This is a powerful and movie memoir that will resonate with people whose families have survived a similar tragedy.

I had a really hard time getting into this one. It just wasn’t for me. I’m not sure why I just couldnt get into it.

At 16, Elle Johnson's cousin, Karen, was murdered at point-blank range in a robbery-gone-wrong. Johnson recalls how this tragedy affected her family. With the recollections, Johnson also relates her relationship with her parents, in particular, with her father who was strict and abusive (though physical abuse, as her mother repeats, only happened 6 times, 3 of which Elle witnesses). When one of Karen's murderers is up for parole and Elle is asked to write a letter to the parole board, she must sort through her memories and feelings. Will she find forgiveness for the killer, for her father, for herself?

This was a heart-wrenching memoir about Johnson's life having grown up in a strict household as the daughter of a parole officer and her feelings of loneliness in adolescence. Though the memoir begins with Karen's murder and is the primary focus of the memoir, there is also a lot of insight into Johnson's own life rather than that of her cousin. Johnson comes to realize that she was not as close with her cousin as she could have been while alive. In order to begin writing the letter, Johnson researches the case, which brings up a lot of the past she had to work through in the journey towards forgiving the murderers. I would have loved to know more about who Karen was aside from the few anecdotes Johnson includes as the primary focus of the memoir is painted to be about the murder but is actually about Johnson's childhood. I still think this was an interesting read about someone who contributed to many of my favorite shows and with whom I was unaware. 3.5 rounded up.

Thank you Harper and NetGalley for the ARC of The Officer's Daughter by Elle Johnson. This story has a good message especially for someone who can identify with the events in the story. Unfortunately, I did not have any personal connection with the events and characters in Elle's story so I found it difficult to read. Although, I feel that those who have had to consider other's release from prison or had a loved one put in prison or even lost someone close to them to a crime could very much enjoy her story.

I really liked the writing and the story telling but I feel like it just didn't stick with me. I do remember Karen's story but the rest if kind of a blur because I couldn't get too invested in whether it's because I just thought it wasn't as memorable as the crime itself or what.

This is definitely a memoir that pulls at your heart strings, Elle writes about her cousin Karen. When they were both 16 years old Karen was working at a Burger King and was shot point blank in the face with a sawed off shotgun. The author goes through the details of the incident and how it impacted her family, the family that was torn in having to bury a 16 year old girl. Especially since Karen was murdered when two men and another in a get away car were trying to rob the Burger King. The author also went through the emotions she felt at that time, how the murder of her cousin effected her achademics and even her personality. Elle has not a difficult but a very different relationship with her father who was a Parole Officer. He liked to control all aspects of his family's lives and was very mistaken on what he could and could not control in his daughters lives. Then, the author also jumps into the present time and explains or basically talks out her emotions and forgiveness of the men who are up for Parole. The author sets out to find out the truth of what happened that night and she writes a letter for the man that accidentally shot her cousin or not a letter but a statement for his parole hearing.
Now, this story will squeeze your heart. There is no way you are going to read this book and not have your heart strings pulled. I requested this book because I am a Crime Junkie and anything about true crime I like to read, what I read wasn't what I had originally expected but it was so good. I felt the emotions written were real and raw. I definitely would recommend this to anyone who loves true crime or also anyone who has been in the situation where forgiveness is needed. I would definitely read more from this author.