Little Deaths is inspired by the true story of Alice Crimmins who was tried for the murder of her two young children in Queens, New York in 1965, and oh my, what a compelling story this is!
We are introduced to the mother, now Ruth Malone, who lives in an apartment in Queens whose two children Frankie and Cindy went missing from their bedroom. With little Cindy found strangled in a nearby parking lot a day later, Frankie remained missing for a further ten days, and then he too was found murdered. Despite the horrible crime as the book unfolds we see that Ruth was tried, not as much on hard evidence but because the former cocktail waitress did not behave as the public expects a bereaved mother to act.
I was instantly drawn into the tale, the world that Ruth lived in is one that is relatively easy to sympathise with. Her life hadn’t turned out as she expected, her dreams stunted by the birth of her two children and then she separated from her husband Frank. At the time the children went missing the two were locked in a custody battle with Ruth determined not to relinquish her children but at the same time nor was she going to live like a nun. Contrary to the working class values that was Queens at that time, her neighbours disapproved of her association with a number of other men,added to which she cared about her appearance, drank and smoked. The hard truth is that Ruth wanted more from her life but did that mean she was the one who killed the children? The countless crimes against Ruth mount throughout the book as the police, certain of her guilt, have her under almost constant surveillance so when she buys a new dress soon after Cindy’s body was found, her guilt was almost confirmed.
Emma Flint has provided us with one of the most complex of female characters and each incident can be viewed from differing angles and the conclusions made will depend on which angle you consider to be most realistic. This creation really takes the book way beyond a simple rehash of the crime itself. I felt I knew Ruth, I could both identify with some of her thoughts whilst at other times wonder why she made life quite so hard for herself, after all she was far from stupid – perhaps that was her downfall?
In the mix of characters we have Ruth’s mother, her ex Frank, a couple of male friends, the police and the crime reporter determined to make a name for himself, Pete Wonicke, whose obsession with the case added a whole other layer of interest to the story. On the sidelines are the former babysitter and other neighbours all who are pertinent, maybe not to the main mystery but in building the picture of the time and place. The atmosphere of this book was really spot on for both and part of what I loved so much was the feeling of being transported to a different world. The third person narrative was entirely appropriate for the book which is an exploration of values of the time as much as a murder mystery.
I know it is a cliché but once I started this book I simply couldn’t put it down, and as a result of how wrapped up in Ruth’s story I became, have spent my time since with an obsession with Alice Crimmins. From my research I can confirm that the author has clearly done hers although I’m sure the book had far more impact because I read it before learning about the case that inspired it.
I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of this book from the publishers Picador and this review is my unbiased thanks to them.
First Published UK: 12 January 2017
Publisher: Picador
No of Pages: 320
Genre: Crime Fiction
Amazon UK
Amazon US
This sounds really gripping. I would find it hard to read in places, I think 😦
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The crime is horrific but the book is really about how Ruth was viewed, very much a character study and how she was judged by her peers…
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I’ve heard such good things about this. I definitely want to read it, despite the difficult subject matter.
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It’s well worth a read as it is far more about public perception of Ruth than the crime itself – parallels to trials by social media today…
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Another novel based on a true crime! I’m rubbing my hands – thank you Cleo, it’s gone on the list.
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There have been some spectacular entries in this genre this year – this was superb!
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Wonderful review, I can’t wait to get to this one 😊
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This sounds intense, it’s funny how but a part perception plays in cases like this, great review 😊
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Great review, Cleo, and I’m so pleased that this lived up to expectations. You never know if that will happen when so much hype surrounds a title.
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This is another I’ve got on my shelf to read. Sounds like I need a good few clear hours when I pick it up!
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What an interesting story. I can see why you couldn’t put it down. One for the list!
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I love novels based on true events. This sounds right up my street. Great review, Cleo.
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It still haunts me now, nearly 2 months after reading it. Like you, I read up on the real life case afterwards and think my ignorance helped me to focus on the story.
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What a fascinating story, Cleo. And it’s especially interesting to see how important the ‘court of public opinion’ is in the story. I’m sure this isn’t the only case, too, where a person is judged more by the local mores than by whether s/he actually committed a crime…
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I loved this book, too, and was especially drawn to it because I lived in those times and saw first hand the judgmental attitudes of people whose expectations of mothers were harsh and unyielding. I found myself enraged by some of the characters (the police, especially) and the treatment Ruth experienced at their hands.
Thanks for sharing!
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Caroline recently reviewed this and she was also liked the book. I tend to want to read the real cases though.
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I love the fact the reader is given enough angles to decide what’s more realistic for them. It’s not a simple case and lots of things seem to be taken into account, creating a strong plot! Loved the review! I would not have picked the book myself, so it’s a nice discovery!
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It would be good to think that attitudes have changed in the intervening 40 years or so but sadly we still get innocent victims of crime judged by the way they chose to live their lives….
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Hmm, I’ve been tempted by this one, and your excellent review has increased the temptation! But since you’ve already got me once this week, I must resist! Are you impressed by my willpower yet? Every time I hear about this one, it makes me think of the McCann case and all those people on youtube “proving” their pet theories about what happened – the problem is that sometimes they can sound quite convincing…
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Loved this one as well, it was such a great book and that ending… And it was written in a very elegant way!
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That’s exactly the word I needed Annie!!
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Need to read this, need to read this! Great review Cleo as always.
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Wonderful review, Cleo. I have only heard great things about the book and thanks to your review I have finally made the decision to read it this summer. Thanks!
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