I was doing a blog hop a few days back, and I saw on one of the blogs I visit a link to another blog "The Memoirs of the Unholy Trinity" - this triggered something in my head. I remembered reading a book called Unholy Trinity by one Alan John written in 1989.
The ISBN Number for this book is ISBN 9971-65-205-6 and I did a google search for the book ... other than being listed in Crime/Police/Security I could find no online synopsis to share with you ...
Alan John who wrote this was born in 1953 and educated in St. John's Instituition and the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. His first job was a reporter for Malaysia's New Straits Times. He moved to Singapore in 1980 to join The Straits Times and was a local new copy editor when the Tao Payoh child killings occurred. Unholy Trinity was his first book.
I have the book. A little worn with time. I think I picked it up at some sale for less than RM2 - and it lay on my bookshelf for some time before I ventured to read it. I won't say that its written in any riveting form that would keep the reader glued to it. However it's factual and to the point.
I have googled to see if any other books were written by Alan John, so far no luck.
What is the Unholy Trinity about? Have you ever heard of the Adrian Lim Murders in the 1980s that shocked and rocked our neighbour across the border? It's also called the Tao Payoh Killings. The link above is a good summary of the chronology of events.
To plagiarize Alan John's cover synopsis :
"The Straits Times, November 26th 1988 : And the Unholy Trinity was no more ...
It all began with the discovery of the bodies of two children in early 1981. A trail of bloodstains led to the flat of Adrian Lim, and thus began the most bizarre murder trial ever held in Singapore with revelations of spirit worship, unnatural sex, and murder
The killings provided a larger-than-life graphic warning to those who are too ready to seek supernatural shortchuts to deal with unhappiness. This book provides an extraordinary view of Singapore in the 1980s - modern, dynamic and spanking new on the outside, but, just below the shiny surface, also a home to charlatans like Lim, who could profit from the folly of those willing to place their lives and spiritual well-being in his hands."
Those who don't fancy graphical blood and gore type details should probably skip reading. Adrian Lim was one sick bastard! and those who went to him for his so called 'powers' - well I guess you can pretty much sum up they were really sorry sods as well.
They made a movie on this apparently in Singapore. Any Singaporeans aware of this? Which apparently didn't win the reviewers. I was too young back then to have gone for a PG rated movie on my own. So I wonder if it's to be found anywhere. If the movie is as slow moving as the book - I can imagine why the ho hum type reviews.
And the killings of the children, it makes me fooking pissed off angry. Kinda reminded me of our own infamous Mona Fandey and did you know a 2007 movie was made based on her life? It's called Dukun. Amir Muhammad also made a short film in 2002 called Mona for his 6horts series.
Anyways ... this was just triggered because of a blog title ... although most certainly the contents of the blog have nothing to do with Adrian Lim or his strange acts. While Googling around, I was suddenly reminded of Bentong Kali and Botak Chin (another movie in production) ... I have some thoughts on these two as well (not likely what the 'protectors' of our innocence would like to hear no doubt) ... both shot to smithereens during our infamously attention seeking IGP in the days of yore Zaman Khan - who can forget that pose upon the rubble of the Highland Towers tragedy.
~.ani over did the net surfing you probably think?~
The ISBN Number for this book is ISBN 9971-65-205-6 and I did a google search for the book ... other than being listed in Crime/Police/Security I could find no online synopsis to share with you ...
Alan John who wrote this was born in 1953 and educated in St. John's Instituition and the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. His first job was a reporter for Malaysia's New Straits Times. He moved to Singapore in 1980 to join The Straits Times and was a local new copy editor when the Tao Payoh child killings occurred. Unholy Trinity was his first book.
I have the book. A little worn with time. I think I picked it up at some sale for less than RM2 - and it lay on my bookshelf for some time before I ventured to read it. I won't say that its written in any riveting form that would keep the reader glued to it. However it's factual and to the point.
I have googled to see if any other books were written by Alan John, so far no luck.
What is the Unholy Trinity about? Have you ever heard of the Adrian Lim Murders in the 1980s that shocked and rocked our neighbour across the border? It's also called the Tao Payoh Killings. The link above is a good summary of the chronology of events.
To plagiarize Alan John's cover synopsis :
"The Straits Times, November 26th 1988 : And the Unholy Trinity was no more ...
It all began with the discovery of the bodies of two children in early 1981. A trail of bloodstains led to the flat of Adrian Lim, and thus began the most bizarre murder trial ever held in Singapore with revelations of spirit worship, unnatural sex, and murder
The killings provided a larger-than-life graphic warning to those who are too ready to seek supernatural shortchuts to deal with unhappiness. This book provides an extraordinary view of Singapore in the 1980s - modern, dynamic and spanking new on the outside, but, just below the shiny surface, also a home to charlatans like Lim, who could profit from the folly of those willing to place their lives and spiritual well-being in his hands."
Those who don't fancy graphical blood and gore type details should probably skip reading. Adrian Lim was one sick bastard! and those who went to him for his so called 'powers' - well I guess you can pretty much sum up they were really sorry sods as well.
They made a movie on this apparently in Singapore. Any Singaporeans aware of this? Which apparently didn't win the reviewers. I was too young back then to have gone for a PG rated movie on my own. So I wonder if it's to be found anywhere. If the movie is as slow moving as the book - I can imagine why the ho hum type reviews.
And the killings of the children, it makes me fooking pissed off angry. Kinda reminded me of our own infamous Mona Fandey and did you know a 2007 movie was made based on her life? It's called Dukun. Amir Muhammad also made a short film in 2002 called Mona for his 6horts series.
Anyways ... this was just triggered because of a blog title ... although most certainly the contents of the blog have nothing to do with Adrian Lim or his strange acts. While Googling around, I was suddenly reminded of Bentong Kali and Botak Chin (another movie in production) ... I have some thoughts on these two as well (not likely what the 'protectors' of our innocence would like to hear no doubt) ... both shot to smithereens during our infamously attention seeking IGP in the days of yore Zaman Khan - who can forget that pose upon the rubble of the Highland Towers tragedy.
~.ani over did the net surfing you probably think?~
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