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For My Boys
The heartbreaking story of a mother who lost two sons to an abusive husband. And her fight to save countless others.
Featuring a foreword by fellow Women’s Aid patron, Mel B.
On October 22, 2014, Claire Throssell’s life changed forever after her ex-husband lured their two children, Jack, 12, and his nine-year-old brother, Paul, to the attic of their family home, before deliberately setting fire to the house, murdering his children and killing himself.
Claire had been subject to her husband’s cruel coercive, physical, emotional and financial abuse throughout their 16-year marriage. After she found the strength to leave her husband, his campaign of brutality didn’t end, but the courts ignored her, and their sons’ wishes. They gave him unsupervised access to their two sons, despite Claire’s concerns that he was very capable of harming them. Her worst fears came true.
Since 2016, Throssell has been an ambassador for Women’s Aid and IDAS (Independent Domestic Abuse Service). Determined to ensure the voices of children never go unheard again, she has played a fundamental role in the implementation of the Domestic Abuse Bill, as well as ensuring survivors of domestic abuse can no longer be cross-examined by their perpetrators in the Family Court.
Claire also played a significant role in pushing for all judges to be trained on the subject of domestic abuse and has spearheaded the Child First campaign, lobbying parliament to abolish the ‘presumption of contact’ guidelines in child custody cases.
For My Boys is Claire’s heartbreaking story and her tale of determination to seek justice for her sons and give a voice to all children who are at risk at the hands of an abusive parent. Her battle with government and court bureaucracy will anger and shock, but Claire’s humbling and remarkable story of strength will inspire.
Featuring a foreword by fellow Women’s Aid patron, Mel B.
On October 22, 2014, Claire Throssell’s life changed forever after her ex-husband lured their two children, Jack, 12, and his nine-year-old brother, Paul, to the attic of their family home, before deliberately setting fire to the house, murdering his children and killing himself.
Claire had been subject to her husband’s cruel coercive, physical, emotional and financial abuse throughout their 16-year marriage. After she found the strength to leave her husband, his campaign of brutality didn’t end, but the courts ignored her, and their sons’ wishes. They gave him unsupervised access to their two sons, despite Claire’s concerns that he was very capable of harming them. Her worst fears came true.
Since 2016, Throssell has been an ambassador for Women’s Aid and IDAS (Independent Domestic Abuse Service). Determined to ensure the voices of children never go unheard again, she has played a fundamental role in the implementation of the Domestic Abuse Bill, as well as ensuring survivors of domestic abuse can no longer be cross-examined by their perpetrators in the Family Court.
Claire also played a significant role in pushing for all judges to be trained on the subject of domestic abuse and has spearheaded the Child First campaign, lobbying parliament to abolish the ‘presumption of contact’ guidelines in child custody cases.
For My Boys is Claire’s heartbreaking story and her tale of determination to seek justice for her sons and give a voice to all children who are at risk at the hands of an abusive parent. Her battle with government and court bureaucracy will anger and shock, but Claire’s humbling and remarkable story of strength will inspire.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2025
8 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 22, 2025
Review of For My Boys – Claire Throssell
Some books break your heart. This one breaks the silence.
For My Boys is a love story written in the aftermath of the unthinkable, not just the loss of two beautiful children, but the knowledge that their deaths were preventable. Claire didn’t just lose Jack and Paul to an abuser, she lost them to a family court system that heard her warnings and still handed them over.
There is a moment in the book that stops you cold:
“What were they on about? He’s my boy not a crime scene.”
Her boys were murdered by their father, and yet for so long the system still treated him like a parent with rights, while treating her like a problem for sounding the alarm. Claire no longer names him, and by the time you are deep into the book, you realise you have forgotten his name too – because the story was never about him. It is about Jack and Paul.
Even in death she had to fight for them. Their resting plaques carry their names, not his. Their identity restored. Not a continuation of his ownership, but a return to who they truly were – her boys.
This is not trauma for shock value, it is testimony. A record of what happens when presumption of contact is valued above child safety, when a violent man is still called “dad” and a protective mother is treated as obstructive instead of correct. Claire turned devastation into purpose. Her courage is active, not symbolic – she fights so that no other parent is forced to become a warning after the fact.
For My Boys is one of the most courageous and necessary books I have ever read. It is not simply a memoir, it is a warning, a legacy and a record of institutional failure written in the hope of preventing the next. Everyone working in safeguarding, domestic abuse services or the family courts should be required to read it.
Jack and Paul should still be here. And no mother should ever have to stand beside her child and insist he is a son before he is a crime scene.
Some books break your heart. This one breaks the silence.
For My Boys is a love story written in the aftermath of the unthinkable, not just the loss of two beautiful children, but the knowledge that their deaths were preventable. Claire didn’t just lose Jack and Paul to an abuser, she lost them to a family court system that heard her warnings and still handed them over.
There is a moment in the book that stops you cold:
“What were they on about? He’s my boy not a crime scene.”
Her boys were murdered by their father, and yet for so long the system still treated him like a parent with rights, while treating her like a problem for sounding the alarm. Claire no longer names him, and by the time you are deep into the book, you realise you have forgotten his name too – because the story was never about him. It is about Jack and Paul.
Even in death she had to fight for them. Their resting plaques carry their names, not his. Their identity restored. Not a continuation of his ownership, but a return to who they truly were – her boys.
This is not trauma for shock value, it is testimony. A record of what happens when presumption of contact is valued above child safety, when a violent man is still called “dad” and a protective mother is treated as obstructive instead of correct. Claire turned devastation into purpose. Her courage is active, not symbolic – she fights so that no other parent is forced to become a warning after the fact.
For My Boys is one of the most courageous and necessary books I have ever read. It is not simply a memoir, it is a warning, a legacy and a record of institutional failure written in the hope of preventing the next. Everyone working in safeguarding, domestic abuse services or the family courts should be required to read it.
Jack and Paul should still be here. And no mother should ever have to stand beside her child and insist he is a son before he is a crime scene.
October 22, 2025
This book is really heartbreaking. I felt so sorry for what Claire went through with her ex husband and to lose her beautiful boys Jack and Paul how she did. I also felt so sorry that the courts and everyone wouldn't listen to what Claire was telling them about her ex husband. I was in tears reading from when Claire got to the hospital. I don't know how any parent can murder their own children like he did.
This book is definitely worth reading, thank you Claire for having the strength to tell us your story about your gorgeous beautiful boys Jack and Paul.
This book is definitely worth reading, thank you Claire for having the strength to tell us your story about your gorgeous beautiful boys Jack and Paul.
January 3, 2026
This is a truly heartbreaking read. We follow a mother's never-ending fight for justice. An eye opener for the services that were meant to protect a family. It is an extremely difficult read, so please check your trigger warnings beforehand. The bravery and courage of a mother and the story of her two young sons that needs to be told.
5*****
5*****
December 9, 2025
Absolutely heartbreaking story.
To lose a child is the most terrible thing anyone can imagine. To lose both your children.... there are no words. And for their killer to have been their own father.
This is such a tragic and absolutely heartbreaking story. Couples break up all the time. There can be rows and awkwardness, but some manage to put their kids first. This father did not. This happened so close to home for me. I used to teach a couple the organ; drive to their home, about half an hour from me. Chatting over a cuppa one day, Kath told me about this tragedy, in their neighbourhood. A few years later, I saw this book, and as I read it, realised this is their neighbour's incredibly sad and shocking story.
This brave lady has written this book to help others, and continues to work tirelessly to try and prevent something like this happening to others.
A very powerful, emotional, and moving read.
To lose a child is the most terrible thing anyone can imagine. To lose both your children.... there are no words. And for their killer to have been their own father.
This is such a tragic and absolutely heartbreaking story. Couples break up all the time. There can be rows and awkwardness, but some manage to put their kids first. This father did not. This happened so close to home for me. I used to teach a couple the organ; drive to their home, about half an hour from me. Chatting over a cuppa one day, Kath told me about this tragedy, in their neighbourhood. A few years later, I saw this book, and as I read it, realised this is their neighbour's incredibly sad and shocking story.
This brave lady has written this book to help others, and continues to work tirelessly to try and prevent something like this happening to others.
A very powerful, emotional, and moving read.
December 10, 2025
WOW! What a read!
Claire Throssell’s story is absolutely heartbreaking, yet told with such grace, honesty and strength. I cried throughout, particularly during the section about her mum’s passing, which hit me incredibly hard.
Claire is an extraordinary woman. The courage she shows in sharing her experience, and in her continued fight to protect other children, is nothing short of inspiring. Her love for Jack and Paul pours out of every chapter, making this both devastating and deeply moving to read.
Raw, emotional and important — For My Boys is a testament to a mother’s love and her determination to make sure her sons are never forgotten. A truly incredible lady, and an unforgettable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this inspiring memoir.
Claire Throssell’s story is absolutely heartbreaking, yet told with such grace, honesty and strength. I cried throughout, particularly during the section about her mum’s passing, which hit me incredibly hard.
Claire is an extraordinary woman. The courage she shows in sharing her experience, and in her continued fight to protect other children, is nothing short of inspiring. Her love for Jack and Paul pours out of every chapter, making this both devastating and deeply moving to read.
Raw, emotional and important — For My Boys is a testament to a mother’s love and her determination to make sure her sons are never forgotten. A truly incredible lady, and an unforgettable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this inspiring memoir.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2025
A beautiful telling of such a heartbreaking and tragic story.
Claire has written such an impactful and important book. The world needs to know what the family courts are really like and how they are still putting vulnerable children in danger due to a lack of training and understanding of domestic abuse.
This is still happening right now, in 2025.
I admire Claire so much for telling her story and working so hard to raise awareness and change the current practices that are outdated and unfit for purpose.
The system failed her and her children which ended in the most devastating way possible.
Claire has written such an impactful and important book. The world needs to know what the family courts are really like and how they are still putting vulnerable children in danger due to a lack of training and understanding of domestic abuse.
This is still happening right now, in 2025.
I admire Claire so much for telling her story and working so hard to raise awareness and change the current practices that are outdated and unfit for purpose.
The system failed her and her children which ended in the most devastating way possible.
October 29, 2025
“There was no way for Jack and Paul to escape.”
I am so moved by this book and the very documentation of domestic abuse and violence against women and children. Claire Throssell, your boys are watching over you, marvelling in awe and pride in how much of a trailblazer their mother is for them and many women and children in the UK facing any form of domestic and sexual violence.
I am so moved by this book and the very documentation of domestic abuse and violence against women and children. Claire Throssell, your boys are watching over you, marvelling in awe and pride in how much of a trailblazer their mother is for them and many women and children in the UK facing any form of domestic and sexual violence.
November 22, 2025
A book all people who work with children and families should read. The impact of domestic violence is far reaching and devastating. Claire has worked and continues to strive to change the law around parental contact where domestic violence is present. Hopefully her honest account will help in that and be a lasting legacy for Jack and Paul
October 29, 2025
one of the most heartbreaking, moving empowering things I have ever read, claire is a inspiration to any DV survivors & the strongest of women, i personally know the work she has done has saved me & my children from more trauma.
read this book or gift it to someone ♥️♥️
read this book or gift it to someone ♥️♥️
October 20, 2025
Heartbreaking. Claire is an inspiration. What she has done, and tried to do, since the murders of her sons, Jack and Paul, is amazing. I just wish there weren't so many barriers in her way.
November 14, 2025
well written cried a lot reading this book i really liked this book honest and raw . Claire has been to hell and back .
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews