Dilip Kuner
OLIVE Press editor Jon Clarke is publishing an explosive new book on the Madeleine McCann case.
His investigation is the most comprehensive look at the current prime suspect Christian Brueckner, who he believes could be behind many other unsolved crimes around Europe.
As well as exploring his childhood in Germany and coming face to face with his mother, he gave the lead prosecutor a three-hour grilling on why the investigation is taking so long.
Piecing together the sex offender’s exact movements in the months leading up to the snatch on the Algarve, in 2007, he also traces his frequent trips around Europe.
Described by Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt as ‘tirelessly researched’, the 130,000-word book also takes a close look at many other characters linked to the case.
Fellow TV investigator Donal MacIntyre praised Clarke’s ‘investigative skills’ and added it was ‘a deep dive into a murky underworld, both alarming and compelling’.
As well as analysing any family involvement, the book shines a light on the shambolic police investigation, the world of trolling and the worrying levels of child sex abuse in southern Europe.
Published by Amazon next week, My Search for Madeleine comes after Clarke, 52, took over a dozen trips to Portugal to research the case.
He also traced Brueckner’s many journeys to Andalucia, and Granada in particular, where he made business trips. He also often travelled through Valencia.
As well as working with the British media over the last 14 years, Clarke was closely involved in the benchmark Netflix documentary on the case in 2019.
The father-of-two was the first journalist to arrive in Praia da Luz on the morning after Maddie was snatched on May 3, 2007.
But most recently, he took a few months off to chase a series of intriguing leads around the Iberian Peninsula and Germany.
“It has been an absolutely amazing experience to immerse myself in this harrowing case,” he explained.
“I’ve tracked down and probed so many colourful and bizarre characters.”
He continued: “I looked into the family right from the start and was convinced that they were not involved.
“It is, of course, impossible to know for sure that Brueckner was involved, but he was in the exact right place at the right time and certainly had pedigree as a long term sex offender.
“What I particularly noted was the alarming lack of seriousness the Portuguese police took of sex crimes and the large number of mistakes they made.
“It also made me particularly aware of how many paedophiles live among the expat communities of southern Spain and Portugal.”
My Search for Madeleine is published by Olive Press Books on Amazon . It can also be ordered via [email protected]
