No One Crosses the Wolf

A Memoir

By: Lisa Nikolidakis

Narrated by: Lisa Nikolidakis

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

One of Audible's Best of 2022

A powerful memoir about the traumas of a perilous childhood, a shattering murder-suicide, and a healing journey from escape to survival to recovery.

Growing up, Lisa Nikolidakis tried to make sense of her childhood, which was scarred by abuse, violence, and psychological terrors so extreme that her relationship with her father was cleaved beyond repair. Having finally been able to leave that relationship behind, surviving meant forgetting. For years, “I’m fine” was a lie Nikolidakis repeated.

Then, on her twenty-seventh birthday, Nikolidakis’s father murdered his girlfriend and her daughter, and turned the gun on himself. Nikolidakis’s world cracked open, followed by conflicted emotions: shock, grief, mourning for the innocent victims, and relief that she had escaped the same fate. In the tragedy’s wake, questions lingered: Who was this man, and why had he inflicted such horrors on her and his last victims? For answers, Nikolidakis embarked on a quest to Greece to find her father’s estranged family and a reckoning with the past she never expected.

In her gripping and moving memoir, Nikolidakis explores not only the making of a killer but her own liberation from the demons that haunted her and her profound self-restoration in the face of unimaginable crimes.

©2022 Lisa Nikolidakis (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Narrating her own memoir, Nikolidakis describes her traumatic childhood, communicating her pain with slow and deliberate pacing. Her tone lends gravitas and intimacy to this challenging text. While her memories are horrific, she also sensitively shares her journey toward healing and acceptance. Nikolidakis's story is difficult to hear, but she leaves listeners with a message of positivity and redemption.”—Library Journal

“In this frank and often searing narrative, Nikolidakis examines what she describes as monstrous abuses perpetrated by her father, who, after leaving her family, murdered his new girlfriend and her daughter before committing suicide…With compelling clarity and eloquence, she anatomizes his ability to manipulate…A brave and inspiring account of a movement through pain to a complex reckoning and self-recovery.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A gripping, brutally honest memoir that deals with some heavy themes but will leave readers feeling hopeful and reflective by the end. Readers who enjoy examining the human spirit will be drawn to this book.”—Library Journal (starred review)

Amazing

What a beautiful, poignant story; so well told. Worth a listen for anyone interested in the complexity of people and the potential darkness that lurks within.

A survivors story

A survivors story bravely told with unapologetic honesty and a rawness that could be felt….perhaps even understood by others striving to understand and overcome ourselves.

Pretty depressing

This story was sad as hell. It kept my interest but I think I was waiting for a light at the end of the tunnel. The author did a great job of narrating.

Very good, relatable read for anyone who has experienced trauma

As a person whom experienced childhood trauma similar to the scenarios described in this book, it was a really enlightening read. This book is about Lisa’s learning about and overcoming her trauma. Listening to it made me analyze my own trauma and how my reactions to it were similar to hers. It made me not feel so alone. Honestly, I loved this book. It’s so real and raw. I think the people that gave this book few stars either have not experienced life altering trauma or have not begun to process and work through it.

Not for everyone

if you tend to "take on" the tone of what you are reading psychically and/or spiritually, be cautious about reading this. While the story is told well, a lot of it is tragic & horrific. I was in a depression for 2 solid days while listening to this book. It also made me want to pray for this author who survived so much.

Spectacular

A very complex story and topic. It was very enlightening and offered a glimpse into the complex healing process of traumatized children. Excellent job.

very real

very closely mirrors my own life, I felt her honestly and confusion thru out story

Well written

This book says what most of those who have been through trauma do not. It is an honest inner look at the life of a survivor. Well written, I enjoyed.

The pain of reality

Lisa's fear weighted me down. But her seemingly endless search for peace kept me hoping... listening!
I hate the cursing, but it seems that it had to be told that way. Because skipping the profanity would be as dishonest as substituting "murder/suicide" with "fatal car crash."

Wonderful story and narration by the author

How does one move forward after her abusive estranged father does the worst - murders his girlfriend and her daughter? Set against the contrasting backgrounds of grim and a little grimy South Jersey, and the sweeping, sparkling views of her father's Greece, the author carries us through her complex and, to a child, confusing childhood, overcast by a father who was by turns charming and abusive. Her wounds were deep, even after her parents divorced and she was free of his daily physical presence. Years later, the worst possible news arrives: her father has shot and killed most of his "replacement" family, and over time the author learns that the patterns of abuse were the same. Coming to terms took years of reflection, recovery, therapy and travel to a tiny village in Greece, to find her father's family. The narrative is brutally honest and achingly beautiful. The writer's story will possibly be healing to survivors of abuse. For all, it gives a chance to reflect on our own families, our own lives.