If you’ve been an Australian for more than about five minutes, you know some of the wild things we can get up to – legal and illegal.
It’s the latter that Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes author Dr Peter Coleman takes a deep-dive into – the weirdest and wackiest crimes that Aussies have committed over the years, with a few of some of our strangest laws to boot. Full of wit and arguably educational, it could only be called a delight.
When I say this book is jam-packed full of weird and wild events, I really mean it. Though the novel’s page count doesn’t even reach 300, each chapter – documenting a specific crime, or a small handful around a certain theme – is very short. Every other page delivers up some new surprise, staying long enough to tell you all the juicy details without overstaying the welcome. At times it left me wanting to hear more. But, for the most part it was just enough to satisfy my curiosity and had me absolutely tearing through the book to reach the end.
The sheer variety of the crimes on display here certainly added to the enjoyment. Some are those you’ll likely be familiar with already – it wouldn’t be a book about Australian crime if you didn’t mention the arrest of a man eating his “succulent Chinese meal”, the theft of the Big Mango or Ern Malley – while others are tiny and local and no less strange for it.
Peter Coleman reaches into the past for some antique cases too, proving that if there’s one thing that hasn’t changed since early colonial Australia it’s how stupid we can be sometimes. It all means you’re never quite sure what’s coming up next – the theft of a truck full of donuts, or that time in 1964 when a man tried to smuggle himself out of Australia in a crate.
Each crime is in itself an eyebrow-raiser, with some bonkers enough to raise a sensible chuckle just from the details. But, it would be remiss to talk about how funny this book is without talking about how well it’s written. The writing is for the most part succinct and accessible, telling you everything you need to know and quickly – but also never misses the chance for an additional joke or two, adding a little extra spice to the whole affair. It’s also clear that Peter Coleman has done his research, hunting through archives and old newspapers to uncover some real hidden gems.
All in all, though I must admit I wasn’t laughing out loud the whole time I was reading it, it’s undeniable that Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes is a great time and criminally funny, with plenty of unbelievable accounts and stupid jokes to keep you racing through.
If you’re looking for a good laugh – and to say you’re reading something educational about Australian law if anyone asks – I can definitely recommend this one.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes by Peter Coleman is available now from Affirm Press. Grab yourself a copy from a local bookshop HERE.
