The Book of Murder: A Prosecutor's Journey Through Love and Death

by Matt Murphy

First, any man who asks for money, under any circumstance, needs to be blocked and deleted immediately. I don’t care if it happens on your first date or your fifteenth. You should also report him to whatever site you are using. Second, any man who gets physically aggressive with you, in any way, needs to go. It is beyond unacceptable. Those are the guys who murder their wives. Third, any sort of criminal conviction, other than one DUI that he takes complete responsibility for, means your man is likely a complete loser who makes terrible decisions. There are exceptions to this, of course, but very few. Fourth, any man who checks your cell phone is either massively insecure, controlling, or both. Fifth, any man who seems sketchy about where he is living is either broke, living with his parents, or married. Sixth, anyone who seems jealous of the time you spend with your own family members will eventually alienate you from anyone who may garner your attention instead of him. Seventh, and this will be controversial among some men, but any guy who has a major problem with the men you work with, or even ex-boyfriends or ex-husbands with whom you have a positive relationship, is jealous and insecure. They will package their complaint as having a “healthy boundary,” but in my view, there is nothing healthy about it. Trust is healthy; telling an adult woman who she can speak to is controlling and often leads to far greater instances of abuse. Eighth, if a man doesn’t have a job, it ...