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Under Their Roof: My shocking true story of surviving serial killers Fred and Rose West
'Under Their Roof...does so much more than chronicle her time living with the Wests. It's a desperately sad insight into what makes someone vulnerable to abusers... but ultimately, this is a book about the triumph - however painful and even fluky - of good over evil.' Simon Hattenstone, GUARDIAN
'My stomach was clenched tight. I knew there was no way I could swallow a single morsel. Playing in my mind was a slideshow of evil, fragments of memory, glued together by Fred and Rose West dragging me off the pavement, Fred pinning me on the sofa while Rose stroked my hair...'
Kathleen Richards was just 17 when she and her sister Deirdre found themselves on the doorstep of 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, seeking lodgings from a seemingly friendly local Fred and Rose West.
While growing up in poverty-stricken Dublin in the 1960s, Kathleen was abused from a young age. A move to England allowed her to escape, but even so life remained difficult, forcing her to seek refuge.
At first, Cromwell Street provided freedom for the sisters who were entertained by Fred's quirky behaviour. Kathleen was also happy to make a new friend in her fellow lodger, Shirley Robinson.
But then, things took a sinister Fred began to abuse Kathleen with his wife's encouragement. And, when Shirley suddenly disappeared too, Kathleen's world began to grow very dark...
This is a chilling account of what it's like to come face-to-face with Britain's most notorious serial killers, but it is also an inspiring account of the resilience of women and how to find happiness after trauma.
'My stomach was clenched tight. I knew there was no way I could swallow a single morsel. Playing in my mind was a slideshow of evil, fragments of memory, glued together by Fred and Rose West dragging me off the pavement, Fred pinning me on the sofa while Rose stroked my hair...'
Kathleen Richards was just 17 when she and her sister Deirdre found themselves on the doorstep of 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, seeking lodgings from a seemingly friendly local Fred and Rose West.
While growing up in poverty-stricken Dublin in the 1960s, Kathleen was abused from a young age. A move to England allowed her to escape, but even so life remained difficult, forcing her to seek refuge.
At first, Cromwell Street provided freedom for the sisters who were entertained by Fred's quirky behaviour. Kathleen was also happy to make a new friend in her fellow lodger, Shirley Robinson.
But then, things took a sinister Fred began to abuse Kathleen with his wife's encouragement. And, when Shirley suddenly disappeared too, Kathleen's world began to grow very dark...
This is a chilling account of what it's like to come face-to-face with Britain's most notorious serial killers, but it is also an inspiring account of the resilience of women and how to find happiness after trauma.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 28, 2025
23 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 21, 2025
⭐ 3.5/5
Under Their Roof by Kathleen Richards is a well-written and deeply personal account of Kathleen’s life. It’s more than just her surviving Fred and Rose West — it’s about all the hardship, trauma, and abuse she endured both before and after her time with them.
I found myself really invested in her journey. It’s definitely a tough read at times, but it highlights her incredible strength and resilience despite all the monsters who took advantage of her vulnerability. Heartbreaking, raw, and powerful.
Under Their Roof by Kathleen Richards is a well-written and deeply personal account of Kathleen’s life. It’s more than just her surviving Fred and Rose West — it’s about all the hardship, trauma, and abuse she endured both before and after her time with them.
I found myself really invested in her journey. It’s definitely a tough read at times, but it highlights her incredible strength and resilience despite all the monsters who took advantage of her vulnerability. Heartbreaking, raw, and powerful.
October 27, 2025
While this was an interestig insight in to what it was like living with the Wests- there was more to it. This poor woman has been through so much and her multiple abuse situations were missed by many who should have done more. I am however pleased that she saw a therapist and realised that everything that happened to her was not her fault. I am also glad she managed to get out of the Wests house alive (although sadly not unscathed).
January 29, 2026
When you enter this book's ISBN into the Goodreads search engine, nothing comes up, and the Kindle Edition is the only version that is available when entering the title manually, very strange indeed. I'd just like to point out, that I read this book in Paperback, not Kindle.
Abuse seemed to follow Kathleen Richards around like a dark shadow. Abusers seemed to be able to pick her out in a crowded room, as if she had some sort of sign around her neck. Her vulnerability must have illuminated her out like a beacon, making her easy pickings for narcissistic, sociopathic, predators. Asking herself, that one age old question of the victim, why me?.
Kathleen Richards was not only prey to a litany of predators and paedophiles, shockingly including her own grandfather and of course, Fred and Rose West, she was also the victim of the institutionalized failure and neglect of the authorities. Then to rub salt in the wounds, she was later the target of rogue police predator, PC Darren Heath! You honestly couldn't make it up, Kathleen was failed again and again and again.
But unfortunately, for as harrowing and upsetting as Kathleen's life story was, and being brutally honest, I was only really interested in the periods pertaining to her time in and around the life of Fred and Rose West.
I felt therefore, that there was far too much time spent on her backstory, before herself and her sister, Derdrie ended up on the doorstep of 25 Cromwell Street. Yes, that previous period of her life, with its heart breaking financial and emotional poverty, and some more than uncomfortable reading about abuse and paedophilia, were pretty difficult subjects to get your head around, especially coming from a warm and loving family background myself. But, and in all honesty, it was the time spent with the West's that I really wanted to hear about. Serial killers are where my interest lies, not individual tales of woe, otherwise it all becomes like a form of the Victorian Freak Show, and ostensibly, it’s just another ’poverty safari’. And for me, my full attention wasn't really piqued until we arrived at this point in the story, nearly a quarter of the way into the book! And even then, Fred's dreadful assaults on Kathleen were so terrifyingly frequent, the book was seemingly becoming repetitive! Why not just leave, I suppose some would ask? Unfortunately for the abused, and certainly in Kathleen’s place, they mistakenly blame themselves, and so are trapped by the egregious situations in which they find themselves. The question I asked, was why her sister left her there alone, to go visit her boyfriend? I felt that I'd have asked my sibling to come with me!? But you never really know how you would react in any given situation, until you, God forbid, experience it yourself! Rational thinking is swamped in a morass of irrational guilt and blind confusion, and the poor lass must've been living a veritable nightmare. It just doesn’t bear thinking about.
Anyway, the book didn't really pick up again, until years after the sisters had finally escaped the Gloucester 'House of Horrors', and focused on the arrest and trial of Fred and Rose West.
I appreciate that my review of this book might sound a bit callous, but honestly, that most definitely isn't my intention. It just felt like the part of the book that concentrated on Kathleen's childhood (or lack thereof) and youth, was harrowing, for harrowing sake, and I'd have just been as well reading a Frank McCourt novel!
Indeed my heart goes out to Kathleen Richards in every sense, failed time and again by those who chose to abuse and neglect her, instead of being her safety net of love and support, and the systemic failure of the authorities, complicit in their enabling of abusers and what they do.
The book is well written and eminently heartbreaking, but for me, there’s too much focus on time spent not under their roof.
Abuse seemed to follow Kathleen Richards around like a dark shadow. Abusers seemed to be able to pick her out in a crowded room, as if she had some sort of sign around her neck. Her vulnerability must have illuminated her out like a beacon, making her easy pickings for narcissistic, sociopathic, predators. Asking herself, that one age old question of the victim, why me?.
Kathleen Richards was not only prey to a litany of predators and paedophiles, shockingly including her own grandfather and of course, Fred and Rose West, she was also the victim of the institutionalized failure and neglect of the authorities. Then to rub salt in the wounds, she was later the target of rogue police predator, PC Darren Heath! You honestly couldn't make it up, Kathleen was failed again and again and again.
But unfortunately, for as harrowing and upsetting as Kathleen's life story was, and being brutally honest, I was only really interested in the periods pertaining to her time in and around the life of Fred and Rose West.
I felt therefore, that there was far too much time spent on her backstory, before herself and her sister, Derdrie ended up on the doorstep of 25 Cromwell Street. Yes, that previous period of her life, with its heart breaking financial and emotional poverty, and some more than uncomfortable reading about abuse and paedophilia, were pretty difficult subjects to get your head around, especially coming from a warm and loving family background myself. But, and in all honesty, it was the time spent with the West's that I really wanted to hear about. Serial killers are where my interest lies, not individual tales of woe, otherwise it all becomes like a form of the Victorian Freak Show, and ostensibly, it’s just another ’poverty safari’. And for me, my full attention wasn't really piqued until we arrived at this point in the story, nearly a quarter of the way into the book! And even then, Fred's dreadful assaults on Kathleen were so terrifyingly frequent, the book was seemingly becoming repetitive! Why not just leave, I suppose some would ask? Unfortunately for the abused, and certainly in Kathleen’s place, they mistakenly blame themselves, and so are trapped by the egregious situations in which they find themselves. The question I asked, was why her sister left her there alone, to go visit her boyfriend? I felt that I'd have asked my sibling to come with me!? But you never really know how you would react in any given situation, until you, God forbid, experience it yourself! Rational thinking is swamped in a morass of irrational guilt and blind confusion, and the poor lass must've been living a veritable nightmare. It just doesn’t bear thinking about.
Anyway, the book didn't really pick up again, until years after the sisters had finally escaped the Gloucester 'House of Horrors', and focused on the arrest and trial of Fred and Rose West.
I appreciate that my review of this book might sound a bit callous, but honestly, that most definitely isn't my intention. It just felt like the part of the book that concentrated on Kathleen's childhood (or lack thereof) and youth, was harrowing, for harrowing sake, and I'd have just been as well reading a Frank McCourt novel!
Indeed my heart goes out to Kathleen Richards in every sense, failed time and again by those who chose to abuse and neglect her, instead of being her safety net of love and support, and the systemic failure of the authorities, complicit in their enabling of abusers and what they do.
The book is well written and eminently heartbreaking, but for me, there’s too much focus on time spent not under their roof.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2026
A very gripping read about a former tenant of Fred and Rosemary West. This woman grew up in a poverty-stricken background with a history of abuse from an early age. Firstly, to get sweets and pennies, she allowed a night watchman to abuse her, and later her grandad did the same.
In the end, her sister, who had a young baby and was a single parent, said she had heard of lodgings in Gloucester where she was living.
Right from the start, she was introduced by Fred to his wife Rosemary and his lover Shirley, who was pregnant with his child. The room was alright, but seemed to have peepholes in the wall, which they covered up, but they were constantly reopened.
Though her sister was left alone, Kathleen was constantly trying to dodge Fred who was constantly trying to touch her so in the end she kept running away. At first her sister dismissed it but after finding her so upset she arranged for them to leave next morning which they did.
Staying with her brother Kathleen's life spiralled out of control. The past, the sudden disappearance of Shirley who she had become good friends for, Fred and Rosemary trying to lure her into their room for goodness knows what, the abuse as a child it all impacted on her. When she heard of Fred and Rosemary being prosecuted, it brought it all to a head.
This book is compelling and really worth reading.
In the end, her sister, who had a young baby and was a single parent, said she had heard of lodgings in Gloucester where she was living.
Right from the start, she was introduced by Fred to his wife Rosemary and his lover Shirley, who was pregnant with his child. The room was alright, but seemed to have peepholes in the wall, which they covered up, but they were constantly reopened.
Though her sister was left alone, Kathleen was constantly trying to dodge Fred who was constantly trying to touch her so in the end she kept running away. At first her sister dismissed it but after finding her so upset she arranged for them to leave next morning which they did.
Staying with her brother Kathleen's life spiralled out of control. The past, the sudden disappearance of Shirley who she had become good friends for, Fred and Rosemary trying to lure her into their room for goodness knows what, the abuse as a child it all impacted on her. When she heard of Fred and Rosemary being prosecuted, it brought it all to a head.
This book is compelling and really worth reading.
March 27, 2026
All i can say is this is a story from a True Survivor, and when i say survivor, I mean survivor at the hands of one of Britain's worst serial killing couples. So i will finish by saying Kathleen, you wrote this book superbly well to give everyone an insight into your own experiences at the hands of Fred and Rose West and how nasty they really were when nobody knew of their horrid crimes back in the day. Well done, Kathleen, it's five stars from me with this review
September 11, 2025
What an absolutely heartbreaking read 💔
This story is all about Kathleen, and although it's advertised as to do with Fred and Rose West, there is so much more to her life before and after her time at Cromwell Street too.
I listened to this on audiobook and devoured it - I literally could not stop despite how hard it was to listen to at times.
For anyone who enjoys true crime, I highly recommend
This story is all about Kathleen, and although it's advertised as to do with Fred and Rose West, there is so much more to her life before and after her time at Cromwell Street too.
I listened to this on audiobook and devoured it - I literally could not stop despite how hard it was to listen to at times.
For anyone who enjoys true crime, I highly recommend
December 31, 2025
A heartbreaking read at times but, with such strength and courage dealing with the demons in her past. It is not just about the West’s but, also about surviving poverty and the harsh ramifications that brings with it, floored governments systems and sexual abuse. It was well written and succinct.
March 27, 2026
I have given it 5 stars purely for Kathy. The abuse she dealt with before, during and after living with the West’s is unimaginable.
Every spare moment I had was spent reading this book. A real mixture of emotions with this read. Have a tissue on hand!
Every spare moment I had was spent reading this book. A real mixture of emotions with this read. Have a tissue on hand!
November 11, 2025
Very moving read, a true testament, it’s worth reading a very good book
December 25, 2025
Started and finished date - 15.12.25 to 17.12.25.
My rating – Three and Half Stars.
This book was pretty good and informative, but I think Fred and Rose west a British horror story documentary directed by Daniel Dewsbury was little bit better. I think people who like mother california by Kenneth E. Hartman or blood brother by Anne Bird may like book. The cover of book was great, and I really like the cover of the book also I think the colour palette at was used on the cover of book was pretty good. I think the writing was okay and the writing were easy to follow also the ending of book was pretty good. I think author did a great job at describing the horrors at had happened in at house of horrors. I think found both the structured of the book and the paced of book was fine, but it could have be better also I wise this book was longer.
My rating – Three and Half Stars.
This book was pretty good and informative, but I think Fred and Rose west a British horror story documentary directed by Daniel Dewsbury was little bit better. I think people who like mother california by Kenneth E. Hartman or blood brother by Anne Bird may like book. The cover of book was great, and I really like the cover of the book also I think the colour palette at was used on the cover of book was pretty good. I think the writing was okay and the writing were easy to follow also the ending of book was pretty good. I think author did a great job at describing the horrors at had happened in at house of horrors. I think found both the structured of the book and the paced of book was fine, but it could have be better also I wise this book was longer.
February 22, 2026
oh my goodness, my heart goes out to Kathy, she is extraordinarily strong. such a moving book about her life before, during and after the West's. it's well written.
March 16, 2026
Een aaneenschakeling van clichés.
March 30, 2026
A hard read but pushed through
December 10, 2025
This is a book that will live in your brain for a while after you've finished it. Written using very simple language, it's an easy, but difficult read. Let's just say I was SO pleased she finally got therapy at the end.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews