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Broken Lives Paperback – January 1, 2002

by Estelle Blackburn (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 81 ratings
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Eric Edgar Cooke was the last man to hang in Western Australia. Between 1958 and his capture in September 1963, Cooke committed 22 murders and attempted murders that forever changed the face of Perth from a friendly big country town to a city of suspicion and fear. His fantasies and delusions led him to commit a series of sexual perversions and crimes, including theft, deliberate hit-and-runs, vicious attacks on women in their beds and murder - by shooting, stabbing and strangling. When two innocent men were convicted and jailed for crimes committed by Cooke, journalist Estelle Blackburn began an exhaustive investigation which lasted six years. 'Broken Lives' is the award-winning, compelling and thought-provoking result of her relentless search for the truth. Blackburn reveals the life of a social misfit with a desire to hurt others, and the stories of the people whose lives he intruded upon. She examines and appraises the police investigation and uncovers the workings of the judicial system of the day. Through her investigations and the new evidence Blackburn presented in 'Broken Lives', new appeals were gained before Western Australia's Court of Criminal Appeal for John Button and Darryl Beamish, leading to Button being exonerated of manslaughter in 2002 and (as this updated edition reveals), Beamish being exonerated of wilful murder in 2005.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Hardie Grant
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    1.54 x 5.47 x 8.27 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    174064073X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1740640732
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hardie Grant (January 1, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 174064073X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1740640732
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.21 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.54 x 5.47 x 8.27 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 81 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
81 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jake9266
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written.
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2023
Verified Purchase
Takes me back as if I were there in the 60's! Very much recommended by me. Reads like a movie.
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Todman
5.0 out of 5 stars An Execellent Read
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2013
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The book is an accurate description of the events. I know I was somewhat involved in this outcome.
A good read about the fascinating two cases A follow-up book by the same author titles Loss of innocence" is also
a good read.
3 people found this helpful
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Jan Donovan
4.0 out of 5 stars When Perth grew up.
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2014
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Fascinating read, delving into the mindset of a serial criminal and murderer.
Eric Edgar Cook grew up in a world of neglect and abuse from his father because of a minor deformity, leading him into a world of murder and petty theft. Yet his split personality still showed love and caring for his children but neglect for his wife.
Understanding the fear Perth W.A. felt while he was loose.
The devastation of the families of two men wrongfully jailed for two of his murders.
One person found this helpful
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Donna K. Faught
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Story
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2015
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Saw this story on Investigation Discovery and ordered the book. Book goes into more detail.
One person found this helpful
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Jennifer Cameron-Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars The life and crimes of Eric Cooke
Reviewed in the United States on 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
8 people found this helpful
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Sandy Beach
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2011
I also read this a few years ago now, it is an interesting book and worth reading.
I recommend it especially for any aussies looking for a true Australian story
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 17, 2021
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I had watched the tv documentary before reading the book. The book filled in the gaps and answered questions. A very sad story.
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Pop culture man
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece
Reviewed in Australia on December 4, 2022
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This superb book documents the crimes of Eric Edgar Cooke, a serial killer who terrorised Perth in Western Australia in the early 1960s. So thorough and reliable was Estelle Blackburn’s research that the book led to the exoneration of two men who had been wrongfully convicted of crimes actually committed by Cooke.

Cooke murdered eight people, seriously injured another six by running them down with stolen cars, assaulted several more women in their beds and broke into at least 250 homes to steal and peep. All of his victims were strangers to him: they had no connection to him.

On one night in January 1963, he shot five people. Two of his victims died and one suffered severe brain damage.

A strength of Broken Lives is Blackburn’s excellence as a writer. Her descriptions of the crimes take readers to the scenes as if they are witnessing first hand the brutality and terror of Cooke’s attacks.

Cooke was arrested in August 1963 and hanged in 1964.

Before Cooke’s arrest, a 19 yo man named John Button had been found guilty of running down and killing his 17 yo girlfriend with his car after they had had an argument and she had left the house to walk home. Starting a six-year quest for the truth in 1992, Blackburn doggedly examined all the evidence, including tracking down victims and poring over old police files. Those records revealed that Cooke had confessed to many crimes after his arrest. These confessions included 7 instances of hit and runs, including the one for which Button had been found guilty. Police did not make this information public, Blackburn contends, because it would give credence to Button’s continued denial of the crime.

Blackburn also discovered that, minutes before his execution, Cooke repeated to a clergyman that he had committed two crimes for which other men had been convicted: Button’s hit and run and a murder for which a man named Darryl Beamish was in gaol.

Blackburn’s achievement with Broken Lives is monumental: her commitment, deep research, and determination to uncover the truth have produced a classic of the true crime genre.
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Placeholder
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on October 24, 2015
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Must read books at discounted price
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Maxine
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling reading.
Reviewed in Australia on September 8, 2017
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Compelling reading. I was about 11 during "that" summer, living in Shenton Park not far from the subway. What a scarey time, so many names I know so well. Recommended reading for most, especially those who remember t hese times, answered a few questions, clarified a lot for me. Read it in one sitting.
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Kashyapmer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on August 20, 2015
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great product at great price
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