What should people do if they have a friend or a relation involved with a controlling and possibly abusive partner? she just provides answers as to how to recognize and stop these crimes before they become homicides. Chapter four describes ‘triggers’, which can be danger signs and may include circumstances when perpetrators are challenged, such as when reports of domestic abuse are made to the police.

Professor Jane Monkton Smith isnt simply an academic it's very clear that she has a deep understanding of the system and its flaws.By recognising these patterns, we can track how – and why – risk may escalate for victims and we can provide crucial intervention.

This is why I think the rhetoric towards V Putin has to be tempered with a recognition of his position as head of a great state while denouncing his actions and leaving him room to save face. It is, by far, the most useful and insightful resource I’ve ever encountered for not only understanding these circumstances and relationships, but for arming the reader to avoid such an event themselves and to keep them safe.

An extremely interesting and important book, showing how control and coercion can lead to abuse and murder. Though I will say, women especially should read this book as they continue to suffer from domestic violence at incredibly high rates. In control’ provides an honest and detailed pathway through the homicide timeline, addressing the challenges that we face in recognising signs of coercive control. especially as womxn, we all vaguely have an idea or an instinct of what the behaviors and manipulation tactics of domestic abusers look like. The hardest part, after reading this book, is knowing how to effectively intervene – from legal or personal perspectives.

And answers the question of ‘why didn’t she just leave’ , these people are under an insane amount of pressure to meet the perpetrators ego loyalty and control where leaving isn’t a safe option sometimes and the book explains and rejects why victim blaming isn’t acceptable. It is time to realise that the "crime of passion" is a myth, that domestic abuse is a heinous crime, that coercive control leaves people (predominantly women and children) live in constant fear. In the present climate of the Reclaim These Streets movement, those in charge should be paying far more attention to studies such as these, and the author's carefully observed 8-stage timeline as a preventative measure. The patterns of behaviour and variety of approaching are just astounding - it is no surprise that the justice system struggles to keep up with this area of the law.The premise of the book is to explore the escalation of dangerous relationships and that is achieved. Several people I know had previously read the book and all spoke about it being a powerful experience. You’ve got someone who’s willing and happy to have arguments and the victim will do anything to avoid arguing with this person. Just yesterday I was reading of a man who stabbed his ex wife and the judge said the Surrey police had to take some responsibility because they had not taken the women's predicament seriously and had made up their minds that the husband wasn't a danger. It is something I would have hoped would be difficult to find information on (as if to believe it wasn’t so common).