Murder in the Family
How the Search for My Mother's Killer Led to My Father
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Murder in the Family
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Narrated by:
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Roger Honeywell
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Nicola Correia-Damude
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Written by:
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Jeff Blackstock
About this listen
Shortlisted for the 2021 Crime Writers of Canada Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book
Diplomat father. Murdered mother. Emotionally neglected children. An apparent cover-up. Family dinners will never be the same.
"I think that my father murdered my mother."
That terrible belief spurs author Jeff Blackstock to investigate the circumstances of his mother Carol's death when he was a child. Carol Blackstock died at age 24 in 1959 - poisoned by arsenic - but the cause of her death remained shrouded in mystery for decades. Jeff's father George Blackstock was a career diplomat in Canada's foreign service, posted to glamorous Buenos Aires with his wife Carol and their three children. A little more than a year after the family's arrival, the vivacious young mother, now emaciated and in terrible pain, was transferred to Montreal for treatment of a mysterious illness that proved fatal. In the following year, George Blackstock remarried, and a young woman named Ingrid became the feared stepmother to Jeff and his two siblings.
Carol's parents soon had suspicions about their son-in-law George but were unable to get justice for their daughter. Class privilege - George was the scion of a Toronto establishment family and Carol was from modest beginnings - and an aversion to scandal all figured in an apparent cover-up. But secrets have a way of eventually disrupting all families. A damning autopsy report about arsenic poisoning, found among their grandmother's effects, leads Jeff Blackstock and his sister to horrifying revelations about their father. Eventually, they confront him and accuse him of their mother's murder. But George offers only vague explanations that don't add up. George died a broken man, mostly abandoned by his adult children.
A compelling story of a high-society murder, a heartbreaking tale of emotionally neglected children, and an inquiry into the power and privilege of the Anglo upper classes of the time, Murder in the Family chronicles the shocking legacy of deeply buried secrets and betrayal in one's own family.
©2020 Jeff Blackstock (P)2020 Penguin Random House CanadaWhat the critics say
One of The Globe and Mail’s “Five new thrillers to warm up your autumn weekends”
Shortlisted for the 2021 Crime Writers of Canada Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book
Nominated for the 2021 Heritage Toronto Book Awards
“[S]tunning.” —Toronto Star
“Murder in the Family hit all the high notes: a dogged investigation, a true murder mystery, and a sense of time and place that only someone who lived it—Jeff Blackstock—could achieve. A page-turner that keeps you guessing to the very end.” —Kevin Donovan, author of The Billionaire Murders
“I don’t know which shocked me most in Jeff Blackstock’s account of his mother’s mysterious death: the cold blooded actions of his father, or the deafening silence of the Canadian diplomatic service. He writes in a measured tone without anger or blame, which makes the story all the more chilling.” —Carol Hay, Writer/Producer Frankie Drake, Murdoch Mysteries
What listeners say about Murder in the Family
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-10-09
Very Intriguing Story
I could not stop listening to this book. It was heartbreaking and unbelievable that this murderer was never punished. Also made me feel ashamed of our Canadian Government and RCMP of the time. Loved it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ken MacNeal
- 2020-09-23
A beautifully written crime story.
This very personal tale reminded me of Angela's Ashes where it starts as a young child's perspective of his family life. We experience him and his siblings shaped by a father who is a narcissistic sociopath and murderer of their dear mother. They eventually thrive in adulthood while the father is exiled and pays for his evil. Well done.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Claire
- 2022-01-09
Loved this book!
Heartbreaking how these children lost their mother and then had to deal with a cruel stressed stepmother, forced to all her mom.
As a mother, I can imagine abusing any child biological or not. These resiliency of these children is mind blowing. Their bio mom would be so proud. Their father, well
I have no words appropriate to describe my feelings of him. This big is in honour of the mother they were never allowed to grieve!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Patrick Loehndorf
- 2020-09-18
Convenient Collusion the tale of a perfect murder.
A families stuggle to expose the murder of their beloved mother. The Father who committed it and the government who helped him get away with it. Tragic and eye opening.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rock’n
- 2024-01-19
Why?
An intriguing but very sad story. Held my interest until the end. An enjoyable “listen”.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Roberta W
- 2023-10-21
Gripping
Remarkable story, intriguingly laid out. It was gripping, as each revelation, once discovered, led to both more suspicions and doubts. Layers were peeled back over many years until the truth is clear. Serendipity played a role in clues coming to light vs being missed. Shocking as a Canadian to learn about the lives of diplomats. Highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Bev S.
- 2021-01-17
Outrage!
I’m so sorry for the loss of Carol and the suffering of the Grays, Jeff, Doug, Julie and the family members who loved Carol. You did a great job with this book. Thank you for bringing the truth to light.
To any of you people still alive who did nothing, may you rot in hell with George.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Saintef
- 2020-11-16
Captivating
Captivating story! I'm impressed with the relentless research the kids did, and their determination to tell their mother's story. it's incredible how a crime can be covered up like that.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Rina Clarke
- 2023-11-17
Excellent story
Picked this out of the blue and am very happy I did. Very well read and the story is unbelievable.
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