Walking After Midnight: One WomanÆ Journey Through Murder, Justice And Forgiveness

by Katy Hutchison

Book by Hutchison, Katy

Genres: Memoir, True Crime, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Biography

Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Steven Walle]

This was an excellent read. A true story of courage, strength, and incredible power of forgivness. The author sets a great example we all would do well to follow. I recommend this book to all who are of faith.
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond

[Rocklynn]

I couldn't decide whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. I "really liked it", but also had some reservations about certain aspects of the telling of the story. The book offers a powerful story of facing trauma (the brutal, albiet unintended murder of the author's husband), and pulling through with forgiveness. The concept of restorative justice speaks profoundly to me, and I felt truly moved and inspired by Katy Hutchinson's story. Though I sped through the book on the power of the story and the compelling topic of moving beyond violence, there were some things about the book that annoyed me: the description of their pre-tragedy lives as story book perfect, the fact that she continually portrays Bob (her husband) as a golden boy, and a subtle but persistent assumption of privilege... "this kind of thing should not happen to nice well-off white people." I would have appreciated a more nuanced, three dimensional picture of their lives, a cracking open the veneer of perfection; just as she shows that the perpetrator of a crime does not need to be defined by their act, so might we recognize that everyone has shades of light and dark in their nature. What the book did is deepen my interest in the concept of restorative justice.

[Maria]

Inspiring read for sure. I was hoping for more info on restorative justice -- history, model, methods, etc -- it was mainly memoir. It nearly made me cry on the skytrain a few times.

[Gabby]

I rarely give a book 10/10, but this is one. It's an absolutely gripping true story of how a woman and her children not only survived the murder of their husband and father, but found a way to forgive the young man and turn the tragedy into an incredible story of love, forgiveness, and hope for the thousands of people, especially young people, who have heard Katy and Ryan (the young man who murdered her husband) speak over the years. On page 238 Katy says " The research done by Community Justice Initiatives in British Columbia shows that 95 percent of offenders who meet with their victims do not reoffend."

[Anne Vandenbrink]

Katy and Bob had a houseful of friends celebrating New Years Eve. A few doors down, another neighbor's teenage son was also having a party while his parents were gone and it was getting loud and out of hand. Bob went over to quiet things down and never came home. He was murdered. Katy was a widow with 4 year old twins. This is her story of how she survived. The 5 year investigation to find the murderer, her forgiveness, and using the story of Bob's life and death to speak to teenagers in schools and other groups about social responsibility and restorative justice.

[Alessandra Nogueira]

Causa um misto de sensações o mergulho no perdão genuíno ao assassino do seu marido. Livro acolhedor e de pura redenção.

[Linda Fidler]

This was an excellent story. It made my heart hurt! She somehow managed to forgive her husband's murderer.

[Caroline Weber]

Wow! A book about restorative justice, telling a true story. the subtitle says it all. It's a good, thought-provoking story, well-told.

[Selene Cruz]

Riveting.

[Mark]

An honest (almost TMI territory) memoir of a family struck by violence and restored to health by forgiveness and a lack of revenge. The author provides a bold statement on behalf of victims who don't fit preconceived notions. She didn't get angry or vengeful when a stupid kid did a cruel, stupid thing and killed her husband. She didn't play to the cameras with protests of the five-year sentence. She instead sought to help others by telling kids about the perils of substance abuse. And then she roped her husband's killer into her speeches. It's enough to make lots of people uncomfortable, and that's OK. So long as they accept a reality different from the one they assume for every victim. The story could have been told effectively at half the length, but all in all it's a worth contribution to the literature of restorative justice.

[Sharon]

Bob McIntosh a lawyer and avid runner, was murdered New Year's Eve 1997 in Squamish BC. He was survived by his wife Kate ( author of the book) and 4 year old twins.
She moved, remarried, and spent years searching for the murderer, who was an angry nineteen-year-old at the time of the crime. Eventually the young man was found and brought to justice.
Once the murderer was apprehended, Hutchinson realized that he was a victim of his own circumstances and wanted to seek help, rather than punishment. Together, they spearheaded a campaign promoting restorative justice as they speak internationally in prisons and schools, advocating change.
Hutchinson narrates this true story with brutal honesty and without refraining from the details of the murder and its aftermath.

[Kathy]

This book was like eating pancakes with way too much syrup poured over them. Way too idealistic for me.

[Young]

Am amazing story of forgiveness.

[Ruth Clark]

I was provided this book by a friend who is an advocate of restorative justice. Really interesting and impactful read, a topic I had not thought much about.

[Laurie platt]

Received a signed bookplate from the author.