No mercy

An exceptional true crime story that changed the law in favour of the victim. The crime was committed in cold blood by a psychopathic father – against his two unsuspecting children. The book tells the dramatic story of a family: The parents are Czechs who emigrated from Czechoslovakia after the Soviet occupation. They met and married in Canada, where they had two beautiful, healthy children, a boy, Pavlík, and a little girl, Elunka. What starts as a common story, albeit set in the difficult conditions of life in emigration, gradually unfolds into an unbelievable family drama. The mother is incredibly selfless, capable, and loving. The father seems to have a hereditary predisposition to mental illness; after losing his job repeatedly, he stops looking for a new one and persistently blames his surroundings for his failures. His anger, hatred, and aggression grow. He is unable to form a relationship with his family or provide for them, and isolates himself. Out of revenge, he plans and commits a brutal double murder… The event shocked the public at the time, not only in Canada but also in Great Britain and West Germany, sparking a debate and later leading to amendments in legal provisions concerning missing children. The book is published as the third volume in the Victima series. Liba Švrčinová-Cunnings (born 1948) has lived in Calgary, Canada since 1970. Thanks to her technical education and diligence, she worked her way up to become a partner in a surveying firm. After the tragic events of 1986, she changed her profession. She currently works as a massage therapist, specialising in sports injuries and therapy. Her love for sports (including becoming the junior orienteering champion of Czechoslovakia in 1968) eventually led her to triathlon. She qualified for the World Championships three times, in New Zealand, Mexico, and Australia, and completed three marathons. After her competitive career ended, she returned to her beloved Rocky Mountains and also made many trips to Nepal. In the Himalayas, she has summited two peaks over six thousand metres (and is preparing for a third). In 2001, she initiated the publication of the book No Remorse, dedicated to the tragic story of her children; she was extensively involved in the book's preparation with the author, Kirstie McLellan. From 2006 to 2009, she translated the book and prepared it for its Czech publication in collaboration with Epocha Publishing. Kirstie McLellan (born 1955) is a writer and author of several non-fiction books, living with her family in the Canadian province of Alberta. She gained experience as a private detective, television reporter, and producer. She is currently the executive producer of the television show Inside Entertainment.