thus far. Presenting all the facts of the case, all the major players, and tying in the political landscape of the time, The Crewe Murders is a fascinating look behind the scenes. I really enjoyed this read and feel extremely informed. Highly recommend.

[Vicki Caton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am shocked at how close minded the detectives were, at first I was convinced it was Janette's father Len Demler but at the end of the book the evidence pointed to Arthur's brother Richard Thomas, he had the motive as he was seen arguing with Harvey Crewe a couple of days before the murder, he works on the Crewe's farm plus he knew the layout of his brother's farm so he could plant evidence.

[Claire Tomonaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense with a huge amount of information but written in a really compelling way. I finished this in less than 24 hours. I did a 6 th form history project on this murder back in the 1990s and there is a lot i didn’t know then that is clearly outlined in this book. A great read.

[Susan Wilson]

Born a year after this murder case, it has always fascinated me. Growing up, we spent time on our cousin’s farm, just down the road in Rangariri so I thought I knew the terrain. I recall (when quite young) hearing my dad’s friend say this case is why he quit being a police photographer. It was about the planted evidence of the bullet casing. He was adamant. In more recent years, a retired prison officer I know swore to me Arthur Allan Thomas (we always used his middle name) told him he did do it, when he was drunk on prison moonshine. I’ve always questioned his credibility and think he may have been weirdly trying impress me. I’ve read the Yallop and Booth books and numerous articles. At times I’ve felt sure it must have been Len Demler (Rochelle’s father). Maybe because of the media and the books, I’ve never thought it was Arthur Allan Thomas. This was possibly helped along by my parents because they always believed everything Robert Muldoon said, and he said innocent!

Ultimately, what fascinated me most was that a little girl (only a couple of years older than me) was in the house when her parents lost their lives and then was left (possibly for days) and grew up never knowing. I feel so much sadness for her. I loved this book for acknowledging that upfront. The inclusion of the picture of Rochelle and her dad is perfect.

Much of this book does repeat what has already been written, so if you are already well versed in this case, I suggest you skip to Chapter 14 (Bullets, Wire, Axle) and read to the end, before going back to the beginning. This way you won’t be tempted to skip through. The first chapters on the history of the area and then linking it back to the Eyre family should not be missed.

The most interesting new information for me was introducing Richard Thomas as a possible suspect because I don’t recall this in anything I had read in the past. I suspect this is because the other texts were so focused on proving Arthur Allan Thomas’s innocence that conceding some of the evidence likely links back to the Thomas farm would not have advanced their narrative.

The beauty in this book seems to be the lack of bias. It’s unlikely we will ever know exactly what happened given the time that has passed but I do think this is a book that needed to be written to put right some of the misinformation still out there. Great read.

[Demi Noakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting story that I hadn’t heard of before (despite being NZ born and bred). The level of effort in the original investigation and for decades after was incredible, and the corruption exposed is hard to believe.

I did find some parts confusing - the explanation of the bullet casing and axle evidence was hard to follow.

[Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent true crime book, well-written and ethically told. It's also a window into New Zealand and the country's fascinating history. Highly recommended!

[Emma McCleary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing I liked so much about this book is that it’s focused on evidence, rather than speculation about ‘who dunnit.’ But that definitely didn’t stop me desperately wanting – somewhere in the book – to come up with a new theory about who killed the Crewes. Along the way I came up with a number of confirmations on who didn’t do it because as soon as you read through this impartial retelling of evidence it becomes quite clear that still, nobody knows. I didn’t know much about the case before reading but feel I came out better informed about the characters, the evidence, and how far we’ve advanced in 50 years in terms of crime investigation.

At times the way the Police operated seemed more slapstick than procedural. This example was particularly outrageous, “The worst example, the report found, was the mystifying destruction of a piece of material, possible an oilskin coat that had been found alongside the Crewe wheelbarrow outside the back door. According to Detective Bruce Parkes’ evidence to the royal commission in 1980, the material was definitely at the crime scene on 22 June, but during a lunch break either the next day or the day after, it apparently, accidentally caught on fire when a police officer discarded a still-smouldering cigarette butt.”

Well done chap.

Although the writers here focused on evidence and not drama, at times The Crewe Murders was deeply creepy. More than any other crime book, I found it gave a real sympathy to the victims and how personal and intimate it is to kill someone and then dispose of their bodies.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was eight when this double murder occurred and it dominated a large part of my childhood as it was so controversial in how it polarised the public in their views of who the killer might be. Subsequently, I have read many books on the case, but this one was easily the most well-researched and extensive take on the crime. In addition to providing detailed transcripts and new testimony from many witnesses, Johnston and Hollings give a detailed account of the politics and governance of the time and how this impacted the case and resulted in the pardon of Arthur Thomas. The reader is still left pondering who did it, but it left no doubt in my mind as to who didn't do it. It seems that as well as the tragedy of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe's deaths, so many neighbourhood families' lives were irrevocably changed and are still tainted by rumour and suspicion. It was a gripping and comprehensive read despite it still being an unsolved crime. Highly recommended.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping. The authors have meticulously combed through every scrap of evidence in this notorious NZ cold case and uncovered important new info. Other than being a well-written crime yarn it’s a must-read for the light it sheds on NZ police corruption and our legal process.

[Imogen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm

It took me an age to read this, which probably hindered the reading experience but also was a sign of its 3 stardom. Random thoughts I remember having:
- earlier there's the suggestion that muldoons handling of it all led to his election loss, which as a recent listener to all of Juggernaut (the spinoff) I loled. They do go in more detail later and not actually claim this to be fair
- it was never clear to me why they are so happy to accept that someone was coming by to feed Rochelle.. Seemed kinda random what they took as trustworthy statements and not sometimes. In that scenario we are saying that someone killed them both, disposed of their bodies, in a way that was someone evidentially savvy (stealing from the known farm dump etc), and had got away with that but would swing by again risking it all?
- I clearly didn't know squat about this earlier because i didn't realise he was governmental pardoned, not freed in retrial. Wild
- this was clearly meant to be an impartial journalistic telling... It didn't feel impartial
- on that I don't think they give good enough explanation for disregarding the murder/suicide route
- the police definitely fucked it, deliberately in some areas. Wonder if we would solve it had it happened today
- um yes, your parents and brothers who tirelessly fought for your freedom should absolutely get a small slice of the compensation money, wtf Arthur

Poor Rochelle, and Jeanette and Harvey

[Ataahua · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of backstory to this case of the most famous unsolved murders in New Zealand. So many judicial events (jury trials, commission of inquiry, police review), so many theories, and so much time passing - and still, we don't know who killed Jenette and Harvey Crewe in 1970.

Kirsty and James have done a fantastic job compiling all of the information and making it understandable. Sometimes there's too much info - how does the pre-European history of the land that became Pukekawa inform the case at all? - and keeping track of all the police officers, neighbours and Thomas relatives takes a bit of effort, but overall this is a masterful retelling that puts problematic developments and clues into context. And I appreciate that they didn't advocate for one suspect to be more likely as the killer than another: they do enough to show exactly how unsafe the original conviction of Arthur Allan Thomas really was.

I particularly appreciate that they include interviews with two people who haven't spoken before: a key Government minister of the time, and a friend of the Thomases and Crewes.

This book is worth a read by anyone who appreciates murder mysteries, NZ history or an insight into just how manipulative the police were decades ago - and how obstinate they still are.

[Monique G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I eagerly awaited the release of this book, and made a bee line for the bookshop when it was released. I did however wait until my holidays to read it! So it is with some trepidation I review this book. Although it is clear a lot of work went into writing it, and I couldn't put it down, I did find it a little disappointing.
Like many New Zealanders I am very familiar with this case, having consumed every newspaper article, podcast and book written on this topic. This may be why I turned the last page and felt a little flat. Perhaps I had already read too much on the topic? I had been expecting some new or perhaps deeper detail that I had already been exposed to, but it seemed much of the same. The book seemed quite disjointed in places - particularly chapters one and two. The language used in the book at times was also a little strange - for example on page 36 when it is said the trustees "flipped 27 acres", this isn't a term that is normally associated with that time period and seemed very out of place, just as the term "when his will was read"- certainly not a term or act used in New Zealand.
That said, I appreciate the time and effort put into the book and although this wasn't too my taste I will be searching out some of the other books the author has written.

[Jenny ✧ Sick, Sad, Lit · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Crewe Murders: Inside New Zealand's most infamous cold case offers an updated take on a thoroughly well covered crime case from the 1970s.

Jeannette and Harvey Crewe were shot dead in their home in June 1970, their bodies disposed of in the Waikato river where they were located several weeks later. Their daughter Rochelle survived, just 18-months old at the time, prompting debate over whether or not the killer, or killers, returned to the scene of the crime across the five day period to feed and hydrate the child.

Overall, this book provides a good general overview of the matters at the heart of the crime. It's unfortunate that the police mishandling of the investigation and their subsequent framing of Arthur Allen Thomas distracted investigators from the true issue at hand - solving a brutal double homicide.

And although this case has been well covered as the subject of many books throughout the years, I found this latest adaptation to be quite light-touch, skimming through the more than 50 years long mystery without adding anything new or of meaningful substance.

While it's true that there is a chapter towards the end dedicated to "new" information, this would have been sufficient as a news article (as it was also published), rather than deserving an entire book just for this big reveal.

There were no new conclusion or insights drawn at the end, no big lightbulb moment, which begs the question - why did this book need to be written?

For those unfamiliar with the crime, this book would be a useful overview of the key facts. But as a true crime enthusiast with fairly good existing knowledge of the story, I was left wanting with this one.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Massive amount of information. Stated in its introduction to not be a whodunnit but a collection of as much detail about the case, its history and its impact on NZ culture, politics and justice system.
It did the job well. I found it easily digestible despite how much information is stuffed into the narrative.
So happy about the inclusion of the Māori history of the township in the first book. I also found the book to be respectful in its treatment of all persons involved.
The murders themselves are tragic not only in the orphaning of the baby Crewe but also in the sense that so much was done back then that seems to have prevented the possibility of this cold case ever being solved, especially as the original people involved are now dying from old age. The aftermath, the trials and their effects on the justice system are fascinating. As a Māori the idea of police being that/this corrupt doesn’t surprise me, seeing the reaction of the community to a pakeha receiving this treatment was eye opening to the power of mass social movement and made me a little sad knowing Māori faced this treatment long before and potentially still do.

[Nicola Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this review of the evidence in regards to the Crewe Murders absolutely engrossing. It is concerning how NZ Ministry of Justice officials (including high-ranking judges) and the Police were willing to sacrifice the life of an innocent man to maintain a 'strong' justice system.

Up front the authors advise that they won't come to a conclusion on who committed the horrific murders but their examination of all the different possible scenarios and evidence presents a few different feasible possibilities.

A very insightful read and I raced through it.

[Debra Tunbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did not attempted to solve one of New Zealand’s most intriguing cold cases but set out to document the time line of events and describe faithfully the characters involved. This was a case I grew up knowing about and lived through the media storm it generated. Revisiting the events as an adult gave me insight into how the legal system in the early 70s was flawed and how the life of Arthur Allen Thomas and his family irrevocably changed.

[Alan Doak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good non-fiction book is where you learn something. This book has that in spades. Arthur Thomas' defense counsel was up against a prosecution that prevented discovery, manipulated juries, and more. I didn't expect the book to reveal who killed the Crewes but I know that Thomas didn't. This is a great book.

[Michell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. Have always had an interest in the Crewe murders and this book has delved into the background of the case and gave me insight I have never had before. Highly recommend

[Tamsyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on the Crewe case to date. It’s well written and researched, and handles the case in a respectful and neutral way.

I agree with the authors’ conclusions on the facts.

[Kathryn Fathers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting summary...still no answers. But interesting just the same.

[Michelle Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling reading.

[Helen Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed and fascinating deep dive into the background and the story surrounding New Zealand’s most famous cold case.

[Vicki Munro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written & easy to read. A fascinating, tragic story

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read (mostly), I had no real knowledge of this case so it was interesting to read the various details. Sometimes a little too detailed for me, but overall a good read.

[Liam Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

7.2/10