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Sister in Law: Fighting for Justice in a System Designed by Men
For more than quarter of a century Harriet Wistrich has fought the corner of people from all walks of life let down by our justice system. When Sally Challen won her appeal to overturn her conviction for the murder of her coercively controlling husband, it was with Harriet Wistrich at her side. When victims of taxi driver and serial rapist John Worboys successfully took the Metropolitan Police to court for their investigative failures, and then, four years later, helped to hold the Parole Board to account for their decision to grant his early release from prison, the solicitor acting for them was Harriet Wistrich. It was Harriet who represented a pioneering group of the women caught up in the ‘spy cops’ scandal – women deceived into forming long-term relationships with men later revealed to be undercover police officers embedded within their communities.
In a remarkable legal career, Harriet has been at the forefront of some historic and ground-breaking legal victories. Frequently working with women who have survived male violence or abuse, sometimes with the bereaved families of those who did not survive, her work has led her to challenge the police, CPS, government departments and the prison and immigration detention system.
In Sister in Law, she tells the shocking stories of some of those who have come to her for assistance and shines a feminist light on the landscape of arcane laws and byzantine systems, skewed towards male behaviour and responses, through which she has steered them. Litigation can be a long and rocky path of pitfalls and dead ends and there are defeats as well as gains, hours of painstaking work as well as courtroom drama. It takes collaboration, extraordinary tenacity and huge compassion, but Harriet Wistrich is proof that it is possible to demand better justice and to bring about important change.
In a remarkable legal career, Harriet has been at the forefront of some historic and ground-breaking legal victories. Frequently working with women who have survived male violence or abuse, sometimes with the bereaved families of those who did not survive, her work has led her to challenge the police, CPS, government departments and the prison and immigration detention system.
In Sister in Law, she tells the shocking stories of some of those who have come to her for assistance and shines a feminist light on the landscape of arcane laws and byzantine systems, skewed towards male behaviour and responses, through which she has steered them. Litigation can be a long and rocky path of pitfalls and dead ends and there are defeats as well as gains, hours of painstaking work as well as courtroom drama. It takes collaboration, extraordinary tenacity and huge compassion, but Harriet Wistrich is proof that it is possible to demand better justice and to bring about important change.
344 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2024
74 people are currently reading
894 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
June 12, 2025
As expected, rage-inducing.
👉 Check out my 2025 Women's Prize reads on BookTube. 📚🐛
"We have to find ways to improve and recalibrate the criminal justice system so that it can identify and tackle those in our society who present a real risk and stop expending resources on prosecuting those who are essentially victims."
If you want to read a book that will make your blood boil, look no further than Sister in Law in which human rights lawyer Harriet Wistrich interrogates legal injustices in the UK, especially as they pertain to women.
Here are some of the topics you can expect to read about in this book and the questions Wistrich provokes in writing about them:
[1] women who have killed their abusers and how the laws are designed "around male behavior and responses".
[2] police brutality and how UK law allows legal immunity to officers who shoot innocent people while in the line of duty.
[3] immigrant detention centers, failed asylum seekers, and society's proclivity to salivate at the thought of punishing people who seek refuge (legally or otherwise).
[4] police bias when women report SA and the devastating long-term consequences of not believing women.
[5] an astounding case of a woman's alleged r*pist filing charges against her and terrorizing her family without repercussions.
[6] undercover cops having intimate relationships with women, the questions it raises about consent.
[7] Wistrich's fight to set a legal precedent for "coercive control," which recognizes that an abused partner can be slowly pushed to commit manslaughter (not murder).
[8] how abused women who kill their perpetrator are rarely let out of prison, yet r*pists are repeatedly let out. (Who do you think is more likely to reoffend?)
[9] legal bias against female sex workers vs the men who pay for them.
Wistrich closes with sharing her work to found the Centre for Women's Justice. Her book is very procedural, outlining all of the legal footwork necessary to fight these injustices, often across decades.
But the revelations Wistrich makes about incompetence, bias, exploitation of power, and the people who suffer because of it are nothing short of astounding.
By sharing details of myriad cases she’s worked on, she shines a glaring light on the justice system's moral failings in the UK, where Wistrich is based. But of course many of these injustices extend far beyond the UK, making this an important read regardless of where you live.
ORIGINAL POST 👇
When the Women's Prize introduced this non-fiction nominee, they didn't have time to mention that it's about a woman who murdered her controlling husband, as well as victims of a serial r*pist who took the police to court for bungling the investigation, and other chilling stories of true crime.
I love stories about resilient women fighting against an unjust system, so for me this is a definite must read.
👉 Check out my 2025 Women's Prize reads on BookTube. 📚🐛
"We have to find ways to improve and recalibrate the criminal justice system so that it can identify and tackle those in our society who present a real risk and stop expending resources on prosecuting those who are essentially victims."
If you want to read a book that will make your blood boil, look no further than Sister in Law in which human rights lawyer Harriet Wistrich interrogates legal injustices in the UK, especially as they pertain to women.
Here are some of the topics you can expect to read about in this book and the questions Wistrich provokes in writing about them:
[1] women who have killed their abusers and how the laws are designed "around male behavior and responses".
[2] police brutality and how UK law allows legal immunity to officers who shoot innocent people while in the line of duty.
[3] immigrant detention centers, failed asylum seekers, and society's proclivity to salivate at the thought of punishing people who seek refuge (legally or otherwise).
[4] police bias when women report SA and the devastating long-term consequences of not believing women.
[5] an astounding case of a woman's alleged r*pist filing charges against her and terrorizing her family without repercussions.
[6] undercover cops having intimate relationships with women, the questions it raises about consent.
[7] Wistrich's fight to set a legal precedent for "coercive control," which recognizes that an abused partner can be slowly pushed to commit manslaughter (not murder).
[8] how abused women who kill their perpetrator are rarely let out of prison, yet r*pists are repeatedly let out. (Who do you think is more likely to reoffend?)
[9] legal bias against female sex workers vs the men who pay for them.
Wistrich closes with sharing her work to found the Centre for Women's Justice. Her book is very procedural, outlining all of the legal footwork necessary to fight these injustices, often across decades.
But the revelations Wistrich makes about incompetence, bias, exploitation of power, and the people who suffer because of it are nothing short of astounding.
By sharing details of myriad cases she’s worked on, she shines a glaring light on the justice system's moral failings in the UK, where Wistrich is based. But of course many of these injustices extend far beyond the UK, making this an important read regardless of where you live.
ORIGINAL POST 👇
When the Women's Prize introduced this non-fiction nominee, they didn't have time to mention that it's about a woman who murdered her controlling husband, as well as victims of a serial r*pist who took the police to court for bungling the investigation, and other chilling stories of true crime.
I love stories about resilient women fighting against an unjust system, so for me this is a definite must read.
Want to read
April 12, 2024Goodreads once again doing a pre-publication day novel a massive disservice by allowing ratings with no review.
April 2, 2025
I studied law for a year at UCL and even then could see the injustices of the system. I thought this was mostly minor incidents or history of the early 2000s.
This is an accessible non-fiction detailing some issues with the uk Justice system using some of the cases that Harriet Wistrich has fought during her legal career.
She covers gender inequalities, violence, domestic abuse, undercover police misconduct, ethnic minority treatment, and immigration removal centres.
What really stood out to me was how the law is worded to preference men.
My main example will be the partial defence of provocation available to men who killed in “justifiable anger” in the heat of the moment because of an insult to their honour.
“It was a law designed for men who kill in anger, not for women who kill out of fear.”
Secondly, how people in authority use their power to justify taking control.
What I took away from this is that litigation can take years; these victories require perseverance, outrage, and public support.
So many male perpetrators of violence were successfully claiming that ‘she provoked me because she wouldn’t shut up’ or ‘she was having an affair’ that we dubbed it the ‘nagging and shagging’ defence.
This is nominated for the Women’s Prize Non-Fiction 2025.
Bookstagram
This is an accessible non-fiction detailing some issues with the uk Justice system using some of the cases that Harriet Wistrich has fought during her legal career.
She covers gender inequalities, violence, domestic abuse, undercover police misconduct, ethnic minority treatment, and immigration removal centres.
What really stood out to me was how the law is worded to preference men.
My main example will be the partial defence of provocation available to men who killed in “justifiable anger” in the heat of the moment because of an insult to their honour.
“It was a law designed for men who kill in anger, not for women who kill out of fear.”
Secondly, how people in authority use their power to justify taking control.
What I took away from this is that litigation can take years; these victories require perseverance, outrage, and public support.
So many male perpetrators of violence were successfully claiming that ‘she provoked me because she wouldn’t shut up’ or ‘she was having an affair’ that we dubbed it the ‘nagging and shagging’ defence.
This is nominated for the Women’s Prize Non-Fiction 2025.
Bookstagram
March 8, 2025
So great! Such infuriating and inspiring stories.
I also read it like an instruction manual, I so appreciated a lot of the procedural legal details. They didn't overwhelm the stories being told but also just grounded the book in some of the technicalities of the legal fight and I really appreciated it.
I also read it like an instruction manual, I so appreciated a lot of the procedural legal details. They didn't overwhelm the stories being told but also just grounded the book in some of the technicalities of the legal fight and I really appreciated it.
May 10, 2024
I feel honoured that I know Harriet Wistrich a little and have professionally been able to support her amazing initiative of a Centre for Women's Justice which comes towards the end of this amazing book which combines being inspiring with deeply depressing.
Wistrich write plainly and simply, often using lawyerly understatement as to the misogny, incompetence and defensiveness which is displayed so egregiously by different parts of her campaigning career as a lawyer principally concerned about violence against women and children. Lives are lost or hideously blighted and the response of the state is so often to excurse or cover up or fight in court at huge public and personal cost.
Wistrich throughout applauds the bravery of the women that she is representing and this book is a fitting tribute to htiem as well as a record of an extraordinary contribution by Wistrich herself.
Wistrich write plainly and simply, often using lawyerly understatement as to the misogny, incompetence and defensiveness which is displayed so egregiously by different parts of her campaigning career as a lawyer principally concerned about violence against women and children. Lives are lost or hideously blighted and the response of the state is so often to excurse or cover up or fight in court at huge public and personal cost.
Wistrich throughout applauds the bravery of the women that she is representing and this book is a fitting tribute to htiem as well as a record of an extraordinary contribution by Wistrich herself.
May 17, 2024
I continue to be thankful that there are people relentlessly seeking to address the vile imbalances that exist in our legal and justice system in the face of hostility at all levels.
May 8, 2025
This well and truly deserves it's average 4.44 rating on here and it's nomination for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, it would make a worthy winner.
There are some fantastic and detailed reviews on here which will give you further insight into this book but I'd 1000% recommend it.
I felt incredibly proud to be a woman, yet my blood was boiling and I learnt so much and made me do a lot of reflecting and thinking it would be great for a book club! I love reading about strong, powerful women who want to invoke and drive change towards justice & equality so this was right up my street.
Has inadvertently been a very fem lit heavy month but I'm here for it.
5 🌟
There are some fantastic and detailed reviews on here which will give you further insight into this book but I'd 1000% recommend it.
I felt incredibly proud to be a woman, yet my blood was boiling and I learnt so much and made me do a lot of reflecting and thinking it would be great for a book club! I love reading about strong, powerful women who want to invoke and drive change towards justice & equality so this was right up my street.
Has inadvertently been a very fem lit heavy month but I'm here for it.
5 🌟
September 4, 2024
Harriet and her colleagues at the Women's Centre for Justice are inspirational in their dedication in fighting miscarraiges of justice and institutional misogyny. Brilliant and interesting read, albeit absolutely infuriating and shocking at the same time. I listened to the audiobook and the narration by the author was perfect. Some of the more technical legal terminology went over my head, but overall a 5 star read 👏
September 3, 2024
Harriet Wistrich, solicitor, activist and founder of the Centre for Women's Justice, can justifiably claim to have made a real difference to the way the law is applied to women, with the cases she has both won and lost in the courts. Her campaigns have shone a light on the inequities of the criminal justice system, and changed the way some crimes are dealt with.
The book begins with the fight for justice for Sara Thornton, a women imprisoned for murder for killing her violent, alcoholic husband after suffering years of abuse. Wistrich compares the leniency given to some male murderers who lash out after being 'provoked' by a woman with the way the full force of the law is applied to women who kill after long-term, systematic abuse and violence. "It was a law designed for men who kill in anger, not for women who kill out of fear," Wistrich says.
Other cases covered include fight for compensation by women conned into relationships by (and even having children with) undercover police officers. The police's initial defence to this - astonishingly - was that this was no worse than someone lying to their 'partner' about having an affair.
The book also details how Wistrich and colleague fought for the rights of women who were groomed and sex trafficked as children, but whose convictions for 'prostitution' haunt them and harm their career prospects decades later.
Most disturbingly, it also details the appalling and catastrophic failures that led to taxi driver John Worboys lengthy catalogue of drug rapes.
This is anger-inducing stuff. But there is hope in this collection of battles, and the idea that there are bloody-minded people like Wistrich who simply refuse to give up the fight is a comforting one.
The book begins with the fight for justice for Sara Thornton, a women imprisoned for murder for killing her violent, alcoholic husband after suffering years of abuse. Wistrich compares the leniency given to some male murderers who lash out after being 'provoked' by a woman with the way the full force of the law is applied to women who kill after long-term, systematic abuse and violence. "It was a law designed for men who kill in anger, not for women who kill out of fear," Wistrich says.
Other cases covered include fight for compensation by women conned into relationships by (and even having children with) undercover police officers. The police's initial defence to this - astonishingly - was that this was no worse than someone lying to their 'partner' about having an affair.
The book also details how Wistrich and colleague fought for the rights of women who were groomed and sex trafficked as children, but whose convictions for 'prostitution' haunt them and harm their career prospects decades later.
Most disturbingly, it also details the appalling and catastrophic failures that led to taxi driver John Worboys lengthy catalogue of drug rapes.
This is anger-inducing stuff. But there is hope in this collection of battles, and the idea that there are bloody-minded people like Wistrich who simply refuse to give up the fight is a comforting one.
Read
August 4, 2025Longlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize, Nonfiction
important book & engaging, even brought up other related topics in both the UK & the US in a couple conversations, but something is off… however, so very grateful & thankful for the work of this woman & all others trying to make things better for women.
rankings (shortlisted books numbered)
2025 Women’s Prize—Nonfiction
* Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller
* By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice by Rebecca Nagle
1. Story of a Heart: Two Families, One Heart, and a Medical Miracle by Rachel Clarke
2. What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World's Ocean by Helen Scales
3. A Thousand Threads: A Memoir by Neneh Cherry
4. Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter by Clare Mulley
5. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
* Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum
* Sister in Law: Fighting for Justice in a System Designed by Men by Harriet Wistrich
* Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux
* Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age by Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough
* The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV by Helen Castor
6. Private Revolutions: Four Women Face China's New Social Order by Yuan Yang
[14/16 read, & calling it; saving two in our library for later: Tracker by Alexis Wright & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan]
important book & engaging, even brought up other related topics in both the UK & the US in a couple conversations, but something is off… however, so very grateful & thankful for the work of this woman & all others trying to make things better for women.
rankings (shortlisted books numbered)
2025 Women’s Prize—Nonfiction
* Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller
* By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice by Rebecca Nagle
1. Story of a Heart: Two Families, One Heart, and a Medical Miracle by Rachel Clarke
2. What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World's Ocean by Helen Scales
3. A Thousand Threads: A Memoir by Neneh Cherry
4. Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter by Clare Mulley
5. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
* Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum
* Sister in Law: Fighting for Justice in a System Designed by Men by Harriet Wistrich
* Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux
* Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age by Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough
* The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV by Helen Castor
6. Private Revolutions: Four Women Face China's New Social Order by Yuan Yang
[14/16 read, & calling it; saving two in our library for later: Tracker by Alexis Wright & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan]
February 23, 2025
This is a heartbreaking account of the current state of the UK legal system, and how it all too often fails women when they need legal protection the most!
Wistrich is a fantastic writer. Not only does she recount the cases she’s worked on incredibly articulately, but further, she explains legal concepts in an incredibly accessible way. If you have any interest in feminism, the law, or both, I cannot stress how high on your list this book should be. If you’re not interested in these topics, it might be even more important that you pick this up.
Wistrich’s desire to fight to protect those who need to be fought for is inspiring. The impact her and her colleagues’ work have had cannot be overstated.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
Wistrich is a fantastic writer. Not only does she recount the cases she’s worked on incredibly articulately, but further, she explains legal concepts in an incredibly accessible way. If you have any interest in feminism, the law, or both, I cannot stress how high on your list this book should be. If you’re not interested in these topics, it might be even more important that you pick this up.
Wistrich’s desire to fight to protect those who need to be fought for is inspiring. The impact her and her colleagues’ work have had cannot be overstated.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
September 28, 2024
4.5
One of the best UK law genre books I've read. Harriet has been involved with some of the biggest cases of the last few years. It also made me think about complicated issues with no clear answers. It's a must read and is so well written.
One of the best UK law genre books I've read. Harriet has been involved with some of the biggest cases of the last few years. It also made me think about complicated issues with no clear answers. It's a must read and is so well written.
Read
March 28, 2025A tough read due to the subject matter, which is crimes against women.
Women’s Prize for NF longlist.
Women’s Prize for NF longlist.
August 24, 2025
Gripping.
February 24, 2025
Absolute must read! I enjoyed every second of this book
May 22, 2025
I could not put this down- justice for women, an organisation I’ve now heard about worked really hard to bring this justice to reality.
Each chapter delved deeper on cases in the U.K. where people may have been wrongfully prosecuted or not taken serious. This was an amazing book that brought to light how people especially women have been wronged and abused by the police, those in authority, family/ those that claim to ‘love’ them.
Phew, I need an off day after this though I’m pleased they got their justice whether dead or alive - that gave me hope that victims can be victorious.
Each chapter delved deeper on cases in the U.K. where people may have been wrongfully prosecuted or not taken serious. This was an amazing book that brought to light how people especially women have been wronged and abused by the police, those in authority, family/ those that claim to ‘love’ them.
Phew, I need an off day after this though I’m pleased they got their justice whether dead or alive - that gave me hope that victims can be victorious.
August 28, 2025
This book is shocking & inspiring. I am in awe of Harriet and her dedication to doing the right thing with outstanding results - the world needs more Harriet’s
June 11, 2024
This book is clearly written so that any laypetson can understand the legal system described. It is at turns enraging, inspiring and hopeful. Despite laying bare the systemic misogyny of the uk policing and legal systems, the prevailing feeling it leaves you with is a sense that things can change, and admiration for the women who have fought for better. A call to action and a call to believe that better is possible.
August 4, 2025
When I found out who her partner was, I have to admit that I was worried about what I might end up reading, but I needn't have been. Aside from the chapter about Jean Charles de Menezes - I couldn't understand what relevance it had to the law working against women. It's undoubtedly a shocking & vital story, but it bore no relevance to the central narrative. Everything else was extremely thought-provoking, and rather anger-inducing at times.
August 4, 2025
Finished this mindblowing book today and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Enlightening, jaw dropping, and infuriating in equal measure, it has helped to explain - although certainly not excuse - why the law works (or doesn’t, depending on your POV) in the way that it does and why it can be so difficult to bring about meaningful and timely change.
Archaic laws such as charges for solicitation remaining on a woman’s criminal record until she is 100 years old; counsel ‘advising’ victims and witnesses ‘not to speak ill of the dead’ - even when ‘the dead’ may have perpetrated horrific and decades long abuse; lack of understanding of coercive control and its wider, longer term impacts; why, in certain cases, only a ‘selection’ of cases are brought to court, and the implications when the offender then applies for parole. These examples and many more are presented here by Harriet Wistrich in plain English and while there might not be what many of us would call ‘sensible explanations’ for some of the arguments and outcomes, these narratives do provide some understanding of why we may feel so frustrated, confused and outraged.
So often, we hear that ‘the system’ is broken - it’s not, it’s working exactly as it was meant to, for the benefit of the patriarchy, with little or no regard for women or minority groups. Thankfully, women like Harriet are working to deliver change, and it’s important that the rest of us understand how and why.
Archaic laws such as charges for solicitation remaining on a woman’s criminal record until she is 100 years old; counsel ‘advising’ victims and witnesses ‘not to speak ill of the dead’ - even when ‘the dead’ may have perpetrated horrific and decades long abuse; lack of understanding of coercive control and its wider, longer term impacts; why, in certain cases, only a ‘selection’ of cases are brought to court, and the implications when the offender then applies for parole. These examples and many more are presented here by Harriet Wistrich in plain English and while there might not be what many of us would call ‘sensible explanations’ for some of the arguments and outcomes, these narratives do provide some understanding of why we may feel so frustrated, confused and outraged.
So often, we hear that ‘the system’ is broken - it’s not, it’s working exactly as it was meant to, for the benefit of the patriarchy, with little or no regard for women or minority groups. Thankfully, women like Harriet are working to deliver change, and it’s important that the rest of us understand how and why.
June 18, 2025
I am a feminist and well aware of how the British justice system (mis)treats women. I have followed miscarriages of justice so had come across Harriet Wistrich before. I've also read some of her partner Julie Bindel's books, so I was well disposed towards Sister in Law.
As I started reading I was surprised at the chatty and very personal tone of the book. This turned to unease at the chapter on immigration. She starts by stressing that some of her Jewish forebears were refugees. I thought "Hm, she's not going to be objective about this." And she isn't. Using emotive language, she treats all immigrants as asylum seekers when we all know that some of those who come here illegally are economic migrants. But to her they are all victims. Helpless victims. I don't think people who pay £2,500 to be smuggled into this country are helpless. And in case you think I'm a rightwing Reform voting fascist, I'm not. I vote Green. I'm an immigrant myself. I came here 50 years ago. I had a job to go to and spoke the language.Yet I was horribly exploited by some employers and absolutely nobody helped me. But enough about me.
Apart from this, the book is good, though it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Wistrich is impassioned and articulate and we need more activists like her. If you're not aware of the failings of our justice system, do read the book - it will be an eye opener for you, and it will enrage you.
As I started reading I was surprised at the chatty and very personal tone of the book. This turned to unease at the chapter on immigration. She starts by stressing that some of her Jewish forebears were refugees. I thought "Hm, she's not going to be objective about this." And she isn't. Using emotive language, she treats all immigrants as asylum seekers when we all know that some of those who come here illegally are economic migrants. But to her they are all victims. Helpless victims. I don't think people who pay £2,500 to be smuggled into this country are helpless. And in case you think I'm a rightwing Reform voting fascist, I'm not. I vote Green. I'm an immigrant myself. I came here 50 years ago. I had a job to go to and spoke the language.Yet I was horribly exploited by some employers and absolutely nobody helped me. But enough about me.
Apart from this, the book is good, though it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Wistrich is impassioned and articulate and we need more activists like her. If you're not aware of the failings of our justice system, do read the book - it will be an eye opener for you, and it will enrage you.
December 9, 2025
Sister in Law recounts cases the author, Harriet Wistrich, an English barrister, undertook in an attempt to achieve justice for women. For thirty years, she and her colleagues supported the judicial needs of numerous women and sometimes successfully made changes in the law and the way women are treated.
Wistrich and others also fought the police, who often paid little attention to the needs of the women they investigated, and, at times, perpetrated crimes against them. The barrister’s difficult cases included women who murdered their abusive spouses or young girls who killed the men who forced them into prostitution.
The cases were all interesting, built on each other, and showcased English law. While the English judicial system is different from that in the US, the needs are similar.
I listened to the audio book which was narrated by Catherine Bailey.
Sister in Law was longlisted for the the 2025 Women’s Prize in Non-Fiction.
Wistrich and others also fought the police, who often paid little attention to the needs of the women they investigated, and, at times, perpetrated crimes against them. The barrister’s difficult cases included women who murdered their abusive spouses or young girls who killed the men who forced them into prostitution.
The cases were all interesting, built on each other, and showcased English law. While the English judicial system is different from that in the US, the needs are similar.
I listened to the audio book which was narrated by Catherine Bailey.
Sister in Law was longlisted for the the 2025 Women’s Prize in Non-Fiction.
April 28, 2025
An absorbing book.
Harriet Wistrich is a lawyer specialising in helping women who have been let down by the justice system, especially those who have been imprisoned for violence following years of domestic abuse.
She has successfully challenged the Police & CPS over high profile cases where there has been a miscarriage of Justice.
She has also altered the Law where women are concerned so that, for example, manslaughter rather than murder is an acceptable plea if there had been abuse of a serious nature.
There are many cases related here, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
The Police, CPS Immigration and too many men do not come out well.
This book is a salutary lesson that should be read so that many of these injustices do not recur.
Harriet Wistrich is a lawyer specialising in helping women who have been let down by the justice system, especially those who have been imprisoned for violence following years of domestic abuse.
She has successfully challenged the Police & CPS over high profile cases where there has been a miscarriage of Justice.
She has also altered the Law where women are concerned so that, for example, manslaughter rather than murder is an acceptable plea if there had been abuse of a serious nature.
There are many cases related here, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
The Police, CPS Immigration and too many men do not come out well.
This book is a salutary lesson that should be read so that many of these injustices do not recur.
July 16, 2025
Sisters in Law exposes just how undemocratic the UK system can be. So much is covered up—especially when institutions like the police are involved. The case of undercover officers having long-term relationships with women under false identities was shocking—not just the betrayal, but how the system tried to protect the perpetrators.
The Sally Challen case showed how blind the courts were to coercive control until challenged. Again and again, families are forced to fight uphill legal battles just to be heard, while authorities hide behind bureaucracy and cost barriers.
This book shows clearly: justice in the UK isn’t automatic—it has to be dragged out of a system designed to shut people up. Essential reading.
The Sally Challen case showed how blind the courts were to coercive control until challenged. Again and again, families are forced to fight uphill legal battles just to be heard, while authorities hide behind bureaucracy and cost barriers.
This book shows clearly: justice in the UK isn’t automatic—it has to be dragged out of a system designed to shut people up. Essential reading.
March 10, 2025
Wistrich, a pioneering lawyer and activist, shares the stories of women who have been failed by the legal system—women who should have been protected but instead had to fight for justice against the very institutions meant to uphold it. Reading their experiences left me angered, heartbroken, and deeply moved, but also in awe of Harriet and the incredible team working alongside her.
I’d encourage everyone to read this book. It’s not always an easy read, but it’s an essential one. Understanding these stories is the first step in recognising the struggles so many women face—and why change is still so necessary.
I’d encourage everyone to read this book. It’s not always an easy read, but it’s an essential one. Understanding these stories is the first step in recognising the struggles so many women face—and why change is still so necessary.
May 18, 2025
Please read this brilliant book
I worked and published within the family justice system for twenty years until 2012 . This book illuminates the world of abused , exploited and criminalised children and women in a mansplainig criminal justice system . I wish it had been available when I was in practice as a child and adolescent psychiatrist. It should be read by police , social workers , prison officers , doctors and lawyers at all levels of practice , by both sexes --or perhaps just by people . Warm congratulations to the author and to all who helped her in this essential publication. Jean Harris-Hendriks FRCPsych.
I worked and published within the family justice system for twenty years until 2012 . This book illuminates the world of abused , exploited and criminalised children and women in a mansplainig criminal justice system . I wish it had been available when I was in practice as a child and adolescent psychiatrist. It should be read by police , social workers , prison officers , doctors and lawyers at all levels of practice , by both sexes --or perhaps just by people . Warm congratulations to the author and to all who helped her in this essential publication. Jean Harris-Hendriks FRCPsych.
March 29, 2025
Harriet Wistrich’s Sister in Law is a powerful and essential read, exposing the frustrating injustices women face in the legal system, and the need for change in an antiquated and patriarchal justice system. Drawing from real cases, including the landmark appeal of Sally Challen, Wistrich highlights systemic failures while offering hope for change. Both insightful and inspiring, this book is a must-read for anyone passionate about feminism, law, and social justice.
April 1, 2025
A collection of descriptions of different cases that the author was involved in. On audio I sometimes got lost in the jargon, especially 3-letter abbreviations, but generally the cases are described in a narrative way, which makes it enjoyable and shocking. So many things have gone wrong and are probably still going wrong in law, and things are complicated and many-sided, but I am glad to hear that someone (many people) are putting in the effort to make things better.
August 20, 2025
An incredibly written memoir of cases that have changed the course of English law for the better.
I particularly found the chapters on immigration detention centres & legacy of the sex trade heart wrenching while also being simultaneously glad that there are people out there fighting for justice for these marginalised groups.
Harriet is an inspiration for what a career in law can look like when you are passionate about justice.
I particularly found the chapters on immigration detention centres & legacy of the sex trade heart wrenching while also being simultaneously glad that there are people out there fighting for justice for these marginalised groups.
Harriet is an inspiration for what a career in law can look like when you are passionate about justice.
September 17, 2025
Eye opener to how hard women have to fight for justice. Amazing work as a lawyer helping women, and she's a true feminist fighting on the front lines. All the cases were shocking because of how much women suffered, but I was especially surprised to learn about the abuse by undercover police - I had no idea this was happening. The author and people like her are heroes who deserve our respect for the important work they do.
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