The First Time He Hit Her, Heidi Lemon
The First Time He Hit Her, Heidi Lemon
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The First Time He Hit Her
The shocking true story of the murder of Tara Costigan, the woman next door

Author: Heidi Lemon

Narrator: Sylvie DeCrespigny

Unabridged: 9 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/30/2020

Synopsis

For readers of true crime and books such as See What You Made Me Do, a shocking and movingly told portrait of the murder of suburban mum Tara Costigan and an examination of why domestic violence affects us all

Tara Costigan was the woman next door. A hard worker. Quick to laugh and easy to like. She was happy, confident, strong. A woman who always looked after herself and her kids. Close with her family and her friends, she was much loved. Then, in 2013, she met Marcus Rappel. A local tradie, he was charming and sincere, they dated and fell in love. That should have been the end of a happy-ever-after story. But for Tara, it was much uglier. And for her family it would be devastating.

A year later, Tara was pregnant to Marcus. Her family had been worried for a while, but Tara didn't tell anyone how Marcus's jealousy was souring the relationship. She tried to keep it quiet. Despite everything, she never imagined he would be physically violent - he would never hurt her.

Tara was wrong. One fine day, the last day of summer in 2015, she was holding their newborn baby in her arms when he attacked her with an axe. Her murder seemed to come out of the blue. But as this extraordinary, often shocking book reveals, it did not.

The First Time He Hit Her is an attempt to understand why dozens of women are murdered each year by men who profess to love them.

About Heidi Lemon

Heidi Lemon received an Honours degree in Creative Writing from the University of Canberra. For the past few years she has devoted herself to writing, funding her efforts with a job in retail. Heidi worked closely with the Costigan family during the writing of this book, which is her first.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Shelleyrae on July 07, 2020

Twenty-eight-year-old Tara Costigan was one of 103 women who died violently as a result of family violence–related homicide* in Australia during 2015. The hardworking, loving, mother was holding her newborn daughter in her arms when her ex-partner swung an axe at her neck, her two young sons looking......more

Goodreads review by Jo-Ann on July 08, 2020

The story of Tara Costigan is tragically not a rare one. So far in 2020 according to Counting Dead Women, 28 Australian women have died at the hands of violence by July 2. In Australia, one woman every week is killed by a current or former partner. One in three women and one in five men have experien......more

Goodreads review by Briony on September 22, 2020

WOW. This book gave me goosebumps. Loved it. Heidi did a excellent job researching Tara and the lead up to her death. Heidi talked to alot of people involving Tara and what happened which was great. This book gives insight to a DV situation and that it isn't physical it can be verbal and mental too......more

Goodreads review by Katrina on November 04, 2020

I read this in two sittings. The writing style is simply beautiful and so easy to read. It draws you in deeper and deeper. I could not put the book down. I am a survivor. My heart aches for Tara’s friends and family. No one deserves this.......more

Goodreads review by Maggie on May 23, 2023

Powerful book reminding us on the relationship between verbal abuse and domestic homicide. I was surprised how the author wrote, not only did she relay conversations she had with the people in Tara's life, but she used metaphysical examples to give readers an overall feel for how the conversations f......more

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