BABY FARMERS

In the tradition of The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher comes this true and shocking tale of systematic murders and subsequent cover-ups.

The most common murder victim in 19th century Australia was a baby, and the most common perpetrator was a woman. In October 1892, a one-month-old baby boy was found buried in the backyard of Sarah and John Makin, two wretchedly poor baby farmers in inner Sydney. In the weeks that followed, 12 more babies were found buried in the backyards of other houses in which the Makins had lived. Through the diligence of a local constable, this resulted in the most infamous trial in Australian legal history, and exposed the shocking underworld of desperate mothers, drugged and starving babies, and a black market in the sale of children. Annie Cossins pieces together a dramatic and tragic tale with larger than life characters: syphilitic Sarah Makin, her smooth-talking husband John, Constable James Joyce with curious domestic arrangements of his own, an unmarried couple, and a network of baby farmers stretching across the country. It's a glimpse into a society that only a century ago preferred to turn a blind eye to the fate of its most vulnerable members. Annie Cossins is an author, actor, and an Associate Professor in the Law School at the University of NSW. In 2009 she played the role of Sarah Makin in an episode of the television series, Deadly Women.