Serial Murder Books

I am a hugh fan of Mariah Stewart and she continues to amaze with her twisted plots and real life characters.

Twisted story of suspense. A serial killer is killing women in an exceptionally gruesome way. He tortures and plays with them first. He then leaves them wrapped in plastic for the law to find. The FBI is brought in and the killer steps it up by taunting the cops by leaving bodies close to their homes and lives. I knew by about the end of the second chapter who the bad guy was. It was frustrating to see the characters play so dumb to the clues I obviously figured out. Good book but very dark with lots of death. Not for those with a weak stomach. One of the better books I've read this month.

This is the first book I've read by this author. I wouldn't have known the author was a romance writer unless I read her bio. The book is more of a whodunit, and it's pretty easy to figure out. When I was first exposed to the character who did it, I though "surely it's not this obvious", but in the end it was. This book is a good quick read, but doesn't provide much else.

Mariah Stewart is one of the best writers out there, and I love the ideas of her trilogies, which tie together but also work as stand-alones, so you don't feel as if you've missed something by not reading the previous books.

This one wasn't as good as the first in this trilogy, mainly because I thought the culprit's identity was obvious right from the beginning. But regardless, the book is still a page-turner that you won't be able to put down until it's finished.

Mariah Stewart gives us the second of the tales of the Shields family. Mia is the sister of Brenden who murdered Dylan in one of her previous novels. She has been unable to conquor the feeling that she should have known what was going on and stopped the murders. Her family has been FBI for many yrs and her father and his brother have several children in the FBI.

Mia Shields is the only daughter in a family of five, her other four brothers are FBI also. Now she is living in Conner's house in the country. Conner is her cousin and the brother of Dylan who was murdered by her own brother. Her inability to deal with the stresses caused by the murder have pushed her to the brink of burn-out. Now she is coming off two horrible cases, and she thinks nothing could be as bad as those, however, the murderer killing young women in St. Dennis, Maryland comes very close.

Gabrial Beck, the chief of police, of St. Dennis, has asked the bureau for help and Mia is not quite what he expected. Beck's father was the previous chief and helps part-time now. The first murder is not in his town but the next girl he finds himself, the killer has placed her body encased in plastic in the back seat of his car.

Both he and Mia realize this is no beginner and that there has to be a trail of bodies somewhere. As the bodies mount the evidence of a local killer emerges.

Although there is a romance in the book it does not take away from the horror of the way the victims are killed. I very much enjoyed this book and so far each of her novels has been a keeper.

What sets Helene Tursten apart from a lot of writers is her attention to detail. She never slides through a description, even if it's only what constituted her lunch. In addition, Irene Huss and her collegues all have lives outside of the office and some even have real life type problems. Unlike some series, the detectives are not always at the top of their game and the adversaries are no smarter than most people. With the use of modern forensics, it's almost impossible to commit a crime without leaving so piece of evidence, which can then lead to the criminal.

This novel revolves around the 'gay' society in Goteborg and Copenhagen. Unlike the USA, scandinavians are a lot less prudish and don't see gays as deviants. In this case though, the murderer is a deviant of mega proportions. He gets his sexual release from cutting up bodies. He's an equal opportunity murderer (two woman and three men) but his specialty is mutilating his lovers and ex-lovers. He leads Huss and the officers in Copenhagen a merry chase, but in the end, he's got nowhere to run and no where to hide. Great read

This horrid story should be very appealing to psycopaths and sexual deviants. Utterly revolting and pointless.

one of the best mysteries i have read since i real all the henning mankel books...i think this is the best, very involved , good detective work and strong characters that are belieable. .... can;t wait for the next one

The Torso was recommended to me by a friend. Not being an aficionado of Swedish Crime, I purchased it with some trepidation. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the book. It has an interesting storyline, strong characterisation and clean-simple writing. Although many other crime authors manage to achieve this, what separates Tursten is her ability to weave a "feel" of normal Swedish family life into her story - very interesting. Buy it, you will not be disappointed.

Helene Tursten writes tightly woven, hang-on-the-edge-of-your-seat mysteries, police procedurals at their finest. "The Torso" is her best yet, a blazingly good story set in Sweden that'll keep you glued. If you have grown weary with the cutesy cozy stories that pass for American mysteries today, you will be delighted to discover Ms. Tursten's books. She never lets her readers down. Her protagonist, the very competent Inspector Huss, is more than equal to any challenge that comes her way. Huss is a master at judo, which makes her capable of taking care of herself magnificently in tough spots. Inspector Huss does not go cute, naive, or fragile when things get tough, unlike the formula that our American mystery writers frequently follow for their female sleuths. No, the savvy Huss gets in there and takes care of business, no matter how dirty it might be. Get the book! Enjoy a great read! Helene Tursten can't write fast enough for me.

This book would have been perfect. I am slowly getting through the text by absorbing the information. The author, Michael Bilton, does allow us an in-depth look at being a Yorkshire policemen when they didn't have computers or databases during the crime spree. What bothers me is that we don't know who Peter Sutcliffe is as a person? What makes him tick? Now I believe Bilton does a servive in painting an honest portrait of policemen and women who served the Yorkshire community during this crime spree. Much like the Green River Killer who killed for years before being caught, I think the police are their own worst critics by blaming themselves for not catching him sooner rather than later. They did everything possible and there were mistakes but they are human too. Yes, the police can be both the enemy and your greatest ally but they did work under a different time and they should be grateful that they did catch Sutcliffe before there were more victims. I kept looking for Sutcliffe's picture until I realized it was on the cover. I wished there was one photo for each victim (living or deceased) to help us understand them. Sadly, most women even in the Green River case were mostly prostitutes and runaways. Sutcliffe had this insatiable anger and hatred of women and attacked them viciously. There is no excuse for his behavior but we have to know his upbringing in order to understand what can prevent future criminals. So I think this book is very good but you have to digest it slowly. There is a lot of information about so many people but he does a nice job in giving a chronology, a map, and helps us with an index.

I remember the time of the Yorkshire Ripper. I was 12 yrs to 17 yrs old and at school we felt a kind of juvinile morbid delight every time there was a new killing. I remember seeing Sutcliffs photo for the first time and thinking how he looked just like the photofits I'd seen on the telly and wasn't it strange that someone who looked so like the photofits wasn't caught for so long. Also I remember the taped voice and really BELIEVING that it was the voice of the Ripper.It was strange how for some people The Yorkshire Ripper cast his shadow over the whole of England not just the Northeast. It was facinating reading this book and seeing all the behind the scenes incompetence from the upper echelons of the West Yorkshire Police. At one stage they tried looking at over fifty thousand vehicles for tyres that matched trackmarks left at murder scenes but the top brass never prioritised the search. The upper brass cancelled the search after thirty thousand cars had been checked- many of them women owners etc. who could have been checked later. A Detective Constable called Laptew handed a report in which virtually fingered Sutcliff but, because he got his bosses back up at the same time, the report was filed and ignored and then "lost" when there was an enquiry. The incompetence of the upper ranks of the police was beyond belief. For me, this is what made this a great book. I felt very sad reading about these poor desparate women and their deaths and still have a kind of morbid fascination (I think we all do)for the killings but the overiding factor in the book is the police manhunt and their incompetence though the author is very kind to them- he probably made promises to get his research. The police manhunt takes place in a different world than today with no computers etc. so no national pooling of information or experience. You just get the feeling that although the book says that Hoban, Oldfield and Holland are good coppers, they reached their exalted positions through politics rather than brilliance.
I read this book in just a few days.A fascinating read.

An incredibly detailed and almost exhaustive account of the hunt for Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper. The most expensive and intensive investigation in British history.

The book offers in agonising detail the heroic efforts, bad judgements and fatal mistakes made by the Ripper Squad during Sutcliffe's reign of terror. These accounts are dealt with fairly, horror when horror is needed, praise when praise is due. One can't help but `feel' for those involved in, and scarred, by the hunt.

As a reader of numerous Bio's I didn't find the book a slow starter at all - the information given was the exact amount required. Also, i lived in 'Ripper Country' during the terror and the book accurately portrays the fear that gripped the area.

On the downside, I felt the book aimed towards those who believe Sutcliffe was never mentally ill and offers many arguments (strong, yet flawed) as to why. Rather than leaving personal opinion in the hands of the reader, `our' minds are made up for us during its concluding chapters.

Aside, excellent and most informative journalism.

Given the number of books that have been published about the Yorkshire Ripper, Bilton's book 'Wicked Beyond Belief' is a welcome breath of fresh air as it does not dwell on the horror and gruesome details of the Ripper murders, or the motivations of Peter Sutcliffe, but rather it looks for the first time at the bungled police investigation and why West Yorkshire Police couldn't catch the Yorkshire Ripper for 5 dark years.

Bilton is well positioned to write a book such as this as he was a local reporter when the Yorkshire Ripper's murderous campaign was taking place and knew many of the detectives involved at the time, some of whom were on the verge of nervous breakdowns due to their inability to catch the elusive Ripper.

One of the great strengths of the book is that it draws attention to the gross incompetence of West Yorkshire Police in conducting the Ripper investigation without sounding wise after the event or self-righteous. At times whilst reading the book, I found the incompetence of the investigation to be literally jaw-dropping. This wouldn't be so bad except with each missed lead, failure to follow-up a clue or police pursuit of a red herring, more innocent women were being gruesomely murdered. Some facts that stand out from the book are:

-Peter Sutcliffe was interviewed 9 times by the police and let go to kill again.

-There were 3 different files for Peter Sutcliffe in the police investigation, each with a slightly different spelling of the name and therefore each assuming him to be a different man.

-Sometimes, when police were questioning Sutcliffe, the officers interviewing thought they were questioning him for the first time, unaware that he had been questioned by police several times before.

-In 1979, a junior detective, after questioning Sutcliffe fingered him as a prime suspect and wrote a report explaining his suspicions and recommending Sutcliffe be brought in for further questioning. The report was lost in the mountain of paperwork.

-The descriptions given by the survivors of Sutcliffe's attacks were largely dismissed by the police as 'unreliable'.

-West Yorkshire Police were warned that the 'Wearside Jack' letters and tape with the Sunderland connection were most probably a hoax, yet continued to pursue this line of enquiry for 18 crucial months whilst the real Ripper, with a West Yorkshire accent went on killing.

-By 1980, the then Prime Minister Mrs Thatcher, was so incensed that the Yorkshire Ripper was still at large after he claimed his 13th victim, that she threatened to go to Leeds and take personal charge of the investigation herself until the Ripper was caught. She was talked out of this by the Home Secretary.

-A Home Office task force despatched to West Yorkshire to help with the investigation worked out after only 2 weeks on the case that the killer lived in Bradford, something West Yorkshire Police hadn't been able work out after spending 5 YEARS on the case.

-Even when Sutcliffe was finally caught, the police didn't search Sutcliffe properly allowing him to hide a knife in the police station and didn't discover his special garment or 'killing kit' until 2 days after his arrest. This garment was worn when Sutcliffe went looking for prey and proved that Sutcliffe killed for sexual gratification and could have thrown out his plea of schizophrenia in court, yet the garment was never produced as evidence during his trial.

In criticism of this worthy book I would say that it was a little too long and could be dry in places. For example, why spend an entire chapter on the career of Detective Inspector Dennis Hoban of Leeds CID, someone who didn't seem to have much to do with the Ripper case and died 2 years before the Ripper was caught? Or why describe in detail all the banking procedures for trying to trace the £5 note clue? I found those particular pages bordering on the tedious.

The only other question mark I have is why was the author totally disinterested in Sutcliffe himself? Although I acknowledge that the book is about the police investigation and not the murderer, I don't think you can discount the killer entirely from the picture. In the book, Sutcliffe is a shadowy figure who is finally collared at the end and doesn't seem to have any motive for his depraved crimes other than he is 'wicked beyond belief'. Call me fussy, but I would have liked a little more explanation than this.

However, I don't wish to detract from the book as overall I found it to be very interesting. Bilton brings to light some important new evidence, notably the warnings that the 'Wearside Jack' Sunderland connection was probably a hoax and the 'killing kit' that Sutcliffe wore when cruising in his car looking for victims. At times the book is disturbing, especially the descriptions of the modus operandi of the Ripper. Another thought-provoking aspect of the book is that the police, the organisation that the public put so much faith in when confronted by such a public danger, can get such a big and important investigation so wrong year after year.

The book ends on a more optimistic note by pointing out that with today's technology, a similar killer would be caught very quickly. DNA testing, computers, geographical profiling and CCTV mean that people can't hide from the authorities the way that Peter Sutcliffe could in the late 1970s.

Michael Bilton, Wicked Beyond Belief: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper (Harper, 2003)

Michael Bilton writes in his preface to Wicked Beyond Belief that "I have no intention of pillorying anyone for mistakes made." Intentional or no, however, this fascinating police procedural excels in its quest to create a piece of nonfiction that could never be marketed as a novel; there's no way the reading public could get through it and say "this is believable." The only way it's possible is to get through this book and realize that it is, in fact, a piece of nonfiction. Truth is stranger, etc.

Peter William Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, was convicted of thirteen counts of murder, and seven of attempted murder, in 1981. There are placed in Britain where the mere mention of his name sends shivers up the spines of folks old enough to have been around who were living in Ripper territory. Many cases of murder and attempted murder, still unsolved in the area, are believed to be Ripper attacks. While Bilton touches briefly on the things no one's still sure he did in the last chapter, Wicked Beyond Belief covers the time period from the discovery of the first body in 1975 to Sutcliffe's 1981 conviction. Anyone looking at those dates has to wonder: how did a serial killer, especially one who took so few pains to conceal his identity, manage to operate for so long? The answer is police inefficiency. No matter how you dress it up, Peter Sutcliffe remained at large for five years because, for the most part, Peter wasn't talking to Paul. This is not a book about Peter Sutcliffe, per se; those with more prurient tastes, while they will find some description to revel in here, are gently steered towards David Yallop's Deliver Us from Evil. This is a book about the police who attempted to catch him, and how small errors and inefficiencies, with more than a few bits of luck and coincidence, turned into the biggest cockup in British police history.

Through the book's almost-five-hundred pages, you will find yourself wondering again and again how certain things could have been missed, why person X wasn't doing thing Y, and why, most of all, one of the biggest manhunts in human history was so woefully underfunded. Bilton addresses all these questions and more, though even twenty years on, it is impossible to actually answer them all. You will find yourself sympathizing with some of the police and finding others to be incompetent morons who should never have been allowed near an investigation. You will likely find yourself wondering why the public didn't take matters into their own hands and simply lynch every white guy of the requisite age who had a beard. It is only that we know how the story ends that makes this tale readable; had this book been written with the Yorkshire Ripper still at large, it might have caused a revolution.

This, of course, is exactly what one should expect of a true crime book. Bilton devliers. ****

This was not a good book, despite the positive reviews it has received. As with Erickson's other books the dialogue is painful. The dialogue is filled with "Um." "Huh." and "Uh-huh." and those fillers are used as complete thoughts and sentences. Obviously the characters have very little sucbstance if that can be the extent of each exchange. Is it so hard for two writers to come together and create a fluid sentence?? I guess so, because these 2 women are hopeless writers. This was the second book I was given by Erickson, and both books suffered from the Um and Huh problem. I cannot understand how writing like that is deemed interesting or engaging by other readers. In any case, the plot is about a woman who was once raped but cannot remember the face of her rapist. She is now a police sketch artist and is called in to assist on a case similar to her own, and it drudges up memories about her own rape. The authors did manage to keep the suspense going (not about the lead character Jane's rape) about the current case she was working on. However, there were a lot of shortcuts taken with this book. The relationship between Jane and Ray (the lead detective) was forced and very rushed at the end, leading to a unrealistic and unbelievable conclusion. The relationship Jane had with her family wasn't well developed and the character interaction was weak at best. The story could have been lengthened to explain the relationship more between Jane and her family, Jane and Ray, Jane and Alan, and even Ray and Kathleen. The authors cramed the story into just over 100 pages and left too much unsaid and undeveloped. The story was just that, a story, with no genuine substance or anything that will leave you wanting more from this/these authors. I am so glad to be done forever with Erickson books. NOT recommended.

This is my first Lynn Erickson. It will not be my last. From the first page to the last page she had my attention.

Jane Russo is a freelance sketch artist for various police and federal agencies. She was raped at 16. Her family has never believed her. She has stayed away from them and their friends because she thinks one of them did it. Now at 32 she is trying to come out of her shell.

Jane is called in when a serial rapist strikes again, in her own home town. She has not been able to help the last 3 times he struck. But some people believe she is their only hope.

Ray Vanover is the FBI agent in charge. He is scarred inside and out by a bomb, a militant group placed in his car. The woman he thought he loved, another FBI agent, died in the explosion.

Jane has an empathy with victims, and she is able to get them to relax enough for her to get a sketch of their attackers.

However, because of her rape she is blocked when she tries to sketch this rapist.

I enjoyed the police procedures, the insights, and the romance that developes between these two characters.

If you are looking for a deep, heavy read, this is not it.
If you are looking for a nice, quiet, comfortable read this is it. This is entertainment. Just what I needed.

I really enjoyed it after some of the stuff I've read lately.

I read this book in record time. I picked it up and before I knew it all I wanted to do was read it. I was sincerenly amazed. I usually am a picky reader and I picked this book up for the hell of it. It was GREAT.

Jane Russo is an artist. Not just any artist, she sketches killers face from a victims memory. Naturally is great at it. She has a knack of getting inside of victims heads. But not this time. A new case has Jane really stumped. The new case she is working on hits too close to home. She is working on a rape case. And along with that she no longer has the support of her friend lover Alan instead she has Ray. Rayhas been hurt too, very deeply and he refuses to heal. Him fueled with anger on the case, and Jane compassion they click.

Read the book and enjoy while Janes own rape case iz unraveled and HER vicTIM is brought out, while Ray and Jane face new and old demons of both their pasts.

YOU WILL ENJOY THIS BOOK. IT WAS GREAT!!

Attempting to put her own demons to rest, Jane has made it her life's work to help put away those who prey on the weak. Working as a police sketch artist, she has had incredible results with the victims. Yet, haunted by her own past, she failed once, and that failure let a killer go free. Now, she may have a chance to atone; if she can be persuaded to return to her calling. Despite burnout, she tries again. Working with a handsome fellow officer, she races time to save a child from a monster.

*** Romance takes a backseat to procdure in this detailed mystery. Jane presents a fascinating psychological portrait of someone both helped and hindered by her own past. As she faces her family, readers may feel a kinship with the difficulties of relatives. Though lighter in tone than Johansen or Cornwall, readers of those books will find this a welcome addition to their library. ***

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

In Denver police sketch artist Jane Russo needs to get away from the pressure of failure that could mean the death of an innocent. Her last case has destroyed her psyche as she has failed to obtain a drawing of a serial rapist-killer from the survivors. Jane does not follow the book and is usually able to coax the information so that she can sketch a portrait, but this time she has failed though the culprit has struck several times.

FBI Special Agent Caroline Deutch and survivor rights advocate Alan Gallagher pressure Jane to try one more time. The rapist abducted twelve-year old Aspen resident Kirsten Lemke from the Snowmass slopes. Reluctantly, Jane works with skeptic Ray Vanover to save the life of Kirsten and bring a nasty felon to justice. As they struggle with the case and Jane with Aspen being the home of her somewhat estranged family, they fall in love, but the preadolescent's safety comes first.

Fans of police procedural romances will enjoy WITHOUT A TRACE, a solid suspense thriller. The story line is action-packed in a low key level as Jane and Ray interview witnesses in an attempt to save a life. The estrangement with her mother seems off kilter especially when Jane is easily coaxed into dinner. Her sister's cavalier attitude towards Jane's work feels too selfish for a mom. Still the investigation is top rate and the romance as good.

Harriet Klausner

Steve Walker, with the input of Detective Rick Reed, has written a true crime book that reads like a novel. His experience as a reporter shines as he weaves the story of Joe Brown, a convicted killer, throughout the book. The book goes into great detail into the mind of Joe Brown and shows how this very disturbed person became a killer. The book was very easy to read and I would reccommend it to anyone who enjoys these kinds of books.

Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (06/06)

A page turner from the beginning! Both true crime fans and non true crime fans will be completely amazed by the unfolding of this true tale of horrific murder in America's Heartland. "Blood Trail" opens with the August, 2000 brutal murder of Ginger Gasaway in Indiana, a death that shocked the nation when her cold, calculated killer took investigators to three different counties to recover her dismembered body parts.

The authors lay out in great detail convicted murderer Joseph Brown's childhood, gambling addiction, early incarcerations and other crimes that lead up to the grisly murder of his ex-girlfriend Ginger Gasaway. In 2003, after being incarcerated for a couple of years, Joe Brown contacts Rick Reed, the detective with whom he developed a connection during the first case. As the lead investigator and co-author of "Blood Trail", Reed gives a unique and very disturbing perspective on this case. Throughout this book, Joe Brown continually leads Reed back into his world of violence, addiction and murder by confessing in great detail his 5 year multi-state rampage where he claims to have murdered 13 other women.

This well-written and highly detailed book contains a great deal of information, some of it quite personal due to Joe Brown's bond with Reed and personal family information that was obtained during the case. Reed and Walker are able to paint an intriguing, intimate portrait of a true sociopath, one that is three dimensional and complex. It leaves you with the question, was Joseph Brown a delusional sick man with many addictions whose rage culminated in the gruesome murder of Ginger Gasaway? Or was he driven by his internal demons into becoming the prolific serial killer that he claims to be? Of one thing this reader can be sure of, I am certainly glad that he is in prison for life without the possibility of parole!!!

The grammar and vocabulary of this book make it jarring to read for those of us more accustomed to the excellent writing of someone such as John Glatt or Lowell Cauffiel. I couldn't get through it.

After reading several books as of recent written or contributed to by the detectives involved in the cases, I've decided that it's time to stop. I'm finding any time that you read a book of that type, you're going to be subjected to unnecessary repitition and the inside scoop of office politics which, in no way, pertains the story.

Such as found in this book written by Steven Walker alongide Detective Rick Reed.

If the fact that Joe Brown, the man convicted of killer his girlfriend, Ginger Gasaway, leads Detective Reed and his colleagues on a wild goose chase numerous times (on the same cases every time too) isn't enough, Reed takes the opportunity to really boast about his "detective skills" several times along with a detailed (and boring) explanation of why he thought he was not getting the assistance needed with his suspect.

I often found myself skimming through this book. Joe Brown decided to tell his story numerous times, for his own benefit in some fashion, and the authors of this book decided to repeat them too. Of course, without Brown's chain-yanking, there really wouldn't have been a story to tell.

Blood Trail is an okay read when there simply isn't anything else; or, if you like books from a egotistical Detective's point of view, then this one is probably for you.

Riveting from beginning to end. A fascinating and disturbing look into the mind of a killer, co-written by the detective who first suspected that something bad had happened to Ginger Gassaway of Evansville, IN, and finally helped bring justice to her family by forming a bond with her twisted murderer.

I couldn't put it down.

Ya, that pretty much sums it up, But it was such a great book. I could not put it down, from start to finish i was hooked. I think i freaked out my parents thought but oh well, it was an extrodinary book, written in a way that almost made it seem like a fiction novel, but it was all true, gives me chills just thinking about it.

I FOUND THIS BOOK SO HARD TO PUT DOWN ONCE I STARTED READING. IT SCARED ME TOTALLY TO THE POINT THAT I FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO SLEEP. IF YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK WHICH I HOPE YOU DO LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON AT NIGHT. THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK WAS WELL STUDIED, THE AUTHOR KNEW JUST HOW TO PUT IT ALTOGETHER TO WHERE IT WOULD MAKE YOU KRINDGE AND WANT FOR MORE. I DID, THE AUTHOR GOT INTO THE MINDS OF ALL THESE KILLERS AND LET YOU IN AS WELL. GREAT READING. SO HARD TO PHANTHOM THAT THIS REALLY HAPPENS IN LIFE SAD.

This book is a well written, even wryly humorous at times, account of some of history's notorious cannibal killers. It describes all one would want to know about the individuals portrayed, and it ends with some summary information about what is known or theorized about cannibal killers as a species, so to speak. I recommend it to anyone with the stomach to inquire into this disturbing stuff, who is interested in an interesting and very readable overview of the subject.

In an Aristotelian context, this book is aesthetic and epistemologically sound. I liked this book because I like to eat human flesh, but isn't that so SoKratiK of me? The ontological argument prepared me, in a way, for this book, and yet, insufficiently, somehow. If you think about this, you will see that I am right.

When I bought this book, I was expecting to be the stories of various cannibal killers throughout history. Indeed the book does cover, in pretty good detail, about 5 or 6 cannibal killers. However, the book also spends several chapters talking about the psychology behind cannibal and serial killers.

The various stories of the killers were chilling and a must read. The psychological portion of the book is a little "dry" to read, but explains a lot about cannibal and serial killers.

Fantastic insight into the interplay of politics, publicity, and the PERCEPTION of female serial killers. An excellent slap at extremist feminist political portrayal of women serial murderers as "victims" with a balanced critique of this distortion. All in all, a completely unique portrayal of what could merely be sensationalist bunk. Very scholarly. Recommended for the reader who wants facts, not rumor.

Radical feminists who insist that only men commit serial murder will be angered by this book, which lists the names of 140 predatory female serial killers and offers case studies of varying detail for some 40 of them. Vronsky is highly critical of radical feminism, which argues that when women kill they do so only to defend themselves against male aggression. He very persuasively argues that many female serial killers kill for the very same reasons that male serial killers do--but that they leave different signatures at the crime scene.

If you liked Vronsky's book extensively reseached book on male serial killers, then you'll love this one. Vronsky writes in his usual biting sarcastic style but his treatment is very intelligent and informative and he never "writes down" to his readers while covering some pretty dense historical and psychological material in a jargon-free style. His comparisons of female with male serial killers give you not only new insight into the female perpetrator but make you re-think what male serial killers are all about.

Vronsky breaks down a lot of myths about female serial killers pointing out that over half of them have killed at least one female themselves and 39 percent at least one child and that strangers--not husbands, lovers or family members--are marginally the most preferred category of victim for female serial killers today. Vronsky points out that female serial killers are much better at it than male ones, eluding apprehension for twice as long a time on average than males and that the frequency of female serial killers appears to be doubling every two decades. According to the statistics he provides, 1 in nearly every 6 serial killers in the USA is a female. That's quite the shocker and the case studies in this book easily sustain that.

Excellent book with no parallel on the psychology, history, and gender-politics of female serial killing with a fascinating chapter on female accomplices of male sexual serial killers.

This is a good book, covering individuals from the distant past (Messalina, Elizabeth Bathory) to 19th century poisoners, Nazi death camp workers (Irma Grese), moving into recent history (the Manson girls) to modern cases as well (Karla Homolka, Aileen Wuornos). And these women I mentioned are just a few of the many, many case histories and individuals Vronksy explores.

It definitely shows that the author did his research and covers this subject more thoroughly than other books I have read on this subject. I'd definitely recommend it highly to true-crime fans. It reads well and is informative and effective, from stomach-churning transcripts of the Homolka/Bernardo videotapes to theories on why Bathory perhaps did not bathe in the blood of her many victims.

My only criticisms are that the author does focus a lot on Wuornos, as he seems to believe her to be somewhat of an anomaly amongst female murderers in terms of her motives and "style" (for lack of a better word).

Also, he goes after an activist named Phyllis Chesler for her feminist defense of Wuornos in a very aggressive way. He definitely makes some valid points against Chesler's arguments, but there is a vitriol in his words that made me feel he was somehow very personally offended by this woman: calling her a "creature", sarcastically mentioning that "we can all sleep better" knowing that Chesler has moved on to other causes. His almost venomous attack on her stood out to me in a big way while reading.

I definitely recommend this book. Very informative and entertaining.

First, I have to say that I am reading this part with great interest. As a true crime reader, I find this book to be quite in-depth but I have some disagreements with the author regarding some notable omissions like Caryl Ann Fugate who was along with Ray Starkweather in the 1950s on a murderous spree. She was only 14 years old at the time. Also, Sante Kimes who was also known to be vicious to her servants/slaves and left a murderous which included her own son, Kenny, as her accomplice leaving bodies across the country and abroad in the Bahamas. I think he devotes a lot of time to Aileen Wuornos who I believed was mentally ill and that was not analyzed properly. I believe she was either bipolar or paranoid schizophrenic regardless she was mentally ill until her death. Female serial killers in this book include all kinds including the kind granny Dorothea Puente, the nurse Genene Jones who is eligible for parole in 2009, mother Marybeth Tinning who suffocated her children for attention was eligible in 2006, and others. Karla HOmolka has been released from prison and I thought her crimes were horrendous. While the author does provide a great deal amount of time analyzing those, I felt that the Manson girls who have been rejected for parole repeatedly are villified beyond redemption and will never be released in the first place despite the fact that they have all changed behind prison. I don't think of the Manson girls as serial killers much less as followers as Manson much like the girls who went on sprees with their husbands, lovers, partners, etc. I'm still reading the book slowly to absorb the knowledge. I study true crime but I have no aspiration to do any harm to anybody else. This book is good but not excellent, I would have liked the author to have analyzed Santee Kimes.

The issue of feminism is only a very small part of this book: a few pages in a couple of chapters from nearly 500 pages of everything else about female serial killers! A fascinating, compelling and heavily researched study of the history, psychology, culture and sociology of female serial killers, along with some detailed case histories to back it up. The book is an excellent companion to his book on males--Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters. What I enjoy most about his books are the case studies which provide much more detailed descriptions than other general books on serial murder. There are about twenty extensive accounts of various types of female serial killers many of which go way beyond the short encyclopedic treatments so often published. I also like the way the author structures his books into several parts: history, psychology, and then case studies. You do not need to read the book from beginning to end, but can often open it at any chapter, reading it in almost any order, like a magazine. His books are more like a collection of complete articles and case studies, linked together by the common theme of serial homicide. Read together they paint a big picture of female predators. Like a smart True Detective magazine - a 'vanity fair' of true crime, women and serial homicide. Very enjoyable and readable style with a subtle edge of black humor behind it. Maybe the best new stuff written on Charlie Manson and his girls. And his take on Aileen Wuornos made me cry: it was heart-breaking true to her--a shot right between her angels and the devil. Bright new talented true crime author and a scholar too. Frightening no punches-pulled accounts of sequential female predatory aggression in all its many lipstick shades.

Informative with a lot of interesting pictures,

Jack the Ripper continues to taunt us over 100 years after his murder spree. Theories come and go, but if you're looking for THE reference book on the Ripper, order Philip Sudgens book.

Informative with a lot of interesting pictures, This is the first book for me about "Jack the Ripper" and I will really recommend this book. Great and easy reading,

I liked the photos, some of the murder sites no longer exist today, so it was neat to see the sites of the murders. The text was interesting, but the high point of this book for me was the photographs.

For a book that touted the fact it would be full of interesting pictures, the promised photos weren't that prominent! Don't get me wrong--there are a lot of interesting images--but I expected them to be larger, with more direct commentary ... a focus on the images, the photos, and their connection to the history.

Instead, the book reads like a typical JtR book, with a lot more illustrations. Trow makes a few good points, though, and the last chapter is really, really interesting. Worth reading, but don't expect too much on the picture front.

I returned this book because this is not historical but fantasy. and I believe it should be listed as such. When you want to read historical novels, don't put fantasy in them

Based on the glowing reviews I bought this book. I found the narrative choppy with very little character development. Yes, you do get some flavor for historic Roman life but the plot is very thin. For the first 75 pages it went virtually no where. The central character who narrates the story uses almost a short hand style --I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for action and adventure. Sorry this is a miss.

Anyone who likes historical novels, especially ones based in Roman times, will have his plate full with The Severan Prophecies. This book has perfect voice and pitch. The main character, Marcellus, is as believable a Roman as he is an action hero and mentor. The incredible gyrations of the characters and plot are to my knowledge all based in fact. The rule of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was probably the wildest in Roman history. The main figures in the Severan Dynasty are all present, including a full cast of powerful women who manipulate feverishly behind the scene. Sex, intrigue, full-scale battles, and some inventive methods of dying, can be found in every chapter. You can put the book down, but only because you know there will be more good things to come.

If you'd like to read a historical novel about the Rome Empire that is the strangest of all things--very well written while crammed with action large and small, sex of every kind, mysterious murders, and many turns of high level intrigue--try The Severan Prophecies. It never quits and the ways it never quits are almost endless. A great read and a very fine novel.

THE SEVERAN PROPHECIES by David Chacko is billed as "... it's not your mother's Roman historical novel."
Well, I concur, for it's also a keen study of brainwashing, indoctrination, innocence trampled upon and corrupted in cold-blood with wide-reaching, tragic results. In addition, it is informative and entertaining, appealing to both male and female readers. Chacko's writing style is fast, fluid, and robust. Once I began reading it, I found it hard to put down, in fact, I could not stop until 3.30 AM.
The action is chock-full of testosterone, battle scenes, political intrigues, unbridled sex, mysterious but bloody rituals, wile palace shenanigans, a close look into the competing religious cults (the Sun God, the Moon Goddess, and Christianity in its infancy) of the time, also a subtly told, tender love story, tested and strained loyalties, memorable characters such as the Druid seer called Blue Man who sets the tone of the tale in its opening pages, and so much more.
Once you open the pages of this novel, be ready to lose yourself in David Chacko's dynamic Roman world.
The narrator of the tale, Marcellus Decimus, is a crusty Roman, intelligent, brave and loyal, a hero worthy of rooting for.
Young Varius, of the Severan dynasty, who at the tender age of fourteen takes on the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and becomes the Emperor of the World, is a sympathetic character. He is a bright, tender-hearted, handsome young boy, who starts out with great promise but is manipulated and corrupted mercilessly not only by sycophants but by his nearest and dearest for their own agenda. I found his devotion to his One God believably told and was touched by it. His descent into gender confusion with results that destroyed so many lives, was believable as well, and haunting.

THE SEVERAN PROPHECIES is a satisfying, five-star read. Especially if you like novels that offer more than entertainment, but are educative as well as thought-provoking. David Chacko will not disappoint you.

The book was a fun read, and I guessed the means long before it was revealed, because it was in fact the "means" used in the Dorothy Sayers classic, The Nine Tailors. In the Sayers novel, the "murder by sound" was unintentional, but appears to have caused the same cadavaric spasms. I kept waiting for Poppy to bring up Sayers' use of that method.

I got this book because I had just been down in the RI/CT area and the premise sounded interesting. In fact, the plot was interesting, the concepts were good and the method of murder something I have never heard of in real life or in books so that was intriguing. The writing style is not that great, conversations are sometimes hard to follow and some scenes seem repetitive and the pace could have been picked up. Also the heroine is imbued with too much goodness : the "native Block Islanders" are described as keeping to themselves yet they take to her immediately? And can she really cure an alcoholic by meeting him??
All in all the author has great ideas and shows great promise but needs a better editor.

Apparently for a "reviewer" here, there is some confusion about what a novel is and what fiction is. Speaking as a novelist whose novels are all set in real places (where else should they be set? Anytown, USA? An imaginary generic Eastern European village? The planet Zurgle?), I can say that SHE'S NOT THERE is a wonderful work of fiction for many reasons, and one of them is, in fact, the way the setting embraces the plot. Lively, imagnative, witty, suspenseful -- this is one of Smith's best. I can't wait for her forthcoming Poppy Rice novel next month!

Let me mention upfront that I live on Block Island. Not a native, but I moved here and live on the Island year round. I got the book because of the nature of it's setting, not the storyline or the author.
I found the book slow without a "hook" to keep my interest. The storyline is unimaginative. The "real" story, it seems, is the Island and island live and characters. To that end the author goes to great pains to write as if she actually knew anything about the island. However, beyond some topographical knowledge, she has none. Indeed, she completely distorts the live and people here. To be sure, we actually have a complete police department, Police Chief and all. Moreover they do live in nice homes, not broken down lean-tos. As for the "rich" natives riding in customized, fancy cars, I have never seen a single one. These are just a few examples of many.
Now don't get me wrong, I believe very much in "poetic license" but not under the cloak of personal, intimate knowledge of a place and people. Clearly, as the previous reviews show, the author dupes readers with her alleged knowledge when in reality there is none. In an interview to our local paper she explained this complete lack of local knowledge and distortion by calling her work "fiction". I would accept her rational, had she desribed a "fictional" place. Instead the author has gone through all her pains of picking a real place, seemingly describing this real place and people who live here.
So - if you like slow, unimaginative stories about a real location distorted by ignorance, this one's for you.

Block Island is the perfect place for FBI agent Poppy Rice to recuperate--along with her lover, ATF agent Joe Barnow. Admittedly, the law on Block Island is comprised of one aging Constable and an alcoholic state trooper, but that's all right. There was never any crime on Block Island. At least there wasn't until Poppy almost runs over the body of an overweight teenage girl twisted and tortured in death.

A con man has opened a camp for overweight girls on Block Island and someone is targetting the girls. Joe goes into retreat, unwilling to accept the possibility that his island harbors a serpent in its heart, so it's up to Poppy, along with alcoholic Fitzy, to get to the bottom of the case. Bumbling officials in Rhode Island and in the Center for Disease Control end up making things more difficult for Poppy.

Author Mary-Ann Tirone Smith writes a compelling page turner. Her descriptions of the people of this north-eastern island are convincing and three-dimensional. Poppy is sympathetic and smart, without being superwoman. I especially enjoyed the character of Fitzy--a hugely damaged individual who battles himself and his own fears.