BOOK CLUB: Murder at the Fort

Click to rate this book!
[Total: 3 Average: 4.7]

Murder at The Fort by Bob Marmion is a true crime, cold case murder mystery. It’s set in 1942 in Victoria during World War II.

Roy Willis had been shot a number of times with a military revolver and left by the side of the road. He was a truck driver for the army.

Three months later, Gunner John Hulston went missing while on guard duty. Two other men were fired upon, one was wounded, during the search for John. When his body was found 10 days later, he had also been shot with a military revolver.

The question is, are the two crimes linked, and who was responsible? The range of possibilities keeps you engrossed throughout the entire book.

The case was never solved. There were disagreements between the police and the army, files were lost or missing. 

But, a young soldier made a startling discovery on the beach during the search and was whisked away, sworn to secrecy, and sent to fight overseas. Amazingly he survived and eventually shared his story.

What was it that the Army didn’t want the public to know?

Bob Marmion’s research is outstanding and the result of ten years of work searching through the government archives and police records. He also interviewed people with first-hand knowledge of the events.

The story takes us on a historical journey in Australia during these war years, and both soldiers were stationed at Fort Queenscliff.  Fort Queenscliff and the surrounding area played an important part during the war. It was positioned near Geelong, set on the coastline to protect key infrastructure from enemy invasion. The list includes the ports of Melbourne and Geelong, the power station, and munitions industries, from enemy invasion.

And, the list of main characters and army ranks at the front of the book is helpful in understanding events. The many photos of places and people involved make the events real.

I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about events in Australia during World War II. I hadn’t really considered why stockings were so hard to get and how the black market operated.

Although there are a range of possibilities as to who the murderer was and why the two men were murdered, Bob Marmion does leave us with the most probable conclusion.

The book is well written and is not too long. Lovers of history, crime, and unsolved murders will really enjoy this one.

A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Murder at the Fort by Bob Marmion. You can read the comments below, or add your own review.

You may also like Code Red:

9 thoughts on “BOOK CLUB: Murder at the Fort

  1. Thank you, Beauty & Lace, for allowing me to read and review ‘Murder at the Fort by Bob Marmon’.
    A cold case double murder mystery dating back to 1942 in rural Victoria. Two Australian soldiers were murdered in separate incidents, three months apart, whilst protecting the Victorian coastline from potential Japanese invasion. Their cases were never solved.
    Through revisiting all the known and sometimes surmised facts t, this book provides the background story of the murders of Roy Willis and John Hulston and the potential possibilities that may have occurred on those fateful days.
    I found this to be an interesting read, learning about how paranoid Australian society was about the potential invasion and how the deaths of two soldiers have never been resolved, even after such a long time. Thank you ‘Beauty & Lace Bookclub’ for the opportunity to read ‘Murder at the Fort by Bob Marmon’

  2. Thank you Beauty and Lace for the offer to review Murder at the Fort by Bob Marmion.

    The book is about two murders that happened in 1942, they both seem connected to Fort Queenscliff.
    Driver Roy Willis is found on the roadside having been shot several times. Three months later Gunner Johnny Hurston vanishes while on duty and his body is found along the coastline ten days later also with bullet wounds. Two soldiers found what seemed like drag marks from the gate down towards the beach. Both had been shot with .455 calibre army revolver so they were both connected but how? and by who? The book delves into missing police files and the difference of opinion about the case between the police and the army and an attempted concealment.

    There are many twists and turns in this book and as I was reading it I kept reminding myself that it was all true. I really loved this book, I am a fan of true crime and this did not disappoint.

  3. Murder at the Fort by BoB Marmion,
    This is a book worth reading if you like real crime .
    I love the main characters Roy Willis who is a returned soldier from World War 1 .who then is called up for service in World War II who is found murdered in Bellarine Peninsula in May 1942.
    John Hulston, Only 17 years of age joined up in 1942 ,he was also murdered 3 months later .
    This story is about these two men who were both shot and killed murdered but by who and what was being covered up .
    The black and white pictures give you an insight what it was like during the wars .
    A lot went on then corruption , missing police files, and an attempted cover up which went all the way to the Deputy Prime ministers office .
    Thank-you beauty and lace I really enjoyed reading this very intense and unbelievable true crime story .

  4. Thank you to Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Murder at the Fort by Bob Marmion.

    Murder at the Fort covers two unsolved murders that happened in 1942 and 1943 during World War 2 at an Army camp in Victoria. Never solved, mystery surrounds the murders 80 years later.

    This is a very well researched and written book covering a famous Australian cold case. It includes pictures of the locations and provides an in depth review of the circumstances. Definitely a great book for lovers of true crime!

    Thanks again

  5. Murder at the Fort by Bob Marmion is about 2 murders in 1942,
    roughly 3 months apart that are still unofficially unsolved.
    The victims were both Australian Military.
    This book is jammed packed full of facts about both murders.
    Lovers of Australian War will really enjoy this book.
    Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Big Sky Publishing
    for the opportunity to read and review this book.

  6. Murder at the Fort by Bob Marmion was a really interesting and fascinating read. A great murder mystery that happens to be the recounting of true events about two actual murders which occurred within a short space of time from each other in Victoria in 1942. Both victims, Roy Willis and John Hulston were members of the Australian Defence and both were apparently murdered with the same weapon, used by Defence personnel.

    This is not a typical genre for me and I wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy it, but found the whole book fascinating and rich with information and colourful descriptions which made it easy to imagine the setting and people involved. Bob Marmion presented the facts in an interesting and easy to read manner and drew them together to make his own summation of events and conclusions which are totally plausible. The likelihood that the murderer/s is known to authorities but never able to be brought to justice, probably due to a lack of tangible evidence that would stand up in court, is sobering in light of the callous manner the two men were killed.

    10 years of research went into this book and that was obvious with the level of detail and amount of information it contained. I also appreciated the list of main characters and notes about them before the preface, which I referred back to a number of times whilst reading.

    Thank you Beauty and Lace and Big Sky Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Murder at the Fort. I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend this book.

  7. Wow…. This book sure left me wishing that i could solve the case. I long to know exactly what happened with these two murders.
    True life is often more interesting then the stories that are made up and this book certainly grabbed my attention.
    An awesome book for anyone that is interested in WW2 history, Australian Military history and/or murder mysteries. Loads of facts with cross refrences that youi can research yourself if interested. I love the inclusions of the photographs so we can put faces to the names which helps to make them more real to the reader.

  8. Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Murder At The Fort by Bob Marmion.

    If you love true crime, you will absolutely love this book!!

    With twists and turns, this book will keep you turning those pages.

    Well described, with pictures for reference to help understand the characters.

    Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

  9. Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to review Murder at the Fort by Bobs Marmion.

    Murder at the true story of a double homicide and good case cover-up of Roy Willis and John Hulston in rural Victoria, 1942.

    The level of research in this true crime story, is commendable! Well researched, including photos and in depth locations, facts and figures, this book is an 80 year old unsolved mystery that the reader can visualise through the pages due to the facts and detail and locations contained within. This intriguing murder mystery is a highly recommended read for true crime enthusiasts, however after finishing the story, it does feel frustrating it remains unsolved!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *