In May 1962, Canadians woke to the news that former United Church Minister, Robert Killins, had murdered with a shotgun, his pregnant estranged wife, his oldest daughter who was pregnant, his sister and the seven year old daughter of his wife and her new partner. This was a case of familicide as well as femicide as Killins intended to kill his spouse and all of her children. He believed women must obey their man and he spent his married life trying to control hie wife Florence and then his daughter Pearl as she grew up. His efforts only frustrated pearl and made her rebel even after he almost killed her in a fit of rage. Florence spent her life trying to placate Robert so he would not kill her as he often promised to do.

Many people knew that Robert was a mentally unbalanced and a dangerous man including the police but the family culture in rural Ontario of the period often meant nothing was done to curb the violence. A fascinating story and told by one of the survivors of the killing spree. ( )

4.5 stars

In May 1963, Robert Killins, a very intelligent man and a former United Church minister, murdered his (estranged) wife, his daughter, his sister, and his wife’s youngest daughter. He’d been stalking his wife and daughter for years since wife Florence tried to leave and travelled across the country from B.C. to Ontario to get away. His wife and daughter were both pregnant at the time of the murders. Two more of Florence’s children watched in horror as the murders happened, and were able to get away. They were 12- (Margaret) and 10-years (Brian) old at the time.

The book backs up in time to give a biography of both families – beginning with Robert’s and Florence’s parents, then Robert and Florence and their siblings and everything leading to 1963. It also included a section after the murders where Margaret and Brian came to live with their Uncle Harold and his wife and their youngest daughter (a teenager, the only child still living at home), Sharon, and the two tried to come to terms with what had happened and what they’d witnessed. The last bit of the book also talks about domestic abuse in Canada, in general. Margaret and Sharon are the authors of the book. They undertook a lot of research and got oral histories from many of the people still alive who remember it.

Wow! First a bit of advice – don’t read the chapter that describes the murders close to bedtime! It was terrifying and violent. With one of the authors having been there and the oral histories given by her brother who was also there and a couple of other people who tried to help, all put together, you get an awful feeling of being hunted (as I’m sure both Margaret and Brian felt)! That being said, I am a fan of true crime, and I do like biographies, so all put together, a very very good book. And murders I had never heard of before this. ( )

Eye opening, shocking, engaging!

I think this is a well written accurate account of a disgusting crime that never should have happened. I believe that the victims have been given a voice in the most respectful & loving of ways possible which is so incredibly important. I live in Ontario and hadn't heard of this heinous crime until I read this book.

This book covers a lot of very important topics such as gun ownership, mental health or mental capacity, stocking & terrorizing, physical & verbal abuse, obsession, domestic violence, family violence, hiding behind religion/people assuming a man of God must be a "good" person (wrong so very wrong in many cases) murder, murdering unborn children & men not really being held accountable for what goes on behind closed doors.

The authors of the novel have put so much time & energy into this book and spent hours upon hours researching & speaking to people gathering information & recollecting their own memories I appreciate the work they have done and appalled the outcome.

I rate this book 5/5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys true crime & also any Canadian who wants to know a bit more about the darker side of our history. It's unfortunate that crimes like this ever happen & I wish that they didn't, I send my sincere apologies to the Surviving members of this family & to their families that they had to endure a tragedy like this and lose loved ones due to someone else's jealousy greed and ignorance. (Jealousy, greed & ignorance are my opinion only as to why Killins committed his crime of 6 murders)

I would like to thank NetGalley & Dundurn Press as well as Sharon Anne Cook & Margaret Carson for the ARC of this book I choose to write this review voluntarily & all opinions expressed in it are my own. ( )