A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming

by Kerri Rawson

Overview

What is it like to learn that your ordinary, loving father is a serial killer?

In 2005, Kerri Rawson opened the door of her apartment to greet an FBI agent who shared the shocking news that her father had been arrested for murdering ten people, including two children.

That's also when she first learned that her father was the notorious serial killer known as BTK, a name he'd given himself that described the horrific way he committed his crimes: bind, torture, kill. As news of his capture spread, the city of Wichita celebrated the end of a thirty-one-year nightmare. For Kerri Rawson, another was just beginning.

In the weeks and years that followed, Kerri was plunged into a black hole of horror and disbelief. The same man who had been a loving father, a devoted husband, church president, Boy Scout leader, and a public servant had been using their family as a cover for his heinous crimes since before she was born. Everything she had believed about her life had been a lie.

Written with candor and extraordinary courage, A Serial Killer's Daughter is an unflinching exploration of life with one of America's most infamous killers and an astonishing tale of personal and spiritual transformation.

A Serial Killer's Daughter will give you the encouragement you need to learn how to:

• Pick up the pieces of your life when everything falls apart
• Begin to heal from the long-lasting effects of violence
• Trust that light will overcome the darkness

Kerri Rawson's story offers the hope of reclaiming sanity in the midst of madness, rebuilding a life in the shadow of death, and learning to forgive the unforgivable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781400201754
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	01/29/2019
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	585,554
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Rawson is the New York Times bestselling author of A Serial Killer's Daughter. She is the daughter of Dennis Rader, also known as the serial killer "BTK," and is a passionate advocate for victims of abuse, crime, and trauma. She has turned her experiences into opportunities to write and speak about her journey of hope, healing, faith, and forgiveness. She resides in Florida with her two children.

Table of Contents

Author Note viii

Prologue: Stubbornness Might Be Enough ix

Part I Hold On to Your Foundations

1 What Doesn't Kill You 3

2 Believe in Good Beginnings 9

3 Hope for Happily Ever After 14

4 Weave Among the Pines Like a Tomboy 20

5 Go Comet Hunting in the Winter 26

6 Have Adventures, Because Life Is Fragile 31

7 Allow Yourself to Grieve 35

8 Attempt to Outrun What Haunts You 42

9 … Makes You Stronger 47

Part II Make Your Way Through the Wilderness

10 Know and Respect Your Limitations … Yeah, Right 57

11 Miscalculations of the Ego Can Be Deadly 66

12 The Milky Way Makes an Excellent Nightlight 74

13 Find a Stream in the Wasteland 80

14 If It's Good Enough for Tadpoles, It's Good Enough for You 87

15 Coming Back from the Abyss Doesn't Have to Be So Dramatic 93

Part III Love Will Never Fail You

16 Find a Hope and a Future 101

17 Fall in Love at Least Once in Your Life 105

18 Make a Place of Your Own 110

19 Head Down the Wedding Aisle, Even If You Have to Hobble 116

20 Some Carpet Cleaners Can Leave Unexpected Results 121

21 Don't Say Goodbye-Say "See Ya in a While" 125

Part IV When All Else Has Fallen Away

22 Offer the FBI Your DNA-It's Just Easier That Way 136

23 All Reality Can Sometimes Be Lost 143

24 Don't Google for an Alibi 150

25 Media Circuses Belong in Big Tops, Not Apartments 156

Part V Seek Refuge

26 Respite Can Be Found Thousands of Feet in the Air 165

27 There is Safety in Numbers 171

28 Maybe Love Is Enough 181

29 Leave the Crime Solving to the Experts 187

30 Light Will Overcome the Darkness 194

Part VI Stand on Your Rock

31 Long Distance Can Offer Sanity 203

32 At Some Point You Have to Face Your Fears Head-On 211

33 Most Folks Are Good and Intend You No Harm 217

34 Fight for Those You Love 224

35 Refuse to Let the Bad Stuff Win 229

36 Try to Hold On to the Good Times 236

37 Truth and Justice Can Hurt 244

38 175 Years Is a Long Time 251

Part VII Binding Up a Broken Heart

39 Keep Faith in the Good 261

40 A Desert Is a Great Place to Hide 270

41 PTSD Blows Chunks 278

42 Therapy Might Just Save Your Life 286

43 Laugh or Cry to Survive 293

44 Grit Your Teeth and Keep Going 301

45 Put Your Armor On 305

46 Try to Forgive 313

Epilogue: On the Good Days 318

Acknowledgments 320

Notes 321

About the Author 326