The Murders of Lillian Ross by Sirena Van Schaik – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.

The Murders of Lillian Ross by Sirena Van Schaik
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lillian Ross is in jail for a double murder and has never said a word about what happened and why, she didn’t even put up a fight for the court case, just letting them get on with it around her and has never opened up to anyone, that is until she approaches true-crime author Allison McKinnon. Allison has been writing her true-crime novels for a decade and it is always from the point of view of the victims, she does her research thoroughly and uses facts and first hand interviews to show the real impact which crime can have on lives and she is good at her job, so when she gets the call that Lillian Ross wants her to tell her her story, it is a chance she is more than willing to take, as long as the proper steps are taken and the proper paperwork and releases are signed.

As she approaches the prison for their first meeting, Allison has her legal support there with her, she is stunned when Lillian enters the interview room for the first time, she doesn’t look like her pictures, but she is still a beautiful woman who wouldn’t strike you as being a criminal if you saw her on the street, but there is something about her character which Allison feels is a little off, she agrees to sign off on all the paperwork and so Allison arranges with the prison to conduct the meetings, while in the background, she begins to make requests to Lillian’s family so that she can interview them for the book as well.

As the interviews progress, Allison hears about Lillian’s past and this is where similarities to her own past emerge, this sets off an inner turmoil in Allison, but she bravely carries on listening and tries not to bring her own demons to the fore at the same time. Will Allison be able to separate her story from Lillians, or will it lead down a path where only darkness lives and breathes? This is a thrilling look into how writing true-crime can impact the author as well as the criminals and victims and is an interesting glimpse into how the past can impact both the present and the future as you are drawn into two lives and want to see how their stories end.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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