The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder Trial (Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper & Sarah Krasnostein, Text)

The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder Trial by Helen Garner (This House of Grief), Chloe Hooper (The Arsonist) and Sarah Krasnostein (The Trauma Cleaner) brings together 3 of Australia’s most celebrated nonfiction writers in a remarkable collaboration. In 2023, a family lunch hosted by Erin Patterson turned tragic when several guests fell ill after eating the Beef Wellington she served. It was later discovered that the dish contained death cap mushrooms. Three of her guests died, and a fourth was left in a coma. Two years later, Patterson stood trial, charged with 3 counts of murder and one of attempted murder. Far from a conventional true-crime retelling, The Mushroom Tapes draws readers in through its innovative format: a blend of narrative storytelling and transcribed conversations between Garner, Hooper and Krasnostein as they travel to and from the trial, visit the small town of Leongatha where the events transpired, and reflect on the intense media scrutiny surrounding the case. The narrative sections recount the key events of the crime and trial, sketch the lives of the accused and her victims and explore contextual details – including the biology of the death cap mushroom itself. Together, the authors interrogate the public’s fascination with Patterson – a seemingly ordinary woman turned murderer – while probing the boundaries between curiosity, judgement and empathy. The Mushroom Tapes is an utterly absorbing exploration of how these writers think: questioning, rationalising and reflecting on female criminality, morality and the ethics of storytelling. It will appeal to readers of true crime and those interested in literary nonfiction, media culture and the psychology behind our collective fascination with real-life tragedy.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Jess Lomas is the reviews editor at Books+Publishing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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