I had a lot of questions when the news of the Turpin family abuse broke out. I was hoping this book would help me gain insights on those questions. Unfortunately it did not. I was surprised the author did not get interview from any key player of the scandal -- not the parents, nor any one of the 13 children. Dude, if you don't have any insider information, there is very little you can write about a family that had kept to themselves most of the time. Why write the book at all if you don't have important inside information? I am also surprised the author didn't interview a single friend of the Turpin parents. Was he unable to find one? Surely the couple had cultivated some friendship in their lives, at work or off work? And did the self-professed Christian couple ever attend any church throughout their years of marriage? I felt the author didn't do much in-depth reporting, but instead relied mostly on police reports, trial transcripts, and existing media coverage. I see the author talked to a trauma specialist about his speculation on how the Disneyland trips and Las Vegas wedding renewals must have traumatized the children. He also combed books written by Turpin family's relatives in an attempt to find talking points. (He really wanted to link the Turpin parent's only allowing their children to have one meager meal per day to the Christian fasting practice promoted in a book written by a Turpin uncle. I felt this indicated the author did zero research on fasting and Christianity. ) I had expected this book to be in-depth reporting written by a good journalist, similar to what I've read in Bad Blood, Nomadland, Unbroken..... It was not a book of that standard. But because the scandal is so hair-raising, the book is still a gripping read. You want to keep reading to make sure the children got out of the abusive home. The vocabulary used in the book was pretty simple. ( )

A shocking and horrifying story. "Heartbreaking" is right. The writing is just okay, though. It lacks clarity at times and is extremely redundant. Events are recounted in narrative format and then, later, multiple chapters are devoted to what is basically just transcripts of witnesses recounting those events in court. They didn't add anything and just made it obvious how the writer had taken things word-for-word from witness testimony. ( )

This book about the abuse that the thirteen children of the Turpin family suffered at the hands of their parents is a ripped from the headlines story. It's unbelievable that anyone could treat their children like this but it happens again and again all over the world.

This was an interesting compilation of the news reports about the Turpin family. There isn't much here that couldn't be found elsewhere but it is all well put together and an interesting book to read. It reports what happened but there are no answers to WHY it all happened. I also thought that there were too many quotes from psychiatrists who never met the family- how can a person be an expert on a family that they've never met. It is sad to think that no one called Child Protection about these children - not the school when the oldest daughter was going to school, not the neighbors and not the other family members. When it finally went to trial, David and Louise were given life sentences with a chance of parole in 25 years - so they are finally being punished for their sins. ( )