to think this couple in the guardian are strange and this was not an appropriate subject for a book?

I don’t understand why you think the couple has done anything wrong in writing a book about something that happened to THEM. It sounds as though they endured an extremely stressful and terrifying ordeal at the hands of this couple. Lots of people write books about significant events that have happened in their lives. There is no moral bar to this simply because the couple who harassed them have died.

That aside, the writing is truly awful. Flowery and drawn out and jarring. Reading the article, I felt sorry for the writers, but not as sorry as I might have if their story had been better presented. I wouldn’t be rushing out to buy the book.

I remember the “double suicide” story at the time and still wonder about the “devoted couple” narrative that emerged from that tragedy. It sounds like Cassie was deeply entangled with a psychologically very dangerous man which ultimately lead to her death. After reading the Guardian piece I went back over to news reports of their deaths and the reporting is so odd - almost saying “how awful that the impact of Francis being found guilty of violence and intimidation has lead to them killing themselves” - like they were somehow hounded to their deaths by the “cruelty” of the justice system…..

And I too was baffled about the older couple giving Francis and Cassie £25k!! But maybe the abridged version has lost some important details of how that happened….

There was a case ruled in his favour. That doesn't automatically mean he got his money back or the costs of taking that case paid. It seems unlikely he ever paid a penny, given what happened.

I also googled and found this version (then later realised it was in the DM so ok shoot me too with ball bearings ). It’s only ‘Part One’ of the guardian excerpt - doesn’t have full denouement - but is less overblown in the writing style and - I felt - fills in more of the blanks of the early story. So perhaps whoever adapted it for the Guardian tried to cover too much ground and left out useful details while leaving in slop.

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Everything in the Guardian is too long these days! I worried it was my attention span but nope... every article is twice as long as it needs to be.

Actually that’s totally plausible - your number comes up and markers on previous calls

I didn't think it was an inappropriate subject for a book, but my god it was badly written. I skimread the whole article/excerpt because I wanted to learn what the actual events were, but it was painful having to wade past all the would-be writerly 'atmospheric' prose.

If you are fortunate enough to have such a compelling story to sell, then be honest enough to accept that it is the story, not your amateur artistry, that people are buying.

Because of the harassment they most probably had a flag on their phone number. The call answer would have known exactly who she was before she spoke.

They have every right to tell their story, whether for catharsis or money, and owe their terrorising, murderous former neighbours absolutely nothing.

And as for “Whole piece compounds my suspicion of everyone who chooses to live in the arse end of nowhere” yes, you’re absolutely right: bad things never happen in towns and suburbs 🙄

This article states that the land dispute was settled in civil court!
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/former-soldier-starts-life-again-5218447

The Collinses apparently moved to Devon in 2019-2020 after the trial. Francis also spent over 400 days in jail while Cassie moved back with her family. All those timeline gaps are not mentioned in The Guardian and it's given the impression that they terrorised them as neighbours up until their suicide.

Most of the newspaper articles mention a new police investigation (not the one for firebombing) as one of the catalysts for the couple's suicide. Combined with financial problems and health problems, especially in Cassie's case. Her sister mentioned she treated her dogs like children because was in too much pain to have real children.

The two bits that stood out as ridiculous and guaranteed I won't buy it...

'At your service' bahahahaha right okay
The comment about the 999 operator knowing who she was before she said her name! Give over 🙄

You haven't read it properly, the promised paperwork was never put through so they have no claim on the land.

I honestly don’t know why you’d expect these people to be sensitive to the memory of dead people who petrol‑bombed them, cut off their water supply, shot at their windows with crossbows and subjected them to a campaign of harassment and intimidation.

That’s not a “normal disagreement” — that’s sustained, deliberate violence.

When you’ve lived through something like that, you don’t owe the perpetrators reverence, softness, or silence. You owe yourself whatever helps you survive it.

Writing about it isn’t “weird”; it’s a trauma response. It’s a way of reclaiming control, documenting what happened, and refusing to let the people who terrorised them also dictate how they heal.

It’s not for you to decide how they deal with their trauma. Calling their coping mechanism strange while downplaying the severity of what they endured is the part that’s actually odd.

Fuck them. I have sympathy for people with MH issues, but not dangerous lunatics.

What?

I would have thought petrol bombs and cross bow attacks did warrant an over the top response tbh!

I haven’t read the book and the article seems to leave a lot out about the money but honestly I don’t blame them for writing about it!

And why is there something inherently wrong with living in the arse end of nowhere Op? We are not all the same thanks very much! I would hate to live in a busy city or town.

Your take on all of this is really odd!!

Put yourselves in their position and what happened to them. They must have been absolutely traumatised and terrified. If they wish to let the world know what they went through they have every right to do that.

And why should they think about Cassie’s mother? She isn’t their problem and you’re getting very close to victim blaming.

It’s not about you.

So they actually didn't have to AI a book to get their 25K back!

The writing does seem odd and it does make you wonder whether it is AI assisted. Since when does a police officer arrive at your house and say “ at your service”? So many other overblown flourishes like this.

I think, if you read the article, they learned the money because it allows them to go on the paperworkers having a title claim on the land if the money was never paid back…..

This was land they wanted to buy at a future date, but we’re not in a position to purchase immediately.

There WAS something weird about the writing, now you mention it. Maybe we can instinctively sniff out something AI-written.

The Salt Path is also an interesting point of reference. Any ‘poor me’ memoir is probably erasing something about the protagonist.

The whole thing does seem bizarre and something you'd watch on Netflix, so far removed from every day life but I really feel so sorry for Cassie, it sounds as though she lived a life in pain and misery.

They were described as a loving couple who were very close but she most probably had extremely low self esteem due to her pain issues and was drawn to a sociopath who was more than likely that way due to severe PTSD from serving in the army.

I have just read an article about their deaths and it seemed so sad she was found in bed with her beloved pets. I wonder why they chose separate ways to end their lives. I don't think all rings true. I wonder if she was forced into it?

I know they couple when through hell with these two but I'm not sure if writing a book about it all would sit well with me.

Tragic all round really.

Probably to make the £25k they lost back. I doubt they ever got it back.

I loved Wavewalker!

Thanks for starting this thread, I really wanted to discuss this after reading it. I was also stunned when they agreed to lend them thousands of pounds. I googled the Collins' afterwards and I thought he looked very menacing and unsettling, even in the picture where she is smiling.