I wish I had read this earlier, but now I am glad that controlling behavior is finally being seen in a different light. honestly, this might be one of the only non-fiction books I would reread over and over again and it’s already one of my favourite books of the year.

These things can happen in a normal relationship but if you’ve got someone with a history of control who is then going very fast, you’ve got loads of flags.I genuinely feel better-informed and safer having read this book, because now I know what to look for and know that saying you’re ‘crazy’ is never the right answer.

I was intrigued to understand and read more about this from a level-headed, non-dramatised perspective. It is much more rare for women to be perpetrators of domestic violence and this is covered hugely in this book, as well as backed up by statistics. This book outlines the domestic homicide timeline - a pattern of steps offenders usually follow before they murder their partner. Monckton-Smith has identified eight stages a coercive relationship will go through before it reaches critical and extremely dangerous levels. One of the most important books I've ever read and a fascinating insight to the violence against women and girls conversation.

Chapters seven and eight cover planning and carrying out the homicide, including insights into some well-known cases. A must read for anyone who wants to know more about coercive control, how it works and how to use the time line can be useful in preventing further violence (which can lead to murder). You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. The stories in the book will stay with you, and will make you rethink how these situations are dealt with, from law enforcement to family court.

Every four days in the UK, a woman is killed by her partner or ex-partner – and in the past year, domestic abuse has become an epidemic.An extremely interesting and important book, showing how control and coercion can lead to abuse and murder.