The Mushroom Murders: A family lunch. Three deaths. What really happened?

Wow! What a great way to start my 2026 Reading Challenge. Like most Australians, and plenty of individuals around the world, I was completely absorbed by the Erin Patterson case last year. The only other time a case has held my attention so intensely was the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain at Uluru back in 1980. I remember devouring every article I could find back then and being glued to the TV whenever her name was mentioned. Forty-five years later, I found myself just as invested in this story.

"The Mushroom Murders" by Greg Haddrick was a fascinating and surprisingly accessible read. I loved the author’s unique choice to narrate the story through the voice of a fictional, middle-aged juror. Following the jury selection process, show more the courtroom procedures, and the evidence as it was presented made the whole experience feel immediate and engrossing.

I expected the book to be dense or bogged down in dry detail, but it wasn’t at all. I was hooked from the first chapters and genuinely struggled to put it down, and when I did, I kept thinking about what I’d just read. The epilogue, which explored evidence not allowed in court, was especially chilling and left a lasting impression.

Overall, a compelling and highly readable take on a case that has fascinated so many. show less

I have been a true crime buff for about 50 years, but I have never read a true crime book told like this one.

Many true crime books can be a bit on the dry side as we are given biographical information about everyone from the victims, their families, and everyone in law enforcement. This book, however, is told from the point of view of a fictitious juror. We see what she sees; we hear what she hears. We see how she begins with the presumption of innocence until she finds herself in the jury room to decide the verdict.

By the end of the book, the only conclusion that can be drawn is the conclusion arrived at by the jury.

A fascinating case told in an engaging manner. Highly recommended.

Told through the eyes of a fictitious juror, we are guided through the evidence and witness statements, instructions from the judge, and then from disbelief to the inescapable truth that Erin Patterson attempted to murder four of her relatives, and succeeded in killing three of them. It makes for a compelling story, much of which had already played out in the media, but when told from the perspective or our "juror", becomes all the more real.