A Rip in Heaven

The acclaimed author of AMERICAN DIRT reveals the devastating effects of a shocking tragedy in this landmark true crime book: the first ever to look intimately at the experiences of both the victims and their families.

A RIP IN HEAVEN is Jeanine Cummins' story of a night in April, 1991, when her two cousins Julie and Robin Kerry, and her brother, Tom, were assaulted on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River just outside of St. Louis.

When, after a harrowing ordeal, Tom managed to escape the attackers and flag down help, he thought the nightmare would soon be over. He couldn't have been more wrong. Tom, his sister Jeanine, and their entire family were just at the beginning of a horrific odyssey through the aftermath of a violent crime, a world of shocking betrayal, endless heartbreak, and utter disillusionment. It was a trial by fire from which no family member would emerge unscathed.

“A wrenching tale of a notorious murder's long echoes for its survivors . . . [an] apt tribute to family endurance in the face of grievous lossCummins recounts the wrenching drama in a straightforward, expertly paced narrative that reads like a novel - PeopleCummins presents a mesmerizing, highly balanced memoir. . . . [A] compelling, novel-like account . . . highly admirable - Publishers Weekly”

A wrenching tale of a notorious murder's long echoes for its survivors . . . [an] apt tribute to family endurance in the face of grievous loss

Cummins recounts the wrenching drama in a straightforward, expertly paced narrative that reads like a novel - People

Cummins presents a mesmerizing, highly balanced memoir. . . . [A] compelling, novel-like account . . . highly admirable - Publishers Weekly

Jeanine Cummins is the author of the novels AMERICAN DIRT, THE OUTSIDE BOY and THE CROOKED BRANCH, and a true crime work, A RIP IN HEAVEN. She lives in New York with her husband and two children.

The acclaimed author of AMERICAN DIRT reveals the devastating effects of a shocking tragedy in this landmark true crime book: the first ever to look intimately at the experiences of both the victims and their families. A RIP IN HEAVEN is Jeanine Cummins' story of a night in April, 1991, when her two cousins Julie and Robin Kerry, and her brother, Tom, were assaulted on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River just outside of St. Louis. When, after a harrowing ordeal, Tom managed to escape the attackers and flag down help, he thought the nightmare would soon be over. He couldn't have been more wrong. Tom, his sister Jeanine, and their entire family were just at the beginning of a horrific odyssey through the aftermath of a violent crime, a world of shocking betrayal, endless heartbreak, and utter disillusionment. It was a trial by fire from which no family member would emerge unscathed.

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