This non-fiction true crime book contains twelve stories of what can happen when a marriage breaks down. As such I don’t recommend it to anyone going through divorce, or contemplating it! For everyone else this is a fascinating look at the worst case scenario.
I am a big fan of Tammy Cohen’s fictional books, especially the element of humour that laces the pages, this aspect is necessarily missing from this book, which was penned before these were published. The twelve stories within this book which was published in 2007, come from the late 90s early 2000s from both sides of the Atlantic and with both sexes being the perpetrator.
To give you a flavour the first crime in the book is that of an English woman who murdered her ex-husband’s lover, to be specific she shot her at the salon she ran in a quiet English town. With the information gleaned from the trial and reporting at the time Tammy seeks to give the reasons behind the killing, looking at the state of mind of the murderer in the weeks and months leading up to the shooting. It is a sad tale, as are all the stories in this book, it is hard to contemplate that two people, who once swore to love each other forever, can be driven to a state of outright hate which leads to the ultimate act of revenge.
This isn’t a terribly in-depth book, to really understand the motives of each and everyone of the crimes would have meant that this book was far too long, it does however give an insight into this type of crime. You may, as I did, remember some of the horrific acts committed in the name of love! Unfortunately as I worked through the book (in the space of a day) it did feel a little repetitive purely because this type of crime is typically committed by a person who feels that they have been wronged and they want to destroy the person that they feel has destroyed their life.
I have to admit some of the tales recounted, will stay with me for some time, as the perpetrators will have learned as they live with their actions for the rest of their lives.
Fiction Books by Tammy Cohen (aka Tamara Cohen) Highly recommended by cleopatralovesbooks
Previous books by Tammy Cohen (some written under her given name of Tamara Cohen)
The Mistress’s Revenge
The War of the Wives (note to self I NEED a copy of this one)
Someone Else’s Wedding
The Broken
Dying for Christmas
First One Missing
I have to say not one for me. As much as I love fictional crime I’m not such a big fan of the real thing.
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It’s not for everyone, I prefer it when it is firmly in the past but my brother has a huge collection and I can’t resist pulling something off his shelf each time I visit 🙂
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This does sound interesting, Cleo. And certainly it’s a cautionary tale for those who are married…
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It is the fact behind the ‘you never really know someone’ phrase!
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The period during a divorce or separation is “hot” and people are prone to behave more emotionally. So I find it chilling when ex-spouses murder a former partner when the divorce is cold.
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I totally agree, it is chilling to think someone can harbour the hate over a longer period of time and plot to kill someone they presumably once loved.
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I think I may have read something by this author, but none of those titles ring a bell…so off to check them out!
Thanks for sharing….enjoy!
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Thank you – her latest are darker but The Mistress’s Revenge had me chuckling out loud – one of those books I’ll never forget.
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I can see how the stories would start to run the same after all, if you will. Intriguing idea for a nonfiction book though.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com
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Yes quite a nice little collection to dip in and out of and it’s always good to find out what favourite authors did before writing excellent fiction books.
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This sounds very intriguing but I think I might try get fiction first.
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Her fiction books are excellent and vary in genre although all laced with great humour – I definitely recommend them!
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