Larry Edwards - Dare I Call It Murder?

In his book, Dare I Call It Murder? A Memoir of Violent Loss, Larry Edwards unmasks the emotional trauma of violent loss as he ferrets out new facts to get at the truth of how and why his parents were killed.

WINNER
San Diego Book Awards, 2012
(unpublished memoir)

Judges comment:
Dare I Call It Murder? is written especially well. I found myself wanting to read more. Your writing is so revealing and beneficial to others. The impact of your last few linesperfect.

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... chilling... palpable... powerful...
Kirkus Reviews

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Dare I Call It Murder? is a top-notch true-crime book. But as a memoir, its a gut-wrenching look into Larry Edwards hell on earth after his parents deaths at sea.... You wont be able to put down this tautly written and emotional look at the fatal splintering of a family and the search for truth by a survivor.
Cathy Lubenski, author
Trashy Chic, Snarky Park

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This is a powerfully written and personalized odyssey of the violent deaths of both of his parents and the disintegration of the family in the aftermath of traumatic grief. Suspected homicide is always tragic for a family, but this book is a lucid testament to the destructive power on the survival of the family when one family member is suspected of murdering another family member. We are swept up by the authors frustrated quest for justice and psychological coherence.
Dr. Edward K. Rynearson
Medical Director, Separation and Loss Services
Program, Virginia Mason Medical Center
Author of Retelling Violent Death

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Its the kind of book you cant put down. You will live this story.
Connie Saindon, MA, MFT, author
The Journey: Ten Steps to
Learning to Live With Violent Death

Dare I Call It Murder?

A Memoir of Violent Loss

By Larry M. Edwards

Published by Wigeon Publishing at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Larry M. Edwards

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If youre reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright 2013 by Larry M. Edwards

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Wigeon Publishing

San Diego, California

www.WigeonPublishing.com

Publication: July 4, 2013

ISBN-10: 0989691322

ISBN-13: 978-0-9896913-2-1

Cover by Tim Brittain

Cover photo 1978 by Larry M. Edwards

For my parents, Loren and Joanne Jody Edwards.

Surviving a violent loss is a journeya journey of emotional trauma, anger, grief, denial, and depression. A journey no one wants to take.

Yet, when you have lost a loved one to violent death, you have no choice. It comes uninvited and unanticipated. You are blindsided. You are driving through an intersection of life when a contemptuous scofflaw plows into you.

Your life is never the same.

There is no going back.

The journey begins.

This book recounts my journey. A journey I wouldnt wish on anyone. But if my telling this story proves helpful to others, then it takes on greater meaning. It expands the value of the work and lifts it to a higher plane.

To that end, my intent is that this book serves a broader purpose than simply laying out the untold story of my parents deaths and refuting the errors in previously published material. I want to see this book generate greater awareness of and conversations about violent loss and its impact on the survivors and their families.

Our society has an unmet need: professionally trained therapists who understand the distinction between natural death and violent/criminal death. Survivors of violent loss and criminal death often suffer from intense anger, severe depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therapists trained in the fundamentals of dealing with this type of loss are better able to help the survivors through whats become known as complicated bereavement to develop the resilience they need to lead more productive, happier lives.

I also believe that survivors of violent loss will benefit from this book through knowing they are not alone, that there are others who have endured the traumatic grief, anger, and sense of injustice that accompany such a lossthat there are others who understand that survivors are not crazy, but that this is the new normal. Together, we comfort one another and strengthen our innate resilience to persevere and find joy in our lives.

Perhaps even more important, I believe members of the extended family, as well as friends and associates of those who have suffered such a loss, will benefit from knowing that while survivors of violent loss might put on a polite or even smiling public face, grief and anger may be gnawing away at their guts.

A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Survivors of Violent Loss Program or other organizations serving a similar purpose.

The information presented in this work is factual. It is based not only on my memories, but also on journals and records I kept over the years, as well as correspondence, published news accounts, legal documents, meetings with French and American law-enforcement officers, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations prosecutorial report on the murder investigation of the deaths of Loren and Joanne Edwards. Any errors or misstatements are unintentional.

The conversations and correspondence portrayed in this work are condensed for brevity and clarity while maintaining the essence and factual nature of their original content. The names of some individuals mentioned in this work have been changed and are denoted by an asterisk (*) following the first reference.

Larry M. Edwards

San Diego, California

Larry M. Edwardsthe author; age at time of parents deaths, 28

Loren I. EdwardsDad, the authors father; age at time of death, 50

Joanne Jody H. EdwardsMom, the authors stepmother; age at time of death, 43

Gary L. Edwardsthe authors brother; age at time of parents deaths, 27

Aileen* [Edwards]oldest of the authors three sisters (stepsister, adopted by authors father); age at time of parents deaths, 23

Bobbie [Edwards]second oldest of the authors three sisters (stepsister, adopted by authors father); age at time of parents deaths, 22

Kerry Edwardsyoungest of the authors three sisters (half-sister); age at time of parents deaths, 20

Ira EdwardsLoren Edwards father