The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe

NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES STARRING MONICA DOLAN (AS 'CANOE WIDOW' ANNE DARWIN) AND EDDIE MARSAN

How did the most ordinary of couples pull off one of the most outrageous frauds of modern times? And why did they carry on with the lie for so long?

Drowning in debt and facing almost certain bankruptcy, John Darwin did the unthinkable - he paddled out to sea in his red canoe and disappeared. After a massive search and rescue operation failed to find his body, he was assumed dead, lost in the bleak North Sea.

But everything was far from what it seemed.

Nearly six years later, after John miraculously returned from the dead with a strange tale of 'amnesia' and sporting a suspicious golden tan, the police and the Press were desperate to discover the truth behind his remarkable resurrection.

Journalist David Leigh was despatched to Panama, where he tracked down John's wife, Anne Darwin, who had started a secretive new life with the insurance money claimed from her husband's 'death'. But what lay behind her decision to move to Central America, thousands of miles away from her family and friends? The truth would gradually unravel during an astonishing week of jaw-dropping revelations.

The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe is the definitive behind-the-scenes account of this true story of audacious deception and coercion, offering an unprecedented insight into a mind-boggling story that gripped the nation - and into the inscrutable minds of 'Canoe Man' John and Anne Darwin, his long-suffering partner in crime.

Perfect for fans of ITV true crime dramas such as Quiz, Des, Manhunt and The Pembrokeshire Murders

“The riveting, jaw-dropping, brilliantly-told story of a barely believable crime that exposes the shocking depths to which some people will plunge for money.”

-- Piers Morgan
The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe tells the story of surely the most outrageous fraud of modern times - and my favourite kind of drama is when the outrageous comes from the prosaic. As breath-taking as their pulling this deception off in the first place, is how spectacularly the couple wrecked it for themselves as soon as they had got away with it. -- Monica Dolan
David Leigh steers us masterfully through one of the most enthralling true crime stories I have ever read. -- Chris Lang, writer and creator of the critically acclaimed and award-winning Unforgotten

David Leigh (Author)

David Leigh is an award-winning British investigative journalist and author living and working out of Miami. He is a member of the UK Crime Writers Association. Before moving to Florida to work as Senior News Director for a celebrated news and photographic agency, Leigh worked for British newspapers, including the Daily Mirror, where during his 12-year tenure he worked as a Senior Reporter, News Editor and Foreign Editor covering news stories across the world. He then spent three years as Assistant Editor (Head of News) at the Daily Express, where he oversaw coverage of stories including the 9/11 terrorist atrocities, the Second Gulf War, and the fall of Saddam Hussein.

He won two prestigious awards, the National Association of News Agencies' News Story of the Year and the London Press Club's Scoop of the Year, for his reporting on the incredible 'John Darwin; Canoe Man' story regarding the former school teacher from the north of England who faked his own death and secretly started a new life in Panama, Central America. He later co-wrote Anne Darwin's book, Out of My Depth.

Tony Hutchinson (Author)

Months after completing his 'A' Levels in 1978, Tony Hutchinson was pounding the streets of Hartlepool wearing a police uniform and dreaming of being a detective. By the time John 'Canoe Man' Darwin walked into a London police station in December 2007 and uttered the immortal words, 'I think I am a missing person', Tony had gone from a fresh-faced 'bobby on the beat' to Head of Cleveland Police's Murder Team. Thirty years of hunting thieves, killers and every type of criminal in between, nothing catapulted him in front of the worldwide media like John and Anne Darwin. Now retired, he has had four novels published in his Dark Tides thriller series.

NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES STARRING MONICA DOLAN (AS 'CANOE WIDOW' ANNE DARWIN) AND EDDIE MARSAN How did the most ordinary of couples pull off one of the most outrageous frauds of modern times? And why did they carry on with the lie for so long? Drowning in debt and facing almost certain bankruptcy, John Darwin did the unthinkable - he paddled out to sea in his red canoe and disappeared. After a massive search and rescue operation failed to find his body, he was assumed dead, lost in the bleak North Sea. But everything was far from what it seemed. Nearly six years later, after John miraculously returned from the dead with a strange tale of 'amnesia' and sporting a suspicious golden tan, the police and the Press were desperate to discover the truth behind his remarkable resurrection. Journalist David Leigh was despatched to Panama, where he tracked down John's wife, Anne Darwin, who had started a secretive new life with the insurance money claimed from her husband's 'death'. But what lay behind her decision to move to Central America, thousands of miles away from her family and friends? The truth would gradually unravel during an astonishing week of jaw-dropping revelations. The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe is the definitive behind-the-scenes account of this true story of audacious deception and coercion, offering an unprecedented insight into a mind-boggling story that gripped the nation - and into the inscrutable minds of 'Canoe Man' John and Anne Darwin, his long-suffering partner in crime. Perfect for fans of ITV true crime dramas such as Quiz , Des , Manhunt and The Pembrokeshire Murders

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