Parents Who Killed Their Children

There is a fascination in this country, and most of the world for that matter, regarding murder. How it happens, when it happens and WHY it happens. When that homicide is in fact, filicide – or the killing of a child by his or her own parent – then that fascination takes on a morbid, yet compelling drive. We stand riveted to the TV screen and the papers, watching the stories unfold before our eyes. We are horrified, yet spellbound, unable to look away as the details and possible reasons spill forth.“Parents Who Killed Their Children” by R.J. Parker takes that horrific desire to know, to understand, and condenses it into an easy read format. 10 of the most history grabbing cases in recent years are highlighted in every gory detail, both what was in the press and further information that might have come out after the cases. In one or two the guilt is still suspect, but Parker takes no sides – the cases are presented as is, take them as you will.This is an incredibly hard book to read, though one that you can’t help but pick up. As a parent myself, there were numerous times I swallowed hard and set my Kindle down, horrified and sick to my stomach at the thought that anyone…much less a mother… could commit such a crime against her own offspring. I do not want to like this book, the content is disturbing and realizing the truth of it even more so. That said, the writing is superb and the non-judgmental tone of the pages impressive. Parker did a remarkable job compiling the research that has gone into this work, and the coverage of possible mental illness and strong correlation to Post Partum Depression admirable.

If you are one of the faint-hearted, then this book is not for you, for some of the killings are cruel and terror-inducing beyond belief. Any sane person, of course, will find the acts in this book morbid and grotesque. And any sane, protective parent will also find them incomprehensible. Unfortunately, 'Parents Who Killed Their Children' presents little insight into the minds of the perpetrators, because this is what I kept asking while reading and this is what I'd be most interested in (but perhaps their minds are unfathomable). But it does reveal similar traits in the personalities of these pathetic mothers and fathers. They are nearly always sociopathic and narcissistic in their intent, with little repentance for the murders of their children. What was most shocking for me is that very few murders were committed out of sudden rage. Most were premeditated and often revengeful. One wonders if these people were really believing that they'd be better off for the disposal of children who would all too soon grow up and fly the coop. That, I really don't get in their thinking.

This is a book with about a chapter or so about each of several of the murder cases that have been big in the media over the last 10-20 years or so. Generally I prefer the type of book that gets quite in-depth into the events and explaining, or trying to explain the life of the murderer and why he or she might have done what they did. Ann Rule is my favorite tru crime author. However, because it turns out that I had read about most of the cases in it several years ago, it kind of refreshed my memory about each case, and may have given me a detail or two that I might not have known or remembered. Sometimes when there is a lot going on in your life, it's nice to have something that doesn't take a lot of concentration, and that you can finish a portion of fairly quickly before the next distraction comes along to take you away from your reading for hours or days.

I found this book very interesting. It covered some background that was new to me and a story or two I hadn't heard of before. Naturally, the subject matter is horribly sad for the loss of innocent lives and the countless families ruined. The author doesn't stoop to sensationalism, though. He gives the facts that are known, and the background that led up to the murders. The writing was very well done and didn't lag. Technically, I don't recall any errors in word usage or printing (Kindle). I have heard that this is an excellent author for true crime stories, and I am happy to agree with this. I will be reading more by Mr Parker. Highly recommended.

This didn't feel like a complete book, more like an novella or probably an overview. This audio version was a little over 2 hours so it moved along quickly. It touched on the most famous/infamous cases of parents who kill their children, i.e. Andrea Yates, Susan Smith and Jeffery McDonald. Jeffery actually killed his whole family not just the kids. The author was trying to show that not just women murdered their kids but so do men! The book was interesting even though I know the characters but it sounded like a documentary so it was a bit dry. The book covered the facts in each case then added an epilogue, which was exciting to see and know the repercussions of the tragedies. Not to much new information but I did get insight into two of the killers whom I wasn't familiar with so their stories were a bit more stimulating.

This true crime novel goes beyond just the facts of the murders, exploring motivations and evidence. Its not one of those choppy, unenjoyable pieces of word vomit ripped from headlines. These incidences, though filled with fact, also make one pause and think. Dr. Parker manages to put the case and evidence before you, summarize the life and trial of the accused, detail the facts of the murder and tell a little about the victims. Its a highlight of the situation to, in my opinion, give the reader and idea of what is going on to determine which cases he would like to follow up on. In addition, he takes the time to raise questions that, as a society, we should all slow down and take a look at. It is not written in the typical "storytelling" mode, but rather like educational material. This is very good for early stage research. I do recommend.

Parents Who Killed Their Children is a non fiction book.The author has written a lot of true crime books and has picked out certain high profile cases for this book.It is a relatively short book and only takes a couple of hours to read though obviously the reading matter is quite uncomfortable.The writer has written about ten parents that have killed and in each case study the reader gets a brief introduction to the family leading up to the awful events, we then get to learn about the events that took place and then there is also an afterwards where we learn about what happened in the trials of the killers and to what happened to them and living family members in the aftermath.Each case is quite short and even though the reader gets the overall information it did leave me wanting to know more, I found the chapters to be a little to brief. To be honest even after reading this book, as a parent, I still do not understand why these parents brutally killed their children.I will warn people that at the back of the book there are some graphic photos that some people will find upsetting but I think it makes it hit home at the atrocities of what unfortunately does go on in this world.This book certainly will not be for everyone but it does make for an interesting read. It certainly makes you hug your children that bit tighter.

I admit to being one of those people who has a fascination with true crime and in particular murder. Overall this was an interesting read over several short chapters which highlight high-profile cases of parents who have murdered their child/children. Of course the topic wouldn’t appeal to everyone but I have been an avid reader of true crime for years. The compilation is used by universities in teaching criminology courses and as such I did expect the detail to be really thrashed out. However, whilst I found the facts on the murders, trials, reason behind the killings interesting I expected rather more on the psychology side than the book gave. I would have liked a little more depth.Some of the formatting was a little out of kilter on the Kindle and I found the language somewhat basic for a university level resource too – the overuse of ‘so-and-so stated. . .’ did grate somewhat in my mind when there are so many other ways to say what someone said. I was left wondering if the author (a professor) had overdone the desire to use plain and simple language. That said I still found it an interesting read.

Fillicide, deemed the worst crime committed by a lot of people for various reasons.Very short account of each case and straight to the point. It isn't an in depth explanation of each case but it was informative.

A facinating book by RJ Parker, The first story in this book covers a really sad case between Andrea Yates and her 5 children, and you may end asking yourself could more have been done.Once i started to read this book i found it hard to put down, there are some very heartbreaking accounts of parents who have killed there children, its a really well researched,written book

Some of the cases were mildly interesting but the book was so badly written I couldn't get much beyond half way, irritated by the juvenile analysis of the psychology behind the events and the frankly awful writing style. Would not read anything else by this author.