Sleep, my child, forever cover

Sleep, my child, forever

by John Coston

This book tells the story of Ellen Boehm, a St. Louis, Missouri divorced mother of three, who, within a two year time frame, cold-bloodedly snuffed out the life of her two little boys and botched an attempt on the life of her daughter. The demise of these two otherwise healthy children, who were alleged to have simply stopped breathing, left medical doctors puzzled as to the cause of their deaths. Unfortunately for Ellen, she was unable to exhibit any of the usual sign of grief, and her demeanor struck many of those who knew her as odd. Yet, there was no tangible forensic evidence linking her to the deaths of her children. Still, there was one person who was convinced of her guilt, a St. Louis homicide detective who began looking into the matter and made certain startling discoveries. Like a dog with a bone, he was not about to close out the case without bringing Ellen Boehm to justice. The book details Ellen's life and the events that led to her cool commission of the crimes, as well as her eventual apprehension for the murders. It also includes eight pages of black and white photographs.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?