Under Their Roof

<p><b><i>'Under Their Roof...</i>does so much more than chronicle her time living with the Wests. It's a desperately sad insight into what makes someone vulnerable to abusers... but ultimately, this is a book about the triumph - however painful and even fluky - of good over evil.' <i>Simon Hattenstone, GUARDIAN</i></b><br><br><b><i>'My stomach was clenched tight. I knew there was no way I could swallow a single morsel. Playing in my mind was a slideshow of evil, fragments of memory, glued together by fear: Fred and Rose West dragging me off the pavement, Fred pinning me on the sofa while Rose stroked my hair...'</i></b><br><br>Kathleen Richards was just 17 when she and her sister Deirdre found themselves on the doorstep of 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, seeking lodgings from a seemingly friendly local couple: Fred and Rose West.<br><br>While growing up in poverty-stricken Dublin in the 1960s, Kathleen was abused from a young age. A move to England allowed her to escape, but even so life remained difficult, forcing her to seek refuge.<br><br>At first, Cromwell Street provided freedom for the sisters who were entertained by Fred's quirky behaviour. Kathleen was also happy to make a new friend in her fellow lodger, Shirley Robinson.<br><br>But then, things took a sinister turn: Fred began to abuse Kathleen with his wife's encouragement. And, when Shirley suddenly disappeared too, Kathleen's world began to grow very dark...<br><br> This is a chilling account of what it's like to come face-to-face with Britain's most notorious serial killers, but it is also an inspiring account of the resilience of women and how to find happiness after trauma.</p>