For Valerie

In June 2019, Valerie French Kilroy was brutally murdered by her husband at their home near Westport, while her three young sons lay in bed. For her brother David and the rest of her family, it was the beginning of a battle against a system unprepared to protect the three innocent children whose father remains their legal guardian, despite being convicted of their mother's murder.
From the devastating shock of hearing of his sister's death to the multiple criminal trials before the guilty verdict was delivered, David describes the issues his family faced in the aftermath of Valerie's murder. He provides a deeply personal insight into Valerie's marriage and the hidden struggles she faced in the run-up to her murder.
This book is both a heartfelt tribute to Valerie's life and legacy and an urgent call to rethink the way our society responds to domestic homicide.

David French is the brother of Valerie French, who was murdered by her husband in 2019. He is the eldest of five, and along with his other three sisters, he has been drawn into the complex aftermath of the killing. David grew up on the family farm in West Cork in the 1970s, attended UCC and has worked in IT in Ireland and abroad. He lives in Wicklow and is a keen motorcyclist. This is his second book. The first is titled Mefloquine Dream.