In 1965, the two toddlers of Alice and Edmund Crimmins were found dead, and she was later found guilty of their murders. Her experience was Emma Flint’s inspiration for LITTLE DEATHS. Although the book is fiction, many of its details are the same as the real-life story, especially the opinion that Ruth Malone (the fictionalized Alice Crimmins) was convicted on the basis of her looks and her sex life. LITTLE DEATHS could have been a good story.

Ruth is a red-headed cocktail waitress, separated from her husband, Frank. She wears tight skirts and lots of makeup (to cover acne scars), and she sleeps around. So, when her two children disappear, Ruth is immediately suspected of hiding them because she and Frank are battling over their custody. When the children are found dead, she is immediately suspected of murdering them because of her appearance and her morals.

Part of the problem with LITTLE DEATHS is the reporter, Pete. He begins covering the story just like every other reporter, misjudging Ruth. Eventually, though, he decides she is telling the truth, then he becomes attracted to her. His actions are never explained adequately, so he is not understandable.

I guess I could say the same about all the characters in this book. That’s because the whole thing seems rushed, like there isn’t time to explore any of them. This is especially true of the last few pages. The end leaves the reader hanging. Not good.

I won this ARC from Hachette Books through goodreads.com.

his book was inspired by a true story. I did have to keep reminding myself that it was taking place in the mid 60's.....its made that clear in the beginning. SPOILER: it was a very good murder mystery but brought up a lot of questions at the end when you finally find out who did it....like why didn't they investigate the father better than they did? did the neighbor make up the whole story about the couple on the street at 2am?
Definitely worth the read.!

t's 1965 in a tight-knit working-class neighborhood in Queens, New York, and Ruth Malone--a single mother who works long hours as a cocktail waitress--wakes to discover her two small children, Frankie Jr. and Cindy, have gone missing. Later that day, Cindy's body is found in a derelict lot a half mile from her home, strangled. Ten days later, Frankie Jr.'s decomposing body is found. Immediately, all fingers point to Ruth.

As police investigate the murders, the detritus of Ruth's life is exposed. Seen through the eyes of the cops, the empty bourbon bottles and provocative clothing which litter her apartment, the piles of letters from countless men and Ruth's little black book of phone numbers, make her a drunk, a loose woman--and therefore a bad mother. The lead detective, a strict Catholic who believes women belong in the home, leaps to the obvious conclusion: facing divorce and a custody battle, Malone took her children's lives.

Pete Wonicke is a rookie tabloid reporter who finagles an assignment to cover the murders. Determined to make his name in the paper, he begins digging into the case. Pete's interest in the story develops into an obsession with Ruth, and he comes to believe there's something more to the woman whom prosecutors, the press, and the public have painted as a promiscuous femme fatale. Did Ruth Malone violently kill her own children, is she a victim of circumstance--or is there something more sinister at play?