Serial Killers Books

This book is basically an alphabetized glossary of every person that conceivably had anything to do with the Jack the Ripper story. Even masochist-poet Algernon Charles Swinburne was proposed as a Ripper suspect! It's an intriguing and helpful catologue of names and brief biographies focusing on Ripper connections. This book will appeal especially to those readers who already have some knowledge of the case from books.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

In his Foreword to this reference book, Donald Rumbelow states that "contrary to popular belief, the pre-occupation with the Ripper is not anti-feminist".

Oh, thank you for the sour persimmons, Donald Rumbelow. Now all can revel in the mystery of Jack the Ripper with clear consciences and without having to worry about being affiliated with those horrible (chooey!) anti-feminists.

And your clarification was necessary because, as everyone knows, when we are not blowing up abortion clinics, anti-feminists are indeed in the habit of committing serial murders of women and ritualistically using their blood to brew our sacred malt liquor.
Sheesh!

And Rumbelow also states that he has no doubt that the mystery will eventually be solved. He wrote that in 1991 before the Maybrick Diary was publicized, but some of us think that the Maybrick Diary contains the solution to the mystery, and yet the debate rages on.

What would have to happen in order for the mystery to be solved to the satisfaction of MOST, let alone EVERYONE? In the wake of the Maybrick storm, Rumbelow's prediction seems naïve today.

But notwithstanding the Forward, this is a very good reference work, usable for both novice and expert, for which the editors, Paul Begg, Martin Fido, and Keith Skinner deserve much credit.

They appear to have overlooked no detail of information or speculation or tradition associated with Jack the Ripper. When one sees an entire entry devoted to "Smith, H - Undertaker of Hanbury Street, who supplied hearse for Annie Chapman", one must acknowledge that the editors truly appear to have left no stone unturned.

Maybe they went a little too far. Does it advance the study of the Ripper mystery to list every fanciful movie or TV show based on that theme, including the Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold"?

The authors are modest enough about what they have done and do not vouch for 100% accuracy, but as corrections are brought to their attention, they appear to be dutifully acknowledged and included in each new edition of this book.

Where there are disputes, the authors usually present all sides well and demonstrate impartiality in their analysis. Usually. I especially appreciate their presentation of the dispute over the "Lusk kidney" (genuine kidney removed from Ripper victim, Catherine Eddowes, or medical student hoax?)

But what's this - "(O)n the basis of handwriting analysis, there currently seems little doubt that Maybrick did not write the Journal"? Uh - no. Even the most stalwart Maybrickian might have to admit that the handwriting in the diary is a problem, but that remark from "A to Z" unacceptably crosses the boundary between impartial analysis and opinion.

And what of the famous "Dear Boss" letters written to the Central News Agency, which were signed "Jack the Ripper", from which the East End murderer acquired his legendary nickname? If the letters were contemporary hoaxes and weren't written by the murderer, it isn't really accurate to refer to the murderer as "Jack the Ripper".

When the editors solemnly intone (correctly) that "most researchers" have concluded that the letters were indeed hoaxes, I am inclined to believe that they are slyly using the weight of majority opinion to browbeat the reader into agreeing.

Begg and Fido are certainly part of the "growing consensus" on this issue - do they ever advertise a willingness to go AGAINST the consensus?

And yet, among other things, the "Dear Boss" letters were taken seriously at the time by the police and were written by someone who appears to display the extreme cocksureness of the serial killer. They were written by someone who seems to know that human blood thickens quickly and can't be saved for later use as ink. And they were written by someone who seems POSITIVE that more murders are yet to come. Moreover, they are written in the same hand as that which wrote a threatening letter to a police witness who might have seen the murderer - hardly the work of a hoaxing publicity hound.

So why the consensus AGAINST the authenticity of these letters? Could it be that most Ripperologists have their own favorite suspects, who were unable or unlikely to have written the "Dear Boss" letters, and that these Ripperologists merely alter their view of the letters to conform to their own pre-drawn conclusions?

Begg and Fido wrote about the Ripper before publishing this reference work. Each of them named a different poverty-stricken lunatic semi-literate Polish Jew as the most likely Ripper candidate. Neither of their candidates could have written in the good copperplate hand that wrote the "Dear Boss" letters. Are Begg and Fido expediently allowing their objectivity to be clouded by taking false reassurance from the opinion of "most researchers"?

Ripperologists are confident about issues such as this because of consensuses that they learn about by reading the works of Ripperologists. Did the police operate this way? No wonder Jack was never caught in his lifetime.

In their published commentary about Jack the Ripper, Begg, Fido, and Skinner have proven themselves to be of impartial disposition and advocates of fair treatment for all points of view. They have shown themselves to be friends of the truth, whatever that truth may prove to be. But I am reminded of a book on realpolitik that I once read, in which it was observed that a friend is someone that you can trust 80% of the time.

With that in mind, a rating of four stars out of a possible five seems quite appropriate.

I found this book extremely well researched, well done begg,fido and skinner. I have been interested in the jack the ripper mystery for some years now,and this book was the first to introduce me to such little known suspects as william h piggot.He was arrested in a public house not far from whitechapel after causing a disturbance, and was found to have a torn bloodstained shirt in his possession plus a severe bite mark on his hand(the day after a ripper murder).Then there was edward mckenna, arrested for suppossedly threatening people with a knife.When he was taken to the police station for questioning and told to empty his pockets, they contained amongst other things several metal and cardboard boxes!(the ripperologists out there will know) that a month after mckenna was arrested,Mr lusk recieved a human kidney delivered by post in a (cardboard box). These little gems of knowledge have been brought to life in this alphabettically arranged guide of who's who ,from the bobby on the street to the head of police investigations.A breath of fresh air, much better than the usual claptrap about the prince of wales etc.

This book written in encyclopedia form, lists all the people associated with the Jack the Ripper murders such as witnesses, informants, suspects, residents, inspectors, etc. There is a summary for each person mentioned, which is very informative. This is an excellent source to have by your side when reading other books on the Ripper. It is invaluable!

I had to write a research paper on the Ripper murders, and I found this book invaluable. Grab it as soon as possible. I reccommend it 100%

Besides the true life drama of these events,I was particulary intrigued by the different reactions of the family members of the victims. Some wanted vengeance, some wanted to forgive, some just wanted to forget. All, of course, are totally normal reactions to a horrific tragedy.
Greg Kelly did an amazing job of presenting, non-judgmentally, all these aspects, as well as his own interesting reactions to the events. He is a good writer and this is a good book.

A thoughtful look at the long term effect of a killer's rampage on individuals and an entire community. The suffering of victims long after the headlines disappear is examined in the author's search to complete the story that began during his childhood. The result is a compelling story that keeps you thinking long after you read the last words. Not just a story about a serial killer-it's much more than that.

First let me start by telling you that Kevin Kaiser is my brother. When we, his family found out that this book was being released, we were in a state of confusion. No one had tried to contact any of us to find out how all of this affected our family. So, needless to say, we are not big fans of Greg Kelly. Now, for my review: unfortunately, it brought back all the memories again, but for the most part it was true. Kevin was not found in a crouching position as if he had been begging for his life, he was leaning against the wall, yes he had a gunshot to his hand, a reflex action, not an action of begging. And yes he was shot 5 times, the last four after he was already dead, and yes the last one was to the face. I was at the execution of Ray Lee Stewart, and in my opinion, as well as alot of other people the S.O.B. got of to easily. We as family members, were allowed to witness this on a 19" screen. This so far as been the best television show I do believe I have ever seen. Greg Kelly did a good job on this book, but I do have a piece of advice for him. Please, before you write about another families tragedies, contact them, or at least make every effort to let them know, that you are about to open up very hurtful memories.

I saw the book featured on Court TV and decided to buy it. It is the best true crime book I have read in several years and that is all I read. Where did this guy come from? Where has he been while the other true crime authors are crannking out bad books with gory pictures? This might have been a once a lifetime thing for Kelly, but I hope not. When is he writing his next book? Because I will be the first in line to buy. Very touching, very human and very complete.

I am a member of the Law Enforcement community where Ray Lee Stewart went on his killing spree, however I was the same age the Author was at the time of it. I have heard an awful lot about Ray Stewart and know alot of the people the author wrote about. It was a very interesting account. Most true crime books do not have the personal touch to them like Greg Kelly's. Greg lived this book. The author was also very objective in his writing. The only slam on the book I have is that I wish it was longer and told more of the story. I would have like to have learned more about the things Ray did. I would liked to have read more detailed accounts about the way Ray behaved in court and the way he behaved in jail. A definite must buy book for anyone one in the Rockford,IL area!!

David Kirschner, Adoption: Uncharted Waters (Juneau Press, 2006)

I should probably start off by saying that this is not a book you really want to read if you're in the process of adopting at the time. Kirschner, a psychologist and expert witness in the field of Adopted Child Syndrome, looks at a number of case studies of adopted kids who kill, according to Kirschner, because they're adopted. Not a light and fluffy book by any means.

I will admit right up front that my prejudice against this book stems in large part from the fact that I am adopted myself, and that despite Kirschner's repeated emphasis that only a small portion of the subset of adopted children suffer from what he calls Adopted Child Syndrome, he seems to infer even more often that this "small subset" is much larger than we care to think. That said, I can't buy his initial premise here, which seems to stem from the old cliché that blood is thicker than water-- that we have some sort of paranormal, or preternatural, bond with blood relatives. When children are placed for adoption, so the hypothesis goes, a psychic wound is created, and if it is not properly cared for, the adopted child can develop Adopted Child Syndrome, which can lead to your becoming the next David Berkowitz or Joel Rifkin (both of whom were adopted, of course).

Sorry, not buying it; family is those you choose to be with, not those you're stuck with thanks to heredity. In fact, I think that, aside from the fearmongering aspects, it's likely this book does more harm than good to its own cause; by continuing to perpetuate this idiotic "blood is thicker than water" idea, it also perpetuates the unconscious prejudice in the minds of those who still believe it, and thus furthers the continuing stigma of adoption (which Kirschner explicitly states he's trying to break down). In a society where the laws are still very clearly prejudiced against adoption, so we need more of it? Of course we don't.

Now that I've gotten all that out of the way, I will say that, divorced from its core premise, it's not a bad read. I'm a sucker for both case-study books and serial killers, and so there was a good deal of interesting reading here about some lesser-known cases. Even considering that, however, there is that ludicrous core premise, so take this book with as much salt as necessary. **

Adoption: Uncharted Waters... a fascinating and sometimes chilling depiction of how profoundly the experience of having lost one's mother can impact some adoptees. This is an important piece of literature that should be in the library of anyone who counsels or even loves an adoptee.

Using extreme examples, Kirschner forces us to face up to issues that potentially affect all adoptees. These are riveting tales, about murderers and parricides, about awful deeds, but ultimately they're about the pain of rejection, abandonment, and exclusion, and what they can do to a child already in distress. A great read, and a good introduction to Kirschner's breakthrough work on Adopteed Child Syndrome.

Adoption: Uncharted Waters... a thoughtful, provocative, and well written book about adoptees who kill. David Kirschner accurately presents the psychological world of adopted people. His book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand what sows the seeds of violence in some of them. - Joe Soll, LCSW - psychotherapist, author of "Evil Exchange" and "Adoption Healing... a path to recovery."

Uncharted Waters is chilling and compelling and an important contribution to those interested in adoption. It invites its readers to explore the abysmal pit of worst-case scenario adoptions in terms of harm caused by adoptees as opposed to to them.

Why go there? What is Kirschner's purpose in dredging up these tales horrendous true crimes and the criminals who committed them? Is he a bleeding heart seeking to exonerate murderers by testifying on their behalf and writing their stories?

No more and no less than many have done in other similar situations: explore violent deviant behaviors that fit a pattern in an effort to find a causal connection that could be remediated. Writing with understanding and compassion, for those who committed heinous acts as well as society, Dr. Kirschner's goal is to prevent future pain and suffering.

Did adoption make them do it? No more than high school created the Columbine slaughters. Did secrets and lies about their origins, and feelings of abandonment contribute? Yes, just as teasing and taunting did for the Columbine shooters.

While the initial separation at birth - the "primal wound" is perhaps the foundation of creating Kirschner's identified cluster of behaviors known as Adopted Child Syndrome, it is clear that it is the conscious knowing of having been "given away" - rejected - that is at the heart of adoption pain and angst, and that it is exacerbated by secrets and lies about the reason for this early abandonment.

Yet, most adoptees deal with it all in socially acceptable ways: denial, people pleasing, rejecting-avoidance behaviors, self-directed anger/depression, or mild acting out within - or just pushing the limits of - legal and social limits.

So what makes some go "over the edge" into a dissociative disorder - the basis of his testimony in all the cases - not ACS? Kirschner is very much a realist and clearly agrees with Sarnoff Medick, whom he quotes as saying: "Natural-born killer may be created when both nature and nurture conspire to rob infants of two fundamental birthrights: a loving mother and a normal brain."

In each of the case studies in this book adoptees lost their first mothers. A few spent time in foster care and suffered an additional abandonment experience early in life. One was physically and emotionally abused. Four had the added burden of a biological sibling. One had an adopted sibling who was successfully reunited. Most experienced feelings of rejection in their dating and/or married lives. Two experienced having a child of theirs aborted (one had two girlfriends abort). One experienced the death of a parent - by suicide - another abandonment/rejection creating experience.

But the one common denominator of all of these adopted men whose rage turned to murder was the fact that all were lied to outright or by omission about their original parents and the reason they were relinquished fro adoption, and all had their adoption loss issues invalidated and ignored by family and professionals.

The lies, coupled with dissociative fantasizing about who their mothers were, and thus who they were...festered their anger into rage that erupted in one or many acts of murder. The taking of life...by those who felt that part of their lives were taken from them.

I was aware of murderous adoptees and Kirschner's work in the late 80's and wrote about both in The Dark Side of Adoption.

I read Uncharted Waters now, not just from the perspective as one interested in all things adoption, nor as an objective researcher and writer. I read it as the mother of a child who took out her murderous rage out on herself and noted that one of the commonalities in these case studies was suicidal ideation and/or attempts.


Kirschner points out several times that it is a sub-set of adoptees who suffer from Adopted Child Syndrome and only a sub-set of these who murder. I would think it a tremendous contribution to adoption literature for Dr. Kirschner to write another book about all the other ways ACS affects adoptees, other than turning them into murderers. The untold many - for which there are no statistics - who turn their rage inward, many of whom are written off as "accidents."

The final chapters on prevention and treatment are important and useful, but alas fell short of recommending open adoption and concrete help provided for clients suffering with a great passionate need to know. In each case in which Kirschner became involved after the fact of a violent crime, he demanded the defense search for the birth families, yet absence if the suggestion of search as a tool of prevention and treatment. The other missing piece is any mention of CUB or any indication that the vast majority of reunions are welcoming, even when stating: "Even a `bad' reunion in these [after the fact of a murder] cases, chancing a second rejection by the birth mother, would have been extremely helpful and therapeutic..." I have conducted searches on behalf of adoptive parents who saw their adolescent child's desperation. Concern that a rejection might cause further harm, can be alleviated by conducting the search and contact without his/her knowledge to test the water for acceptance.

This shortcoming aside, the book - as Kirschner's work - is a valuable contribution and is recommended reading.

Mirah Riben, author "shedding light on...The Dark Side of Adoption" (1988) and "The STORK MARKET: America's Multi-Billion Dollar Unregulated Adoption Industry" (2007)

Ken Englade's CELLAR OF HORROR was the riveting story of Gary Heidnik who held five women captive in his basement; all the while raping, torturing and starving them yet with the intent to impregnate them so that he could, in a manner of speaking, be immoralized.

While the story itself it one that can keep you entranced, the arguments for Heidnik's sanity are also just as enticing. Was Heidnik crazy or was he simply manipulating his doctors? Sadly enough, since Heidnik's sentence of death was carried out by lethal injection in 1999, no one may never really know.

This book is a very quick read, simply because readers can't put it down. Englade provides plenty of details on facts and plenty of arguments on the accused's sanities; enough to keep one thinking about it long after it's finished. I highly recommend this book to true crime genre fans!

Statistics would indicate that mentally ill persons are no more dangerous than other persons. However, there is a catch. Some mentally ill persons are extremely dangerous... and you have no way of knowing who they are.

Hospitalized in various psychiatric facilities on no fewer than 21 occasions, Gary Heidnik was a paranoid schizophrenic with a genious IQ. His primary goal in life was to imprison 10 women, impregnate them all, and raise a family in his basement. After successfully kidnapping 5 women over a period of 4 months, Heidnik maintained control of his captives with chains, daily beatings, repeated rapes, starvation, and other tortures. What he did not consider was that someday one of them would escape. When that happened, all hell broke loose in Philidelphia.

The author composes an interesting history of a man with a highly intelligent mind haunted by the specter of mental illness. Well written and gramatically sound, Englade also does a fine job of humanizing the victims... however pitiful and disenfranchised they may have been as prostitutes, the handicapped, and the mentally retarded.

Without going into too much detail about the individual verdicts reached by the jury, it is apparent that neither the prosecuting attorney nor the jurors understood the dynamics of mental illness or the distinction between intelligence and severe mental instability. As a practicing mental health professional, I think I might have come to some different conclusions about what constitutes guilt and innocence. BONUS: For those readers enjoy heated courtroom drama, the moodiness and contradictory rulings of Judge Lynne Abraham, as well as a chaotic conglomerate of "expert witnesses" and their testimonies will not disappoint!

Mr. Englade did a good job staying with the story, by just telling the story. You get an idea of what he (the author) thinks but that's it. I don't read true crime to learn about the thoughts and feelings of the author, I read them for the facts of the case. Gary Heidnik and the things that he did to those girls were horrible. After learning about what he wrote to a fiancee' while in jail, I do wonder how much of his problems were fake and what was real.

Ken Englade's CELLAR OF HORROR details the bundle of insanity that was Gary Heidnik. Heidnik, who had been diagnosed for years as schizophrenic, held six women captive in his basement over a four month period spanning 1987/1988. His goal was ostensibly to have each of these women bear his children - he wanted ten - creating a family who would continue living in his basement. Heidnik sexually assaulted and tortured these women in a variety of repulsive ways, and two of them eventually died at his hands.
An interesting and unusual facet of Heidnik's psyche is that he was a white man with an IQ measured at 130 who preferred the company of mentally and physically disabled black women, though of the captives only one was disabled.

CELLAR OF HORROR was first published in 1989. As Heidnik was convicted in July 1988, I was afraid the book was going to be a rush-to-print slop job.
It most definitely is not. Englade is a professional. He doesn't tell the reader what to think; he does not at all inject his own personality into the account; and he doesn't pad his book with mindless repetition and filler. What he does is write fairly, reportorially, and intelligently.

A strong point of this book is that Englade has included a reasonable amount of background material on Heidnik, from his childhood on.
I would have actually preferred even more background, but there is still a lot more than is usually found in true crime books printed this close to the trial. I also think this would have been a better book if there had been an attempt to provide background information about the victims. And the picture section, while it contains 5 good pictures of Heidnik, has none of any of the women Heidnik abducted and held captive. I realize that this may have been a sensitive issue, but the victims are all named in the book and the four that lived testified at the trial, so it seems to me that their pictures, and/or more information personalizing them, could have been printed. This would have improved the book. In short I would have liked the book longer and with more depth.

Still, I still found CELLAR OF HORROR to be a fast paced and very well written account of a truly appalling crime comitted by yet another truly appalling lunatic. And I recommend it highly.

Ken Englade really does his research in presenting this dark, disturbing case about a very disturbed individual. The crimes are too horrific to write about here. The book is not for anybody who gets offended easily or doesn't have the stomach to read the gory parts. The Cellar of Horror is truly a well-written novel with bits and tidbits of information regarding the criminal's past, his biography, and his possible other crimes. Ken Englade is one of the best true crime writers out there. This book is an easy read but only for those brave enough to read it in the first place. It's not for everybody neither.

Florida must have more than its share of crazy, zany, fun characters for the writers to jot down on paper...e.g., MacDonald,Franklin, White, Haasen, etc....Kelby's book was fun and enjoyable, and had a classic ending. She did excellent protagonist development, and a lot of the folks were strange, but lovable. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to others for an airport or beach read. Lots of fun and hidden wisom. Interesting and well worth the bucks and the time (which seemed to zoom by). Good job!

A nifty little novel, very different from her other work. It's clever, witty, and charming and will delight any reader who's been itching for a new Robbins novel. Tom may be taking his time but Ms. Kelby will help tide you over.

I had to read this book for book club and was dreading it. It looked cheesy and didn't sound like anything I would enjoy. I was wrong. Once I started it, I was so amused and laughed out loud many times. I was also touched by the sweetness of it in parts. This would make a great summer vacation read for anyone just looking for a good story.

My favorite aspect of this book was the strange array of character personel that Kelby created. I was immensely compelled to read to the end of this book just to see the interacting of Jesus and Jimmy Ray, a character bond that made this book intensely worthwhile. This is a great book for anyone. I loved it.

Any book set in a town know as "Whale Harbor" which has no whales catches my eye. This one did.....

There are enough zany people in this town to rival Carl Hiaasen, but don't compare this author to him. She writes well in her own special way. Read her for her own special way of creating a town, and it's people....

Oh, and any town where the mayor is trying to find his "inner dog" rates well with me.

Read this book for great, funny and crazy fun. You will enjoy all the laughs.

P. S. Do not read in public....persons who laugh out loud at a book may be considered suspect.

This is a fascinating account of an innocent, sweet, caring woman who only wanted to be loved. How she ended up with two deceitful husbands in a row is still unclear, but it tugs at the imagination.

I agree with the other reviews that the book lacks literary shine; however, the story is so compelling that I give it five stars anyway.

If you can overlook amateurish writing for the sake of an inside look into the mind of an unknowing wife of a serial killer, you'll enjoy this book.

My evaluation is similar to what has already been written. One gains a good understanding from this book of the marriage of Judith and Gary Ridgway and the devastation to Judith's life of Gary's arrest and subsequent admission to killing many women as the Green River Killer. She was treated with little respect by a system focused solely on gathering information to convict Gary and she lost so much--her possessions, the order of her belongings, her yard, her sense of herself, her security. The ripple effects of Gary's choices keep on going for others who cared about his victims or about him. One gets a real sense of all this from the book. However, the book was poorly organized, is choppy and includes a lot extraneous information, not woven together. I don't know what would have helped this, but maybe a more skilled editor, proofreader, advisor and publishing house. Maybe a more experienced true crime author could have done more with the material, but one wonders if Judith would have trusted someone more established with her story. It's a shame because the book deserves more attention than it will probably get. As for Judith, I hope she has found some way to put her life back together. One thing that might help is that, without her and the stability she brought to Gary's life, there undoubtedly would have been even more women killed.

the story of the former mrs. judith ridgway is simultaneously fascinating and tragic. this book provides a lot of information about her life prior to marrying gary ridgway, as well as the story of how she found out about his crimes and how she tried to cope with them. there are lots of interesting facts, along with photos, copies of letters, etc.

unfortunately, this is the author's first book, and it shows. the volume could have done with a thorough proofreading and editing. also, the book's title -- which reads only as "Green River Serial Killer" on the spine -- is pretty misleading. this isn't gary's story, it's judith's. yet gary is there alone on the cover (against a backdrop of one of his letters to judith), with a caption explaining the scars on his arm. the design looks cheap & exploitative, and is not really representative of the book inside.

the book ends with a lengthy chapter in which the author gets to show off her professional handwriting analysis skills with samples of gary's letters. the chapter is overlong and, to this reader, fairly tedious and unnecessary.

five stars for the story, knocked down to 3 stars because of the quality of the presentation.

A significant part of many of the popular TV drama shows dwells on the psychological background of the "unidentified subject" who has committed heinous crimes. One of my favorite shows was Profile and the primary activity of the main character was to analyze who, why, and what is making this individual act as he/she does. I wonder how that main character would have discussed Gary Ridgway, the Green River Serial Killer . . .

Pennie Morehead presents readers with an interesting alternative look at the life of America's most deadly serial killer--that is, "through the loving eyes of his wife." (Back cover) Morehead, in her first book, gives a very personal perspective of an individual affected by true crime. I found it fascinating reading!

The book includes exclusive photographs from the life of Judith Ridgway, as well as letters handwritten by Gary from prison. Additionally, the author uses her professional analysis of his handwriting to give yet another "look" at a killer(s). For some reason, though I normally start reading front to back, I opened the book to these pictures and letters. Judith had been married once before and I studied the pictures of her early life, her first marriage, and then later, her fourteen "happy" years with a serial killer.

Consider if you will--two husbands. One is an admitted bisexual (after they were married) who forced Judith and their two children to dress in clothes he selected, later in victorian style, and attend medieval festivals. Judith's first husband, Lee, instructed Judith on how to perform wifely duties in the bedroom as well. Having been abused in early life, Judith was not shocked about what took place--she put no emotional investment in the sexual act. Not knowing any better, she assumed other wives must be doing the same thing.

On and on, strange things happened in her first marriage, including sex orgies and her children seeing their father naked with another man. She tried to figure out how she could escape! Finally, she was able to learn how to drive, and she was able to find work and begin to make her own money. Finally, she convinced her husband to allow a divorce.

Judith's second husband was her prince. "It was February of 1985, Judith was forty years old, and finally free from the stranglehold of her dysfunctional, nineteen-year first marriage." (p. 59) Judith met Gary Ridgway, an attractive, slightly younger man to whom she was immediately attracted and with whom she could have fun, giggle, and live a normal life. Gary was a painter for a truck company and made a good living. They bought a camper and traveled and purchased a nice home. Judith was happier than she had ever thought possible.

Two husbands--Judith's second husband was the serial killer.

"Judith was not aware of...a chilling fact: Only two days after she met her prince--Gary Ridgway was sitting in the presence of Green River Killer Task Force detectives!" (P.63) Ridgway later admitted he had no idea how many women he had murdered; 48 were documented.

I found myself moving around within this book...I'd study the pictures of Judith and her first husband and then go back to look at the ones where they wore victorian clothing. Then I marveled at the family pictures of the various families. I would reread portions of the letters from Gary to Judith once he was in prison.

Who was the Gary Ridgway who killed at least 48 women. Why could he have a totally different, loving life with a woman who came to love him deeply within a happy marriage? There is an illusion that if he didn't "have to pass" a certain area to and from work, where prostitutes could easily be found, then maybe . . . But that doesn't explain why he murdered those from whom he acquired sex.

This book doesn't provide "that profile," that would identify a serial killer, but, Morehead's review of his handwriting, noting, for instance, certain letters that referred to "socio-sexual shame," is an interesting highlight of the book. True Crime books do not normally attract me because they provide no conclusion, other than that the guilty are being punished and the book documents what happened. However, I found the story of Judith Ridgway unbelievably unique and memorable. I can only pray that Judith finds a faith and strength that will help her survive what she has endured.

Needless to say, this is a must-read for anyone interested in true crime or crime-related biographies. Morehead has provided a well-documented, comprehensive book that moves through Judith's early life through to the time she is receiving intimate letters from the prison cell of the Green River Serial Killer. True life is "really" sometimes unbelievable!

Judith opened herself up in an extraordinary way. Sharing her personal life in an unabashed manor that gave greater insight into Gary Ridgway. I appreciate all that she went through as his final victim so to speak in an extreme way. take care Judith!

I had the unique pleasure of meeting the author at a seminar on this topic. His skill and perceptions are second to none. A great look into the mind of these individuals.

After seeing all five star reviews of this book, I anticipated the work would be exceptional. I was sorely disappointed. While the author relates interesting tales of his encounters with homicidal individuals, his writing is on par with that of a college freshman. Don't expect well written sentences or precise use of psychiatric terminology. The book is in desperate need of professional editing. I suggest you shop around before spending your money on this one.

After reading Murder By Numbers, I discovered serial murderers seem normal on the outside and co-exist in the public moreso than one would expect. Not only that, but as a woman and mother of two daughters, the chapter on Stalking provided beneficial information on how to avoid and handle the situation if it arises. I highly recommend this book for anyone living in a narcissistic society in this day and age of terrorism, cults, and twistedness.

The author seems to have a good feel for the subject and keeps the reader interested in the subject. Good reading.

I thought that it was a very good book on the subject, the author demonstrated a professional view that is lacking in other books in this catagory. All in all very informative.

I read the "advanced reader" edition released in late 2006, which contained minor editorial flaws. I am pleased to see a first edition came out in 2007, because Tolhurst packs a punch with this fast-paced character-driven thrill ride.

A real page turner that keeps you guessing. Just when you think you have it figured out, another twist in the plot opens entirely new possibilities. An exciting adventure that might be well adapted to a screenplay.

This was an excellent thriller novel, you really get to understand Sylvie and the people in her life. The author draws you into the world of an FBI Profiler. I read alot of crime drama novels like James Patterson and John Sandford write. I found this novel to be as good as the stories they have written. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Tolhurst has such a way with words, that you can't help but feel as if your standing there right next to Sylvie experiencing it all. To me there is nothing more enthralling then a good thriller, one that keeps you guessing and not only that, but a thriller with a strong central core...the strenght of human beings. Sylvie is a wonderfully deep and well crafted character, with the strength of the world inside of her. Not one aspect of her was overlooked, details expanding from what drives her to how she likes her eggs. Tolhurst is a unigue writer with an innate talent to truly understand the life around her and to then describe it.

This skillful, riveting page turner involves us from the beginning in Sylvie's inner life as she moves from the somewhat sheltered world of academia into a dangerous job and a new relationship. A terrific tension builds between the issues of her personal life and her work - one that deals with abject evil. Unless Tolhurst is an alumna of the Bureau, her research pays off splendidly. Details of the cases are never boring and the inner workings of the BSU are always convincing. With plenty of twists and turns everything fits in this thriller right to it's unpredictable finish.

The opening scene really drew me in! It was realistic, compelling, and it made me want to know more about the killer. I also want to know more about Melinda and her family dynamic. I loved the descriptions in this story-I could picture the scene very vividly. I'm curious to see how this would develop; how and why Melinda would get involved in this case, what happened in the killer's past, and why he feels he has "assignments." Can't wait to read more!!

Having read this author's work before, I'm glad to see that she still has the gift of creating incredible villains, and sympathetic protagonists. The opening scene reminds me of thrillers and even horror movies I've seen; you get a sense of dread and fear, and realism, which you need in this type of story. At the same time, you understand why the villain does what he does-which is a unique position to be in. You almost WANT the villain to do what he does. After all, we all have a distaste for bad parenting, and especially abusive parents. Based on this excerpt, I definitely want to read more!!

I found Ms Jackmann's review to be very harsh. Her other reviews were mundane.Ms Sadler's book is a great read- and I am looking foreward to reading the rest of the story.I thought the opening pages paved the way to gain insight into the mind of the killer.

This gripping tale begins with Lenny Malcolm killing his first victim, expressing the pain of his abuse in a vicious fashion and "empowering" himself in a wild and, to him, "freeing" way. He becomes a new man, and to his victims and our second character, a monster.

Our second character is Melinda Bennett, a semi-retired FBI agent who now teaches classes and has a family she attempts to manage. Her introduction is in stark contrast to Lenny's, but the contrast is important to the story. We see a compassionate and intelligent mother, and one who still keeps track of the old life.

I found this story gripping and engaging, and well written to this point. It is definitely one I would want to keep reading. Even the (probable) villian was sympathetic, and that is not an easy thing to do.

While reading the first few pages of Ms. Sadler's book, I felt transported into the sadistical, twisted mind of her main character, Lenny Malcolm. Her writing skills kept my interest rapidly moving through the provided pages, until the story stopped, mid-sentence, leaving me intrigued, asking, "What comes next?!" I would definitely buy this book when it becomes available.

Rhiannon has no idea what she is talking about, she is taking her personal dislike of the author (due to her lack of having published herself) to reflect her supposed dislike of this book. I doubt she ever read the book. Rhiannon seems to only give good reviews to people who seem to be able to help her serve her own purpose. She is a very jealous person when it comes to someone else's talent. I would recommend any book that Rhiannon trashes.

This book is truelly one of a kind. It takes you into the mind of a serial killer and how his thought process works. I enjoyed the book tremendously and hope there are more to come like this one.

I am giving this book a 5-star review. It was a fairly easy read. Once you start this book, you just want to keep reading. I guess part of me wanted to know what was going happen next, and the other part of me just wanted to get to the end. This was a glance in to the twisted and perverted life of Tommy Sells, a convicted serial murderer. This attempt at giving the readers an inside peak of what goes on in the mind of a rapist and killer is successful. I do not think that the author is trying to glorify or give reason to Tommy Sells unimaginable acts - you must remember that this is in his words.

I absolutely LOVE true crime books. This one takes the cake. You will travel through the life of Tommy Lynn Sells from beginning til death row.
It is very well written and I wouldn't be suprised if it is made in to a movie. This book is so engrossing and so real that virtually any reader will find it hard to put down. You will lock your doors day and night after reading this book!

This book was pitched to a newsgroup that I belong to by the author. I was looking forward to reading this.

Big mistake. I should know better.

Turns out this book is nothing more than a pack of self-serving lies. The entire book is rife with passages designed to make you think that Tommy Lynn Sells is misunderstood. That he is the product of a horrific childhood. But you know what? All he is, is a cold blooded killer. Nothing he can say will ever explain away what he did, the young lives that he destroyed to appease his own bloodlust. Nothing that he or this author can say will ever illicit sympathy. He does not deserve it. She should know better.

And, as I said I should have known better than to read this book. I should have learned my lesson after reading the Making of a Serial Killer by Danny Rolling and Sondra London. I have yet to find a book that was written with the help of a serial killer that doesn't attempt to make the killer into something he is not. Or one that is not used by the serial killer to relive their crimes.

There is a reason that this book is self-published. It's poorly written, it lacks flow, and even the most basic verifiable fact is twisted and distorted.

Tori Rivers, did, however, manage to turn already disturbing material into gruesome, graphic filth that left me feeling dirty and violated. I can only imagine how the victim's family's must feel.


"Tori Rivers" should have left her appetite for 15 minutes of fame back with Arthur Shawcross. There are only so many times you can milk a dead cow.

I won't be using this book for anything other than to line my garbage can.