The Wire

Best-selling author, Susan Mitchell, has written a book covering the Snowtown serial killings. The book entitled, ‘All things bright and beautiful: Murder in the city of light’, has just been released in South Australia, home to the infamous murders. Mitchell, who grew up in Adelaide, says South Australia’s reputation as the ‘bizarre crimes state’ is incorrect. In her book, she says bizarre crimes are not specific to Adelaide, but rather low socio-economic suburbs create disenfranchised people, which creates crime. Ms Mitchell writes about the poverty of Adelaide’s northern suburbs and how this poverty affected Snowtown serial killer, James Bunting. She says society must not ignore the flow-on effects of economic hardship. Susan Mitchell spoke with Cath Kenneally.