Book Description

Reginald Wingfield Spence Brown is delighted when his first granddaughter is born. But just after the little girl's first Christmas, her loved and respected grandfather disappears from family life. Reg Brown does not willingly desert his family. The accountant simply takes the bus to work and apart from a police escorted visit, never again returns to his home in St Lucia, a middle-class, riverside suburb of Brisbane. He is arrested for the sexually motivated murder of his typist, Bronia Armstrong. This is a book about the investigation into what became known as the 'Arcade Murder', led by Sub-Inspector (later Police Commissioner) Frank Bischof. The 'big fella' liked to wrap up a case quickly. Just days after a life sentence is handed down to Reg Brown, his emaciated body is removed from a Boggo Road Gaol cell, along with a handwritten note declaring his innocence. The authors, two of Reg Brown's granddaughters, search for answers as they navigate a path through the archived records, revealing numerous anomalies; police and Crown prejudice; a lack of accountability and suppressed evidence. Well known Queensland identities are unexpectedly discovered in the fabric of this tale. Personal memories breathe life into court transcripts and police files and a heart-breaking story evolves. Bronia Armstrong is a vivacious and beautiful 19 year old again and Reg Brown speaks with a voice he has long been denied.