The Violence of Our Lives: Interviews with American Murderers

Parker's collection of interviews with U.K. murderers, Life After Life, was a bestseller in his native land, prompting him to do a similar volume in the U.S. He includes conversations with seven individuals who have served their sentences, nine prisoners and five relatives of victims or killers. None of the murderers claims innocence, and the majority seem to have killed on the spur of the moment. Virtually all the female killers had suffered either physical or sexual abuse at the hands of men. The male murderers present a more varied picture, although most came from middle-class families: one is an unrepentant career criminal who has even done contract killings; one a Vietnam vet; one a former lawyer, a triple murderer who acted on impulse each time he killed. Not until the interviews with the loved ones of victims does the emotional impact of murder become affecting. Their recollections are heartrending. (July)