Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33793 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

well researched and thoughtful.....................
before I read this book I checked up on the other reviewers comments about this book - one gave it 5 stars and one gave it one. The one star reviewer thought that it was badly researched and just rehashed rumour etc etc etc. I have to agree though with the five star reviewer. It certainly seemed to me that Barry Collins had researched the whole book extremely thoroughly and not in a salacious way. He gave us detailed background on Portugals legal system in an authorititive manner which helped to explain the difficulties that the average UK resident had in understanding Portugals different methods. Yes every piece of information that concerned Madeleine's disappearance was in here BUT only to show that there were many such sightings and therefore were difficult to follow up due to the sheer volume. I do not feel in any way that this book sensationalised this extrememly sad case.

This book aims to be as far as possible a complete account of the case - therefore Barry Collins would be failing in that aim if he hadn't included every piece of info relating the Madeleine's disappearance. But I feel he does it in a most respectful way. He has his own view about what happened but does not shove it down your throat. Even his opinions about the McCanns leaving their daughter for over two hours each evening in an unlocked ground floor apartment out of sight of where they were dining each night was not superior or censorious although he was able to make it clear of his disapproval of what happened. Recommended

Fair and Factual
It seems impossible to get at the truth of this case. Goncalo Amaral's book, the 'Truth of the Lie', which appears to be available in English on a website of the book title as one word dot com, has been made unpublishable in the UK in book form. The McCann's and their expensive PR / legal team dispute the claims of Amaral. There are only a few books people interested in the case can obtain. There is a leaflet published by the Madeleine Foundation, but the McCann's have employed the rich people's libel lawyers Carter Ruck to try to prevent that. And there is this book by Danny Williams.


This is a fair and factual book - a book written by an objective and professionally-minded journalist. Should the McCanns have left their children while they went out drinking and eating? Danny Williams interviews staff on the resort who clearly disapproved of it. They note that the tapas bar was 'two and a half minutes' walk away. Too far to leave your children?

Since even Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns PR, has gone on record as saying the McCanns admit this was 'wrong' and a 'mistake' (interviews with Jon Gaunt and the Independent) it is difficult to argue that they did the right thing in leaving Madeleine in this way.

A well written and thoughtful book - recommended to readers who want to read an account that does not originate from the McCann PR machine, but is still fair and clear-sighted.

EXCELLENT
Well written book about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. This book has been well researched by the author. It is an unbiased account of the tragic night and the events that followed following Madeleine's disappearance.

This book looks into various theories as to what could have happened based on the evidence. Collins has researched child abduction particularly in Portugal and this book will be an eye opener for the public many of whom holiday in Portugal. I have in fact visited Praia de Luz several times, it is a beautiful little town, as we holiday in Portugal every year.

Collins has obviously inside knowledge of the case and claims to have been in touch with one of the detectives of the case but does not name his source. Indeed many questions that readers will want to ask are cleared up in this book. Some of the proceeds of the book are going to the Madeleine fund.

Whilsn reading this book the reader will feel desparately sorry for the McCanns the fact that they left the patio door open and the children alone is a decision that they alone will have to bear. I hope Collins is correct in his assumption that Madeleine wandered off through the open door and was spirited away maybe to another country is true and that she will be found alive someday.

KEEP LOOKING OUT FOR MADELEINE