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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
The life and crimes of Eric Cooke, November 10, 2007
I first read this book some years ago and was amazed by Estelle Blackburn's skills and persistence in pursuing the stories of two of Cooke's other victims: two young men convicted of crimes which Cooke committed.
The first of these men, Darryl Beamish, was convicted in 1959 for the murder of a woman from Melbourne. Beamish served 15 years in prison despite Cooke's 1963 confession to the crime.
The second of these men, John Button, was convicted of the manslaughter of his girlfriend Rosemary Anderson. Had John (who turned 19 the day Rosemary was attacked) been convicted of wilful murder, as charged, he would have hanged.
Four months after John was convicted, Eric Cooke was finally caught. He confessed to a number of crimes including 8 murders, and 14 attempted murders. One of the murders he confessed to was that of Rosemary Anderson.
John Button appealed on the basis of fresh evidence all the way to the High Court. But Cooke was dismissed by the judges as an inveterate liar and it wasn't until 2002 that Button's conviction was quashed.
On 26th October 1964, Eric Edgar Cooke, a married man with six children, was hanged.
This book is well well worth reading. It took Estelle Blackburn six years of research and it is a tribute to her determination in seeking for truth.
Highly recommended.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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 Broken Lives 0646361732
Estelle Blackburn
Stellar
Broken Lives
Books
The life and crimes of Eric Cooke
I first read this book some years ago and was amazed by Estelle Blackburn's skills and persistence in pursuing the stories of two of Cooke's other victims: two young men convicted of crimes which Cooke committed.
The first of these men, Darryl Beamish, was convicted in 1959 for the murder of a woman from Melbourne. Beamish served 15 years in prison despite Cooke's 1963 confession to the crime.
The second of these men, John Button, was convicted of the manslaughter of his girlfriend Rosemary Anderson. Had John (who turned 19 the day Rosemary was attacked) been convicted of wilful murder, as charged, he would have hanged.
Four months after John was convicted, Eric Cooke was finally caught. He confessed to a number of crimes including 8 murders, and 14 attempted murders. One of the murders he confessed to was that of Rosemary Anderson.
John Button appealed on the basis of fresh evidence all the way to the High Court. But Cooke was dismissed by the judges as an inveterate liar and it wasn't until 2002 that Button's conviction was quashed.
On 26th October 1964, Eric Edgar Cooke, a married man with six children, was hanged.
This book is well well worth reading. It took Estelle Blackburn six years of research and it is a tribute to her determination in seeking for truth.
Highly recommended.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected"
November 10, 2007
- Overall: 5
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Location: ACT, Australia
New Reviewer Rank: 240
Classic Reviewer Rank: 592
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(1 customer review)
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