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The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe cover art

The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe

Written by: David Leigh, Tony Hutchinson
Narrated by: David Morley Hale
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Publisher's Summary

Now a major tv series starring Monica Dolan (as 'Canoe Widow' Anne Darwin) and Eddie Marsan.

How did the most ordinary of couples pull off one of the most outrageous frauds of modern times? And why did they carry on with the lie for so long?

Drowning in debt and facing almost certain bankruptcy, John Darwin did the unthinkable - he paddled out to sea in his red canoe and disappeared. After a massive search and rescue operation failed to find his body, he was assumed dead, lost in the bleak North Sea.

But everything was far from what it seemed.

Nearly six years later, after John miraculously returned from the dead with a strange tale of 'amnesia' and sporting a suspicious golden tan, the police and the Press were desperate to discover the truth behind his remarkable resurrection.

Journalist David Leigh was despatched to Panama, where he tracked down John's wife, Anne Darwin, who had started a secretive new life with the insurance money claimed from her husband's 'death'. But what lay behind her decision to move to Central America, thousands of miles away from her family and friends? The truth would gradually unravel during an astonishing week of jaw-dropping revelations.

The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe is the definitive behind-the-scenes account of this true story of audacious deception and coercion, offering an unprecedented insight into a mind-boggling story that gripped the nation - and into the inscrutable minds of 'Canoe Man' John and Anne Darwin, his long-suffering partner in crime.

Perfect for fans of ITV true crime dramas such as Quiz, Des, Manhunt and The Pembrokeshire Murders.
©2022 David Leigh and Anthony Hutchison (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
True Crime
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Profile Image for Karen

Interesting true crime

I had not previously heard of these events, and I'm fascinated by stories of people who fake their own deaths.

This is the story of one of the most arrogant men on the planet, and his ridiculous wife. *sigh* When will people realize that- just because you're married to someone, it doesn't mean you have to follow their stupid instructions!

John Darwin was in serious debt. So, he did what most people would not do, and rather than admit defeat, declare bankruptcy and get help, he decided to fake his own death via canoe accident on an extraordinarily calm day off the east coast of Britain and have his wife, Anne, collect the insurance money.

It's crazy, but the really crazy thing is that it worked !!!!! That is, until Mr. Brainiac and his wife - with a plan to buy hundreds of acres of land in Panama and open a resort - needed special visas that they realized would not withstand his newly adopted fake identity. Rather than abandon this hairbrained resort idea, they doubled down and John "miraculously" showed up back home in Britain to regain his true identity, claiming a convenient case of amnesia (which came and went with alarming regularity during his trial).

Mrs. Brainiac goes along with the whole thing, never telling their grown sons the truth, and telling them their father had died.

What happens between John's "disappearance" and reappearance is pure British comedy gold. Sorry, Anne, but from this side of the law, it's pretty funny.

Author David Leigh befriended Anne Darwin and even got her confession while reporting on this story. He does a good job, but his tabloid experience comes through in his writing and the book is a bit too self-serving. However, he has written an interesting book and, as someone without access to iTV or BritBox (therefore no ability to view the TV series based on this book), I was grateful for it.

The author presents the absurd details of this story with dry humour and it did give me a few laughs. There is a lot of interesting detail to the story. At times it seemed a bit repetitive but it wasn't too distracting.

Recommended for true crime fans.

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