A Time for Truth

My Father Jason and My Search for Justice and Healing - Biography of the Year, An Post Irish Book Awards 2025

By: Sarah Corbett Lynch

Narrated by: Sarah Corbett Lynch

BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR 2025 - AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS

A shocking true story of heartbreak and survival by Sarah Corbett Lynch, daughter of Jason Corbett - an Irish Times Number 1 bestseller and the subject of NETFLIX documentary A DEADLY AMERICAN MARRIAGE.

'Honest and compelling' Sunday Independent
'Powerful, heartbreaking' Irish Times
'An enthralling read' Irish Daily Mail

'A powerful and poignant memoir that transforms loss into a legacy of love and hope' Katriona O'Sullivan, bestselling author of Poor

'This book is a must-read' Irish Independent

At approximately 3.15 a.m. on 2 August 2015, eight-year-old Sarah Corbett Lynch was lifted from her bed by a police officer and carried downstairs, shielded from the chaos that had broken out in her North Carolina home.

Hours passed before she learned that her beloved father Jason was dead. And the people who had killed him were Sarah's stepmother Molly Martens and her father Tom.

In A Time for Truth, Sarah reveals the startling truth of life behind closed doors in her family's home, controlled by Molly - the only mother she had ever known. And Sarah describes the traumatic aftermath as she and her brother Jack fought for justice for their father from the safety of their loving new home with Jason's family in Ireland.

A Time for Truth is a unique testimony of devastation, survival and hope, against the odds.©2025 Sarah Corbett-Lynch

Critic reviews

'A powerful and poignant memoir that transforms loss into a legacy of love and hope'

Sarah Corbett Lynch's writing of this honest and compelling book has no hysteria. It sets out events in forensic detail, including the damage to herself and her father's reputation

A Time for Truth is a powerful, heartbreaking and justifiably angry read from a young woman whose life has been irreparably damaged

This is an enthralling read

A gripping story of lives shattered as the result of a brutal and sadistic murder, and the slow job of rebuilding hope

[Sarah's] gut-wrenching memoir allows her to finally tell her story of trauma and survival for the first time, as well as honour her dad's memory and her family's fight for justice

Strength of the human spirit ... This book is a must-read

Incredible

As a lifeguard at meadowlands in 2014 , I watched certain behaviors that summer unfold that I now look back on after hearing Sarah’s book and understand what was really happening. She depicted Molly and her behaviors perfectly. I was able to see everything she described vividly through her writings.

Incredible Strength!

What great strength it must have taken to tell your truth! Thank you for sharing it with all of us! I’m disgusted by our justice system and how unfair it has been to your father and your family! Sending love and prayers to you and your family!

Beautifully Heartbreaking

I do not have the words to express my feelings towards this. The story of Jason's death is tragic, and so is all the trauma that Sarah and the rest of her family had to endure all these years later. But to hear Sarah narrate her story is beautiful, inspiring, and heartbreaking.

As a father, it hurts to hear what Sarah and her brother had to deal with. Also, having worked in "emergency services" my whole working career, it pains me whenever I come across any scene where there are any indications that a child may be affected in some way. I try my best to protect my own daughters to hopefully never experience something as tragic as what Sarah has shared. I cried multiple times listening to Sarah.

Sarah's story sheds even more light into this case with more important facts that NEED to be heard. Everyone who has been affected by trauma deserves a voice, especially children, and Sarah is no different. It's inspiring to hear how Sarah and co. have persisted through all this mess and have grown.

I can not recommend this book enough. If all your information about this horrific event is from the media, then you're doing yourself a disservice. Listen to the accounts of the victims who were actually there.

the truth to the story...

I initially watch the series on TV and then read this book and the one by your aunt- very good to hear the truth. I am sorry for the tragic circumstances of losing both your parents especially your father at the hands of Molly. I'm very sorry that Molly and her father Tom did not get what they deserved. They basically got away with murder with just a slap on the wrist hiding behind the self defense excuse.

the narration by the author was outstanding

The book was poignant, the fact that the author was the narrator really made an impact