Robert Farquharson was returning with his three sons from a Father’s Day outing. He and his wife were separated, but he had the three boys on authorized visits. This visit ended in tragedy. Robert’s car swerved of the road ran through a chain link fence, across a field and crashed into a dam. As the car filled with water, Robert was able to escape. He swam to safety, but the three boys perished. Robert was arrested for murder.
This is the story of the two trials that decided Robert’s fate. Helen Garner attended both trials. She an excellent listener. She reported the attorney’s examination of witnesses and even was able to learn what happened in sidebars between the judge and the attorneys. It’s an excellent job of reporting.
The story itself is gut wrenching. It’s hard to believe that a father who loved his children was able to kill them. The trial explored several theories of his state of mind. Was he incapacitated when the car swerved? Was it a planned murder-suicide? Was it a revenge killing aimed at his wife? All these ideas are explored during the trial.
I found the book emotionally very hard to read. It is well written. The style is more literary than I am used to in true-crime stories which makes the pace a little slower. It is worth reading for the look at the Australian criminal justice system. The trials resolved the issue from the state of the Australian justice system, but reading the book you have to decide for yourself what to believe.
Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this review copy.
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