My Brother the Killer

At 8.00am on Monday 18th June 2001, Danielle Jones left home dressed in her schoolgirl uniform—and promptly vanished.

The 15-year old’s body was never recovered, but Danielle’s parents soon learned that her ‘Uncle Stuart’, a close family friend, had concealed a decades-long history of sexual violence against teenage girls. Despite the absence of a body, Stuart Campbell was jailed in 2002 for Danielle’s abduction and murder, and sentenced to life in prison. But how did Stuart Campbell become a violent sexual predator? What set him on a path of lies, abduction, treachery and murder? And how do you come to terms with his actions if he’s your own flesh and blood?

Part true crime biography, part memoir, My Brother the Killer examines the factors that shaped a bright and handsome little boy into a recidivist criminal, and eventually into one of Britain’s most notorious killers. Stuart’s older brother Alix Sharkey takes readers on an intimate journey through their violent childhood, troubled teens, and eventual estrangement, culminating with Stuart’s arrest and national infamy during one of the UK’s most unusual murder trials. Sharkey traces his brother’s secret life and details the hideous crime that—having snuffed out one young life and shattered many others—brought the two brothers face-to-face again. Along the way, he explores some terrifying questions: what happens when you discover a deadly sexual predator in your family? And can any man explain—or atone for—his brother’s heinous crimes? And with the clock ticking as Stuart Campbell awaits a possible parole, can he be convinced to come clean and end the agony of Danielle’s family, finally giving up the location of her remains?

A unique and devastating family memoir, My Brother the Killer examines the consequences of fear, lies, shame and silence, and the true costs of keeping dark family secrets.