Serial Killers Books

Reviewed by Katherine Ramsland, Ph.D., author of "The Human Predator".

"In addition to making the first DVD about H. H. Holmes available to viewers, John Borowski has done a great service by also publishing the four principle works by and about Holmes during the time of his arrest, as he awaited trial. Previously, one had to go to a place like the newspaper archives in Philadelphia to get access to these papers. Now they're all in one bound volume, along with provocative illustrations of the case and the infamous Chicago castle. In addition to Holmes's various "confessions," the volume includes the book penned by Detective Frank Geyer, as well as Robert Corbitt's description of the castle before it was destroyed and the analysis of evidence there - including bones and fine hair found in the stove. Holmes was so clever, it seems, that he would hire and discharge workmen each day so that no one could see what he was up to. It's fortunate that Borowski has been so interested in the case as to produce both a DVD and a bound collection of 19th century publications. Despite the availability of two excellent books devoted to Holmes in recent times, it's always valuable to read the documents from the relevant era."

The characters are as follows: an angry psychic, a melancholy serial killer, a beautiful but troubled female lawyer, a boisterous policeman, a caring nurse, an adolescent ghost, a wise secretary, an incognito hooker, and a very busy specialty foods caterer. Oh, there is a brief cameo by an angel.

Bek, a bank executive, kills himself after the affair he was having with his boss's wife ends badly. He is brought back after dying and finds that he has the ability to read things about people he could have no way of knowing. Because his life was empty and his death wasn't much better, Bek decides to use his new gift to bring torment to as many people as possible as a way to get back at God. He opens an office and gives tarot readings. The police use him to track a serial killer, but Bek instead chooses to help the killer. The killer befriends Bek and teaches him inadvertently that all actions have consequences. Bek learns that everyone is in fact interconnected, and that he has actually caused his own anguish. Bek then tries as much as he can to correct the harm he has done and discovers more than he ever expected about how the universe works.

Author Jack Swint brings these cold case Ohio murders back into the publics eye in his no nonsense straight to the point style of writing. As the fourth book in the "Who Killed?" series, Swint has detailed these unsolved murders in hopes someone will come forward to police with new information and clues to solve these brutal and senseless crimes.

I am confused though why Rooftop Publishing Company is not giving any acknoledgement or credit to this author. When I purchased this book online it arrived with NO AUTHORS name on the cover or anywhere in the content of the book. Also, Rooftop implies that they are the authors and this all appears very deceptive! I met author Jack Swint, and he wrote the manuscripts to this book and the ones in Savannah, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville.

Rooftops publisher needs to acknolwedge and give their writers credit.

My daughter recommended this to me, she's right, it's riveting. It has some interesting use of Brit phraseology, and I like that some of the crimes are in places other than the USA.

I have just recently begun to listen to books on cd. I had read Zodiac many times and also read the follow up book Zodiac Unmasked and they are still best-sellers today. This is extremely well researched and well presented. I loved having this book on cd and I don't think any other author could have done a better job on the topic. I listened it to it on a road trip and it was so entertaining and scary.. Even in the daytime!

This book is VERY good! Robert Graysmith worked at the San Francisco chronicle during the time period this all happened and he did his share of research. He put together a very informative book about one of the killers who taunted police while killing many and GETTING AWAY WITH IT! I think this is a must read for any true crime fan and especially fans of the Zodiac. I thought Robert Graysmith did an excellent job on writing this book and I learned a lot about the case from this book.

It is above and beyond your typical and ever-so-predictable generic ... true crime paperbacks. This book is the best about the most enigmatic case in the history of true crimes story. I love good written book and this book is very very well written. I give this one 5 stars because of the drama, the tension and the facts that give action to this book.

Full/comprehensive account of the most chilling (in my opinion) true-crime story of the 20th century. If you don't mind hearing a writing style comparable to a Police Report, than you'll really enjoy this. I can't imagine a more detailed analysis of those crimes and, since Graysmith was close to the action, his opinions carry weight. From what I can tell, this is the best account available of these crimes and I would recommend this audio cd highly.

This book really takes you back to a time when a group of true visionaries change the world. It is really interesting and educational at the smme time. Well worth reading!

I loved "The Devil in the White City" and was thoroughly absorbed by it, something I find to be rare with nonfiction. Larson's writing style is perfect for drawing you and making you feel like you were there in 1890s Chicago. He obviously took a number of creative liberties to add narrative flourish (e.g., describing what people felt, the expressions on their faces, etc.), but I'm happy he did and won't criticize him for it as it made the book so enjoyable.

One criticism I had, though, is that the book would have been more aptly named "The Devil AND the White City," as the story of the psychopath Holmes is a parallel thread that just barely intersects with the story of the White City. And though the book won the Edgar Award for true crime, Holmes' story accounts for only about 35% of the book. The dominant story is that of Burnham and the White City's inception, execution, and ultimate success.

I also felt that the section detailing the White City's operation from May-October 1893 was surprisingly somewhat skimpy, compared to the amount of detail Larson presented for the time when the fair was being built. Larson's over-fascination with eyes and his tendency to end most chapter subsections with blunt-as-a-hammer foreshadowing grew a little irritating, but these are minor gripes compared with the overall excellence of the book.

I think everyone will find something to enjoy here: history buffs, crime buffs, people who just enjoy a compelling story, and more. I hadn't previously known the impact the 1893 World's Fair had on both its own time and through the present day--the story is simply fascinating.

Erik Larson did a masterful job of blending the historical significance of the Columbian Exposition and life in Chicago at the turn of the century. Well researched, well written and a novel that I really enjoyed.

Erik Larson's "The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America" captures the evil enthusiam of one man's murder spree and a group of men's desire to create a great American pleasure ground. This book will disappoint those looking for the grizzly details of the dozens of murders committed by HH Holmes (real name Mudgett). Mr. Larson is not looking to exploit the gruesome tortures the victims underwent--and for this restraint Mr. Larson is to be congratulated. What he does relate are the tribulations faced by the designers of Chicago's Columbian exposition and the frustrations of lawmen to capture a madman.

In what I believe is intentional, Mr. Larson gives us a frightening picture of American life then and, quite possibly, now. That being: it is much more difficult to do something good for society than it is to do evil. The ease with which Holmes was able to build a large house, complete with gas chambers, torture chambers, soundproof rooms -- at times, without even paying for the materials -- and burial grounds is remarkable. Meanwhile, the men who wanted to construct the exposition had to agonize over every penny and over every design, had to struggle with laborers, unions, fires, the weather... it seemed everything went wrong. Nervous breakdowns and illnesses plagued these men. Holmes, who plucked several victims from the fair, went through his savagery like it was a walk in the park. It is a frightening conclusion.

So why only four stars? One big reason is that the book fails to live up to the last part of its subtitle "...the Fair that Changed America". He makes several arguments for this proposition, but they all fall a little short, to me. Maybe I'm wrong. Find out for yourself because "The Devil in the White City" is valuable reading for anyone interested in American history and/or crime.

The Devil in the White City is an exciting book. Thank heavens, since it is non-fiction, I knew that it ended well, otherwise I would have died from the suspense. I got such a rich perspective on what it takes to pull off an event like a World's Fair, or The Olympics (making it relevant for today), and what wonderful talent it takes to hold the vision and bring it to fruition. Very inspiring. But juxtaposing this along side the fascinating story of the serial killer - and it's all true. Great writing and pacing. I was riveted while learning history all the same time. An unusual combination. Chicago is a beautiful city, thanks in large part to the great minds who created the Columbian Exposition and the leaders since then who have followed suit.

This was a fantastic book, better than the movie. It was in great shape for a great price.

Red Dragon is an excellent book. Thomas Harris is a master of creating suspenseful stories. The characters that Harris creates fit into the story perfectly. Thomas Harris takes the reader on a psychological rollercoaster ride for the entire novel. Overall, Red Dragon is a must read novel. A+ for Thomas Harris and Red Dragon.

Early Hannibal the Cannibal.


Much like the later Silence of the Lambs we have a serial killer to catch of the rather strange variety, FBI political machinations, and the need for the help of the very scary, even while in prison Lecter.

Not as good as the later book, but if you like that quite a bit you should find this quite good, too.

"Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris is the novel that introduced the world to Hannibal Lecter and preceded the novels "The Silence of the Lambs," "Hannibal," and "Hannibal Rising." It's been adapted as a film twice, in the form of "Manhunter" and "Red Dragon"
And, upon its release, Stephen King proclaimed that it was the best American novel to be published since "The Godfather." I haven't seen "Manhunter," but I've seen the film version of "Red Dragon" and I thought it was terrific. The novel is just as good, if not better. The novel is a little over 400-pages and I breezed through them; it's truly a terrific novel. Lecter is not the main character here however and, essentially, makes little more than a cameo in this story. The story is about Will Graham, a retired FBI agent now living in Florida with his wife and step-son; he retired after capturing Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter and was stabbed in the process. But than his old boss, Jack Crawford, arrives and tells him of a new serial killer on the loose. This one, dubbed The Tooth Fairy by the media, kills whole families. Crawford wants Graham to investigate the case, because he has a special gift for the kind of forensic work that Crawford needs investigating. Graham reluctantly agrees; the novel soon begins alternating between Graham's investigations (going so far as to interview Lecter for information on the psyche of a serial killer) and the life of Francis Dolarhyde, the deformed serial killer. The novel is simultaneously horrifying and funny, with a great dose of energy injected everytime Hannibal Lecter appears in the novel. It becomes clear, to me, that Anthony Hopkins was born to play that role in the film version. "Red Dragon" is a terrific novel with terrific, thoughtful characters. Harris really manages to get under the skin and into the mind of Francis Dolarhyde. I haven't read any other novels by Harris, so I'm not entirely sure how this one holds up in comparison...But this novel is a masterpiece.

GRADE: A

I enjoyed reading this well written novel that draws you in from the start. I have read this book a few times over the years and have always enjoyed it because it is a fun, fast, yet suspenseful read. It is a tightly written novel that is psychological in nature and is the 1st novel by Thomas Harris to feature Hannibal the Cannibal. In fact, I think this novel is Harris at his best.

Suskind's novel is the story of a madman, a serial killer of ages past whose main characteristics is his intense use of a rarely-tackled sense: smell. With a birth-given gift as unique as it is powerful, this serial killer gets on a rampage led, like a powerful dog, by his nose.

Although the story plot might appear quite slim, the whole book is a masterpiece. It reads fast, pleasantly, and covers primarily two subjects: the discovery and exploration of the sense of smell and its derived power(s), the tortuous life of an ill-born person who's constantly struggling between good and evil in search of his very-own self.

The book is littered with vivid depictions of various everyday life scenes on which the use of the olfactory sense shades a unique type of light. Things are seen from a totally different perspective than the usual "see and hear" approach. Fascinating. In fact, I suspect Suskind to have wanted to push the envelope of the discovery of this sense by featuring, in his story, such an extraordinary -in the primal meaning of the word, ie out of the ordinary- use of the sense of smell by a serial killer. This character is capable of the best (work in the fragrance world with the creation of unique mixes) and the worst in his life (use of this sense to detect infinitesimal tracks of smells that tells him about the whereabouts of his victims, pretty much like a cold shark lurking in the waters in search of its next prey). It is just a matter of circumstances and personal choice for him to shift from the bright side to the dark side of life.

Truly, the sections describing the universe of fragrances, odors and generally, the usage of the sense of smell, are unique. Upon closing the book once finished reading, the reader will never consider his/her own nose in the same way again.

It's been a while since I read a book that has truly shocked me: 'Perfume' by Patrick Suskind is a disturbing and original novel. Set in 18th century France, this is the story of Jean-Baptiste Grunouille, who has a super-human sense of smell but no natural body-odour of his own. He obsessively murders beautiful virgins (whose scent he finds appealing) in order to create the perfect perfume. The book is written in a way that makes me feel like it should be `smelt' rather than read because of all the different smells described. The narrator, disturbingly, makes you sympathise with the main character, a chilling murderer with a twisted plan.

This is an easy-to-read, well liked novel; the author sticks to a simple, compelling formula and doesn't let things get complicated. The comments of Jamie Bower in August 2007 and "A Customer" in May 2003 were about right: Perfume is essentially a short story.

It reads like an allegory with echoes of Zarathustra, Dracula, Frankenstein, Hugo, Dumas (Monte Cristo), and goodness knows what. I don't know German language literature very well so I'm not sure what else besides Nietzche Suskind (writing in German) has going. There's not enough characterization to inspire any particular interpretation of the allegory in my mind.

Think Rocky Horror Picture Show.

It's a most intriguing story. I wanted to read it as I had recently spent time in Grasse at perfume houses. It's the most bizarre story (and also a movie) since Sweeney Todd. Read it to the end!

Suskind blends a sensory masterpiece. Set in 17th Paris, abnormal Grenouille is born with a preternatural sense of smell possessing him to seek the perfect scent, even if he has to kill to do so.

Suskind's prose turns the amorphous and ephemeral world of smell into a descriptive decadent dessert. Reading this book during my daily commute awoke my senses. Suddenly, I realized the man next to me smelled a bit like urine and that young girl smelled of roses with a slight hint of chocolate. How could I have not noticed this before? I was soon rushing to the store to add three drops of pettigrain, five drops of frankincense, and a hint of bergamot to brim of my leather cap, so I could escape the pedestrian smell of a commuter car and surround myself with the scents of Grenouille's world.

As for the story itself, it will entice you to begin. There may be a lull in the middle where Grenouille is seeking solitude and you may consider putting the book down, but stick to it...the ending is like none other!

This book is exceptional. It is well written with characters that are true to life. The plot is absolutely engaging. I really like that there was a glossary of terms for those of us who are forensically challenged. I found it difficult to do anything until I knew 'who did it'.

Good job Mr. Deaver. You have a fan for life.

The Rhyme Killers would be a great book to read after the Bone Collector.
It too has the great suspense you love to find in a mystery.

Lincoln Rhyme has been retired, ever since a falling beam at a crime scene, left him a quadriplegic. Now, Lincoln is bed ridden, with his only human contact being a man named Thom. He dreams of killing him self, when some thing new, to occupy his time.

A serial killer, called the Bone Colector, is terrorizing the city of New York. With every person he kills, he leaves behind evidence that will lead to the next victim. Unfortunetly, this is only half the work, and Rhyme needs some one to do the crime scene for him.

Enter Amelia Sachs. Sachs is a model turned cop, who has several problems of her own. At first, she, like most people, is able to see past Rhyme's physical handicap, and be disgusted by his personality. But, Lincoln and Amelia will have to work together, to defeat a man who knows every one of Lincoln's tricks, and whose final victim, is Lincoln.

Notable Charecters Introduced: Lincoln Rhyme, Amelia Sachs, Thom Lastname, Lon Sellitto, The Bone Collector.

The character of the Bone Collector is extremely spooky. As already stated in numerous other reviews, this is an excellent story that keeps the reader turning pages as fast as possible. The characters, especially Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs, are developed enough that I have already begun to read another Deaver story starring Lincoln Rhyme: I want to know more about them. I won't give a synopsis as so many other reviewers have dutifully done. I just recommend this fast-paced, spine-chilling mystery/adventure novel to everyone!

Lincoln Rhyme is a suicidal quadriplegic whose main ambition for the past year has been to find a way to kill himself. Amelia Sachs is a patrolwoman on the brink of getting out of patroling the streets due to chronic arthritis.

Together they are brought together as a madman terrorizes New York. Reluctantly, they trudge through the crime scenes, looking to piece together crime scenes that a littered with subtle clues as to what will transpire next. The pieces of the puzzle must be put together as the clock ticks, another victim is certain to die.

Throughout the story, a rather strange connection is made between Rhyme and Sachs. Deaver makes no attempt to shield the graphic nature of the murders, or attempted murders, or the struggles of a quadriplegic to live life. This is a well researched, very well written book.

Highly recommended book.

I initially read this book as a 14 year old and due to the recent publicity regarding Susan Atkins, decided to read it again.

The book chronicles the true story of the murders of the LaBianca's as well as the murders commonly referred to the "Tate" murders. It also touches on the murders of Gary Hinman and Shorty Shea, who are often forgotten victims of the Manson Family.

Essentially, the murders begin with Charles Manson, a career criminal with a poor childhood who was practically raised in youth homes and detention facilities, etc. Despite his poor upbringing and limited education, Charlie was a bright man who had the ability to spot and exploit weaknesses in other people.

Upon his latest release from prison, Manson begins to attract a group of followers, mainly comprised of young girls, and a few young men, whom all seem to have dropped out of society and are experimenting heavily and frequently with drugs. Manson sees their dissatisfaction with society and using that, as well as sex and drugs further breaks down their morals and values until ultimately they look at him as Jesus Christ and look to him to make their every decision for them.

Manson, disillusioned with his failure as a musician, begins to envision a new future for himself and his Family, in part guided by the Beatles musics, which he believes is full of secret messages. Manson believes that there will ultimately be a race war with the black man being victorious. In the meantime Manson and his family will retreat to the desert where they will find a hole leading to the bottomless pit where they will live until the black man realizes that he is incapable of ruling/running society as a whole. At that time, Manson will emerge and become leader of the country, if the world. Charlie calls this chain of events "Helter Skelter".

When Helter Skelter fails to come to fruition in a timely manner, he decides to incite it himself, by murdering rich or upper class white people. His theory is that white society will believe the murders were committed by the black man, and will turn on the black man, thereby getting the race war rolling.

The book further goes on the describe the investigation (or lack thereof on the part of some officers) and ultimate arrest and conviction, as well as an epilogue and afterward in the book with updates.

I have read some of the reviews, and have to agree that in some instances, Vincent Bugliosi was perhaps too wordy and a lot of stuff could have been cut out.

I also noticed that many of the reviews accuse Bugliosi of manufacturing the Helter Skelter motive for his own purposes. While I have not read the other Manson books, I am not inclined to believe this. First of all, he got the idea from many of the family members, many of whom got on the witness stand and testified to Manson's belief system as well as his many statements that "the time for Helter Skelter is now", etc. I also noted that many of those reviewers expressed support for Manson with the oft repeated phrase "he wasn't there", "he didn't kill them", blah blah blah. For the record, he was an active participant in the Hinman murders, slicing his ear off. He was present and aware of what was occurring and ultimately was the one who ordered the kill. He was also present at the Shorty Shea murder, for at least a portion of it. Again, it was at his behest that Shorty was murdered. Further, he is the one who sent the murderers to the Tate residence that night, he is the one who told them to get their knives, he is the one who told Tex to murder everyone and make it gruesome. As if that weren't enough, the next evening, it was he who entered the LaBianca home first and tied them up and left them there with full knowledge of what would happen to them. For anyone who is aware of the law, if someone is killed at your request, if you participate in a felony (i.e., cutting someone's ear off, or say breaking into their home and tying them up), and ultimately those people die in conjunction with those some events in which you particiated, you are responsible as if you killed them yourself.

If anyone is in doubt as to Manson's control over the female defendant's in this case, one only need to read the vast material available regarding the trial and how he conrolled them in court, and how he attempted to control the trial. If they were unable, while their freedom and very lives were on the line, to exercise their own free will and make their own decisions, it's not a stretch to imagine that he was able to control their day to day actions, as well as order them to kill with the expectation that it be carried out.

Additionally, the former Manson Family members who were involved, many of whom are still incarcerated, to this day state that was the motive/theory behind the killings. If it was not Manson's true motive, then he failed to share that with other family members.

Further, in an interview with Charles "Tex" Watson, a reporter asked him if he had read Helter Skelter, to which Watson replied that he had and it was pretty accurate.

Either way, it is a very informative book, and while on the wordy side, provides a detailed and inside look at the trial and what was going on behind the scenes. Whether the reader chooses to believe in the Helter Skelter theory or not is up to them.

Well written, great TRUE story, fascinatingly frightening. This book will chill you to the bone. It scared me worse than any other book I've ever read. It makes Blatty's "The Exorcist" seem like a Disney Book. Trust me, I do not mean to discredit Blatty because I loved his book, but "Helter Skelter" scared me to the very core.

I can relate to manson no I don't wanna kill anyone but yeah I heard the very same things in the beatles songs yes I can hear things in the music that vwery few people can manson had that foresight johnh lennion once said the beatles were bigger than jesus and yes beatlemania still exist to this day lennon himseldf denounced god and grew a beard thinking he weas christ and yes all the beatles were antichrist and worshipped foreign religions this was no secret and their fans are still pissed over their breakup 40 plus years later and yes lennon was shot by a crazed fan who wasd influenced by the white album. good thing manson was'nt jamming off hendrix, p funk, miles, sly, or sun ra you wanna hear subliminal messages. backmaskingm, voodoo check those out.

fact george clinton was involved in the process church a cult that worshipped both satan, and jesus.

jimi hendrix practiced voodoo

miles davis practicwed voodoo and was into foreign african religions

sun ra was into egyptology, and voodoo as well.

maurice white of earth wind and fire named his group after the calendar of osiris.

this book is intweresting for manson freaks enjoy and please try not to kill anyone enjoy.

The 3 stars if for the actual writing, NOT the contents of the book. If you want a fairly accurate account of the Manson murders, l strongly suggest reading 'Manson - in his own words', and even if you decide to read Helter Skelter, you should read the other book first so you will have much more detailed information than you will ever get out of the distortion and assumptions of Helter Skelter. It is written by the prosecutor and is so one sided. Bugliosi tries to push the "helter skelter" race war theory as a motive which is just ridiculous. Sure the family discussed far out ideas when they were all tripping, but for Bugliosi to push that as the motive was manipulative.
If you want a clear picture of the manson murders, you cant form an opinion based only on hearing a perspective from one side, let alone from an outsider.

Helter Skelter was the absolute best true crime book I have ever read. From the very beginning, the book captures you into the lives of the murderers, victims, and prosecutors. It does a remarkable job at building the story line so that you are not overwhelmed with information, but are still well informed with details and specifics. I also loved that the book went into the past of Charles Manson and the "family". Over all this was an EXCELLENT book, and it was very hard to put down!!