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Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth About My Father
The untold story behind the hit true crime podcast The Clearing, this unforgettable memoir traces one daughter’s moving quest to understand her larger-than-life childhood as she searches for the truth about her father, the serial killer Edward Wayne Edwards.
One evening in 2009, April Balascio was searching online, as she had been every night, for unsolved murders in the towns her family had lived growing up, when she stumbled across the latest investigations into the “Sweetheart Murders” cold case. All at once, the buried memories of her father’s dark history were awakened, and she knew she had to take action. She picked up the phone to call a detective and the rest is infamous true crime history.
In her unflinching memoir, Balascio bravely reveals an astonishing tale of a lifetime of manipulation, unexplained upheavals, and silent fear. Some part of her had always known what her father was capable of, but the full truth of how she came to these revelations is as riveting as it is quietly terrifying. Through searing storytelling, dedicated research, and intimate insight, Raised by a Serial Killer is a gripping, courageous memoir unlike any other.
One evening in 2009, April Balascio was searching online, as she had been every night, for unsolved murders in the towns her family had lived growing up, when she stumbled across the latest investigations into the “Sweetheart Murders” cold case. All at once, the buried memories of her father’s dark history were awakened, and she knew she had to take action. She picked up the phone to call a detective and the rest is infamous true crime history.
In her unflinching memoir, Balascio bravely reveals an astonishing tale of a lifetime of manipulation, unexplained upheavals, and silent fear. Some part of her had always known what her father was capable of, but the full truth of how she came to these revelations is as riveting as it is quietly terrifying. Through searing storytelling, dedicated research, and intimate insight, Raised by a Serial Killer is a gripping, courageous memoir unlike any other.
14 pages, Audible Audio
First published December 3, 2024
543 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 908 reviews
September 12, 2024
I need a hug. I think April Balascio needs a hug, too. She is the author of Raised by a Serial Killer. I don't think I need to explain the plot at all because the title pretty much tells you what you need to know. Her father was Edward Wayne Edwards. He was not a good man. He was also April's father and this is where things get brutal.
The first thing I should mention is that Balascio's prose is simple. There isn't a bunch of complex sentences or tortured metaphors. To say the simplicity makes the book that much more effective would be the understatement of the year. Balascio just tells her story. It frequently involves beatings, emotional manipulation, and terrorism thinly disguised as "pranks." It also, somehow, contains a loving father. Sometimes. A psychopath and killer, but also a father who changes her bandages after a childhood accident. A father who calmly drives the car next to her when she tries to "run away" as a kid.
The juxtaposition of Edwards the father and Edwards the torturer makes this so different from most true crime. Balascio is not showing off. She is sticking to the facts whether they make sense to the reader or not. Like any great book, it got me thinking about way more than what was on the page. I thought of my own performance as a father. (Great news: I'm father of the century next to Edwards!) I try to imagine if I would be fooled like so many other people if I met him in real life and didn't know. However, most powerfully is the pain you feel for the children of Edward Wayne Edwards. Balascio makes it quite clear she doesn't tolerate pity. You'd need to be made of stone not to feel for anyone caught in Edwards' wake, though.
In summary, it is a must read, though you may have trouble shaking it off.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher.)
The first thing I should mention is that Balascio's prose is simple. There isn't a bunch of complex sentences or tortured metaphors. To say the simplicity makes the book that much more effective would be the understatement of the year. Balascio just tells her story. It frequently involves beatings, emotional manipulation, and terrorism thinly disguised as "pranks." It also, somehow, contains a loving father. Sometimes. A psychopath and killer, but also a father who changes her bandages after a childhood accident. A father who calmly drives the car next to her when she tries to "run away" as a kid.
The juxtaposition of Edwards the father and Edwards the torturer makes this so different from most true crime. Balascio is not showing off. She is sticking to the facts whether they make sense to the reader or not. Like any great book, it got me thinking about way more than what was on the page. I thought of my own performance as a father. (Great news: I'm father of the century next to Edwards!) I try to imagine if I would be fooled like so many other people if I met him in real life and didn't know. However, most powerfully is the pain you feel for the children of Edward Wayne Edwards. Balascio makes it quite clear she doesn't tolerate pity. You'd need to be made of stone not to feel for anyone caught in Edwards' wake, though.
In summary, it is a must read, though you may have trouble shaking it off.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher.)
December 12, 2024
Way too long. Editor failed at job by not cutting out so many redundant childhood recollections. Author/narrator spoke incredibly slowly, had to turn speed up to 1.5x for normal pacing. Less is more for this story, and the points could have been made more effectively and concisely to create a more captivating retelling.
February 19, 2025
I honestly wish I would have stopped sooner, but I wanted to learn about how she found out her dad was a serial killer. The problem? You have to spend the first 75% of the book learning about her life story and all the small details she remembers about him being awful. This part could have been half the length and I would have still believed he was awful.
September 23, 2024
I received a free copy of, Raised by a Serial Killer, by April Balascio, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. April Balascio, is not so different then the rest of us, except she was raised by a serial killer! April father could be very charming, manipulative, abusive, and he was a cold blooded killer. Wow this book gets me, April is an amazingly strong women, she turned her own father in to police,I could not imagine being able to do that. This was an amazing read, wow.
February 21, 2025
This was the scariest book I’ve read as it is a true story of children growing up with a psychopath serial killer for a father. April describes having a dad who could flip out unexpectedly and physically punish anyone he deemed fit. He also had a cruel streak that manifested itself in ‘pranks’. April realises by the age of 11 that her father is a bad man. She wasn’t safe in his house. And yet she believed he loved her and he certainly had times when he was a good dad. There is this sense that he wanted to be a good dad and wanted to be loved by his children, that he wanted his kids to have the family life he didn’t. He didn’t kill anyone in his family…
It was surprising after his wild past of many women that he quickly ditched, that he did marry April’s mum and ‘settled down’ to have five kids with her and that he didn’t abandon them. He himself didn’t grow up with a home with parents.
In fairness to him, I hated how he was treated by that nun. There was a cycle here of cruelty begetting cruelty.
April went to a lot of different schools and churches and these more or less were supportive and helped her cope with the horror at home. It is worth remembering that kids may need these protective institutions more than we realise and that we need to do our best as teachers, pastors and congregation members to support and care for those in our community.
This book shows above all the capacity for evil that can lie in the heart of a very likeable, charismatic guy.
I also hated that churches were sucked in by his ‘reformed criminal act’ and let him speak to their crowds.
A thought-provoking book and heart-breaking.
It was surprising after his wild past of many women that he quickly ditched, that he did marry April’s mum and ‘settled down’ to have five kids with her and that he didn’t abandon them. He himself didn’t grow up with a home with parents.
In fairness to him, I hated how he was treated by that nun. There was a cycle here of cruelty begetting cruelty.
April went to a lot of different schools and churches and these more or less were supportive and helped her cope with the horror at home. It is worth remembering that kids may need these protective institutions more than we realise and that we need to do our best as teachers, pastors and congregation members to support and care for those in our community.
This book shows above all the capacity for evil that can lie in the heart of a very likeable, charismatic guy.
I also hated that churches were sucked in by his ‘reformed criminal act’ and let him speak to their crowds.
A thought-provoking book and heart-breaking.
February 5, 2025
Horrible narrator - DNF - made it 25% and couldn’t take anymore.
December 14, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ - This poor family. Disturbing and sad story about a family who lives with an abusive father who turns out to be a serial killer. I wouldn’t recommend the audiobook - it’s read by the author and I’m not trying to be negative as she has the right to read her own story, but the the way she reads was distracting as it’s like she’s reading a children’s book, not a story with horrific abuse and violence.
December 18, 2024
What if you realized that your father was responsible for the murders of several young people that took place during your childhood? This is the conundrum that April Balascio faces in her book, “Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth About My Father”. Obviously, there was no way I was not going to read this one and, as expected, I adored it.
Balascio grew up in various states throughout the U.S, moving at least once a year, if not more often. As a child, she just accepted this for what it was however, as an adult, she came to realize that her father was moving his family as the police were closing in on him and he needed to be long gone. In part, Balascio adored her father, the man who protected her from bullies and other predators (by murdering them) and who bought her a pony (and then abandoning it) but in a much larger part, Balascio knew her father as an abusive conman, who tortured her and her siblings since they were young.
“Father” crosses timelines, with sections devoted to various stages in Balascio’s life and sections devoted to her father’s life. Everything is clearly marked and the transitions flow beautifully into each other. Balascio uses the end chapters to talk about the murders, the ones solved and those attributed to her father (by her at least) but left unsolved. Balascio is attentive and respectful to the families of the victims, and she generates strong feelings of sympathy in the reader. Balascio is a creative and powerful storyteller- even if the subject matter is dark and disturbing.
Edward Wayne Edwards, Balascio’s father, wrote a memoir himself, before passing away in prison, which is where she gets some of the information about Edward’s thoughts and motivations. She uses information garnered from police investigations to put the clues from the crimes together and she uses anecdotes and personal experiences to provide an inside look at the “everyday life” of a serial killer. If you are looking for a birds-eye view of the duality of a serial killer/family man, look no further than “Father”.
Balascio grew up in various states throughout the U.S, moving at least once a year, if not more often. As a child, she just accepted this for what it was however, as an adult, she came to realize that her father was moving his family as the police were closing in on him and he needed to be long gone. In part, Balascio adored her father, the man who protected her from bullies and other predators (by murdering them) and who bought her a pony (and then abandoning it) but in a much larger part, Balascio knew her father as an abusive conman, who tortured her and her siblings since they were young.
“Father” crosses timelines, with sections devoted to various stages in Balascio’s life and sections devoted to her father’s life. Everything is clearly marked and the transitions flow beautifully into each other. Balascio uses the end chapters to talk about the murders, the ones solved and those attributed to her father (by her at least) but left unsolved. Balascio is attentive and respectful to the families of the victims, and she generates strong feelings of sympathy in the reader. Balascio is a creative and powerful storyteller- even if the subject matter is dark and disturbing.
Edward Wayne Edwards, Balascio’s father, wrote a memoir himself, before passing away in prison, which is where she gets some of the information about Edward’s thoughts and motivations. She uses information garnered from police investigations to put the clues from the crimes together and she uses anecdotes and personal experiences to provide an inside look at the “everyday life” of a serial killer. If you are looking for a birds-eye view of the duality of a serial killer/family man, look no further than “Father”.
February 10, 2025
I'm giving this a 3.5, rounded up, simply to acknowledge the bravery it took to even consider writing this book. Author April Balascio was put through a torturous childhood by her psychopathic father, allowed by her doormat of a mother, and she chose to revisit it all not once, but twice, hoping to help others with her insight and information.
I don't know how she survived it. I mean, she describes how awful it was, and how she still anticipates her father's outbursts and beatings, though he's been dead many years now. She tells us what happened, but how it didn't break her? Only her god might know that.
I despised the book Educated because there was too much acceptance of bullying religiosity and parental "wisdom", but Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth About My Father struck enough of an outraged tone that I could see and appreciate the strong woman April is, and was, even in the face of a true madman.
April, girl, you're a BADASS. I hate what you had to go through to get that title, but you did it. You made it. You earned that freedom you now have, and you deserve to enjoy every minute of it. I hope you make "a killing" off sales of this book.
I don't know how she survived it. I mean, she describes how awful it was, and how she still anticipates her father's outbursts and beatings, though he's been dead many years now. She tells us what happened, but how it didn't break her? Only her god might know that.
I despised the book Educated because there was too much acceptance of bullying religiosity and parental "wisdom", but Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth About My Father struck enough of an outraged tone that I could see and appreciate the strong woman April is, and was, even in the face of a true madman.
April, girl, you're a BADASS. I hate what you had to go through to get that title, but you did it. You made it. You earned that freedom you now have, and you deserve to enjoy every minute of it. I hope you make "a killing" off sales of this book.
August 9, 2024
Raised by a Serial Killer is a heartbreaking and gripping book. April Balascio describes in terrifying detail the upbringing she and her several siblings endured being raised by her psychopathic and criminal father (Edward Wayne Edwards) and her ineffective, depressed and also very abused mother. Indeed, her father was a serial killer. The father moved the family from town to town, state to state, which helped him evade capture. This also prevented the family members from developing the type of trusting connections that would cause people to notice and step in and help. Rather than trusting people enough to tell them what was happening in their world, they pretended and often believed that everything was normal. April’s strength, love for her family, and humanity come through the pages as she comes to understand that her father was responsible for many unsolved crimes. She is propelled to research and investigate and find the truth. Often difficult to read, April’s braveness is evident in this book. With thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this ARC. My opinions are my own.
January 30, 2025
This disquieting memoir is one woman's experience growing up with a parent who was a career criminal--nothing seemed beyond his capabilities, including, as she learned later, serial murder.
While Balascio's father was superficially charming, collected friends, and adored celebrations and holidays, he was a true psychopath who terrorized his family. He doled out beatings and took a perverse delight in scaring and startling people, especially his own children. He also sowed terror by bestowing gifts that he would later destroy or take away--and this included a succession of pets who were either killed or mysteriously 'disappeared.' The family was also constantly uprooted and moved around the country, for reasons that the author now understands was her father running away from the scene of his crimes, in multiple cases murder.
RAISED is an intense book that nonetheless provokes admiration for its author's resilience, despite the nightmare of her formative years.
[Obvious content warnings include descriptions of domestic violence, including toward children and pets.]
While Balascio's father was superficially charming, collected friends, and adored celebrations and holidays, he was a true psychopath who terrorized his family. He doled out beatings and took a perverse delight in scaring and startling people, especially his own children. He also sowed terror by bestowing gifts that he would later destroy or take away--and this included a succession of pets who were either killed or mysteriously 'disappeared.' The family was also constantly uprooted and moved around the country, for reasons that the author now understands was her father running away from the scene of his crimes, in multiple cases murder.
RAISED is an intense book that nonetheless provokes admiration for its author's resilience, despite the nightmare of her formative years.
[Obvious content warnings include descriptions of domestic violence, including toward children and pets.]
May 31, 2025
This reads like an even more wild and unpredictable view of novels like Educated. I felt so very sorry for April and all she had to endure. It’s the kind of nonfiction that hooks you and keeps you reading well past your bedtime. I just couldn’t believe half of the things their poor family had to go through and all she discovered about her father. Best memoir of the year so far!
January 16, 2025
This book is gut-wrenching because of the difficult childhood of the narrator and author April Balascio. In that regard, it reminds me of "Educated" by Tara Westover. Balascio's goal in telling her story is to help bring closure to people whose family members have unsolved murders, possibly as victims of her father. It's also a compelling account of people surviving and thriving after immense suffering during their childhoods.
March 27, 2025
The problem that I had with this book was that as a reader we don't find out anything about April's father being a serial killer and the facts that come with it until 70% in. However, I still found myself interested and kept reading on. This story is mostly about April's upbringing and the horrible environment she grew up in. Her father was a really bad man and beat all of his children and his wife. They were constantly on the run because of owing money/stealing.
His children were basically servants to him and he lived on to be 75 years old before he was even caught and then got off easy by dying of natural causes. If you want to learn more about this man's past vs the actual case itself then please give this a read. If you want to read about a horrific upbringing of this woman's childhood and rough adult life she lived then give this a read. This book is about abuse in every way possible. You would be better off just googling about Edward Edwards the serial killer.
His children were basically servants to him and he lived on to be 75 years old before he was even caught and then got off easy by dying of natural causes. If you want to learn more about this man's past vs the actual case itself then please give this a read. If you want to read about a horrific upbringing of this woman's childhood and rough adult life she lived then give this a read. This book is about abuse in every way possible. You would be better off just googling about Edward Edwards the serial killer.
February 9, 2025
3.5 stars
A gripping and heartbreaking story. It could maybe have been cut down a bit.
I listened to the audiobook and really missed a table of contents/accurate chapter division. It would definitely have helped me organise the story in my mind.
Topic 8
Writing Style 7
Execution/Pace 7
Execution/Setup 6
Enjoyment/Engrossment 7
Narration 6
A gripping and heartbreaking story. It could maybe have been cut down a bit.
I listened to the audiobook and really missed a table of contents/accurate chapter division. It would definitely have helped me organise the story in my mind.
Topic 8
Writing Style 7
Execution/Pace 7
Execution/Setup 6
Enjoyment/Engrossment 7
Narration 6
December 3, 2024
I could barely tear myself away from this book!
It’s a fascinating revelation of the author’s tortuous childhood and the unsettling discovery about who her father really was.
He was a real SOB, conman, liar, and just reprehensible.
What floored me was his tell all book and how he profited from his criminal activities.
Balascio is a very strong person and I admired her tenacity as she pulled herself out of her family entanglements.
Some parts of this story were absolutely ghastly and I give kudos to the author for trying to solve all the possible murders her father committed.
Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the advance read.
It’s a fascinating revelation of the author’s tortuous childhood and the unsettling discovery about who her father really was.
He was a real SOB, conman, liar, and just reprehensible.
What floored me was his tell all book and how he profited from his criminal activities.
Balascio is a very strong person and I admired her tenacity as she pulled herself out of her family entanglements.
Some parts of this story were absolutely ghastly and I give kudos to the author for trying to solve all the possible murders her father committed.
Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the advance read.
February 10, 2025
This book seems to be everywhere I turn at the moment so I borrowed it from the library (so glad I didn't buy it). Struggled with slow pace, issues with this woman trying to convince me that even when he abused them daddy loved them. Just not for me.
June 13, 2025
| DNF @ 43% | ☆☆☆☆☆
Trigger Warnings for Raised by a Serial Killer:
Raised by a Serial Killer is the true story of April Balascio's life growing up with Edward Wayne Edwards for a father. In Balascio's memoir, she recounts her time with her father through the ups and downs. Balascio walks through her memories from a young child through her recognition that something wasn't quite ride with her father and through the rest of Edwards true crime history.
Allow me to first say that I was enjoying this memoir, for the most part, until Balascio started describing, in detail, the savage death of her cat by the hands of her father. I understand that Balascio was using this as a narrative piece to show what her father was capable of, but it was visceral and caused me to stop reading the book all together. Snowball's slow, agonizing death was just too much, especially as an animal lover and cat mom.
Overall, I think the book was fine up until that point. I would recommend skipping Snowball's horrifying murder and moving on if you're able to. I simply could not continue reading after that point as its all I could think of...
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Trigger Warnings for Raised by a Serial Killer:
Raised by a Serial Killer is the true story of April Balascio's life growing up with Edward Wayne Edwards for a father. In Balascio's memoir, she recounts her time with her father through the ups and downs. Balascio walks through her memories from a young child through her recognition that something wasn't quite ride with her father and through the rest of Edwards true crime history.
Allow me to first say that I was enjoying this memoir, for the most part, until Balascio started describing, in detail, the savage death of her cat by the hands of her father. I understand that Balascio was using this as a narrative piece to show what her father was capable of, but it was visceral and caused me to stop reading the book all together. Snowball's slow, agonizing death was just too much, especially as an animal lover and cat mom.
Overall, I think the book was fine up until that point. I would recommend skipping Snowball's horrifying murder and moving on if you're able to. I simply could not continue reading after that point as its all I could think of...
Follow all of my reviews and content with LinkTree
February 2, 2025
The author grew up in a dysfunctional and abusive household. They constantly moved and all she wanted was a place to belong. She knew her father was a conman and petty thief as well as a domestic abuser but as a child she had no idea he was a killer. It was only as an adult that she started putting two and two together; their moonlight flits often coincided with the deaths or disappearances of people in the area they'd been living. Working with cold case detectives and a crime podcaster April was able to piece together her father's past with a possible list of victims dating back to the 1950s. My heart goes out to April and her siblings for all they went through and the families of the victims who will never get closure. This is a difficult read in some parts but April is such a resilient person and it's good that she uses her experiences to help others.
March 7, 2025
This is the story of a person raised in a dysfunctional and abusive home with the majority being fairly normal. This is MAYBE 10% about the crimes committed or clear alignment and signs as she lived it. I kept waiting for the story to be more. At best, it needs to be edited in half.
April 5, 2025
It's unbelievable what the family of serial killer Ed Edwards went through all those years as he moved the family from place to place to place...killing people almost everywhere they went. This is an eye-opening book and the author is the daughter of the killer. Feel for her, her mom, and siblings.
February 19, 2025
Uncomfortable, brutal, intense
March 4, 2025
5 stars
Absolutely riveting and heartbreaking
Absolutely riveting and heartbreaking
October 1, 2025
a difficult one to rate. but one thing keeps bugging me. the author said near the beginning that none of Wayne's 5 children doubted he loved them... but then spend the entire rest of the book describing in great detail emotional, sexual, physical and verbal abuse to all of them. so I don't understand. also, what about the illegitimate children? alot of that was glossed over. anyway, this book felt clinical and was hard to equate the story with the words the author was using. she was entirely detached, but it didn't seem to be in PTSD way, but more in a way perhaps Wayne was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2026
Out of respect and compassion for the author, I'm giving this 2 stars.
I will say that it's twice as long as it needed to be and I won't be recommending it to any of my book buddies.
I will say that it's twice as long as it needed to be and I won't be recommending it to any of my book buddies.
December 25, 2024
*Audiobook
Recommend? Yes
It’s hard to rate memoirs because, well, they are someone else’s truth…this one is based on the memories of the daughter of serial killer Edward Wayne Edwards.
Prior to reading this book I had never heard of Edward Wayne Edwards. By looking at him you’d never suspect he was such a terrible person.
His older children suffered the harshest of his abusive behaviors but it wasn’t just the children…there was abusive towards animals.
This guy was so brazen it just blows my mind.
It’s definitely a slow read but interesting to heard the authors perspective as she grew up and started to piece everything together.
I can’t imagine growing up in that household.
The author was so brave to speak out and tell the police what she suspected about her father. This situation had to be extra hard for her since not all of her siblings agreed with her choice. I come from a big family and I know how tricky they can be.
Recommend? Yes
It’s hard to rate memoirs because, well, they are someone else’s truth…this one is based on the memories of the daughter of serial killer Edward Wayne Edwards.
Prior to reading this book I had never heard of Edward Wayne Edwards. By looking at him you’d never suspect he was such a terrible person.
His older children suffered the harshest of his abusive behaviors but it wasn’t just the children…there was abusive towards animals.
This guy was so brazen it just blows my mind.
It’s definitely a slow read but interesting to heard the authors perspective as she grew up and started to piece everything together.
I can’t imagine growing up in that household.
The author was so brave to speak out and tell the police what she suspected about her father. This situation had to be extra hard for her since not all of her siblings agreed with her choice. I come from a big family and I know how tricky they can be.
March 14, 2025
An interesting story, but we didn’t need to know every minute detail of her life. It was too long and overly detailed, which made it boring in parts. Listening on audio, the narrator, like so many American narrators is flat and slow, and it feels like listening to a primary school student in reading practice. The Brits and Australians are so much better at this audio book stuff!
The story itself is interesting, being raised by a serial killer, realising he is a serial killer and witnessing his sick behaviours around animals, pets, kids and women. I felt like I wanted to forward through most of it and get to the point where it dawns on her that her father is a serial killer, and the impact on the rest of the family. I’m wondering if listening to the podcast would be more concise as the editing on this story really lets it down.
The story itself is interesting, being raised by a serial killer, realising he is a serial killer and witnessing his sick behaviours around animals, pets, kids and women. I felt like I wanted to forward through most of it and get to the point where it dawns on her that her father is a serial killer, and the impact on the rest of the family. I’m wondering if listening to the podcast would be more concise as the editing on this story really lets it down.
January 9, 2025
True crime always fascinates me. What also fascinates me and makes my heart clench is how some families exist and what trauma is happening. April and her family lived a life of continual trauma. I look at her as a brave person. One comment/review said I just want to give April a hug. That is exactly my feelings when I finished the book.
November 18, 2025
Who read this and thought, "no more edits. it's good to go!" this book rambles and gives so much information I do not need! it took a subject I love and made not care in the least. there are better memoirs out there.
January 10, 2025
Wow! If a book could make you feel more empathetic towards another human being, this is it! Super interesting, sad and crazy!
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