Compassion Autumn Winter 2023

7 tcf.org.uk COMPASSION | BOOK REVIEWS This book tells the story of the vicious murder of 21 year old Morgan Hehir and of the events that followed in the next few years. Morgan’s father Colin wrote a diary about this terrible crime and its aftermath. The author of the book has used this and other research to write in a remarkable and memorable way about it. There are three main sections in this book. The first is Loss in which we read of the brutal and shocking murder and the multitude of emotions that engulfed Colin, his family and friends. Colin’s grief and desolation are described with a depth and honesty that will surely touch the hearts of every reader. The next section of the book is called Justice. It tells of seemingly endless meetings, interviews, delays and frustrations about Morgan’s funeral and also the legal processes. Eventually the trial of the three defendants takes place but its outcome does not give Colin the outcome for which he hoped. Seldom can the trauma of being at the centre of such an ordeal have been described so well. The third part of the book is entitled Truth and it tells of Colin’s strong determination and dogged perseverance in the face of many obstacles. His efforts finally uncovered much, though not all, of the inadequacies in the way that the police and other authorities dealt with the leading criminal after he served a prison sentence and before he murdered Morgan. This review will not reveal how the book ends and those who want to know need to borrow or buy the book to find out. It is a compulsive page turner which raises numerous issues not only about the devastation of bereavement and grief. There is also much to encourage further thinking, discussion and action about crime, the support given to families of those who are murdered, young and often persistent offenders, the work and funding of the over stretched police and how well complaints against them are handled. “About a Son” takes its readers deeper into the mysteries of human life and reminds us that there are no quick and easy answers. About a Son: A Murder and a Father’s Search for Truth by David Whitehouse reviewed by Henry Whyte Colin’s grief and desolation are described with a depth and honesty that will surely touch the hearts of every reader.