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Flesh and Blood: Murder-Suicides that Haunt Ireland
In "Flesh and Blood," "Sunday World "Investigations Editor, Nicola Tallant looks at the rising phenomenon of murder-suicide in Ireland, at events which, while shocking in the extreme, happen in tight-knit communities, behind the closed doors of apparently loving homes.
She takes us inside these houses of horror and pieces together what happened in seventeen prominent cases, including the horrific murder of four-year-old Deirdre Crowley, whose abductor father shot her dead so that her mother would never see her again; the case of Caitlin Innes, murdered after her Communion Day; the tragic McElhill children, torched to death by their own father; and the case of mother Sharon Grace who, in a state of extreme desperation, drove off a pier with her children in the car.
It examines what warning signs, if any, were there before loving fathers and mothers turned killer in their own homes, and looks at the roles of the HSE, the Gardai and families and friends in the build up to these tragic events.
Is it too easy to whitewash these crimes as those of the mentally ill? Or can jealousy tip the scales in an otherwise balanced mind? Are there common factors that link these cases? And what steps can be taken to ensure that warning signs are heeded in the future before tragedy strikes again?
She takes us inside these houses of horror and pieces together what happened in seventeen prominent cases, including the horrific murder of four-year-old Deirdre Crowley, whose abductor father shot her dead so that her mother would never see her again; the case of Caitlin Innes, murdered after her Communion Day; the tragic McElhill children, torched to death by their own father; and the case of mother Sharon Grace who, in a state of extreme desperation, drove off a pier with her children in the car.
It examines what warning signs, if any, were there before loving fathers and mothers turned killer in their own homes, and looks at the roles of the HSE, the Gardai and families and friends in the build up to these tragic events.
Is it too easy to whitewash these crimes as those of the mentally ill? Or can jealousy tip the scales in an otherwise balanced mind? Are there common factors that link these cases? And what steps can be taken to ensure that warning signs are heeded in the future before tragedy strikes again?
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 16, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 9, 2021
So very sad
This was such a sad book,but I couldn't put it down,the stories were so explicit that you could imagine,being there when it happened,poor wee innocent souls,that never knew any better,just thought their daddy loved them,this book was very well written,everbody,who played a part,was mentioned,including fire paramedics as nd police,this must have been truly heart breaking and would never leave you for years,very very sad.
This was such a sad book,but I couldn't put it down,the stories were so explicit that you could imagine,being there when it happened,poor wee innocent souls,that never knew any better,just thought their daddy loved them,this book was very well written,everbody,who played a part,was mentioned,including fire paramedics as nd police,this must have been truly heart breaking and would never leave you for years,very very sad.
January 13, 2020
Good but depressing
The book feels like it has a bit too much padding to fill out the pages and could be a third shorter or had more stories. A very interesting subject though, and the authors words can be shocking, frightening and depressing as she tells the different sad tales. I like Nicola Talllant as a journalist.
The book feels like it has a bit too much padding to fill out the pages and could be a third shorter or had more stories. A very interesting subject though, and the authors words can be shocking, frightening and depressing as she tells the different sad tales. I like Nicola Talllant as a journalist.
May 8, 2025
This is a book about horrific crimes that have haunted Ireland. The most awful crime of familicide. This book is very well written and Nicola (as usual) does her research so well. It gives an account of these crimes and looks into the issue of warning signs and mental health. Well worth a read if you are a fan of true crime but very sad and serious content also.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews