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ROBIN BOWLES INVESTIGATES

November 30th 2008 11:57
True crime writer Robin Bowles ventured into the comparatively tame world of crime fiction when she published her first novel, The Curse of the Golden Yo-Yo in 2007 then followed it up with The Mystery of the Missing Masterpiece in 2008. The heroine of these two comical crime tales is a fearless PI by the name of Cornelia Finnigan, whose escapades in the pursuit of dim-witted criminals bear a remarkable resemblance to the adventures of her creator. After she had completed Justice Denied, her investigation into the disappearance of Moe toddler Jaidyn Leskie and the man accused of his murder, Greg Domaszewicz, Robin spent time working as a private investigator. She was gathering information in Moe and became aware that the Moe police were tailing her. Robin’s husband became concerned for her safety so he hired private investigator Michael to accompany Robin on her trips. Michael was so impressed with Robin’s skill in eliciting information from people that he made the offer of a job which Robin later took up, obtaining her PI’s licence. She says that much of the work is dead boring but it was punctuated with the occasional exciting episode.
One of these involved a married professional man who was being investigated for insurance fraud, after claiming that his house had been burgled. The insurance company employed Michael’s agency to investigate and it was discovered that this man had a secret other life which involved gambling and a lap-dancer girlfriend. The girlfriend was then tailed and Robin paid a visit to her workplace.‘I followed her into this dressing room and introduced myself. I said I was looking into Dimitri’s burglary. I said “Has he mentioned that he was burgled?” “Oh yes, he has. It’s so terrible. You know they took so much stuff.” I said “Yes, well I’m just looking into the insurance side of it because we’re trying to hurry it through to pay him out. What did he tell you about it?” So she’s getting dressed, you see, all this time and being a lap-dancer she didn’t care I was in the room and then she sat down at her dressing table and she reached over and she put this bracelet on and my eyes nearly popped out of my head because that was one of the bits of jewellery that had been stolen. ‘I’m very astute about jewellery and I recognized it straight away. I said to her “Oh I like your bracelet. Where did you get it from?” And she said “Oh, Dimitri gave me this.” And I said “When did he give it to you?” She said “Just after Easter.” (that’s when the burglary happened) “He had to go away with his wife for Easter but he gave it to me as a present because he couldn’t stay with me.” And I said “Well look”…I forget her name now…Amanda or something…one of those names. Anyway, I said to her “Um look, I’m going to have to tell you that I think that bracelet is stolen property. I’ll give you a receipt (this is a total bluff) I’ll give you a receipt but I’m going to have to take it with me.” And she’s just looking at me, you see, and she said “Oh no, why would it be stolen?” And I said “Well, I’m not too sure. You’ll have to ask Dimitri about that.” And I said “Now, what’s your full name?” So I’m already starting to write in my notebook, you see, and so she just took off the bracelet and gave it to me. I mean, there was no reason why she had to. She could have said No and I would have had to have gone back to the office and just said that I thought she was wearing the bracelet and it would have been much harder to prove. But she just handed it to me! She was so gob-smacked, I think.’ The next day Robin and Michael paid the professional man a visit at his place of work. 'He had high-society clients and he used to get really pissed off when I went in there to interview him. I’d been twice before and I’d say to the girls, “I’ll just see him in between patients” and I’d wait. He’d come in really angry. On this particular day I took Michael with me - it’s always bad news when investigators come in pairs - and so I said to him “Now Dimitri, I’m sorry to have to interrupt your day but I met a friend of yours yesterday and she was wearing this.” So I put the bracelet on the table and you should have seen his face. He went grey. I thought he was gonna have a heart attack. And I said “Do you recognize this bracelet at all?” And he said, “Well, it looks like a bracelet I gave a friend of mine.” I said “Well, do you recognize it from these pictures?” Because the insurance company had given us photos, you see, taken only a week or two before he was burgled. He’d had all the stuff photographed for the insurance policy so we had those photos. That’s how I knew what the bracelet looked like. So I said to him “You know, it looks remarkably like this photo here doesn’t it? In fact, it really looks like the same bracelet to me” And he just crumpled. He said “I don’t have to talk to you. I’m going to call my lawyer.” And I said “I think that’d be a really good idea Dimitri. We’ll just put in our report to the insurance company and let the police take it from here.”’
Robin Bowles has been dubbed Australia’s true-crime Queen. She had worked for years as a nursing sister and had gone on to run a highly successful PR company when she decided to write a book. She was still mulling over what to actually write about when the Sunday Age published a story by journalist Andrew Rule about Jennifer Tanner, whose death by shooting in 1984 had been deemed a suicide - a finding that stretched the bounds of credulity. ‘For some reason this bloody story wouldn’t leave my head alone. It was a long weekend so I thought about it all Sunday and then we had a dinner party that night because it was a holiday the next day. We had friends over - six or eight people - so I raised the subject at the dinner table and everyone had read the story so we were all talking about it and speculating. A couple of days later I was on my way home and I drove past the Vic Market. Now I’d driven past the Vic Market I can’t tell you how many times in the ten years I’d been living in Melbourne and I’d never ever seen a gun shop there before but there was this gun shop and there was a parking space right outside the doorway so I 'whzzip right into this parking space. So in I went in my black crepe suit…I was a lot skinnier then…and I had long legs and very high heels and pearls and a silk shirt and…you know…I was running a PR company. I had to wear the PR uniform every day. ‘Anyway, I said to this guy “Do you sell BRN 0.2 rifles?” And he said “We do” and I said “Do you think I could have a look at one please? I’ve got a son in the army (which was true) and I thought I might buy him one for Christmas” Which was bullshit but, anyway, he brought this gun out and I was amazed it was so long. It was about 1100cm long. It was huge. I’d never handled a rifle like that. She was shorter than I am, Jenny, so I tried all this stuff, trying to see if she could have pulled the trigger with her big toe and of course the guy’s hand is hovering over the telephone because that was the same year as the Port Arthur Massacre and he must have thought I was a fuitloop ‘cos I had taken my shoes off and was standing there with this gun. Anyway, in the end I told him what I was trying to do. So I got home and I said to Clive “I think I’m going to write a book about that Jenny Tanner story” and he said to me “Look you better ask the journalist. He’s probably going to do it, it’s that good a story, and he’s done all the research already.” So I rang him up and he said he wasn’t going to do it. He said “I’m too busy and it’s too dangerous.” I said “What do you mean too dangerous?” And he said “Well I’ve had a lot of threats since I ran the story. I’ve had hang-up phone calls, I’ve had my car damaged in my drive, I’ve had my front windows smashed since that article came out. I’ve got my kids to think about and I don’t want to do it. I’ve got a full time job anyway.”’
Robin completed Blind Justice, followed By four more true crime books then, along with the rest of Australia, she became enthralled with the disappearance of British backpacker Peter Falconio. Naturally loquacious, Robin has spoken to scores of people while researching for her books. She is the only person whom Bradley Murdoch, convicted of the murder of Peter Falconio, has granted an interview. She tells me that she has had a number of episodes of extraordinary good luck while on the trail of a story. Robin and her husband Clive were returning home, after having traced the fateful route taken by Peter Falconio and Joanne Lees, and were staying at a hotel in Daly River in the Northern Territory. 'It’s an old pub way out in the middle of nowhere. The Daly River Hotel - it’s quite famous. We knew no-one and it was the rugby world cup, I think. I can’t watch the rugby but I knew Clive would want to stay up in the lounge area and watch it so I went and plonked myself down on a chair and a table towards the front and saved this seat for him. I wanted to make sure I got him the front stalls. Anyway this young girl sat down next to me and we started talking. I knew she was a Pom straight away, with her accent and I said “What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere? You’re a long way from home.” And she said “I am. Unfortunately, I’ve got to go back at the end of the week. I’ve been here for 3 months and I really don’t want to go. My boyfriend’s Australian and he’s still thinking about whether he’ll come with me but I can’t get my permit extended any longer.” She was working as a housemaid at the hotel and her boyfriend was behind the bar. So we had these long conversations. I said to her “Whereabouts in England are you from?” and she said “Oh I’m from a little place you would never have heard of. I’m from Huddersfield.” And I said “I’ve heard of Huddersfield. As a matter of fact I’m doing a book on Peter Falconio and Joanne Lees. They both came from Huddersfield.” and she said “Oh, go on! You know what? My dad worked for 20 years with Peter Falconio’s father” And I said “You are kidding me? At the post office? You are joking.” I said “Does he know him well?” And she said “Of course he knows him well he worked with him for 20 years” So I said “Have you got his phone number?” So I got the Falconio’s family phone number from this girl in the middle of the bush in Daly River. I could tell you a hundred stories like that. I mean, it’s amazing.’
Robin Bowles’ latest book is Rough Justice, subtitled: unanswered questions from the Australian courts. It retraces some crimes about which Robin has already written but, no doubt, it is full of the interesting bits of background information that she has the uncanny knack of uncovering.


I’m looking forward to reading it.
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Comment by David O'Connell

December 2nd 2008 05:42


Screen Fanatic
I don't really know her but her books look interesting Teresa, I'd love to get around to one some day soon.

I only read the occasional true crime book, the most recent was a superb one by Helen Garner called Joe Cinque's Consolation. She writes such elegant prose and had me spellbound the whole way.

Comment by Teresa Ralton

December 2nd 2008 13:06


MRS SMITH
READ THIS
SISTERS IN CRIME
One thing I like about Robin Bowles' books is that she always goes into the backgrounds of the 'characters'. The only one of her books that I haven't liked much was Whatever Happened to Freeda Hayes because it got too technical( medical); which is kind of interesting because she has a nursing background.
Joe Cinque's Consolation is another 'must read'

Comment by Postmodern Critic

February 24th 2009 13:03


Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
Hi, I have to confess I didn't read all of this post because I'm very tired atm, but I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about a crime fiction book I'm thinking of purchasing soon, called The New York Triology, by (Peter?) Auster. It's a piece of metafiction, I hear, and focuses on identity.
Also, have you heard of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series? Also postmodern, and very unconventional (alternate history is the genre he is writing under, methinks). I read 'The Eyre Affair' which 'took liberties' with Jane Eyre, and am wondering whether to read 'Something Rotten' which is about Hamlet. Of course, I doubt I'll have the time, but I thought I'd share what currently leaps into my head when I think of Crime Fiction.

Oh, and finally - a CF text I really love is The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard - it's a (meta)play.

Comment by Teresa Ralton

February 24th 2009 15:17


MRS SMITH
READ THIS
SISTERS IN CRIME
Hi Pomo
I haven't read The New York Trilogy but I have read 2 other of Paul Auster's books - Oracle Night and The Book of Illusions. I loved them. He's a great writer. Haven't read Jasper Fford or Tom Stoppard, though I have heard that The Real Inspector Hound is very good. So many books, so little time!

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