Serial Murder Books

I very much enjoyed listening to the audiobook of "A Death in Belmont." It presents an interesting twist on the Boston Strangler(s) case.

To me, A Death in Belmont has the best combination of story and production I've ever experienced in an audiobook. I've listened to at least a hundred different literary works on CD over the years - most of them non-fiction like this - and none can compare. I was thrilled and chilled throughout. No matter what else I had to do, I was always wanting to get back in the car so I could hear more.

The incredible story of the author's family's interaction with a serial killer is riveting. The depth, detail and analytic thought written so well by Junger is that much more enhanced by Kevin Conway's reading. I would listen to any book interpreted by the actor. Well, OK, maybe not "Complete Revision for The Intercollegiate MRCS", but anything else.

My one knock against the manuscript is that the very end is a needless summation of the elegant narrative Junger worked so hard to take us through. I suspect an editor felt that some readers wouldn't be able to understand the implications of the text and insisted on something to "tie it all together". However, the story line is so well thought out and so compelling in making its case that such reinforcement is completely unecessary. This production, and especially the tale created by Sebastian Junger, is a work of art.

Sebastian Junger, best known as the author of the huge bestseller, The Perfect Storm, has one of the spookiest family photos that one can imagine. In that 1963 photo, baby Sebastian and his mother are posing in celebration with the construction workers who have just completed a project at the Junger home. What makes that photo so unusual is the fact that one of those workers is none other than Albert DeSalvo, the man who was soon to confess to the Boston police to being the infamous Boston Strangler.

That photo and the family's exposure to Albert DeSalvo became part of the Junger family folklore and it is the jumping off point for Junger's A Death in Belmont. The death referred to in the book's title happened just one mile from the Junger home and, although it bore all the earmarks of a Boston Strangler murder, a jury ultimately decided that it was the work of a black man, Roy Smith, rather than being another Strangler murder. Belmont, in 1963, was an all-white Boston suburb in which violent crime was unheard of so the murder there of Bessie Goldberg was something which its residents found hard to believe.

Naturally, the Junger family's brush with murder remained a family topic of discussion for years to come, and Sebastian Junger grew up believing that an innocent black man had been convicted of a murder that had actually been one of the more than a dozen that were committed by Albert DeSalvo instead. Some 40 years after the Strangler murders, Junger decided to see if it would be possible to determine which of the men was responsible for the Goldberg murder and A Death in Belmont is the result of his efforts.

Junger managed to find and interview in detail most of the still living members of Roy Smith's family and the reader comes to know and understand Smith well enough to judge for himself whether or not Smith was capable of the type of crime suffered by Bessie Goldberg. And much of the book goes into all the possible motivations that Albert DeSalvo may have had for confessing to the Strangler murders, whether or not he was the actual killer. Because anticipation of Junger's ultimate conclusion as to which of the men killed Goldberg and whether or not DeSalvo was, in fact, the Boston Strangler, is part of the fun of reading this book, I am not going to note his conclusions here, however.

A Death in Belmont is an extremely well-researched book and Junger's style makes it read more like a novel at times than the non-fiction speculation that it is. I listened to the audio version of the book and was impressed with Kevin Conway, its reader, who did an amazing job on the various accents of the many voices quoted throughout the book. Conway was able to shift easily from the Boston accent of DeSalvo to the southern black accent of Roy Smith and his family and his talents added much to my appreciation of the book.

As a true crime reader and a parent, I found this book very disturbing but interesting. It made me speak again to my children and what can happen to them in a blink of an eye. Westley was a TRUE MONSTER. It is a shame that he never got all the help he needed. The story is very graphic but it gets the point across. It almost makes me never want to let my children out of my sight again. Read it you will not be sorry!!!!!!!!!!

Driven to Kill is indeed a shocking true account of the most disgusting of all crimes, child murder. Gary C. King has included in this book accounts from the law enforcement agencies involved in the case of Westley Allan Dodd, as well as segments from Dodd's 'diary of death'. The details of Dodd's crimes have not been left out by King which only emphasizes the true horror of his crimes. Every parent should read this book as it opens your eyes to what kind of people are really out there and emphasizes the need to watch your children at all times. Photographs of his victims, the law enforcement officers and signifcant places involved in the case are included in this book. Segments of the trial testimony have been added including statements from the victims' families and Dodd himself. Police interviews have also been included. I was engrossed while reading King's account of this twisted serial pedophile, although at times I felt sick thinking about what had happened to these boys. It truly opened my eyes to the vulnerability of the most precious thing on earth - our children.

A heartbreaking as well as frightening look into the mind of one truly sick, twisted individual. Should make every parent aware of the predators that sometimes lurk behind the faces of seemingly harmless strangers. I'm glad I don't have children, otherwise after reading this book I doubt I'd ever let them out of the house again. I pray readers with children will take away lessons to teach to their kids concerning strangers. God save them from monsters like Dodd.

Frostie was an excellent story, well-told. Once the story got going, it was very engaging. The book is hard to put down. Adults can appreciate the way the story is well-crafted. Kids will love, well let's face it... you can't beat a story with evil snowmen!

I picked up this book for my ten-year-old nephew and read it before giving it to him. I found the book very enjoyable and easy to read. The way the book was written and the story itself made it hard to put the book down. There were a number of very positive themes in the story. These included the aspects of friendship, loyalty, trust, and responsibility. It also instilled a feeling of parental camaraderie showing that one can work with their parents as a team to reach a common goal. Instead of showing adults as the bad guys or a a group that doesn't understand teenagers, it wove them into a cohesive force with the two friends in a common battle against evil. I recommend this book and look forward to more works from this author.

I won't pretend to have complete lack of bias, as this was written by someone in a writers' group in my very own home town. (But I've never met the man, and have only his book to judge him by.)

"Sparks" is a fictional town, but having lived in the North Country all my life, I can say it has an authentic feel. The local legends Richards made up sound exactly like those the old timers at our own small stores tell, the desperate but plucky small town camradie is real, and the story could, well, it could ALMOST happen. How exactly would an Evil snowman come to life? (Won't spoil it but it's plausible in its own context, just real enough to give you the creeps!)

The characters are the kind you can believe exist, and you want things to turn out for them, but at the same time, you don't want the story to end. I'll be recommending it to middle grade kids who want scary stories but are beyond Goosebumps and nowhere near ready for King.

The cover (don't judge a book by that) made me think it would be a much lower-level book than it is, and although the protaganist is only ten, the story would suit junior high or or above.

A well organized, well written book. I have been a nurse for 17 years and whenever I ever hear of a healthcare worker murdering those who depend on them so heavily, it just blows my mind! It just defies everything you were taught or learned.
HOPEFULLY, the medical establishment has learned something from stories like this, and have ways to police it more QUICKLY than they did Shipman's case.

This is the best book by Wensley Clarkson that I have ever read! The writing is so detailed and so well organized, that I had a very difficult time putting it down!

Clarkson relays the story of Fred Shipman who, in 2000, was convicted of 15 murders; deaths that occured on his watch as their doctor after he induced their untimely demise with overdoses of morphine. Although convicted of only fifteen, it is believed that Shipman is responsible for more than 350 deaths.

In addition, Clarkson does a marvelous job of giving readers an inside view to Shipman's family and tries to relay to the reader how, despite they are still living, they too are victims of this horribly depraved man.

I highly recommend reading this book if you enjoy true crime. Not only is it entertaining, but will serve as an eye-opener into how one should never place one hundred percent trust in their doctor.

The only reason that I am giving 4 stars is because the author did not list all the victims of Dr. SHipman's unsuspected reign of terror in Lancashire. In his long career, he probably killed at least 200 victims--men, women, children, for no apparent reason until he was stopped by the law. Sadly, I cannot stop thinking about all the victims who had dreams to see Israel, cruise, grow up, or old with their loved ones in Lancashire. Dr. Shipman was supposed to be respected and trusted with their lives; he killed his beloved patients without such motives at all. The book is an easy read unless you're trying to find out the victims and give them a proper memorial. This book is for those victims and their families! Maybe we can learn from what happened in Lancashire!

Ex-FBI profiler and crime investigator consultant Robert Payne is asked by his friend Monsignor Steve Gray to "sniff around" in the sordid murder of a parish priest at a skeevy local motel. The twisty plot suggests several possible suspects. The suburban/rural Cedar Rapids, Iowa, setting gives the story a vivid Midwest placement. Robert's personal life also hits turbulence when his step-father Vic shows up on his doorstep. Vic, a Good Time Charlies in the old days, is dying of lung cancer, and Robert has to swallow his dislike and care for the elderly Vic. Robert's sweet and wise girlfriend Felice convinces Robert to do the right thing (as all significant others do) by Vic. A profile of each murder victim is given to add depth to the mystery. Ed Gorman's elegant, lean prose style is always a treat to read as well. This solid entry in the series hits its stride.

As I lifelong resident of the Cedar Rapids area, I found the locale of the story attractive. However, as I was reading it, I found many aspects of the plot stale. However, much of that was due to my having read other books published after this one where the basic plot was the same. To be specific, it involves Catholic priests whose piety is lacking and whose actions are definitely not going to get them into paradise after their demise.
It begins with the death of a Catholic priest in a shady motel, he was murdered and his body mutilated after the fact. Robert Payne receives a call from his old friend Steve Gray, now a Catholic priest and at the time of the call, in the room with the body. Robert comes to aid him and then is hired to privately investigate the murder. He does so and finds many different suspects, a trail of infidelity, lies and other nasty deeds.
As the investigation continues, Robert discovers a series of murders where the body was mutilated after death. As the story unfolds, there are sidebars of explanation about the victims. None of them are particularly attractive people, all are criminals of one form of another, and for each there is a list of possible suspects.
The climactic conclusion is not particularly strong, it comes and goes quickly and it was obvious to me when it began how it was going to end. I liked the story and Gorman deserves credit for being more original in his plot than others who have followed and used the same plot device. I recently read and reviewed, "God's Spy" by Juan Gomez-Jurado and published in 2007. Gomez-Jurado uses the same basic plot device of the bad Catholic priest(s) and the action there was much stronger. Therefore, the lower ranking here is largely due to the comparison to "God's Spy."

Monsignor Steven Gray asks his old childhood friend, former FBI psychological profiler, Robert Payne to investigate the murder of Father Daly. Robert, who now works as an investigator for a Cedar Rapids, Iowa law firm, does not want to get involved with what looks to him like an internal church affair. However, for old time sakes, he agrees to look into this and a similar grisly murder of a priest.

Among Daly's possessions are a series of articles about the brutal killings of members of St. Mallory Church. From these clippings and other information, Robert develops a profile on a vicious serial killer. As he gets closer to identifying the culprit, Robert knows he must pick up the pace before another parishioner becomes the next brutalized victim.

HARLOT'S MOON, the latest Robert Payne novel (see HAWK MOON and BLOOD MOON), is a tremendous hard-boiled detective story, starring a great protagonist. When it comes to crime, Robert is as tough as they get, but Ed Gorman makes his star profiler seem human because he provides him with compassionate traits too. Throw in a well-designed fast-paced story line and a strong support cast that constantly move the plot forward and the audience has a top rate psychological who-done-it.

Harriet Klausner

Very good book! I was hooked by page 3. I'm looking forward to a sequel!
B. McHenry

I am a retired federal agent, and current part-time police officer. This thriller, written by a former police chief, will keep you riveted to your chair. The expertise of the author, from his years in law enforcement, really added to the book. Even as a long-time police officer, the identities of the perps involved in the tale were skillfully hidden from me by the author, until he was ready for them to be revealed.

I am a retired federal agent, and current part-time police officer. This thriller, written by a former police chief, will keep you riveted to your chair. The expertise of the author, from his years in law enforcement, really added to the book. Even as a long-time police officer, the identities of the perps involved in the tale were skillfully hidden from me by the author, until he was ready for them to be revealed.

Outstanding!

A "must have" for any Ripperologist, this packet of documents takes you back to 1888. From newspaper articles to the alleged letters from the Ripper himself, these documents are fascinating to read and well worth the money. Enjoy.

This is not a book, but a reproduction of documents from the public Records office in London. For those that are serious about Ripper research, you need to have this. Since many of us will never get the chance to go to London, this will be as close as we get to what is left of Ripper Documents. Evans and Skinner are some of the best Ripper Researchers their are!

As a big Jack the Ripper-ologist, I was really excited about getting this but when I opened the box, I'm must admit I was a wee bit disappointed.

I got the impression from the item description that these would be "aged" like the declaration of independence and constitution replicas you get in the Washington DC souvenier shops. They are not, and rather on fancy photo type paper instead. Out of the 16 document reproductions, some of the police reports are on a high quality copy paper. Also there are little black circles the size of a hole punch with page numbers in the corners of each document (drat!). These are not display pieces. I feel this was a result of my own false hopes and mis-interpretation of the description... so I won't dock any stars for this.

My only legitimate complaint is that I wish there were more documents in it! Otherwise, this set is really nice for studying handwriting and gathering facts. I'm giving this 4 stars as the collection is an excellent "Saucy Jacky" study piece.

Does the world really need yet another book on Jack the Ripper? The answer, based on this most recent offering at least, is probably not. Since the Whitechapel Murders occurred in 1888-91, over 100 non-fiction titles have been published on the topic. Predictably, because of the high number, they run the gamut from brilliant to embarrassingly bad. This one falls somewhere in the middle.

Despite the subtitle, this is not simply an alphabetically arranged series of entries. It begins with a concise, well-organized synopsis of each of the murder investigations and discusses 18 possible victims. In a summary section, Eddleston concludes that eight women likely fell victim to Jack although, as has become fashionable lately, he believes that Elizabeth Stride, the first victim of the so-called "double event" of 30 September 1888, should, perhaps, not be included. The book also contains detailed street maps (among the best published so far) and new photographs of the murder sites as they now look. Unfortunately, at a time when extensive footnotes have become a mandatory aspect of serious Ripper research, this book contains none. And while the discussions of the murders are quite good, they are not as good as those in Philip Sugden's monumental The Complete History of Jack the Ripper which appeared, early in 2002, in revised paperback editions published by Robinson in London and by Carroll & Graf in New York.

The encyclopedic part of the book consists of separate chapters in which the witnesses, the police, "others who played a part", and suspects (a whopping 114 of them) are each summarized in alphabetical entries. This can be rather confusing since a researcher has to know into which category a subject fits before it can be looked up. (One can, of course, use the index, although that seems to defeat the purpose of creating an alphabetical list in the first place.) In addition to naming the many suspects, Eddleston also ranks each of them on a scale from 0 to 5 on their chances of being the Ripper. The large number of possible suspects seems, frankly, excessive---especially since many of them are introduced only to be immediately discounted. And several of the major suspects (except, of course, for Eddleston's own favourite) seem to be dismissed from consideration rather cavalierly. In any event, the encyclopedic aspect of the book cannot compete with what is unquestionably the leading reference book in the field, the most recent edition of The Jack the Ripper A-Z (London: Headline, 1996) compiled by Paul Begg, Martin Fido, and Keith Skinner.

Ultimately, in a final summary, Eddleston opts for George Hutchinson as the most likely of the named suspects. This is certainly not a novel suggestion since this witness, who figured prominently in the Mary Jane Kelly murder inquiry, has become an increasingly popular candidate in recent years. In fact, his candidacy was thoroughly explored by Bob Hinton in From Hell: The Jack the Ripper Mystery (Abertillery, Wales: Old Bakehouse Publications, 1998). Now, admittedly, From Hell has its own set of problems. It, too, has no footnotes and is very obviously in need of a good editor and proofreader; nonetheless, it contains much the same information on Hutchinson as Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia but at a fraction of the cost.

There is a chapter devoted to correspondence, which includes a discussion of several of the letters allegedly written by the murderer. Eddleston includes the letter dated 17 September 1888 [Ref: HO 144/221/A49301C] that was first published in Paul Feldman's Jack the Ripper: The Final Chapter (London: Virgin, 1997). He refers to this letter two or three times and places a great deal of importance on it. Unfortunately, very few Ripper researchers consider the letter to be genuine; nearly all believe it to be a modern hoax that was planted among the official documents in the Public Record Office. Now, there is nothing wrong with Eddleston's deciding that the letter is real and using its contents accordingly; but he should, at the very least, advert to the fact that there is serious disagreement among the experts as to the letter's authenticity. To do any less is to mislead his readers.

A potentially very useful chapter deals with the myths and errors that have crept into Ripper research over the years. The canards that he attempts to explode deal with only the five canonical victims (Nichols, Chapman, Stride, Eddowes, and Kelly) and, once again, the undertaking is hampered by the lack of footnoting. Eddleston lists neither the sources of the myths nor the sources of his (presumably correct) answers, so the value of the section is rather limited.

A chapter dealing with "The Literature" contains an annotated listing of some of the books and films that have dealt with Jack the Ripper. The list hits most of the major items that should be brought to the attention of novice researchers in the field, but they are mixed in with a lot of material that should be avoided. Eddleston could have been a little more conscientious in separating the wheat from the chaff. And, in his discussion of the errors that exist in some of the better-known books, references to the relevant page numbers would have been helpful. Just prior to the final summary mentioned above, the book concludes, interestingly, in the same way as From Hell, with detailed directions on how to conduct your own "Ripper walk" through the East End.

The last difficulty with this book is its remarkably high price. If the cost were more reasonable, it would be easier to recommend the book because it does contain some useful information. As it is, however, only the most fanatical collectors of Ripperana should purchase it. It's not that this is a bad book; it's just that there are better books available, for much less money, which cover more or less the same ground.

... this is, without doubt, one of the best Ripper books EVER produced. It is complete in that it covers every possible victim, every suspect and everyone who plays a part. The arguments are logical and not sullied by the blinkered stupidity of most other writers on the subject. It is an ideal reference work for the newcomer to the field or the so-called self-ackowledged expert and should be on everyone's shelf. Better to buy this book than a dozen others covering the nonsense of the Freemason conspiracy or the nonsense of the Maybrick theory.
Ninety nine percent of books on this topic are dross. There are a few gems and this is up there with them. ...

This book is logically organized into different sections (victims, witnesses, police, etc.) & then alphabetically arranged within each section, so it's very easy to find what you're looking for, even without using the extensive index. Eddleston debunks many of the popular theories on who the killer may have been, & intelligently & concisely describes pros & cons for Jack the Ripper's possible victims (5 to 8 seems to be the most frequently cited range for the number of murders he committed). I disagree with certain of his conclusions (e.g., that Elizabeth Stride was probably not a victim), but more often than not, I feel that Eddleston is right on target. His discussion of Aaron Cohen & Nathan Kaminsky is interesting, as is his belief that George Hutchinson or "Unknown Male" (someone who has not come to light) are two of the most likely candidates. Good discussion of the Maybrick Diary. Even though some of his logic is faulty, I'd have to say that this is one of the three best Jack the Ripper books in my library (along with Philip Sugden's "The Complete Casebook of Jack the Ripper" & Paul Begg's, et. al., "The Jack the Ripper A-Z." It's high priced but well written & well made & worth the money.

Jack the Ripper: Scotland Yard Investigates is claimed by the authors, Evans and Rumbelow, to be the first JtR book based solely upon the evidence that the police of the time had. The opening chapter on Charles Warren was fascinating and the book stayed on a top level of research and evidence presentation. It covers the canonical five and also a few of the other potential victims. Evans and Rumblelow know what they are doing, each of them has at least one other book out on this subject. They do not give you the long list of suspects presented after years of speculation brings about. Rather, they present to us the events and investigations through the documentations of the time period. Since it is "from the police" viewpoint, there are focuses on Warren, Munro, MacNaughten, and Anderson; all men who had prominent roles in police events of those years.

If you are interested in the case and want a book about it, this is a good text for you. It covers the murders and investigations but offers no real suspect list (as many of the suspects began to arise well after the events by more modern researchers). If you are more 'into the subject' and read many books on JtR, this is pretty standard fair and absolutely worth putting in your collection; however, there's litte new information that you can ponder. Plenty of fantastic photos and the research is top notch. Glossy pages are a bonus and it's a large sized book (7 3/4" x 10 1/2") of 294 pages. The Appendix A gives you a list of divisions in the Metropolitan police force. Appendix B contains a timeline and brief content of a multitude of letters sent in to various divisions and news agencies.

Authors Stewart P. Evans and Donald Rumbelow are not only two of the most well-respected authors in the field of Ripper studies (with such titles as The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Sourcebook: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Jack the Ripper: Letters from Hell and The Complete Jack the Ripper), they are also two former London police officers who are directly responsible for finding and preserving important documents about this case for posterity. Put the two of them together and you can expect a book just full of great information, much of it brand new and fully documented with footnotes. On top of that, this is also easily the Ripper title with the most illustrations, many of them never before seen in any other modern publication. This book is simply required reading for anyone with a serious interest in the Jack the Ripper case.

An Excellent book, very well researched. Another perception of the facts as an insider reviews the details of murder and investigation.Extremely intriguing.

Girard has an ability I usually don't find in this genre, to give detail of settings and people to make you feel you are there along side them. Rather than the typical supreficial, get to the story nature of mysteries, it goes several levels deeper. The people become very real and you care about them as much as you care about whodunnit. The people are not some stereotype. The weaving of contrasts and similarities between the three main characters puts us on a level with them, we've all been there in some way. What starts out as bleak lives, mistakes are made, hope is lost, leaves the reader feeling there is a future. I can't wait for his new novel to come out.

"The Late Man" is an elegiac, beautifully written novel whose story happens to fit the constraints of genre. But to say that it is not strictly speaking a "genre novel" is meant as praise; this is a beautiful book that sneaks up on you and lingers with you long after you have turned the last page. I recommend this book to all "genre" lovers- be they crime novels, detective novels, or murder mysteries- who want a little more weight, a little more feeling with their entertainments. "The Late Man" makes me hope that this was not a one shot from Mister Girard; that many more novels of this caliber will issue forth from him.

The writing is very smooth but the writer spent too much time to paint the veiled several key characters with very very long paragraphs, sometimes a whole page only got about 1-1/10 long paragraphs which were usually very tiresome to focus and read. The prose style writing may be very good but also kills the pace to an almost dragging, snailingly crawled monologue styled narration, just like the late man who rode a bus and look outside the window, the smoky glass made everything distant and vague and made the scenary going back and disappeared. A mystery should not be written like a some kind memorial stuff lingering in yesterday. Like a chess game, both players got to meet the time limits, reading a novel or mystery is the same thing, you just can't have too much time wasted in blabbing and making the reader waiting too long and too much