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Banquet: The Untold Story of Adelaide's Family Murders
In this definitive expose, Walkley-award winning journalist Debi Marshall turns her investigative blowtorch to the shocking Adelaide Family murders and to secrets long hidden in the City of Corpses.
This chilling account begins with the liberalisation of South Australia under the premiership of Don Dunstan and demands answers to decades-old questions. Who were the Family killers? Why are suppression orders still protecting suspects four decades later? Why do some of these serial killings remain unsolved? Only one suspect, Bevan Spencer Von Einem, has been charged and convicted.
With her combination of investigative skills and sensitivity, Marshall treads a harrowing path to find the truth, including confronting Von Einem in prison, pursuing sexual predators in Australia and overseas, taking a deep-dive into the murky world of paedophiles, challenging police and judiciary, and talking to victims and their families. The outcome is shocking and tragic.
Following broadcast of the Foxtel television and podcast series Debi Marshall Investigates Frozen Lies, numerous people came forward to courageously share new information with Marshall. Their stories are here. Banquet takes aim at the public service, wealthy professionals and the judiciary and for the first time reveals hitherto unpublished details of the Family. And it demands a Royal Commission to break the silence that keeps the truth hidden.
This chilling account begins with the liberalisation of South Australia under the premiership of Don Dunstan and demands answers to decades-old questions. Who were the Family killers? Why are suppression orders still protecting suspects four decades later? Why do some of these serial killings remain unsolved? Only one suspect, Bevan Spencer Von Einem, has been charged and convicted.
With her combination of investigative skills and sensitivity, Marshall treads a harrowing path to find the truth, including confronting Von Einem in prison, pursuing sexual predators in Australia and overseas, taking a deep-dive into the murky world of paedophiles, challenging police and judiciary, and talking to victims and their families. The outcome is shocking and tragic.
Following broadcast of the Foxtel television and podcast series Debi Marshall Investigates Frozen Lies, numerous people came forward to courageously share new information with Marshall. Their stories are here. Banquet takes aim at the public service, wealthy professionals and the judiciary and for the first time reveals hitherto unpublished details of the Family. And it demands a Royal Commission to break the silence that keeps the truth hidden.
506 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 31, 2021
30 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
December 9, 2022
Debi Marshall is an excellent investigative reporter and these series of murders and rapes of young boys by a group of powerful lawyers, politicians, judges and businessmen is something that needs to be told. Its very heatbreaking and some of the worst crimes I have read about.
Only one man was ever convicted for one of the murders and cover ups and suppression orders have protected the powerful men involved ever since.
The problem I had with this book is that its all over the place back and forth between times and different murders and sooo many names mentioned and different theroys discussed it was hard to keep track of it all.
Only one man was ever convicted for one of the murders and cover ups and suppression orders have protected the powerful men involved ever since.
The problem I had with this book is that its all over the place back and forth between times and different murders and sooo many names mentioned and different theroys discussed it was hard to keep track of it all.
August 31, 2023
so this was really well researched and written but I did not like the writer one bit
April 13, 2023
This. was an interesting an insightful look into some of the most horrific (and unknown) crimes in Australian history. Before reading this book I had not heard about Bevan Spencer von Einem, or The Family Murders. I think it is truely horendous that only one man has ever been held to account for the crimes committed in Adelaide during the 70s and 80s by this groups of unknown subjects. I really hope that the South Australian Government pulls its finger out, and starts to hold some people to account for the countless rapes and murders committed against young boys and men before all of the perpetrators are dead.
March 1, 2024
As someone who was born in the 90s and raised in Adelaide, I have heard backhanded comments referring to these events that occurred in the 70s and 80s. I had no idea how big the web was until now.
I highly recommend this if you are a true crime reader. This is disturbing, frustrating, shocking and heart breaking. However Debi has written this perfectly.
I feel so much heart ache for the families of the 5 boys who lives we're taken and the hundreds of boys who were preyed upon, drugged, abducted, sexually assaulted and still have not received justice.
I highly recommend this if you are a true crime reader. This is disturbing, frustrating, shocking and heart breaking. However Debi has written this perfectly.
I feel so much heart ache for the families of the 5 boys who lives we're taken and the hundreds of boys who were preyed upon, drugged, abducted, sexually assaulted and still have not received justice.
December 21, 2023
This is a compelling book, the detailed investigation Marshall has undertaken to write this book is impressive.
July 20, 2022
For those enamored with or trying to understand the nexus between wealth, privilege, and entitlement and the administration of criminal justice, Debi Marshall's BANQUET is a journey in not only Adelaide, Australia's underbelly but perhaps more relevantly its culture and intractable system of class---mainly its upper class. As one who fortuitously penetrated this strata of society, what Marshall uncovers bears a striking resemblance to what I encountered.
Superficially portrayed as the City of Churches, Marshall completely smashes the myth and portends that it is the City of Corpses and the City Of Suppression. How she arrives at these conclusions is a journey into the world of pedophiles who were responsible for at least five and likely many more kidnappings, sexual tortures, and murders during the 1970s and 1980s and perhaps until today.
Marshall unsparingly takes to task the system of criminal justice that was ill-prepared to investigate and prosecute a pattern of serious crime (i.e., sexual assaults and tortures) that a previous investigation, the Mullighan Inquiry had unearthed which began as early as the 1940s. Referred to as the Family by law enforcement, Marshall meticulously dissects the inability of the police and prosecutors to develop credible sources of information and criminal informants in the communities that could have unraveled the mysteries behind the murders of these young teenagers.
Stymied by a legal system that protected the guilty through what is believed to be a check on defamation and libel, Marshall points out that suppression orders issued by the court has effectively camouflaged members of the judiciary, the business community, and likely law enforcement's complicity in these murders, abductions, and vile sexual behavior.
BANQUET is not so much a book about pedophilia as it is about a culture that prizes "money and influential friends...the backbone of South Australia."
To those that would argue that this is no different than any other country, province, or state, Marshall responds that it certainly is. "South Australia punches above its weight," Marshall argues---a phrase that has much more meaning than the reader might suppose.
What Marshall argues is that Adelaide for its relatively small population seems to attract, protect, and promote serial sexual crimes that are inordinately located in in this geographic region of Australia---a state that prides itself on being the only non-penal colony in all of Australia. It is a ringing indictment of a criminal justice system marred by cronyism and corruption. That no Royal Commission has undertaken an investigation of corruption in South Australia is a tribute to its political class that has avoided the long arm of the law.
To Marshall, South Australia "needs an enema," not a Royal Commission to expose the "widespread prevalence of abuse of children...and its frequent and life long consequences." Marshall has marshaled the facts. It is now up to law enforcement to produce the evidence.
Regardless of where Marshall's investigative efforts may lead, she has affixed the Scarlet Letter to South Australia.
Superficially portrayed as the City of Churches, Marshall completely smashes the myth and portends that it is the City of Corpses and the City Of Suppression. How she arrives at these conclusions is a journey into the world of pedophiles who were responsible for at least five and likely many more kidnappings, sexual tortures, and murders during the 1970s and 1980s and perhaps until today.
Marshall unsparingly takes to task the system of criminal justice that was ill-prepared to investigate and prosecute a pattern of serious crime (i.e., sexual assaults and tortures) that a previous investigation, the Mullighan Inquiry had unearthed which began as early as the 1940s. Referred to as the Family by law enforcement, Marshall meticulously dissects the inability of the police and prosecutors to develop credible sources of information and criminal informants in the communities that could have unraveled the mysteries behind the murders of these young teenagers.
Stymied by a legal system that protected the guilty through what is believed to be a check on defamation and libel, Marshall points out that suppression orders issued by the court has effectively camouflaged members of the judiciary, the business community, and likely law enforcement's complicity in these murders, abductions, and vile sexual behavior.
BANQUET is not so much a book about pedophilia as it is about a culture that prizes "money and influential friends...the backbone of South Australia."
To those that would argue that this is no different than any other country, province, or state, Marshall responds that it certainly is. "South Australia punches above its weight," Marshall argues---a phrase that has much more meaning than the reader might suppose.
What Marshall argues is that Adelaide for its relatively small population seems to attract, protect, and promote serial sexual crimes that are inordinately located in in this geographic region of Australia---a state that prides itself on being the only non-penal colony in all of Australia. It is a ringing indictment of a criminal justice system marred by cronyism and corruption. That no Royal Commission has undertaken an investigation of corruption in South Australia is a tribute to its political class that has avoided the long arm of the law.
To Marshall, South Australia "needs an enema," not a Royal Commission to expose the "widespread prevalence of abuse of children...and its frequent and life long consequences." Marshall has marshaled the facts. It is now up to law enforcement to produce the evidence.
Regardless of where Marshall's investigative efforts may lead, she has affixed the Scarlet Letter to South Australia.
February 27, 2022
I have always been interested in the Family murders ever since I first moved to Australia. My housemate at the time handed me a bunch of books about gruesome murders and delighted in letting me know that "Australia is the serial killer capital of the world". While that may not be entirely true, Adelaide certainly has some of the most infamous cases.
A lot of work went into Banquet and it appears to be well-researched. Marshall has gone to pain-staking lengths to fact check and speak to as many sources as will cooperate. She is also cognisant of the need for sensitivity, and her reflections at various points in the book ground us in her humanity. Yes, she is a journalist, but she is also a human being doing what she thinks is right and trying her best.
I had a few issues with the book. Firstly, the flow. The book gets off to a rocky start with the timelines not following a chronological order. In the first third of the book, you are hit with an avalanche of information, names, places, affiliations. Due to the enormity of the story, who was involved, who was suspected of being involved, who found out what and when it was hard to keep up with it all. The story is further complicated by the suppression orders and people having several nicknames depending on what circles they travel in. A list of names with descriptors and affiliations would have been useful. After the initial maelstrom it settles and seems to become a different book, it flows more logically and the order is easier to follow, although I must admit I did still struggle to remember who was who.
The other thing that drove me absolutely nuts was the weaving of the name of the book into the story. The first time the metaphor was used I thought, OK, that's where the author got the idea for the name of the book, that makes sense. However, every subsequent mention after this I groaned. There was also a little bit of repetition with other ideas and descriptors but that's a minor point.
Overall, it was a shocking and fascinating read. I truly appreciate the work that has gone into this and what Marshall is attempting to do. I sincerely hope that one day soon the truth is exposed and those responsible are finally held accountable, if they are still alive.
A lot of work went into Banquet and it appears to be well-researched. Marshall has gone to pain-staking lengths to fact check and speak to as many sources as will cooperate. She is also cognisant of the need for sensitivity, and her reflections at various points in the book ground us in her humanity. Yes, she is a journalist, but she is also a human being doing what she thinks is right and trying her best.
I had a few issues with the book. Firstly, the flow. The book gets off to a rocky start with the timelines not following a chronological order. In the first third of the book, you are hit with an avalanche of information, names, places, affiliations. Due to the enormity of the story, who was involved, who was suspected of being involved, who found out what and when it was hard to keep up with it all. The story is further complicated by the suppression orders and people having several nicknames depending on what circles they travel in. A list of names with descriptors and affiliations would have been useful. After the initial maelstrom it settles and seems to become a different book, it flows more logically and the order is easier to follow, although I must admit I did still struggle to remember who was who.
The other thing that drove me absolutely nuts was the weaving of the name of the book into the story. The first time the metaphor was used I thought, OK, that's where the author got the idea for the name of the book, that makes sense. However, every subsequent mention after this I groaned. There was also a little bit of repetition with other ideas and descriptors but that's a minor point.
Overall, it was a shocking and fascinating read. I truly appreciate the work that has gone into this and what Marshall is attempting to do. I sincerely hope that one day soon the truth is exposed and those responsible are finally held accountable, if they are still alive.
September 11, 2023
Heartbroken after reading.
November 1, 2021
BANQUET by Debbi Marshall
The sub heading is “The Untold Story of Adelaide’s Family Murders”. I’d heard of the other well-known serial killings in our southern state but this one had eluded me.
For the first 170 ages Debbi traces the story of five murders and other associated crimes. It’s all about young boys on the loose being lured into a motor vehicle with promises of sex and drugs and then drugged up to the eyeballs before being raped in such appalling ways that I won’t share in this review.
Tragically, some never made it back to consciousness and what was done to them beggars the imagination. That was before their bodies were cut up and dumped in obscure locations.
Four known victims went this route before a fifth, who happened to be the son of an Adelaide T.V. personality, sparked a hue and outcry that hasn’t settled to this day, forty years later. One person was arrested and incarcerated for life but the drift of the book after that is the search for the others who were involved, and in that lies the theme for the rest of the story.
To be sure, those directly involved or, at least, on the periphery, included a doctor, a pharmacist, two lawyers, a policeman, a hair dresser, a drag queen or two and a businessman, whose name has legally been supressed, but certainly knows a lot about what happened and has been placed at the scene of some of the murders. Don Dunstan also gets a gig, mmm.
The tragedy is that, it doesn’t matter how you were involved in these over 200 abductions, whether a perpetrator, an investigator or, heaven forbid, a relative of the deceased or missing, you will be affected and never get over the horror of these crimes.
Debbi was researching for a Foxtel series and a podcast was kept going in the hope of uncovering more information, which, to some degree, it did. There’s a lot of suppressed anger and a whole mess of frustration from the community that the others involved have gotten away with it. Many are those who have already taken stories to the grave. To say that it’s a blight on the city of Adelaide would be an understatement. Along with Snowtown, Truro and the Beaumont children (who may well have been caught up in the Family affair), South Australia hosts the serial killer capital of Australia.
The one person who was incarcerated had a reputation as a lovely man, lived with his mother, helped old ladies, played the harpsichord and never attracted attention. That’s the trouble with serial killers, they are inconspicuous.
They’ve also been abused as children and it irks me personally that the horrible people that shaped their lives always get off scot free. In this case it was an abusive father.
There was also an Italian involved. He absconded and kidnapped his two children and took them overseas, never to be seen again. That’s one of the undying mysteries – Why wasn’t an extradition order served up for this man?
The award winning author takes us as far as she can into this unedifying saga and deserves the plaudits she gets for the years of trial and tribulation in this story alone, bearing in mind that her partner was murdered in Tasmania decades ago – she speaks from personal knowledge.
The sub heading is “The Untold Story of Adelaide’s Family Murders”. I’d heard of the other well-known serial killings in our southern state but this one had eluded me.
For the first 170 ages Debbi traces the story of five murders and other associated crimes. It’s all about young boys on the loose being lured into a motor vehicle with promises of sex and drugs and then drugged up to the eyeballs before being raped in such appalling ways that I won’t share in this review.
Tragically, some never made it back to consciousness and what was done to them beggars the imagination. That was before their bodies were cut up and dumped in obscure locations.
Four known victims went this route before a fifth, who happened to be the son of an Adelaide T.V. personality, sparked a hue and outcry that hasn’t settled to this day, forty years later. One person was arrested and incarcerated for life but the drift of the book after that is the search for the others who were involved, and in that lies the theme for the rest of the story.
To be sure, those directly involved or, at least, on the periphery, included a doctor, a pharmacist, two lawyers, a policeman, a hair dresser, a drag queen or two and a businessman, whose name has legally been supressed, but certainly knows a lot about what happened and has been placed at the scene of some of the murders. Don Dunstan also gets a gig, mmm.
The tragedy is that, it doesn’t matter how you were involved in these over 200 abductions, whether a perpetrator, an investigator or, heaven forbid, a relative of the deceased or missing, you will be affected and never get over the horror of these crimes.
Debbi was researching for a Foxtel series and a podcast was kept going in the hope of uncovering more information, which, to some degree, it did. There’s a lot of suppressed anger and a whole mess of frustration from the community that the others involved have gotten away with it. Many are those who have already taken stories to the grave. To say that it’s a blight on the city of Adelaide would be an understatement. Along with Snowtown, Truro and the Beaumont children (who may well have been caught up in the Family affair), South Australia hosts the serial killer capital of Australia.
The one person who was incarcerated had a reputation as a lovely man, lived with his mother, helped old ladies, played the harpsichord and never attracted attention. That’s the trouble with serial killers, they are inconspicuous.
They’ve also been abused as children and it irks me personally that the horrible people that shaped their lives always get off scot free. In this case it was an abusive father.
There was also an Italian involved. He absconded and kidnapped his two children and took them overseas, never to be seen again. That’s one of the undying mysteries – Why wasn’t an extradition order served up for this man?
The award winning author takes us as far as she can into this unedifying saga and deserves the plaudits she gets for the years of trial and tribulation in this story alone, bearing in mind that her partner was murdered in Tasmania decades ago – she speaks from personal knowledge.
July 20, 2022
For those either enamored with or trying to understand the nexus between wealth, privilege, and entitlement and the administration of criminal justice, Debi Marshall's BANQUET is a journey in not only Adelaide, Australia's underbelly, but perhaps more relevantly its culture and intractable system of class---mainly its upper class. As one who fortuitously penetrated this strata of society, what Marshall uncovers bears a striking resemblance to what I encountered. Superficially portrayed as the City of Churches, Marshall completely smashes the myth and portends that it is the City of Corpses and the City of Suppression. How she arrives at these conclusions, is a journey into the world of pedophiles that were responsible for at least five and likely many more kidnappings, sexual tortures, and murders during the 1970s and 1980s, and perhaps until today.
Marshall unsparingly takes to task the system of criminal justice that was ill-prepared to investigate and prosecute a pattern of serious crime (i.e., sexual assaults and tortures) that a previous investigation, the Mullighan Inquiry, had unearthed that began as early as the 1940s. Referred to as the Family by law enforcement, Marshall meticulously dissects the inability of the police and the prosecutors to develop credible sources of information and criminal informants in the communities that could have unraveled the mysteries behind the murders of these young teenagers.
Stymied by a legal system that protected the guilty through what is believed to be a check on defamation and libel, Marshall points out how suppression orders issued by the court has effectively camouflaged members of the judiciary, the business community, and likely law enforcers complicit in these murders, abductions, and vile sexual behavior. BANQUET is not a book so much about pedophilia as it is about a culture that prizes "money and influential friends...the backbone of South Australia."
To those who would argue that this is no different from any other country, province, or state, Marshall responds that it certainly is. "South Australia punches above its weight," Marshall argues--a phrase that has much more meaning than the reader might suppose.
What Marshall argues is that Adelaide for its relatively small population seems to attract, protect, and promote serial sexual crimes that are inordinately located in this geographic region of Australia---a state that prides itself on being the only non-penal colony in all of Australia. It is a ringing indictment of a criminal justice system marred by cronyism and corruption. That no Royal Commission has undertaken an investigation of corruption in South Australia is a tribute to the political class that has avoided the long arm of the law.
To Marshall, "South Australia needs an enema," not a Royal Commission, to expose, "the widespread prevalence of abuse of children...and its frequent and life long consequences." Marshall has marshaled the facts. Its now up to law enforcement to produce the evidence.
Regardless of where Marshall's investigative efforts may lead, she has affixed the Scarlet Letter to
South Australia.
Marshall unsparingly takes to task the system of criminal justice that was ill-prepared to investigate and prosecute a pattern of serious crime (i.e., sexual assaults and tortures) that a previous investigation, the Mullighan Inquiry, had unearthed that began as early as the 1940s. Referred to as the Family by law enforcement, Marshall meticulously dissects the inability of the police and the prosecutors to develop credible sources of information and criminal informants in the communities that could have unraveled the mysteries behind the murders of these young teenagers.
Stymied by a legal system that protected the guilty through what is believed to be a check on defamation and libel, Marshall points out how suppression orders issued by the court has effectively camouflaged members of the judiciary, the business community, and likely law enforcers complicit in these murders, abductions, and vile sexual behavior. BANQUET is not a book so much about pedophilia as it is about a culture that prizes "money and influential friends...the backbone of South Australia."
To those who would argue that this is no different from any other country, province, or state, Marshall responds that it certainly is. "South Australia punches above its weight," Marshall argues--a phrase that has much more meaning than the reader might suppose.
What Marshall argues is that Adelaide for its relatively small population seems to attract, protect, and promote serial sexual crimes that are inordinately located in this geographic region of Australia---a state that prides itself on being the only non-penal colony in all of Australia. It is a ringing indictment of a criminal justice system marred by cronyism and corruption. That no Royal Commission has undertaken an investigation of corruption in South Australia is a tribute to the political class that has avoided the long arm of the law.
To Marshall, "South Australia needs an enema," not a Royal Commission, to expose, "the widespread prevalence of abuse of children...and its frequent and life long consequences." Marshall has marshaled the facts. Its now up to law enforcement to produce the evidence.
Regardless of where Marshall's investigative efforts may lead, she has affixed the Scarlet Letter to
South Australia.
February 4, 2023
Much is known and not known, in equal parts, about the series of murders of young men in Adelaide collectively known as The Family Murders. To date, only the infamous Bevan von Einem has been charged, and with only one of the five known murders.
In “Banquet: The untold story of Adelaide’s Family murders”, Marshall faithfully assembles all known facts, theories and gossip surrounding the series of murders. She examines the key events, politics, possible perpetrators, criminal incidents and social norms from the 1970s through to the present day.
No stone, that can be lifted (and there are many that can’t) has been left unturned in her pursuit of the truth in these murky, mucky cases. Marshall has done her research, trawling through all available court records, newspapers, autopsy, and coroner’s reports. In addition, she has interviewed countless members of the police force, judiciary, victims, their families, various hangers-on, and assorted criminal and underground figures likely to be involved in these heinous crimes. Her encounters with von Einem are both alarming and sad all at the same time.
Marshall has demonstrated bravery, resilience and determination in interviewing some genuinely despicable and dangerous individuals. My admiration for true crime authors’ ability to tolerate the deluge of appalling stories and the intense sorrow of victims and their families never ceases to amaze me.
This is not a read for the faint of heart. Marshall has worked her magic to provide honest and clinical but still sensitive descriptions of the victims and the horrendous tortures they must have endured, prior to the release of death. Regardless, there is no hiding the absolute depravity of these crimes and the perversions of the perpetrators.
The ‘family murders’ are deeply unpleasant crimes. Marshall’s well structure account is alarming, sometimes horrifying and has elements which are almost certainly upsetting for all who read them. This series of crimes and subsequent lack of resolution remains a stain on the city of Adelaide and Australia in general. It is important that the stories of the victims are heard and that the case remains on the radar of the police and the general public. Bravo to Marshall for having the courage and tenacity to prepare and present these materials.
One for lovers of true crime and history.
I received a free copy of this book through Sisters in Crime - Australia, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
In “Banquet: The untold story of Adelaide’s Family murders”, Marshall faithfully assembles all known facts, theories and gossip surrounding the series of murders. She examines the key events, politics, possible perpetrators, criminal incidents and social norms from the 1970s through to the present day.
No stone, that can be lifted (and there are many that can’t) has been left unturned in her pursuit of the truth in these murky, mucky cases. Marshall has done her research, trawling through all available court records, newspapers, autopsy, and coroner’s reports. In addition, she has interviewed countless members of the police force, judiciary, victims, their families, various hangers-on, and assorted criminal and underground figures likely to be involved in these heinous crimes. Her encounters with von Einem are both alarming and sad all at the same time.
Marshall has demonstrated bravery, resilience and determination in interviewing some genuinely despicable and dangerous individuals. My admiration for true crime authors’ ability to tolerate the deluge of appalling stories and the intense sorrow of victims and their families never ceases to amaze me.
This is not a read for the faint of heart. Marshall has worked her magic to provide honest and clinical but still sensitive descriptions of the victims and the horrendous tortures they must have endured, prior to the release of death. Regardless, there is no hiding the absolute depravity of these crimes and the perversions of the perpetrators.
The ‘family murders’ are deeply unpleasant crimes. Marshall’s well structure account is alarming, sometimes horrifying and has elements which are almost certainly upsetting for all who read them. This series of crimes and subsequent lack of resolution remains a stain on the city of Adelaide and Australia in general. It is important that the stories of the victims are heard and that the case remains on the radar of the police and the general public. Bravo to Marshall for having the courage and tenacity to prepare and present these materials.
One for lovers of true crime and history.
I received a free copy of this book through Sisters in Crime - Australia, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
January 17, 2025
I clearly recall moving to Australia 15 years ago and learning about the Family Murders my first night out on the town.
As a gay man who had moved over by myself, I was told to be very careful when going out in Adelaide and heard rumors about members of this “Family” still allegedly being loose. I simply could not comprehend why these depraved individuals weren’t actively being brought to justice.
And then it became clear to me that, even while Adelaide presented itself as a charming town, it was actually a very sick, cancerous city that was more interested in protecting reputations than dealing justice.
Adelaide reminded me of the fictional town of Derry Maine from Stephen King’s It where the town is described as being diseased…I’ve lived in many cities across the globe, but none of them felt as creepy or unsafe as Adelaide. A very unique city indeed.
I began performing research on the murders back in 2010 and met a few people who were able to tell me more about the individuals alleged to be involved in the murders, but always with great hesitation and in hushed voices. My intention was to write a book (I made it 53 pages in), clear out some of the city’s cobwebs and hopefully bring some resolution to the victims’ families.
Well done, Debi. The amount of research in this book is profound and the interviews are revealing….lets hope SAPOL and the judiciary can work together to lift suppression orders and bring some justice to these families. And maybe, in the process, Adelaide can begin to heal.
As a gay man who had moved over by myself, I was told to be very careful when going out in Adelaide and heard rumors about members of this “Family” still allegedly being loose. I simply could not comprehend why these depraved individuals weren’t actively being brought to justice.
And then it became clear to me that, even while Adelaide presented itself as a charming town, it was actually a very sick, cancerous city that was more interested in protecting reputations than dealing justice.
Adelaide reminded me of the fictional town of Derry Maine from Stephen King’s It where the town is described as being diseased…I’ve lived in many cities across the globe, but none of them felt as creepy or unsafe as Adelaide. A very unique city indeed.
I began performing research on the murders back in 2010 and met a few people who were able to tell me more about the individuals alleged to be involved in the murders, but always with great hesitation and in hushed voices. My intention was to write a book (I made it 53 pages in), clear out some of the city’s cobwebs and hopefully bring some resolution to the victims’ families.
Well done, Debi. The amount of research in this book is profound and the interviews are revealing….lets hope SAPOL and the judiciary can work together to lift suppression orders and bring some justice to these families. And maybe, in the process, Adelaide can begin to heal.
September 19, 2025
Debi Marshall is an investigative journalist and here she shines light of the shocking Family Murders and reveals dark secrets that were hidden in the city of Adelaide (my own home town).
Debi does not hold back in her hunt for finding the truth, there is no sugar coating - it is graphic and reveals the violent, sick horrors of these murders.
The Family Murders are full of corruption, secrets, judicial system failures, disgusting acts towards children and the disgusting sick and twisted men behind them.
Bevan Spencer Von Einem was charged and convicted with the murders, but there has always been the lingering question - did he truly act alone? And while nothing has been definitively proven, Debi’s investigation sure opens it up, that he was not the only player and that there is a bigger and very dark web of humans behind these murders.
The uncovering of vulnerable children (mainly boys) being taken from care and the trafficking of children from overseas and traded to the wealthy, was sickening and utterly shocking.
Debi also shares her own personal vulnerabilities and how this investigation affected her, in terms of emotionally and psychologically and being immersed in such a dark world.
There are still many unanswered questions, suppressed names and hidden truths - it leaves the question, will we ever know the full extent of there murders?
There is also a documentary- Frozen Lies for those interested, which while unnerving, is one to watch for the lovers of true crime.
Debi does not hold back in her hunt for finding the truth, there is no sugar coating - it is graphic and reveals the violent, sick horrors of these murders.
The Family Murders are full of corruption, secrets, judicial system failures, disgusting acts towards children and the disgusting sick and twisted men behind them.
Bevan Spencer Von Einem was charged and convicted with the murders, but there has always been the lingering question - did he truly act alone? And while nothing has been definitively proven, Debi’s investigation sure opens it up, that he was not the only player and that there is a bigger and very dark web of humans behind these murders.
The uncovering of vulnerable children (mainly boys) being taken from care and the trafficking of children from overseas and traded to the wealthy, was sickening and utterly shocking.
Debi also shares her own personal vulnerabilities and how this investigation affected her, in terms of emotionally and psychologically and being immersed in such a dark world.
There are still many unanswered questions, suppressed names and hidden truths - it leaves the question, will we ever know the full extent of there murders?
There is also a documentary- Frozen Lies for those interested, which while unnerving, is one to watch for the lovers of true crime.
October 15, 2021
This is very dark material. I commend Debi Marshall for her important work on this case and can’t really imagine the toll it must have taken. Her television series and podcast on the body in the freezer case were also outstanding.
It might be hard for someone not from Adelaide to understand the vibe of the place that spawned these and other shocking crimes. The picturesque country town feel of the cbd, the miles and miles of suburbs. The poverty and isolation in the farthest suburbs, where there’s no decent public transport. The heat. The quiet. An interstate sex worker told me less than 10 years ago that Adelaide was still by far the creepiest place to work in Australia, just chock full of weirdos.
I am almost exactly the same age as richard kelvin would be. It was shocking when he went missing and I clearly remember my school friends and I in the bathrooms, putting on maybelline makeup and speculating what had happened to him. We hoped he’d just run away. This went on for weeks. I think most people have one shocking crime that they can never forget - this one is definitely mine.
People may believe it’s too late to solve these crimes and perhaps they’re right. But there’s still an awful lot of abuse and injustice going on in that state, and hopefully this book will contribute in some way to a complete overhaul of all that’s wrong with the justice and child protection systems.
It might be hard for someone not from Adelaide to understand the vibe of the place that spawned these and other shocking crimes. The picturesque country town feel of the cbd, the miles and miles of suburbs. The poverty and isolation in the farthest suburbs, where there’s no decent public transport. The heat. The quiet. An interstate sex worker told me less than 10 years ago that Adelaide was still by far the creepiest place to work in Australia, just chock full of weirdos.
I am almost exactly the same age as richard kelvin would be. It was shocking when he went missing and I clearly remember my school friends and I in the bathrooms, putting on maybelline makeup and speculating what had happened to him. We hoped he’d just run away. This went on for weeks. I think most people have one shocking crime that they can never forget - this one is definitely mine.
People may believe it’s too late to solve these crimes and perhaps they’re right. But there’s still an awful lot of abuse and injustice going on in that state, and hopefully this book will contribute in some way to a complete overhaul of all that’s wrong with the justice and child protection systems.
February 2, 2022
In Banquet, Debi Marshall delves into a series of murders that occurred in Adelaide in the 70s and 80s. The victims were all young men and the crimes were extremely brutal.
Marshall admits from the outset that her time writing true crime is near the end as personal toll is too high. Her frustration that justice has not been done and disgust at what occured is obvious.
Still, Marshall endeavors to paint a picture of Adelaide at that time to provide some context. Highlights the major social, cultural and political changes occurring and some of the key local identities.
As Marshall investigates ths crimes she begins to tie together how close certain groups of people are and looks for connections. One of the major threads that Marshall pulls is the insinuation that Don Dunstan, SA Premier around the time, may have enabled, known or possibly involved in the crimes. This is based, it would appear mainly on Dunstan's proximity to living near persons of interest and a diary written by his former lover. I did not find Marshall's assertions around Dunstan all that plausible. Mainly because there were so many rumours circulating at the time as to who was involved. The hairdresser who is named in this book was not the name circulating for many years on the rumour mill. Plus everyone had a friend who knew a copper investigating the case who had told them a certain local identity was involved. If social media was around lawyers would have been having a field day with defamation cases as the rumours were rampant.
The conviction of Von Einem should have brought matters to a close but as Marshall points out it did not. That many questions remain unanswered and four murders remain unsolved.
There are some interesting elements to this book and Marshall has tried to unravel some of the myths surrounding these crimes. I do find the conspiracy at the highest level not as compelling and it could be because Marshall is restrained from detailing some information. An interesting read about a dark series of crimes.
Marshall admits from the outset that her time writing true crime is near the end as personal toll is too high. Her frustration that justice has not been done and disgust at what occured is obvious.
Still, Marshall endeavors to paint a picture of Adelaide at that time to provide some context. Highlights the major social, cultural and political changes occurring and some of the key local identities.
As Marshall investigates ths crimes she begins to tie together how close certain groups of people are and looks for connections. One of the major threads that Marshall pulls is the insinuation that Don Dunstan, SA Premier around the time, may have enabled, known or possibly involved in the crimes. This is based, it would appear mainly on Dunstan's proximity to living near persons of interest and a diary written by his former lover. I did not find Marshall's assertions around Dunstan all that plausible. Mainly because there were so many rumours circulating at the time as to who was involved. The hairdresser who is named in this book was not the name circulating for many years on the rumour mill. Plus everyone had a friend who knew a copper investigating the case who had told them a certain local identity was involved. If social media was around lawyers would have been having a field day with defamation cases as the rumours were rampant.
The conviction of Von Einem should have brought matters to a close but as Marshall points out it did not. That many questions remain unanswered and four murders remain unsolved.
There are some interesting elements to this book and Marshall has tried to unravel some of the myths surrounding these crimes. I do find the conspiracy at the highest level not as compelling and it could be because Marshall is restrained from detailing some information. An interesting read about a dark series of crimes.
June 12, 2023
This told me much more than I knew before about the Family Murders, the victims, their surviving family and friends, and the investigations that followed. Wildly frustrating as it was full of half-glimpsed conspiracies, unprovable assertions and people whose names could not be used, making it nearly impossible to keep everything straight as I read. I came away with the impression that half of Adelaide knows a tiny scrap of the story, saw something, heard something but doesn't realize that it's important. I also learned a great deal more about the revolting Duncan drowning and what didn't come of it. My advice is to stay as far from Adelaide as you can. Bad things happen there.
September 9, 2024
This book actually did manage to answer some of the questions that I had about The Family which is quite impressive given the level of research I have previously done. The book also contains infuriating things like dropping in multiple mentions of the Beaumont/Adelaide Oval abductions which are not followed up on and don't really belong in this book. Also the writing is heaps annoying to read especially if you read 2 of her books within 5 days (DON'T. DO IIIIIIT)
Also hey 'Businessman' if you read this you're a big dumb loser, suppress MY BUTTHOLE
Also hey 'Businessman' if you read this you're a big dumb loser, suppress MY BUTTHOLE
January 25, 2025
3 Stars = Don't regret reading it.
This is about a series of rapes/murders of young boys in Adelaide, South Australia. The author has done heaps of research, and you can feel her exhaustion, and frustration, as she desperately tries to ferret out the truth.
Unfortunately, it is hard to keep track of the investigation, because the author jumps back and forth between different times, murders, theories, and a stupefying amount of names.
The author has written many true crime books. I have read six. So, if you like true crime, you should give this book, and her others, a go.
This is about a series of rapes/murders of young boys in Adelaide, South Australia. The author has done heaps of research, and you can feel her exhaustion, and frustration, as she desperately tries to ferret out the truth.
Unfortunately, it is hard to keep track of the investigation, because the author jumps back and forth between different times, murders, theories, and a stupefying amount of names.
The author has written many true crime books. I have read six. So, if you like true crime, you should give this book, and her others, a go.
January 11, 2022
Absolutely the best book written about the Family murders. Intense, filled with relevant detail, well-written. I've lived in Adelaide most of my life and I have to admit seeing the names of people I knew years ago gave me a chill and brought back some memories that even now are only partly remembered. It also left me frustrated and angry that after 40 odd years murders are still unsolved and names are still suppressed.
March 13, 2022
Hats off to Debi Marshall for caring enough to keep these cases alive when the South Australian police force could care less. Debi is a master of Australian true-crime writing and this is perhaps her finest work, meticulous in detail and research and masterfully pieced together. At times extremely disturbing and difficult to read but also enthralling and hard to put down. Excellent excellent excellent. May the victims and their families get the justice they deserve one day so .
March 22, 2023
The Banquet is a compelling read. I grew up in this era in South Australia. I’m still horrified that many were able to get away with the ‘beyond revolting’ crimes. What these victims endured and what their families still suffer through is so cruel.
The lack of protection in the state care system for children is truly shocking as well.
Thanks again Debi for your tireless work on this particular case, you are amazing.
The lack of protection in the state care system for children is truly shocking as well.
Thanks again Debi for your tireless work on this particular case, you are amazing.
July 27, 2024
Once again the victims and their families deserve better. The author insists on centring herself in the story and the sensationalist, self-congratulatory voice is gross, as is the sneering middle-class tone and the pointless unflattering descriptions of women’s physicality. Was it really necessary to describe someone as having pendulum-like breasts?
Shoddily edited (Von ‘Eminem’ being a glaring example) with not much new information for anyone who has followed these cases over the years.
Shoddily edited (Von ‘Eminem’ being a glaring example) with not much new information for anyone who has followed these cases over the years.
September 30, 2022
Five stars for her research and commitment to seeing justice for those murdered,abused and the families left behind. It is not an easy read, most of the time felt queasy. Horrific to think such a cover up can still exist of the worst kind of monsters. Very angry that all those depraved have been able to live out their lives.
June 19, 2024
An interesting and enlightening read on the horrendous Family Murders in Adelaide.
The book does tend to jump around a bit, and at times is hard to follow, however, the story and message hopefully encourages people to continue to speak out.
The victims, even those unknown, deserve their justice.
The book does tend to jump around a bit, and at times is hard to follow, however, the story and message hopefully encourages people to continue to speak out.
The victims, even those unknown, deserve their justice.
April 21, 2023
One of the most thoroughly researched and extensively investigate true crime exposé’s I’ve read. Awful and harrowing, yet eye-opening and hopeful that those who have been taken from us never truly leave and stay on in our memories and stories.
February 20, 2024
Really well investigated and written, my only real complaint is there were sooo many names thrown in early on it was often hard for me to keep track of who was who in some of the stories.
Incredibly disgusting subject matter, but great for the morbidly curious or any Adelaidians such as myself
Incredibly disgusting subject matter, but great for the morbidly curious or any Adelaidians such as myself
July 26, 2024
Honestly, I just wish I hadn't consumed the Audiobook. It was poorly produced and edited, and there were a lot of mispronunciations, and you could even hear her drinking water. If you read this, use a hard copy
August 25, 2024
Listened to on Audio narrated by Author. This book was graphic and confronting. It was well researched and enlightening. I didn’t want to hear it but couldn’t not listen. Hopefully justice will prevail.
June 9, 2022
A well-researched look at truly horrific crimes that deserve to be better known. The story told here will haunt me.
August 9, 2022
Knowing its a true story some parts were hardnto read but i got through. Having a slight connection to this story made me want to finish it
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