Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter

My rating:

add to my books

Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter

by Melissa G. Moore (Goodreads Author), M. Bridget Cook (Goodreads Author)

3.36 · rating details · 672 ratings · 221 reviews

Melissa always knew that her family wasn't perfect, but she never suspected the shocking truth]]

In Shattered Silence Melissa Moore shares the true story of her life as the daughter of the notorious "Happy Face" serial killer. As she slowly realizes the full extent of the gruesome crimes her father has committed, Melissa also begins to realize that she cannot ch

...more

Paperback, 250 pages

Published September 8th 2009 by Cedar Fort (first published September 7th 2009)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles

The Female Relative Phenomenon

147th out of 186 books — 52 voters

LDS Book Club Reads

142nd out of 223 books — 75 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,619)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 23, 2011

Christy rated it

This book was not at all what I expected it to be. I was completely disappointed. There were several times I considered not even finishing it. It was a slow read, and she seemed to put too much emphasis on nothing imparticular. Later in the book there were things I thought should have had more detail, but she was incredibly vague. All that mixed with a few inconsistancies with people's names and you have a disaster of a book. I was not impressed at all. Not to mention the fact that the end of th...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Sep 04, 2011

Sandy rated it

Shelves: historical-nonfiction, religious-motivational

I initially started this book several years ago, and was so creeped out in the first few chapters that I put it down and picked something else up. I finally finished it--in about a 24 hour period. I couldn't put it down. This was a haunting tale of Melissa, daughter of Keith Jespersen, the Happy Face serial killer. She talks about her life, starting with early (sometimes repressed) memories of her dad torturing and killing small animals, but mostly the happy stories--how her dad always bought he...more

· see review

Aug 04, 2011

Erica rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

This woman has written about her experience growing up without knowing that her father whom she looks up to and counts on the most in her life, is a serial killer. She doesn't find out about this until she is a teenager. This tells a story about how along with her father being imprisoned for serial murder, her struggles growing up without hardly any $ to survive, contstantly moving making it a struggle to get comfortable in a new environment not able to make and keep any friends, having to deal ...moreThis woman has written about her experience growing up without knowing that her father whom she looks up to and counts on the most in her life, is a serial killer. She doesn't find out about this until she is a teenager. This tells a story about how along with her father being imprisoned for serial murder, her struggles growing up without hardly any $ to survive, contstantly moving making it a struggle to get comfortable in a new environment not able to make and keep any friends, having to deal with her mothers very abusive and mentally ill boyfriend controlling her household...she's able to keep her silence and try to be positive about it.

If this story was in fact true in full, there were some things I felt really should have been done on her part as well as her mothers part. She viewed her mother as someone who always knew what to do when she never showed the love and compassion she needed to show to her kids and yet continued to have more with no $ and no time or energy to show the love. smart. She also allowed her boyfriend to keep coming back while promising her that it wouldn't happen knowing he has continuously put her in the hospital as well as harmed her son and daughters. "hes not coming back once he gets out of jail kids I've changed the locks." Three days later "ok, i've given him a new key kids deal with it." great parenting considering the trauma her children have already had to deal with having their own father making promises he can't keep while his children are learning he seems to be, also, mentally unstable.

So basically while going thru all of this she's trying to teach people a lesson in being positive I will give her that what she did greatly benefited her. However I didn't think the book was structured very well and she supposedly had a professional helping her put it together. There were what seemed to be significant situations that never followed thru we don't know what happened it seemed like it was thrown together we didn't even know specifically where she lived and when at what period in her life. within 20 pages she goes from being 7 to 15. It becomes confusing because there was so much left out.

On a more personal note. I'm not agreeable to the LDS religion and living in Utah I feel like it's difficult to escape having to live thru the effects of it. I wasn't able to after checking out this book. She gets thru telling everyone how her new husband's family will not accept her because she isn't mormon....so the answer is what...abandon her catholic upbringing to join the mormon religion in order for her inlaws to accept her. Something I absolutely never agreed with also something about the mormon culture (not the religion, the culture)that always really upset me.

So this book sends a good message overall to people who are going thru what she went thru and I'm glad she's happy now. But I feel like she worked too hard all the way to the end to deliver the same message that you can find and read in pretty much any self help book. I wouldn't recommend it. I'm pretty surprised I even had this much to say about it honestly.(less)

· see review

Jul 23, 2011

Arlene added it

Melissa always knew that her family wasn't perfect, but she never suspected the shocking truth

What would you do if, as a teenager, you found out that someone you loved had committed the most horrific of acts? Worse, what if he had done it again and again? Could you ever learn to forgive him? Would you even want to?

In Shattered Silence Melissa Moore shares the true story of her life as the daughter of the notorious Happy Face serial killer. In this inspiring story, Melissa gro...more

· see review

Mar 22, 2011

Amy (amyb2332) rated it

Shelves: 2011, non-fiction, books-i-did-not-care-for

I wouldn’t have picked this book up on my own but it was my book club book this month. I would have stayed away from this book for two reasons: 1) I don’t like memoirs about crappy childhoods and 2) I don’t like books that talk about someone’s spiritual journey. I find religion to be so personal and it makes me feel uncomfortable to read. Plus, even if it isn’t meant to be judgment, I find that often it feels that way. As if one of the take aways should be, “Well gee it’s too bad I don’t b...moreI wouldn’t have picked this book up on my own but it was my book club book this month. I would have stayed away from this book for two reasons: 1) I don’t like memoirs about crappy childhoods and 2) I don’t like books that talk about someone’s spiritual journey. I find religion to be so personal and it makes me feel uncomfortable to read. Plus, even if it isn’t meant to be judgment, I find that often it feels that way. As if one of the take aways should be, “Well gee it’s too bad I don’t believe in God or all my life’s issues would be solved.” I just think that is so condescending. And both of those things contributed to my dislike of this book.

There were lots of other things that I disliked about this book as well: 1) The Dr. Phil Show – give me a break that is so silly. I rolled my eyes so hard my head hurts. 2) The author’s premonitions – again, that is just so obnoxious. And don’t mistake me, I do believe in intuition but some of the time the author spent convincing us she actually knew when stuff was going to happen. She knew that a fire was approaching in the form of a dark shadow way before her bus seat caught on fire, (or perhaps she just felt her ass getting warm - Again, insert major eye roll).

I also think that it was pretty clear that the author didn’t want to talk about her dad’s crimes. Which is a shame because she highlights that she is the daughter of a serial killer but then doesn’t talk about the killings hardly at all. And that is what makes her crappy childhood story so unique. I think she really missed an opportunity to make her story different. Something like alternating true crime type chapters of what was happening with her father during each part of her life would have been really interesting. She does mention at one point something about her father cleaning up blood but she gives no details – would that have been his first murder, who was it, I wanted to know that stuff!

But the biggest problem with the book is that it was just poorly written. The whole book was the opposite of show not tell. She tells us that her step father is awful but gives absolutely no indication why until several chapters later where she mentions in passing that the week before he had thrown her mom against the wall (but mind you supposedly her premonitions told her from the beginning he was bad). Instead she could have shown us instances where things were off about him or described the first time he was violent. The same thing with the boyfriend Sean, after the rape she says she always had bad feelings about him that she ignored. But she never explained that to us. In fact, she fell hard for him and it was her friends telling her that he had been in trouble in the past. Not her magical spidey sense.

Finally, the way she wrote was distracting. Take this scene when she was 5, “I felt like I should have been shocked at the news that Grandpa Roy was marrying Lucy, but I was happy for him. I had seen Grandpa so miserable, and I didn’t want him to be alone.” Really? Those were the exact thoughts that your 5 year old self thought? Because 5 year olds don’t talk like that, adults do but she wasn’t writing as an adult, she was writing as a 5 year old. And this happened all through the book, if she wanted to tell the story as her adult self then she should have told it that way and not tried to tell it as she thought when she was 5 because I didn’t believe her and that made me distrust everything she wrote.

Overall, I would not recommend this book. (less)

like 3 likes

· see review

Mar 18, 2011

Elaine Kasteler rated it

My husband's daughter-in-law recommended this book for me to read. She's from Washington (where much of this story takes place) and she enjoyed the book.

I was fascinated with the story. The human spirit is very strong and if your mind is set to changing your life you can. The writing style was hard for me and not my favorite. And I did have unanswered questions ... like what happened to Toni. How did Melissa's parents feel about her writing this book. There is a picture in the ...more

· see review

Nov 23, 2010

Brooke rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I read this book as part of my research on serial killers. Melissa Moore is the daughter of the "Happy Face" serial killer, and she is just a year older than me, so it really put her experiences in perspective in contrast to my life. She has become a very strong woman that speaks out on violence and is not afraid to own her voice. She has been on several shows, including Dr. PHil and Oprah and in now an international speaker.
She does a good job telling her story, and giving t...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Aug 01, 2010

Hava rated it

Shelves: autobiographical, depressing-books, mormon-church, murderers, nonfiction-books, personal-memoirs, psychopaths

The opening pages of this book are horrifying. Here's a little girl whose father tortures her pets to death for fun, and whose mother won't do a damn thing about it or even acknowledge that it's happening. This is so far beyond my realm of experience and background, I couldn't begin to understand what that would be like.

Melissa's father is a monster in some ways, but he's a loving father in other ways. Melissa's mother is a doormat who goes from abusive relationship to abusive relati...moreThe opening pages of this book are horrifying. Here's a little girl whose father tortures her pets to death for fun, and whose mother won't do a damn thing about it or even acknowledge that it's happening. This is so far beyond my realm of experience and background, I couldn't begin to understand what that would be like.

Melissa's father is a monster in some ways, but he's a loving father in other ways. Melissa's mother is a doormat who goes from abusive relationship to abusive relationship and doesn't understand that this is a problem. Melissa's siblings all go their own way and live out their lives at their friend's houses because living at home is hell. Melissa does the same thing. She gets herself into some pretty bad situations and starts to do exactly what her mother did, when she finally (a year later) realizes that this isn't okay. She breaks the cycle of abuse, which I really applaud her for.

Melissa went public with her story because she found that there was no support group for the families of the "bad guys" - there were support groups galore for the families of the victims, but none for the families of the perpetrators, especially of the serial killer variety. She ends the book with a list of thoughts especially for these families, which I thought I was a good idea. If you have a family member who did something horrible that you're struggling to deal with, then this is definitely the book for you (especially the ending).

But for me, this was just a really depressing book. As a personal side note, I left the LDS Church about two years ago, and so when I read that the author joined the LDS Church, that was difficult to read. However, that is a pretty personal thing - it may be that other people wouldn't care one way or the other.

Also, I read "Shattered Silence" and "Twisted Faith" back to back, which was bad timing on my part - both were depressing books with not-so-good people in them, doing pretty dumb things. After reading either one of those books, you'll want to pick up a frothy, light book, because believe me, you'll be ready for the change of pace.

Overall, this wasn't a gripping, have-to-finish-it-right-now sort of book. The writing style was nothing to write home about. And so for me, it garners a measly 3 stars.

PS I forgot one of the things that bothered me the most - the fact that Melissa was constantly having (visions? I guess you would call them) about a huge variety of things. She'd just "know" that her dad was coming over, or that there was a bad guy at the door, or what her future husband was going to look like and what his background would be. I don't believe in that sort of thing, so every time it happened, I had a hard time not rolling my eyes. Again, this is a personal thing - I know that many people do believe that sort of thing happens, and this would be a great book for them.

But for me...well, I had a hard time finishing the book because of it. I sure did a lot of sighing, let's put it that way.(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 28, 2010

Kathryn rated it

WOW! I have to admit that when I first started to read this book, I debated whether to finish it or not. While Melissa is telling of her early life of moving around alot and the difficulty of adjusting to new place and friends, it was also depressing and I just had a feeling it was going to get worse before it got better...please keep reading. The lessons that she gained from her life experience may be able to help someone you know or even you to Shatter the silence on your past and decide to br...more

· see review

Dec 19, 2009

Nancy rated it

Shelves: biographies, personal-improvement

Despite the title and the subject, this is a very uplifting book. The author endured great trauma in her life, with an unprotective mother, an abusive step-father, and a father who became a notorious and twisted serial killer, yet she found strength from a relationship with God, protection through listening to the still, small voice within, and a beautiful life for herself and her children. Friends, extended family, conversion to the LDS church, and participation in Dr. Phil's national televis...more

like 1 like

· see review

Feb 23, 2011

Krystal Hammond rated it

Shelves: general-nonfiction

Melissa G. Moore and M. Bridget Cook tell the story of Moore's life starting around the age of five until adulthood. Moore's connection with her father, Keith Jesperson (aka the Happy Face Killer) is a central theme throughout the book, but so is the rest of her family life after her parents' divorce. Overall, I found the story to be quite interesting, and Moore/Cook's writing held my attention throughout.

As others have indicated, this book isn't a light read. Moore shares some of the ...more

· see review

Jan 22, 2010

Laura rated it

I read this book in just one day. Easy to get hooked on. I found Melissa's story to be heart wrenching, yet interesting. I couldn't put it down as I was very drawn into her life and what was going on. I enjoyed the way she told her story. Ultimately its a very sad story and you would think it would be depressing. Somehow though when you read all the abuse and heart ache which is profound you find joy in the overcoming of it all. Knowing that even the worst pain can eventually be overcome. I f...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Dec 28, 2009

Emily rated it

Shelves: biography

Wow. Really don't know how to review this one. I was actually fairly hesitant to pick it up when I realized that I knew the author and her family a few years ago - we went to the same church on the South Hill for a couple of years, we both eventually moved to different areas of Spokane, and our paths have crossed randomly a few times since then, though we haven't kept in touch. When I knew her she was quiet and sweet, but she seemed somewhat guarded; it almost felt like I would be eavesdroppi...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Jul 13, 2010

Kelly rated it

How do you decide how much you like a book? Is it because you feel you get to know the characters? Is it the story development? Is it based on how much time you spend thinking about the book? If those are the factors, than I loved this book. As in 6 out of 5 stars loved the book. But, if the book gives you nightmares and makes you start looking over your shoulder a little more do you like the book a little less? I did. But only because the whole premise of the book is a little disturbing...more

· see review

Sep 15, 2010

Teresa B rated it

Recommends it for: all adults and older teens

Shelves: non-fiction, auto-or-biography, everyone-should-read, inspirational

Melissa G. Moore grew up in circumstances that would break most people's spirits, but this is one of the most inspiring stories I have read. The beginnings of her tale, told in straightforward, simple prose, recollect seemingly unrelated memories from her childhood, and then they progress in complexity as her age and experiences allowed her to process her surroundings and circumstances.

As a child, then as an adolescent, Melissa experienced a number of vivid, specific "knowings"...more

· see review

Oct 25, 2009

Sandra Strange rated it

Shelves: biography-autobiography-memoir, christian-lds, true-crime

So how well would you come through childhood if you had to suffer through a father who raped and killed multiple women; a mother who passively endured his emotional abuse until he left, then took up with a man who beat up her and her children and lived off the mother's labors, never contributing a penny to the impoverished household; and a first boyfriend who raped you, then forced you to get an abortion--all before you were sixteen? This amazing woman is on the road to being a passive victim, ...more

· see review

Feb 17, 2010

Natasha rated it

I thought this was a good story about triumphing over circumstances. I read this because I'm fascinated with serial killers.... hmmm.. that sounded creepy.. let me clarify. I'm not fascinated in a weird how many people did they kill and how did they do it kind of way. I'm just curious about the psychological aspects. What happened to make them that way? How do you get to the point where killing a bunch of people sounds like a great Friday night?
Anyway, I thought a book from the viewpoint of...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jun 29, 2010

Vivian rated it

Shelves: nonfiction

This book is largely an account of the author's childhood, teen, and early young adult years. It could be anyone's story. Her parents made poor life choices which subjected their children to many hardships. Children often carry the self-imposed burden of guilt and shame for their parent's actions and the author was no exception. The account in no way resembles an expose` nor is it of the true-crime genre. Her purpose in telling the story is to help others to "shatter" limiting fal...more

like 1 like

· see review

Feb 08, 2010

Sabra rated it

Shelves: read-in-2010

It took me a couple of chapters in to realize this book is touted wrong. At least I was expecting something different with the subtitle "...of a Serial Killer's Daughter". It isn't a book about juicy family secrets. To me, it was about an amazing child, then teen, then woman that defined herself in spite of who her father was, and in spite of all of the other horrible things she went through. I was truelly inspired with her attitude of personal choice in all things. I found myself...more

· see review

Apr 21, 2010

Selina rated it

I bought this book hoping that it would contain more details of how this remarkable woman forgave her father, I truly imagine that the Atonement was the major factor, but to tell her story to a broader audience and to help her cause of protecting children and women from violence, she took a more general approach. Her story is unbelievable and my heart broke for on every page, but she endured and perservered!! I also shared some similiar situations concerning what she referred to as "The K...more

· see review

Jan 26, 2010

Jill rated it

I like that the author's focus of this story was not on the gruesome murders committed by her father. In fact, with all the horrible experiences Melissa shares from her life, she tells just enough to help illustrate her feelings and explain her story. She doesn't make the reader live through every gory detail along with her. I appreciated that.
I also appreciate Melissa's honest and beautiful testimony she shares of God and his protection of her throughout her life. This book reminded me o...more

· see review

Jan 04, 2012

Mary rated it

This is not a book for the feint of heart. While it was nice to see how Melissa was able to get through her difficult childhood, some of the things she had to deal with are told in detail, so they have to be "forgotten" by the reader if you don't want the haunting you forever.

I like this quote from the book: "In order to keep atrocities from happening, we must learn from them. It begins with someone having enough courage to shatter the silnece and provide education ...more

· see review

Nov 02, 2011

Kelle rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

The premise of the book is intriguing, however the delivery is very sub-par. I felt like the book lacked any formal editing and perhaps any real message. Yes, I felt sorry for Melissa and her siblings, but I didn't feel connected to their story.

The writing style seemed forced and amateurish. The chapters are too long and filled with unnecessary tidbits. The story flip-flopped and at the end of every chapter it tries to deliver a stronger statement. This ultimately fails. I kept asking...more

· see review

Apr 19, 2010

Tammy rated it

Recommended to Tammy by: Lori

Shelves: true-story

This book wasn't anything like I expected. I thought it would tell more about what it was like to be a daughter and find out your dad is a serial killer but instead it was more about her regular life with bits thrown in about her dad and I thought her life was pretty boring.

like 2 likes

· see review

Mar 04, 2011

Judy rated it

Shelves: memoir

Page 184, paragraph 2: "Most of the homes were tiny and in need of care. Several had "fixer-upper" cars lined up in the yard, waiting for repairs that would never come; tall grass was growing through the spokes of the tires. Discarded trash had blown into the bushes..."

I don't think the book was well-written and the first few chapters I found boring. I didn't really care about the author's average life. Her father's violence to the kittens seemed to be an aberrati...more

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 26, 2009

*Christie* rated it

Shelves: inspirational, memoirs

I cannot believe what some people are asked to bear. I think that Melissa Moore is a hero to her children for her ability to rise above her past and be the kind of person she is. I think that it is brave to face your problems and choose to define yourself instead of being defined by your "secrets." I also love Melissa's relationship with God and how she knew Him always. I love that she wasn't afraid to admit that love. This book taught me to trust my intuition and showed me that e...more

· see review

Oct 29, 2009

Tonya rated it

I was handed this book from a friend that said she needed to "book club" the contents with someone. I am so glad I read it! The author is the daughter of a serial killer and grew up in a very dysfunctional family. Her story of courage and faith left me pondering my own reactions to negative happenings in my life and she reminded me that I always have a right to choose how I am going to react. I loved her message that we are all children of light and that we have two choices in life. To...more

· see review

Jul 27, 2010

Angela rated it

Devoured this in one afternoon. This young woman is the daughter of a serial killer. The book describes her childhood, as she saw disturbing clues she couldn't quite interpret, and then her teenaged years, when she finally learned the truth about her father. The book does not go into details on his crimes. In fact, it reminded me of _The Glass Castle_ in that the poor girl didn't know enough to fully realize how wrong her circumstances were. She hits a few bumps in the road, but overall does an ...more

· see review

Jan 18, 2012

Jenny rated it

This book retells Melissa's story growing up, sometimes in painful detail. She remembers how cruel her father could be to animals when she was younger then almost suddenly the story seems to just plod along talking about how her Mom and Dad got separated, then divorced and how hard her life was after that. It was almost a BTW, her Dad was a serial killer...the end.

Not to belittle her experience, but if you took out the fact her Dad was eventually convicted of being a serial killer, ...more

· see review

Oct 06, 2010

Michele rated it

Although I didn't love the writing style (many errors in the writing), I did enjoy making a connection with this girl, Melissa on a few levels. My father isn't a killer but there are many things I could relate to as the oldest daughter during a very difficult time throughout my childhood as my parents struggled in their marriage, moves and dad's job changes etc. I was hyper-aware of things and had experiences much like Melissa as far as the Spirit goes - "you are in danger. Don't move"...more

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 53 54 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Q&A with Meli...: Welcome!	2	4	Jan 28, 2012 05:31am
Q&A with Meli...: Writing Process & Tips	2	3	Jan 28, 2012 05:30am
Q&A with Meli...: Spoiler-Friendly Discussion	2	4	Jan 28, 2012 05:30am

combine
Other Editions (2)

Genres

Non Fiction

39 users

Autobiography > Memoir

14 users

Crime > True Crime

13 users

Biography

13 users

Book Club

7 users

Mystery > Crime

3 users

Family

2 users

Biography > Autobiography

2 users

Inspirational

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Melissa G. Moore

Melissa G. Moore is the best selling author of, Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter.
Shattered Silence has been featured on Oprah, People magazine, 20/20, E! and numerous television programs both nationally and internationally.

Currently, Melissa Moore is residing in Texas with her two children and husband Sam. She is working on her second book and d...more

More about Melissa G. Moore...

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About Shattered Silence...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Groups That Shelved Shattered Silence...

Logan Borders Book Club

9 members

last activity Feb 01, 2012 10:31pm

shelf: read

Q&A with Melissa G. Moore

3 members

last activity Jan 28, 2012 05:31am

shelf: read

title link	preview: Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter
avg rating	preview: Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter Goodreads rating: 3.36 (672 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6649824-shattered-silence?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255620170m/6649824.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6649824-shattered-silence?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter by Melissa G. Moore[/url]

Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combine Other Editions (2)

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Melissa G. Moore

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Shattered Silence...

Groups That Shelved Shattered Silence...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (2)