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    Trace: who killed Maria James?
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    Trace: who killed Maria James?
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    Trace: who killed Maria James?
    Ebook291 pages5 hours

    Trace: who killed Maria James?

    By Rachael Brown

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The riveting inside story of a journalist’s cold-case investigation of a shocking murder

    Every cop has a case that dug its claws in and would not let go. For veteran detective Ron Iddles, it was his very first homicide case — the 1980 murder of single mother Maria James in the back of her Melbourne bookshop. He never managed to solve it, and it still grates like hell.

    Maria’s two sons, Mark and Adam, have lived in a holding pattern longer than Rachael Brown has been alive. When the investigative journalist learned that a crucial witness’s evidence had never seen daylight, the case would start to consume her — just as it had the detective nearly four decades prior — so she asked for his blessing, and that of the James brothers, to review Maria's case.

    In her exhaustive and exhausting 16-month investigation for the ABC podcast Trace, Rachael reviewed initial suspects, found one of her own, and uncovered devastating revelations about a forensic bungle and possible conspiracies that have inspired the coroner to consider holding a new inquest.

    This is a mesmerising account, as Rachael traces back through her investigation — one that blew the dust off a 38-year-old cold case, gave a voice to the forgotten and the abused, and could have serious implications for two of the state’s most powerful institutions.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScribe Publications
    Release dateJul 30, 2018
    ISBN9781925693218
    Unavailable
    Trace: who killed Maria James?
    Author

    Rachael Brown

    Broadcast journalist Rachael Brown is an RMIT graduate who began her career with the ABC in 2002 as its Melbourne cadet. She has since held several postings, including Europe correspondent from 2010 to 2013. In 2008, she won the Walkley Award for Best Radio Current Affairs Report for her investigation into the Victorian Medical Practitioners Board, whose negligence had contributed to the sexual assaults of 14 women. Rachael was the creator, investigator, and host of the ABC's first true-crime podcast, Trace, which reviewed the cold case of Melbourne mother Maria James. Trace won the 2017 Walkley Award for Innovation for the way the podcast tapped into broad community grapevines and attracted vital new leads from the public that were rolled into subsequent episodes, which allowed Trace to evolve as it went to air.

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    Reviews for Trace

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    • 4/5
      Trace: Who Killed Maria James?, an ER book, was about a cold case murder of a Melbourne, Australia book shop owner that happened in 1980. The author, a journalist, spent 16 months investigating this murder for a podcast that eventually aired in 2017. It was really well done, covering what happened in 1980, jumping ahead to the journalist's investigation, and then back to the murder, and also in between, as additional parts of the investigation continued. The journalist's investigation led to new leads and questions about the original investigation and why certain leads were not completely followed up on way back then. It was disturbing at times as leads explored both pedophile priests and ritual killings. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, because eventually you have to publish the book and everything has not yet been resolved. Still more to come though in this true crime case. I will be checking in periodically! It was a page-turner for me and overall a very good book.
    • 4/5
      I read this in one sitting! I am a true crime buff and was excited to receive this book. Not only did the author go over every aspect of the crime from evidence to every suspect, but she became so close to the victim's children that I felt how this had become extremely personal. I felt her defeat when evidence went missing or stories changed, or discovering that police may have helped cover the crime. Maria James story couldn't have been told any better. Whether there was a happy ending or not, Brown got to the root of the crime and hopefully helped bring closure to all the loved ones still seeking answers.
    • 3/5
      The murder of Maria James is a long-cold case. The mother of two was found stabbed in her own home, and no one was ever charged with her murder. In this book, her sons team up with a journalist and podcast producer to try to get some answers in her case -- and end up exposing a whole culture of secrets and lies. I was intrigued by the details the author provided about the work involved in producing a podcast. Racheal Brown writes about the little details of presenting the story to an audience, her own absorption in the details of the case, the drudgery of tracking down long-lost witnesses and evidence, and her concerns about preserving the privacy and dignity of people who are willing to dig up often painful memories for her. Most of all, she is concerned about the reaction of Maria's sons, whose pain is still apparent so many years later. It's an interesting look at the nuts and bolts of talking about true crime. But sometimes the murder itself seems to take a back seat, particularly when the evidence she uncovers leads her to take a sharp turn from trying to solve a murder to exposing the horrible abuses perpetrated by the Catholic Church. This is an important story that needs to be told, but there's not much more than coincidental evidence that it has anything to do with Maria's murder, and it doesn't seem likely that more will be uncovered at this late date. And including the interview recounting tales of Satanic ritual murders happening within the church building itself does not exactly lend credibility, and really has nothing at all to do with Maria James.True crime podcasts are extremely popular right now, and it was interesting getting an insider's look at how one was made.
    • 3/5
      I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.What is especially intriguing about this book is that it is both about the case the podcast Trace investigated, and the story behind all it took to put the podcast together.Brown, host and reporter, takes readers back to the very beginning, when she was first drawn into the cold case of the murder of Maria James. Readers become emotionally invested along with Brown, as we and she learn more about the sons whose lives were irrevocably shattered by the brutal loss of their mother, and about the slip ups (and possible cover ups) during the original police investigation.This is a dark, at times difficult, read. It went to a place I hadn't expected and wasn't prepared for. Brown pulls no punches as she shares with readers the terrible truths she learned and the possible conspiracies she uncovered. She is open with the way the investigative process on her side works, and how not everything can be tied up in a neat little bow.This book makes me want to listen to the podcast and keep updated on the case, so while it is not the best true crime book I've ever read, it definitely is an interesting and compelling read.
    • 3/5
      Interesting book. Thirty eight years later still no closure. Well researched.
    • 4/5
      June 1980 Maria James, Melbourne Australia Bookstore owner, is murdered. It was Ron Iddles 1st murder case. 38 years later the case is still open. Rachael Brown, journalist, finds out that a crucial witness' evidence has not been heard. She wants to review the case. Rachel finds after a 16 mos. investigation, a new suspect, bungled forensics and possible conspiracies with Catholic Church and Victoria police. They need the coroner to hold a new inquest. Trace is also a podcast and has brought this cold case to life. It has given a voice to the forgotten and abused. Serious implication for 2 of the state's most powerful institutions. It is a riveting story of a shocking murder which is about to blow open with another inquest. Hopefully the murderer will be determined soon with the new evidence brought before the coroner. Read this book in order to find out all the details. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      Normally I get real bored with nonfiction writing and the TMI syndrome that accompanies it. Too much background information told in dry prose, too many names, and too many statistics. But Rachael Brown, maybe because she's a journalist, presented this cold case and all its past leads and suspects without overdoing it and without losing my interest at all. Maria James, mother of two little boys living above her book store, is brutally stabbed to death shortly after a phone conversation with her ex, who overheard her talking to someone in the store who could have been the murderer. The Melbourne police couldn't or wouldn't charge anyone and now 38 years later Ms. Brown wants to have the case reopened with new evidence and a new suspect she's latched on to. Her investigation for an Australian true-crime podcast reveals her stubbornness and dedication to reaching closure for the two sons, now grown men.The story telling is really quite good and I would read anything else she writes in a heartbeat. She's good because her smarts and talent haven't gone to her head.An ARC from LibraryThing.com.
    • 4/5
      Trace: Who Killed Maria James? by Rachael Brown is an intriguing mix of true crime, crime investigation, and podcast creation.I was attracted to this book because I find true crime to be an interesting topic. I don't read as wide in the genre as many but it is still an area of interest. In addition, this is one of those true crime books that doesn't just tell about the crime and the police investigation but the additional investigation as a cold case by a journalist. This has become somewhat more common in recent decades as investigative journalists have looked into cold cases. Finally, this also weaves the story of the podcast, from pitching the idea to doing the research to the actual production. I didn't expect that final aspect of the book but found it quite interesting. What made this appealing, especially for someone like me who might have shied away if it had been too focused on the podcast aspect itself, was that all three parts are woven together into a whole. Each one has a section where it is front and center, but the other two parts are not neglected during these sections.In addition to the elements of the crime and the investigation that are common to many such books, I was particularly touched by Brown's acknowledgement of how difficult it is for everyone involved when such an investigation is reopened. Family and close friends of course feel pain but also want some kind of resolution. But some others who might be peripherally involved often don't want to revisit it, they feel they did their part at the time. While most do come around and live those moments again, they would also have likely preferred to leave it alone and "move on." Brown shows not only the emotional toll on all of these people, central and peripheral, but also the toll on her and her team in being the ones reopening old wounds and concerns.I would recommend this to readers of true crime but also to anyone interested in the production and presentation of a podcast. Because of how the threads are woven together, I think most readers with just an interest in one or two of the areas will still enjoy the book.Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
    • 4/5
      Trace is a fascinating look into the dark corners of a murder investigation. Author Brown catalogs each step as she goes along to track the investigators’ process and the clues of a coverup. It is disturbing and infuriating to learn of the missteps in the case and deliberate means of protection of Catholic clergy in this an other crimes.It is still difficult to fathom how this protective code could have prospered for so long. Brown details all of the efforts of the victim’s family and her own exhaustive investigative process, which was much, much more than the actual investigators did. Hundreds of people tried to help by offering observations, and many people were interviewed. Brown does an excellent job of introducing all of the people in a cohesive manner which allows one to keep them all straight and not be in a muddle over “Who was that now?”As a journalist, Brown leaves no stone unturned and is only thwarted by the various policies and actions of those in power. This is a well-documented look into a very disturbing segment of our society to which we have turned a blind eye in the past. One cannot read this book without feeling strongly that this tradition of protecting religious figures who commit unspeakable crimes must end now, and unsolved cases such as this must come to light. Many thanks to Rachel Brown for unwaveringly pursuing the truth in this case and presenting it in an excellent book that I am glad to have read.
    • 5/5
      It is rare and unusual to read about true crime that occurs anywhere except in the United States, particularly when this crime went ignored for a very long time due to another much more publicized criminal case in Australia at the time. The author is very skilled at portraying the emotions of the family members of the victim as well as looking at how this case may have been tied to the sex abuse scandals within the Catholic Church. Overall this is a well written and interesting book