Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: criminal

  • Saving Our Kids

    Saving Our Kids

    The inside story of Taskforce Argos, Detective Inspector Jon Rouse and their mission to protect our children online

    The twenty first century has been marked by an expansion of technology and in particular digital technology, which not only doubles in speed and capacity every couple of years, but is also becoming cheaper, more portable and hence more accessible to children.

    Over the past twenty years an expansion of the awareness of the grave wrongs committed against children by abusers using this technology has become apparent. Words like ‘Dark web’, ‘sextortion’, ‘money mules’ and ‘deepfake’ are becoming part of our lexicon.   

    Award winning author and journalist Madonna King’s extensively researched book ‘Saving Our Kids’, which focuses on online child sex abuse and abusers is a must read not only for parents, but also for all those who work with or are involved with children. It is very comprehensive.

    By providing detailed information about the current approach to child abuse and the importance of global cooperation when uncovering networks on the dark web in order to rescue vulnerable and abused children, the reader is made aware of the extent of this heinous crime. They are also given a greater appreciation of the dedication and perseverance of those who work in this demanding field. 

    With the growing numbers of children and young people having almost unregulated access to the internet and social media, it is imperative that we remain vigilant. Saving Our Kids will be an eye opener to many who have always considered child abuse to be a more ‘overseas problem’. The author’s ‘top six tips’ at the conclusion of this important book provide excellent advice to all those with children who love their devices.  

  • Criminals

    Criminals

    The cover of Criminals from James O’Loghlin says one robbery, three people, no heroes which more than catches the eye, it intrigues right from the first glimpse. How, say you, can there be no hero’s in crime fiction?

    That is until you meet Dean. Down on his luck, supporting a drug habit and facing the Magistrate once again, his Legal Aid lawyer is working hard to keep him out of gaol. He had planned the robbery well but as luck would have it, on leaving the suburban home, he walked into the Police, who for one moment did not believe his story.

    Then there is Mary, lost and adrift, waking up in a room somewhere with a man she had no idea about, sneaking out before he woke up, desperate to return to her own home once again. She enjoys the thrill of shoplifting, spending time working out how and what, but never understanding or accepting why.

    Sarah works as a bar attendant at the Blacktown Leagues Club where Mary is a regular. She is a Cop on indefinite leave from the Police Force, after a decision she made went terribly wrong. Mary has OCD and although she is getting better she still struggles to make any decisions in her life. The life of bar attendant suites her as whatever happens gets passed to the Manager. Nice and tidy as far as she is concerned.

    A series of co-incidences see these three people in the one place at completely the wrong time, which sets off a train of events which will eventually make all three face up to who they are and what they really want to do with their lives.

    Dean and Mary are both forced to face the reality that is the criminal pathway they are travelling; Sarah needs to finally close a chapter in her life to be able to move on. None of the choices to be made will be easy.

    James O’Loghlin spent many years as a Court appointed lawyer meeting many Deans, some Marys and the occasional Sarah along the way.  Each of these people has contributed a little to this fascinating fiction which looks below the hyper, into the reality that is crime and the people who somehow, through a range of circumstances, find themselves facing the Courts.

    Criminals is a fascinating read which is underpinned by a real understanding of what makes people take to a life of crime. One robbery, three people, no heroes! Excellent.

  • A Special Place in Hell: The World’s Most Depraved Serial Killers

    A Special Place in Hell: The World’s Most Depraved Serial Killers

    Noted writer and world renowned investigative criminologist Christopher Berry-Dee in his recent book ‘A Special Place in Hell’ chronicles the ten most heinous serial killer/mass murders of all time; each one has his own chapter. The author believes that these devils’ level of immoral killings transcends evil and hence they deserve a special place in Hell.  

    The ten vile criminals he has selected date back from the early 20th century to modern times and he has included well known perpetrators such as Peter Sutcliff and Ted Bundy to the less familiar evil beings Richard Benjamin Speck and Thomas Watt Hamilton.

    Each serial killer’s early life is analyzed, the murders recounted in great (often gruesome) detail and finally their life after being incrassated documented. The book delves deeply into the main reasons killers do what they claim they can’t control.  In some chapters the author has reproduced verbatim the very words of the killers as they describe their unimaginable crimes; this allows the reader a glimpse into the inner workings of the minds of these evil beings.   

    Readers of true crime will find this an interesting well researched book, as it provides an insight into how these men became killers.  However, it is not for the faint hearted, as the author doesn’t shy away from the horror or violence of their acts by providing some of the worst details.  For those who wish to increase their understanding of these sexual psychopaths the author has recommended some follow up reading and viewing.  

  • The Dirty Dozen

    The Dirty Dozen

    Returning in her fifth book, Jane Tennison has become the first female detective to be posted to the Flying Squad, a position she has worked hard to achieve, but she is finding the going pretty terrible as the team that make up the ‘Sweeny’, known as the Dirty Dozen, are not taking at all kindly to having a woman, no matter how good, posted to their elite group.

    On her first a day a brutal robbery takes place, which sets the scene for another well-constructed plot from Lynda La Plante in The Dirty Dozen, that surges through the streets of London, involving a group of hardened criminals who believe the best cop is a dead cop!

    In typical La Plante style, the plot is such that the intimacy between the reader and the characters develops as the plot unfolds and once again, Jane is forced to pit her skills and intellect again a tide of distrust from the rest of the team, to prove she is more than capable of being a member of this elite Squad.

    She is not to impressed when she finds she has been selected, not just on her merit, but the fact she is female in an experiment to see if working with a woman on the team curbs the ‘clubbish’ nature of the Forces elite. Her nickname of Treacle impresses her even less!

    Becoming friendly with a young, ‘wanna be crook’, she finds herself attending a wedding involving a number of notorious criminals, even having her photo taken with them, an event which will bring both heartache and a breakthrough in a seriously vicious robbery.

    Her exacting attention to detail see her slowly gaining respect from some of the team members, but also finds that as she lacks training in gun use, she is severely limited in what she can safely do, and the team make the most of this, offering her the most menial of tasks to be undertaken.

    Tenacious to the end, Jane and her partner Teflon keep on investigating the mundane, but Jane is beginning to connect the dots, raising the suspicion that a couple of the Sweeny may not be altogether honest cops, which begins to raise a fresh set of issues as there has already been a number of Police suspended on corruption charges.

    When the ending is revealed it is almost an anticlimax as the pace of the plot has been somewhat hectic, but as an entrée into a new division of Police work for the feisty Jane Tennison, it’s a pretty good introduction and an engrossing read.

  • Baby’s First Bank Heist

    Baby’s First Bank Heist

    This is just the story to capture a child’s attention and sense of humour. It is written in rhyme, which adds to the humour of the story, “There were leopards in his cupboards and a beaver in the bath.” It also addresses the yearnings which some children have, and how solving these problems yourself may not be the best way. Baby Frank is desperate for a pet. His parents however feel he is too young to care for it, and, bottom line, they can’t afford a pet. Frank however, is determined to have his own animal to play with.

    While out shopping one day, Frank suddenly had a thought; the best way to get some money for a pet would be to rob a bank. The interesting thing is because of his size and his determination he was successful, stuffing notes inside his romper suit. The next problem came when Frank had to decide upon a pet to buy, he wanted so many, but would have to keep them hidden from his parents. Eventually his secret was discovered, and he realized that stealing was wrong. However, all the money had been spent, so a clever plan had to be put in place to raise money to pay the bank back, one that would make money and keep everyone happy.

    This is a joyful book to explore. The text and illustrations tie in so well and provide humour visually and orally. Details such as the shop names in the main street “Getaway Travel and The Robber’s Arms,” have us smiling before the story begins. The simple task of choosing a pet becomes overwhelming for Frank as he lacks any sophistication as far as choice or sensible options. As for hiding the giraffe he ordered…..

    Many children love pets and all children will relate to desperately wanting something forbidden. With humour, compromise, and love this story shows how families deal with outlandish situations which can arise.

    Baby’s First Bank Heist is lots of fun to read together and enjoy.

  • Crimes That Changed the World

    Crimes That Changed the World

    Every hour of everyday a crime is committed somewhere in the world which impacts not only on the community in which it is perpetrated, but on the world at large. Some of these grave offenses have resulted in political, environmental or social change, while others have caused new laws to be enacted or old ones to be amended. But in all cases, life for the victims and their communities will never be the same!

    True crime writer of note, Alan Whiticker has selected 100 of these crimes which have been committed over the last 100 years to include in his latest book, ‘Crimes that Changed the World’; beginning with the assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 and concluding with the Paris Attacks in 2015. This book explores a wide range of crimes in every region of the world; kidnappings, bombings, suicides, hijackings, massacres, conspiracy to defraud and murders. He has selected crimes, which have generally received worldwide recognition in News broadcasts, films (TV miniseries) or books; thus remembered today for their social and cultural impact. This work also tracks the development of crime detection and perpetrator identification with the development of computer and DNA technology along with improved policing methods.

    Almost all of the crimes included in this book have been dissected and explored in greater detail in other works; particularly on the internet’s YouTube. However, this book has the advantage that it is well structured in an easy to read chronological format.  Each of the crimes is illustrated by relevant photos related in three pages with a ‘Fact File’, ‘References’ and generally has a ‘Historical and Social Significance’ section, guiding the reader to the nub of the offence and its impact on others. By organizing the crimes sequentially, the reader is provided with a variety of offences rather than having a diet of one genre of crime before moving onto another. To aid the reader’s selection of crimes of interest rather than reading the book from cover to cover, the author has included an excellent chronological index at the front of this volume. 

    Avid true crime readers may question why certain crimes were included and others omitted; e.g. why several USA mass murderers were included but the Tiananmen Square Massacre and Boston Marathon Bombing were not. The author has justified his selection by explaining that ‘those selected should be remembered, so that we can, in some small way, understand and learn from them’. Each of the crimes selected certainly does this!

    This is a must read for all True Crime readers as it also provides a reference to many significant events of the last 100 years. It offers an easy guide for further investigation and understating as to ‘why’ they occurred. This excellent collection provides many hours of thought provoking reading.