True Crime Conversations [Audiobook Review]

The Mushroom Tapes by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper & Sarah Krasnostein is an unusually intimate and quietly gripping piece of true-crime reportage, less a linear retelling of a high-profile trial than a chorus of reflections from three of Australia’s esteemed authors.

Key points:

Recorded across the months they attended the trial of Erin Patterson in 2025, the book weaves together their conversations, courtroom excerpts, and encounters with locals in Leongatha, creating a textured, ground-level view of the community surrounding the so-called “mushroom murder” case.

As an audiobook, it shines. Hearing Garner, Hooper, and Krasnostein narrate their own thoughts adds a confessional quality that text alone could never capture. The authors move fluidly between sharp legal observation, personal anecdote, and philosophical musing.

Their willingness to reveal pieces of their own lives as the trial unfolds gives the narrative surprising emotional depth.

These glimpses into their personal histories enrich the listening experience, offering a counterpoint to the starkness of courtroom evidence.

As an audiobook, hearing the authors narrate their own thoughts adds a confessional quality that text alone could never capture.

This is not, however, a beginner’s guide to the case.

The authors assume listeners come in with at least a working knowledge of the Erin Patterson trial.

While the courtroom material included here reflects what was heard during the trial, the emphasis of the book is squarely on the writers’ interpretations, questions, and shifting intuitions.

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For listeners who followed only media reports or podcasts at the time, it’s intriguing to hear how the writers processed information still restricted to the public during the trial period, and how their perspectives evolved day by day.

One of the most compelling aspects of the audiobook is the candour with which the authors disagree, not only with each other but with their own earlier assumptions.

One of the most compelling aspects of the audiobook is the candour with which the authors disagree.

Their intellectual sparring and the ebb and flow of their thought processes are refreshing in a genre that often demands certainty.

Another striking thread is their examination of the religious faith of the Patterson and Wilkinson families.

None of the authors speak from a place of personal faith, and their attempts to understand what Christian belief meant to those involved add nuance and an unexpected dimension to the narrative.

While I didn’t agree with every opinion expressed, the audiobook’s strength lies precisely in its openness, its willingness to sit with ambiguity, to question itself, and to acknowledge the limits of outside observation.

For true-crime listeners interested not only in what happened, but in how thoughtful people grapple with tragedy, complexity, and the ethics of witnessing, The Mushroom Tapes is a rich and rewarding listen.

Please note: there is some swearing and also crude comments. This audiobook is not suitable for listening with children around.

A note for listeners: there is some swearing and one section includes crude comments, and given both the language and the sensitive subject matter, this audiobook is not suitable for listening with children around.

I give this 4 out of 5 stars.

Review supplied by Linda Ananin

Feature image: Penguin