Milat is the confronting story of the serial killer who preyed
upon young women backpacking through Australia, raping and murdering without
remorse. Author Clive Small, a senior detective on the case is methodical and
clinical in his recollection of the case itself, procedures, process and
investigative methods used to put Ivan Milat behind bars. Whilst interesting in
a morbid way, this approach did result in a monotonous dour tone which at times
led to distraction.
True crime readers wanting to know more about the backpacker
murders will get what they are after in full gore through the harsh reality of,
well, reality. Ivan is a brutal murderer with no redeeming qualities as is
evident by Small’s writing of the book. Whilst the detail is hard to swallow at
times, the devil needs to be brought to light to fully paint the picture that
is Milat and the heinous crimes he committed.
Towards the later stages of the book, the author sidesteps
Milat to detail other crimes he’s either been part of from a policing point of
view or those which are likened to the backpacker murders. These vinaigrette's
are insightful but all too brief. The case of a Milat family member (not Ivan) brutally
murdering his mate whilst another filmed it is downright scary and warrants
more page time. Returning to Milat towards the end provides a glimpse at the
murderer maintaining his innocence though contradicting himself on occasion.
His prison health and mental stability are also well documented.
Narrated by Peter Hosking, Milat felt at times like a
lengthy nightly news bulletin. I did have to concentrate heavily through the
more dour passages than I would’ve liked as the monotone was near sleep inducing,
particularly late at night. (Tip -
listen during the day). That said, Hosking’s Australian accent works perfect
for this book and the narration itself was good enough to keep me listening.
I’d give Milat a 3 / 5.
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