The Murderer's Daughters

by Randy Susan Meyers

Lulu and Merry's childhood was never ideal, but on the day before Lulu's tenth birthday their father propels them into a nightmare. He's always hungered for the love of the girls’ self-obsessed mother; after she throws him out, their troubles turn deadly.

Lulu had been warned not let her father in, but when he shows up drunk, he's impossible to ignore. He bullies his way past Lulu, who then listens in horror as her parents struggle. She runs for help, but discovers upon her return that he's murdered her mother, stabbed her five-year-old sister, Merry, and tried, unsuccessfully, to kill himself.

Lulu and Merry are effectively orphaned by their mother’s death and father’s imprisonment. The girls' relatives refuse to care for them and abandon them to a terrifying group home. Even as they plot to be taken in by a well-to-do family, they come to learn they'll never really belong anywhere or to anyone — that all they have to hold onto is each other.

For thirty years, the sisters try to make sense of what happened. Their imprisoned father is a specter in both their lives, shadowing every choice they make. One spends her life pretending he's dead, while the other feels compelled - by fear, by duty - to keep him close. Both dread the day his attempts to win parole may meet with success.

A beautifully written, compulsively readable debut, The Murderer's Daughters is a testament to the power of family and the ties that bind us together and tear us apart.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Mystery, Contemporary, Drama, Family, Crime

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2010

About the author

Randy Susan Meyers, an international bestselling author of five novels, has been recognized by the Massachusetts Council of the Book. They have chosen three of her books as Must-Read Books, praising her clear and distinctive voice that captivates readers and leaves them yearning for more.

Her sixth novel, THE MANY MOTHERS OF IVY PUDDINGSTONE, will be released on October 29, 2024.

Though her novels explore domestic drama, societal issues, and cultural nuances, informed by her years working with community and governmental agencies, she gained the most insight into family and other politics during her four years as a bartender in a small Boston neighborhood bar.

Meyers is a Brooklyn-Boston hybrid who believes happiness requires family, friends, books, and an occasional NY bagel. She lives in Boston with her husband and teaches at the Grub Street Writer's Center.

Reviews

[Sawsan · Rating 3 out of 5]

We can't erase the painful past but at least try not to allow it to control the future
this novel tracks the lives of two little girls after the murder of their mother
the writer clarify the emotional and psychological effects of domestic violence and childhood trauma on the growth of the children and their relationships with others
the girls grow up, one of them tried hard to succeed at her life, and the other gets into disturbed relationships with men
the narrative showed their pain, struggles, and how they confronted their past and move forward

[Liesl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Vapid story, vapid characterization, vapid prose.

I was impelled to try out this book due to the number of positive reviews it got and the fact that it was translated into several other languages, but popular opinion proves to be vastly misleading. First of all, the plot is rather thin, and at times cliché - and those clichéd moments remind me of a cheap imitation of "White Oleander". The author of "The Murderer's Daughters" does not have the ability to flesh out her characters into authentic, three-dimensional individuals, nor to write in such a way as to give any of those characters their own distinct voices, despite the story being narrated in first person by the two sisters. Granted, the sisters ARE supposed to be quite different from each other, but the way the author writes that aspect into the story feels very contrived. Names of secondary characters are introduced and thrown around in the story without any personalities attached, and the few that do get a bit of focus are by no means memorable.

That said, a novel does not always have to be plot- or character-driven to be successful, if the writer is the type that relies on poetic style or experimentation. However, no such literary merit is present to redeem this novel, as the prose is highly plain and even more bland and uninteresting than the plot and characters, if such a thing is possible. The author's sparse attempts at poignancy are also feeble and ineffective and fall short of anything profound. Hence, there was nothing in this book to sustain my attention. Yet, I mustered enough willpower to plod through "The Murderer's Daughters" in hope of finally finding and taking away something worthwhile from it, but those tediously spent efforts sadly did not pay off.

[Cara St.Hilaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely will one story make you literally feel anger or pain, let alone bring tears to your eyes. This story will do that to you. Two innocent and endearing children—young girls—have their sad little world torn apart the day their fathers enters their apartment in Brooklyn and kills their full-of-life mother. What Lulu and Merry endure throughout their life after this horrific event is simply heart wrenching. Both spend their lives just trying to find some sense of closure and peace with the tragedy and aloneness—and abandonment—that they’ve had to struggle with.

The characters that Meyers created are so real that you could imagine each as someone you know, and they grow to be such different women with times of strength and times of melting despair. The looming shadow in their lives is their father, who brings out a rainbow of raw emotion.

The story will make you want to cling to those that you love to. I won’t give away how it ends, but it does leave the reader with a sense of closure and understanding somehow. This debut novel gives us a sense of what a strong writer Meyers is and I cannot wait to read her next. Definitely a must-read.

[Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

On that fateful day, Merry and Lulu's father comes into their apartment in a drunken rage and does the unthinkable - kills their mother and wounds the youngest daughter, Merry. After being shuffled between several dysfunctional family members, the daughters live at an orphanage and are eventually taken into foster care. The rest of the book chronicles the girls' lives and how they are forever changed by their father's terrible crime.

Sorry to be a negative nancy and a debbie downer for what seems like the 27th review in a row, but I do not recommend this book and here's why:
1. I read the first 150 pages at an engrossing pace. The last 150 took a week. For me, the author handled Lulu and Merry's childhood much better than their adulthood.
2. The girls don't grow. There is no character development or maturation. This was depressing.
3. The daughters are hot messes. I appreciate the author's realistic portrayal of how domestic violence destroys lives, but really Lulu and Merry are never happy and cannot overcome their circumstances. Once again, depressing.

So, while the subject is interesting and unique, it is dealt with depressingly and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Also, just a friendly warning, there is pointless language & sexual content throughout.

[Talulah Mankiller · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the kind of book I would have eaten up with a spoon when I was in my early teens. The drama! The angst! The HORROR! Now that I’m older I tend to find it all a little exhausting and depressing, but since I’ve apparently pared down my reading to memoirs, paranormal romance, and YA of all varieties, I thought I’d get off my ass and read something outside of my current comfort zone.

Hey, going back to something I enjoyed a decade ago and haven’t since kinda counts as doing something new and different, right? Right? Shut up!

Ahem. So Lulu (such a lovely name!) and Merry are the titular murderer’s daughters; one afternoon, their father comes by their apartment, intimidates Lulu into letting him in (even though her mother expressly told her not to), and then stabs his estranged wife to death, gives Merry a scar on her chest that she’ll have to hide for the rest of her life, and tries to slit his own wrists. Unfortunately for everyone, he survives and goes to prison. And then the fun really begins!

For the first year or so after their mother’s death, the girls are cared for by their maternal grandmother; but then their grandma has a stroke and dies, their maternal aunt refuses to take the girls in because their his daughters, and their paternal grandmother is incapacitated and cannot care for them. So they end up in a group home. Cheers!

The book tracks Lulu and Merry from the day of their mother’s murder until their father’s eventual release from prison several decades later (oh yeah, bitch got parole). I had a somewhat…mixed reaction to the novel, which I will now break down into convenient, bulleted lists:

What I Liked

* I thought that Merry and Lulu’s reactions were very natural and well-rendered. Merry, daddy’s little favorite, the cutie, the baby, spends the rest of her life trying to appease everyone. Even though she’s frightened of her dad (dude, he tried to kill her), she goes to see him as often as she can while he’s in prison. Lulu, on the other hand, cannot forgive herself for having been the one to open the door, for having frozen when her mother screamed at her to go get help, and expresses this by cutting her father out of her life completely. Later in life, she tells everyone–including her own children–that he died in a car accident when she was small.
* Merry and Lulu’s mom was kind of a turd. I liked this, not because I like unpleasant characters, but because I thought Meyers did a good job handling Lulu’s conflicting emotions about her mom. On the one hand, Lulu flat-out didn’t like her mother, who wasn’t exactly a carbon-copy of June Cleaver: the woman didn’t cook, she sent her kids out to buy their own dinner at ridiculously young ages, and she basically forced Lulu to raise Merry for her. On the other hand, as an adult, Lulu can understand her mother’s frustrations a little better: her mom got married because she was pregnant with Lulu, and then she was trapped in a loveless relationship with a man who, obviously, was not exactly perfect husband material.

What I Didn’t Like

* The racism. This book is very, very tacitly racist. Lulu’s first serious boyfriend is a fellow med student who just happens to be Asian–and doughy, and boring in bed (not that she minds, she’s quick to point out). He quickly fades out of the picture, and her Prince Charming is, of course, white.
* There’s often this moment in books by or about white people who’ve had it rough wherein the white person in question is paired up with a minority or two and thinks bitterly, “I bet you think I’m so privileged. IF YOU ONLY KNEW.” I hate that moment. I really hate that moment. There’s this undercurrent of “HaHA! Racism isn’t as simple as you think! White people can have it hard, too!” and it drives me up the wall. It’s called intersectionality. Please read about it and then shut the fuck up.
* Merry grows up to be a parole officer, and thereby becomes some black kid’s white savior via a HELEN KELLER QUOTE.
* The way that Lulu’s daughters find out that grandpa’s in the clink? Let’s just say that it involves a hostage situation. Yeah. No, SERIOUSLY.
* Oh, and even though Merry grows up to be first a victim’s advocate and then a parole officer, she never quite grasps that her dad is a dirtbag. He never apologizes, not really–he’s always talking about how he was “just a kid” (he was 28), and drunk, and sad that his wife was using his money to buy her new boyfriends booze (that last part was probably true). He doesn’t even really apologize to Merry for stabbing her in the chest. And even though there are all the danger signs of an abusive personality–more than one person hints that Lulu’s conception was a plan on her dad’s part to keep her mother from leaving him, which is textbook–Merry just…never learns to call a spade a spade. She says that her father is a “limited person.” Uh, no, Merry, your dad isn’t “limited”: he’s got the emotional capacity of an overlarge lizard. He doesn’t love you, because he doesn’t love anyone. Accept it and move on.

So no, although there are some things I admire about this book, on the whole? Kinda schlocky, racist, sexist, and overblown. I get why younger me enjoyed stuff like this: when you’ve got that many hormones raging around in your BRANES, you need something wildly over-dramatic so that you can cry buckets and get it out of your system. Because unless you’re EXTREMELY UNLUCKY, nothing in your real life is going to provide you with the necessary stimulus for that kind of emotional release. As an adult, though? Eh. Give me a book about hobbits any day.

Recommended for: skip it.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another one of those books that while the synopsis from the book sounded good (which is why I agreed to read it), it didn't really do the book justice. For some reason, and I'm not sure why, I was expecting a book that would have concentrated more on the father and that the story would some how revolve around him. And while his actions acted as the pivot point in the story, this was more about Lulu and Merry and how they chose to deal with their tragic past.

Lulu is the eldest daughter and like most older children (myself included) she tended to internalize her emotions and not really deal with them on the surface. When they were still children, Lulu took the responsibility for making sure Merry was taken care of and protected. When they were sent to the orphanage by her mother's sister who refused to take care of them any longer because of what their father did, it was Lulu who became the tough sisters to allow Merry to remain a little girl.

As an adult, Lulu never told anyone about her father. Instead she would tell them that her parents died in car crash, she even made Merry tell that lie to everyone she met. Psychologically, Lulu was the more interesting of the two to read about. I guess it's because I'm a lot like her in how she dealt with things. As a kid, while my father never took it the level of Lulu's, my dad wasn't exactly the nicest guy on the street. The few memories I have of him are heavily laced with violence and it took me years to deal with it. I would never talk about him and when he passed away when I was 8, I never cried. I actually didn't cry until my Freshman year in high school and even then it was years later that I even wanted to visit his grave. So I understand Lulu's reluctance to discuss or even deal with her past, who wants people judging them for something they had no control over. And as both Lulu and myself found out, children and even some adults will judge you based on those events in your past that they don't understand.

Even in the way she finally lets what happened out to someone else, her behavior was similar to mine. When she meets Drew, her future husband, she finally feels she can tell someone about her father. And while some readers may think it was rather soon and out of character for her to tell him the morning after they hook up for the first time, I completely understood it. When you meet someone that you feel that comfortable and secure with, even if only for a short period of time, you want to let it all out. You want to talk about it to someone who didn't know you then. It's a relief to relax and let someone else in on your secret.

This was a brilliant book that dealt with the emotional and psychological impact of childhood violence and one that I connected with on so many levels. The author, in my opinion, captured two distinct and valid ways that children internalize and cope with traumatic experiences and how it impacts them as adults. Reading this book actually helped me reanalyze my own feelings about my father and I'm grateful for it. I would encourage everyone to read this book, but I would implore anyone else who experienced horrific events as children to pick this one up and understand that you aren't alone, that there are many of us out there who do understand what you went through and how that has made you into the person you are today.

[knygugriauzike_gabriele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lulu ir Merės ateitis sugriauta jau nuo pat vaikystės. Nors jos niekada negalėjo pasigirti rūpestingais ar dėmesingais tėvais, tačiau vienas vienintelis tėčio poelgis sugriovė viską, kas dar buvo likę gero jų šeimoje. Mama perspėjo mergaites, kad šios neatidarytų tėvui durų, deja, Lulu pasidavė jo įkalbinėjimams ir atvėrė namų duris. Šis, būdamas stipriai apsvaigęs nuo alkoholio, mirtinai peiliu padūrė savo buvusią žmoną, o Merę smarkiai sužalojo. Mirus mamai, o tėvui atsidūrus kalėjime, mergaitės šiame pasaulyje lieka visiškai vienos. Tiesa, viena iš jų vis dar puoselėja šiltus jausmus tėčiui, nors šis ir sugriovė jų gyvenimus...

Knygą „Žudiko dukterys“ galėčiau apibūdinti kaip romaną, kuris analizuoja tėvų elgesio įtaką vaikui ateičiai, jų būsimiems pasirinkimams, taip pat kaip tokį, kuris parodo, jog net ir pats siaubingiausias poelgis, padarytas artimo žmogaus, kurį be galo brangini, negali visiškai panaikinti meilės jam.

Neneigsiu, romanas pasižymi giliomis ir, manau, jautriomis temomis, apie kurias reikia kalbėti. Kaip jaustis vaikams, kurių tėtis jų akyse nužudo mamą? Kaip jaustis, kai jų išsižada giminės, nes vaikai, jų nuomone, yra nedorėliai kaip ir jų tėvas? Turbūt nemokėčiau apsakyti tokio jausmo, nes jis - be galo sunkus ir širdį veriantis.

Kas nepatiko knygoje? Pirmiausia, ištęstumas, kurio vietomis tikrai nereikėjo, skaičiau ir varčiau akis iš nuobodulio. Antra, amžini seserų, Lulu ir Merės, nuomonių išsiskyrimai dėl tėčio bei bendravimo su juo. Tikėjausi gilesnio įsitraukimo ir detalesnio santykių analizavimo, gal net šiek tiek veiksmo, baimės dėl jo išėjimo į laisvę, o gavau tik amžinus nesutarimus dėl to, ar tėvas, po viso to, ką padarė, vertas dukterų meilės. Vis tas pats per tą patį.

Jei paklaustumėte, ar rekomenduoju šią knygą, tiesa pasakius, ilgai dvejočiau. Galiu pasakyti, kad tikrai ne visiems skaitytojams ši knyga patiks (dėl niuansų, kuriuos išvardijau aukščiau). Tačiau, mano nuomone, atsiras tokių, kurie ims ją ir perskaitys su didžiausiu malonumu bei visiems rekomenduos dėl pliusų, kuriuos įvardijau.

3/5⭐

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Won this book as a first reads free giveaway on Goodreads.

Well, this book had some good points and not-so-good points. The whole book focuses on two sisters, Lulu and Merry. The book starts off when they are young children and their father murders their mother and even tried to kill Merry (the youngest). The story follows them through their grandparents while being exiled by aunts and uncles, an orphanage and finally a foster home. It also continues through their adult years.
Lulu has shut her father out of her life, telling herself and others he is dead. Merry clings to him, in a love/fear relationship. The book is first person perspective that takes turns throughout chapters from Merry's POV then Lulu's.
while I enjoyed the perspective and could understand much of what each girl was gong through, for some reason I just could not FEEL it. In a like this I want to be able to fully understand and experience what is going on. I could not quite to that. The book also had wierd jumps, some chapters seemed pointless while other I thought should have been hit on more (such as their teen years which was heavily glossed over). Regardless it was still an enjoyable read and does make you wonder about why someone may act the way they do, how trauma can effect somebody.

[Sharon L · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

i'm a bit torn about this book. on the one and there were moments i was bored. the girls, though growing up didn't really grow up.

on the other hand, both sisters were complicated, full of contradiction. and the way they navigated life, love, career and family was beautifull.

the effects of what the father did were interesting. especially how two girls having the same path in childhood became so different (even how they treated their father).

also, there were moments my heartbroke. when the older sister became a mother and was suprised yet frightened to how strong she felt toward her children, loving them more then air, yet knowing she doesn't know how to be a mother and as a result screwing things up (exactly because she didn't want to screw up).

many reviews mention that the girls do not grow up, and it's true. but i think, considering their circumstances, that tgey grew up best they could.

so while it was good and interesting, it also has parts that were a bit...well, not that good. so that's it. 3.5 stars.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won! I won! Can't wait to read it!

ETA - This was a very compelling story, and I consider myself lucky to have received an advanced copy through First Reads. From the first page, I was drawn into the characters' lives. I enjoyed the way the story's viewpoint changed from Merry's to Lulu's and back throughout, and I loved that it spanned about 30 years time. Overall, I was very satisfied with this author's debut novel and look forward to reading more of her work.

[Ruth Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is told from two points of view, Lula's and Merry's. Both girls were so similar that at times I got confused about which sister I was listening to.

The first half of the book was an enjoyable, fast read, telling of Lulu and Merry's early years after the murder of their mother. But then story dragged.

I struggled with adult Lula and Merry. I didn't like them particularly, and felt no sympathy or compassion for them at all. As the years passed it was a case of same old, same old, with a husband and a couple of children thrown in for Lulla, and for Merry, numerous men, only discernible by the changing names.

It's a well written, quick read, just not a great one.

[Heidi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. However, by about page 35, I knew it wasn't going to happen. The narrative bounces between two sisters who have survived horrific domestic violence. There is no real difference between the two narratives. Lulu's voice is Merry's voice. The shifts between the sisters seem random and forced until very near the end of the book when the reader suddenly gets a more natural, back and forth change of characters. Early on, the story starts from Lulu's perspective. About 4 chapters in and a couple of *years* later, the first shift to Merry's perspective occurs. I also found all the characters shallow. The mean people that peppered the girls' lives were just copies of the ones before. Their friends merely changed names through the years. I found myself needing to go back to try to remember who someone was because if the character was mentioned within a page of the other character who seemed exactly like them, I would think to myself, "Wait a minute... Wasn't that person just doing X, Y, Z...?" only to turn back a page and realize my brain transferred the name to that of their clone from earlier in the story. It is entirely possible that my confusion was also due to the fact that these empty people did nothing to draw me in. Including the sisters, Lulu and Merry who, in the end, were hallow characters who never seem to grow or change at all.

I really tried to like this book... But the writing made it impossible for me to do so.

And I edit to add that the ending was TERRIBLE. I literally turned the page not realizing that was it. And then I flipped it back and forth a couple of times to check to see if there were pages stuck together. Seriously.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I've devoured a book as quickly as this one but once I started reading I did not want to walk away for long.

The story begins with Lulu whom is awaiting her 10th birthday and makes a single mistake that will haunt her for the rest of her life. For the next 30 years, the story switches from Lulu to Merry's point of view to tell the story of growing up as a "Prison Girl" and overcoming that stigmata.

Lulu gets tough, buckling down and making sure to control everything in life that can possibly be controlled. Merry takes a very different route, allowing herself to be taken care of and not attaching herself to anything knowing all too well that something that can be taken easily can also be taken away.

These characters are written very realistically and aren't the typical heroines you find in novels. This is quite unlike any story I have ever read and I guess that is why I was so transfixed.

If you are looking for a book that you can escape into, this is an excellent choice.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve definitely read this one at least two times before now. Maybe three. I’m not sure why I keep coming back to it, but I do, and it feels fresh every time.

The characters are certainly part of the draw— they’re hard to forget and feel so real. As do their relationships with one another. And there’s something unpretentious and truthful about the characters’ internal dialogue that appeals to me, too.

I forgot it took place in Boston, because the landmarks mentioned meant nothing to me the other times I’ve read it. Now that I live here, they’re all incredibly familiar bits of daily life: Dorchester, the Green Line trolley, Northeastern, Commonwealth Avenue. One of the main characters is even a probation officer at Dorchester Court, where my summer internship often takes me. I’ve even represented clients there.

It’s certainly a lot different of a read, too, now that I have some semblance of experience in how Massachusetts courts and the “unjustice system” work.

Anyway. Great read. I really recommend it if you like family sagas.

[Ugnė Lukošienė · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knygos tema gal ir įdomi, gal dėl to iš jos ir tikėjausi visko daugiau. Labai trūko tėvo aprašyto santykio su dukromis, galbūt net jo minčių ir tt... viskas sukosi apie dvi dukras ir realiai beveik vien apie jų abiejų lovų reikalus ir paklydimus. Kaskart skaičiau ir mąsčiau, na ir ką tai duoda aprašant tas scenas, situacijas? Ogi nieko ...
Knygą vertinu 4/10 ir vien dėl to jog kažkup vis traukė kas bus toliau ir už pačią knygos mintį...

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Neide Parafitas · Rating 4 out of 5]

"NÃO FIQUEI SURPREENDIDA quando a mamã me pediu para lhe salvar a vida. Desde a minha primeira semana no infantário, tinha percebido que ela não era o género de mãe que usa colares de macarrão. Basicamente, a mamã considerava-me como uma criada prestável em miniatura.

- Vai buscar-me uma Pepsi, Lulu.

- Traz-me o leite para os cereais da tua irmã.

- Vai à loja comprar-me um maço de Winston.

- Até que um dia subiu a parada:

- Não deixes o pai entrar em casa."

Assim começa este grande livro que conta a história de Lulu e de Merry, duas irmãs que, com apenas 9 e 5 anos, vêem a sua infância ser marcada por um acontecimento terrível: a morte da mãe... pelo pai! O pai que, bêbado, não queria só matar a mãe, mas também a filha Merry.

O pai é preso, mas também Lulu e Merry estão presas... presas ao passado. Às suas vidas destruídas pela imagem do pai a matar a mãe...

Enquanto uma finge que ele está morto, a outra mantém contacto com ele. Mas ambas têm a sombra do pai a pesar sobre cada acção que tomam nas suas vidas!!

Contudo e, volvidos cerca de 30 anos de pena cumprida, o pai poderá estar quase a sair em liberdade condicional. Lulu e Merry não sabem o que fazer. Apenas sabem que estão aterrorizadas perante a possibilidade desse dia chegar...

Baseado em histórias verídicas, este não é um livro cor-de-rosa para nos fazer sentir leves. É antes um retrato de muitas vidas que são destruídas por acontecimentos como este mencionado neste livro. É um livro cuja leitura aconselho e que nos faz pensar em como, tantas vezes, existem coisas que o tempo não pode simplesmente curar!

[Jessica (BlogEared Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t stop thinking about this book. It is haunting and an amazing character study. After reading this, I wondered if the author, Randy Susan Meyers had actually experienced something traumatic like this. The book is told from the perspective of Lulu and Merry, the murderer’s daughters- they take turns telling the story in their own words. Merry and Lulu’s parents have a difficult relationship and after a separation period, their father convinces Lulu to let him in to talk to her mother. After entering the apartment, Lulu races to the neighbor for help, comes back and finds her mother dead, and her father and little sister bleeding. The book follows Lulu and Merry through the next 30 years and documents how they cope with the tragedy.

This book is full of colorful description and relatable characters. I have never been in that situation (my dad sticks to killing flies and spiders) but I actually could understand and even relate with some of the girls’ actions, outlooks on life, and insecurities as a result of this. I fell in love with both Merry and Lulu, although I wanted to strangle them both at times. This is the first book from a powerhouse-I can’t wait to see what she has in store for her sophomore effort.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reason Randy Meyers writes with such authority is explained in her acknowledgement section. She has worked with men who are not monsters but who have committed monstrous acts. This book addresses the collateral damage inflicted on children who witness, in this case, the murder of their mother by their father. Meyers pulls off the difficult feat of two-person narration, alternating between the two sisters at the center of the story. It is astounding that this is her debut in that she has managed to make each voice individual and character-driven.

Ironically, the mother whose murder they witness appears to be the less sympathetic of the parents. Not to infer that her self-absorbed benign neglect of her daughters earned her the disastrous fate she suffered, but that the father, despite his explosive nature, seemed to hold more deep seated affection for them. The majority of the book deals with the sisters' attempts to reconcile themselves to the outside world and to each other. Highly recommended.

[Steph Ollman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a compelling read, following Merry and Lulu's lives in the shadow of their father having murdered their mother and wounded Merry, after Lulu let him into their home. I felt the characters were very well portrayed.

[Alisha Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this book. From the reviews and the synopsis, it seemed like it would be right up my alley: psychologically complex, angsty, dramatic. But nope, no dice. Okay, well, it was a dramatic (but not in a good way) and angsty, but it was just very mediocre. And here's my biggest problem with The Murderer's Daughters...it was repetition galore.

Firstly, this book dragged. My God was this a long book! And it was only 320 pages, but man, did it feel long! Again, this was excacerbated by the repetition going on (I'll get back to that). Another thing was that there's no plot in this book. At all. Now, I don't mind books about character development...as long as the characters, you know, actually develop. But they don't. For Merry and Lulu it was the same shit, different year.

In 1971:

Merry [while touching her scar]: I want you to see Daddy!
Lulu: I don't want to see Daddy! He killed our Mama and stabbed you! Stop seeing him and grow up!

In 2003:

Merry [while touching her scar]: Why don't you see Daddy?
Lulu: He killed are mother! Why are you still seeing him?

And on, and on, and on, and on. It started getting seriously annoying. Nothing happened in The Murderer's Daughter after the intial two chapters. Nothing different, anyway. This all could've been covered in two to three chapters and made a pretty good short story. Plus, Lulu and Merry started getting on my last nerves after a while. First of all, no one forced Merry to see her dad so that whole "I was smothered by everyone else's needs" was crap because she could've stopped seeing her dad whenever she wanted. And Lulu was a hypocrite with her whole "Merry, we need to stick together crap" considering that she kept telling Merry to get her own life. How is she supposed to do both? Gah!

So, in short (or semi-long), I didn't really like The Murderer's Daughter. Two stars instead of one for having an extremely intriguing premise. Too bad it couldn't have worked out in a way that didn't have me turning back the pages thinking "I swore I've already ready this part!"

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Lulu and Merry’s father murdered their mother, all Lulu and Merry wanted was another place to call home. Unfortunately, they never found another place they could call home, as they were bounced from place to place. Though this all, Lulu and Merry realized that home is where the heart is and nothing is stronger then a sister’s bond. Sadly before they could both come to this realization, they first would have to endure lots of heartache and loss. Lulu is forever haunted by the words of her mother asking her to not let their father into the house. Lulu feels like she let her mother and sister down. Merry on the other hand carries with her the scar from when her father cut her. Can Lulu and Merry step out of the shadows of being known as The Murderer’s Daughters?

The Murderer’s Daughters is the debut novel by Randy Susan Meyers. Right from the beginning this book grabbed me by the heart and sucked me into Lulu and Merry’s world. I literally almost couldn’t stop reading this book. It is a one sit read! There are few books that come along, every once in a while, that make you want to jump up and scream to everyone that you have got to check this book out. When this happens you know you are holding and reading a winner. Every step that Lulu and Merry took…I took with them. The bond that Lulu and Merry shared is priceless. Mrs. Meyers is an author to watch out for. She has made a big name for herself in the booking world. The Murderer’s Daughters is a book you will want to read over and over. I can’t wait to see what she brings for me next.

[Woodwhisperer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Murderer’s Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers

As the title suggests, The Murderer’s Daughters is a study of the lives of two sisters who lose their mother when she is killed by their father. The book follows the lives of the sisters as they carry the impact of that singular event with them through their lives.

This well written novel studies how the murder causes dysfunction in the children and how it reverberates out into the families on both sides of the marriage. It is not a pretty picture. Ms Meyers manages to maintain the emotional levels from beginning to end through thirty years in the lives of Lulu and Merry. The edge is unrelenting – so much so that this reader became exhausted and exasperated that no one except the murderer could get past the murder and that was only because he was presented as a sociopath. Such was the connection the writer was able to develop with me.

In a perfect world, people will learn and grow. My only complaint with this story was that I became so attached to the characters, I found myself willing them to rise above their damaged personalities and they never really did. In the end there is a glimmer of hope but it is left unresolved. Perhaps this is what the writer intended. Perhaps there are too many happy endings. Unrelenting misery, however, just becomes normalcy. It is a very dark view of the human way but in the end, maybe not too far from the truth.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut novel tracks the lives of two sisters as they attempt to create lives in the shadow of a harrowing family tragedy. Older sister Lulu must cope with the guilt of opening the door to their father the day he stabbed their mother to death, while younger sister Merry lives with her memories of the murder and her father's failed attempt to kill her and himself. Forced into an orphange by the death of their maternal grandmother, the sisters are lucky enough to find a stable foster family who nonetheless fail them on an emotional level. Betrayed by everyone else, the two sisters form an unhealthy (but understandable) co-dependent relationship marred only by Merry's regular visits to her father and Lulu's refusal to admit he is alive.

I literally couldn't put this book down- it was powerful, heart-breaking, and ultimately redemptive all at the same time. The girls are wonderful characters whose voices and actions ring true without seeming stereotypical. I felt emotionally connected to these girls, invested in their well-being and frantic to try to keep them safe. The author's experience with the victims of violent crime serves her well and gives the reader a wonderful (and terrifying) insight into the lives these victims lead. Highly recommended!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Randy Susan Meyes' debut novel and thus not have to wait for a novel I was very excited for.

The premise of THE MURDERER'S DAUGHTERS is that sisters, Lulu and Merry, lose their mother in an especially horrifying way when their father kills her.

But THE MURDERER'S DAUGHTERS is not a roadside accident, a spectacle which the more honest among us admit we can't help gawking at a little.

Instead, Ms. Meyers, who has a background in victim crime, raises this issue to one of the familial bond in general. We all have things for which we must forgive our loved ones, even if we're lucky enough not to have them be as dread as what Lulu and Merry must face. How does love survive an assault? Where does loyalty go once it is divided? These are the questions Ms. Meyers grapples with in her poignant novel.

The fact that her writing is lucid and lovely, that the sisters are strong and subtle characters you will root for, are all icing on this delicious debut.

[Hira · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this wonderfully written novel, author Randy Susan Meyer has surpassed all my expectations with a debut novel that reads nothing like a debut. Well-crafted characters with depth, the story of Lulu and Merry is one that is sure to touch your heart. It is a true representation of how abuse and childhood trauma can truly stunt the growth of children, emotionally - so much so that they spend their entire lives trying to overcome their emotional handicap. A must read for all. (Detailed Review to come soon).

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was very captivating. I quickly became invested in Merry and Lulu. I felt myself inserting myself in their places throughout the book. With 60 pgs to go, I thought I had it all figured out.....but I didn't and I was glad that I didn't.

This great story of Lulu and Merry and how the tragedy of one event can shape entire lives, was well written and heartfelt.

[Edgar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written, compulsively readable debut, The Murderer's Daughters is a testament to the power of family and the ties that bind us together and tear us apart.

[Elaine Stock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting, gripping story. This may just be one of my keepers that I categorize as: characters that I will remember and a plot to think about through the years. The way the author handles character growth--bringing the reader through the pluses and negatives that the two sisters experience because of a horrific tragedy in their family--is sharp, logical, and most profound. I highly recommend.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a little to get into it but then I really... Enjoyed probably isn't the right word considering the subject matter but I liked most of it. I thought some of the disagreements were resolved a bit too neatly. Between the sisters, between Lulu and Drew... That was probably my biggest complaint.