THE ONLY WITNESS LEFT: A Memoir of Survival

The Only Witness Left is a raw, unflinching memoir of survival, written by a mother of three who refused to stay silent. Raised under communism in Eastern Europe and later emigrating across the world, Katarina Liptakova's life was forever changed when a childhood fascination with crime and violence against women collided with one of the most disturbing unresolved cases in her adopted country.

A passing remark from her young son about a missing girl drew her into a decades-old shadow of vanished children, unanswered questions and a place that refused to let its secrets rest. With no badge, no authority, and no resources, Katarina followed instinct where official paths ended — and the personal cost would shape the rest of her life.

INNOCENCE IS FRAGILE.
SILENCE ENDURES.

An ordinary life can fracture without warning; a memory can linger longer than it should, and quiet unease can become impossible to ignore.

As the weight of what cannot be unseen grows heavier, the line between instinct and reality blurs, grief settles where words cannot reach, and silence stretches where answers should be.

This memoir honours the unseen weight carried by victims and the families left searching for answers, justice and peace just out of reach — a deeply personal reckoning of bearing witness, enduring and continuing to listen when others turn away.

Some stories are forgotten.
Some are buried beneath silence.
And some wait for someone brave enough to uncover them.