A gap year, a tragedy and a lucky escape.
At just 18 years old, Karen Hamilton spent a year of her life sleeping at 25 Cromwell Street, the house of horrors where the infamous serial killers Fred and Rose West committed their despicable crimes. Whilst staying with a lodger and friend, Liz, she slept on the top floor whilst unthinkable acts happened beneath her and behind the closed doors of the maze-like house.
In her debut memoir, Karen reveals the untold Australian story of her harrowing experiences in the house, her interactions with Fred and Rose and the reoccurring dreams that haunted her for over a decade afterwards. Her life would be permanently altered by the unassuming house just five doors down from her aunt’s home.
This story honours the young women who lost their lives and is about friendships lost, found and lost again.
Memoir, Tell-All Memoir, Fred and Rose West, Living Overseas
About The Author
Karen Hamilton was born in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and spent her childhood in the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. Throughout her early life she travelled extensively with her family and grew connected to the small English town of Gloucester where her aunt and uncle resided. When she returned to Australia in the late 1970s, Karen began her career working as a secretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra.
Karen later became an audio typist for police interviews, a position she has held for 25 years. She has also worked as a court reporter across Australia. It was her professional ties to the criminal justice system, coupled with harrowing personal experiences, that drew her towards true crime as a genre.
In her spare time, Karen contributes to Australian magazines like New Idea, where she writes opinion pieces on pop culture, true crime and breaking news. Karen now lives in the western suburbs of Sydney, nestled underneath the majestic Blue Mountains.
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