Serial Murder Books

MARDI GRAS MURDERS is a murder mystery that offers some modest entertainment and suspense. Set in Australia, and staring an aging unemployed opera queen, and his totally self-impressed friend, the mystery surrounds 2 seemingly unrelated, but somehow related, murders. Huh?...Yep...The plot line is liberally doused with opera trivia (so totally `50's and foo-foo ya' know?), some passable banter, and a political agenda which never is clearly, at least for this reader, defined. The outcome is totally predictable and hardly worth the effort. I was somewhat disappointed with this book, but not everything one reads is going to be stellar. If you have run out of things to read, this is an option, but do not place this book ahead of anything you find even marginally more interesting.

This is the first of Scott's books I've read, and I enjoyed it. Marc is asked to teach an adult education course after the original lecturer is killed in what might be a gay hate crime, and out of guilt and curiosity he does some brief investigation.

Then Paul becomes a minor media star, and Marc signs on as his personal assistant/minder. When another gay man is murdered, this dynamic duo undertake their investigations in earnest. I enjoyed the Australian background and found the two sleuths to be fun and believable.

Neil Plakcy, author of Mahu Surfer: A Hawaiian Mystery (An Alyson Mystery)

I love Marc and Paul! It's a few years since I read the three books in the Marc and Paul series, and even longer since I wrote them.
The world has changed since then: everything subtly altered after 9/11 and the casual, camp world that Marc and Paul inhabit seems to be no more, certainly not as it was. The climate of fear produced by terrorism and the hype surrounding it in some perverse way seems to have set back general acceptance and tolerance of us. I have no idea why; blame it on chaos theory! I seem to have been weirdly prescient in Mardi Gras Murders (originally published as Get Over It! in Australia in 2000)- I predicted a sharp swing to the right and the revival of "acceptable homophobia". Where I was wrong, though, was imagining a surge of grass-roots activism to counter it. There has been nothing of the kind. (Yet! It may come as circumstances worsen and rights disappear.) Instead we in the gay community, if you can still call it that, have gone about our trivial business, doing our best imitation of pre-WW2 Germany: "nothing's happening and if you don't look you won't see it."
These books are funny: I was pleasantly surprised at how much trouble I'd gone to in order to get laughs. Laughter is a pretty good political tool and still "the best medicine". I think you'd like Mardi Gras Murders. If only out of sound business practice, I give it 5 stars.

In the third of the "Mark & Paul" mysteries to be released in the states by Alyson (All were previously released in Australia), Phillip Scott takes a decidedly political bent in having his characters involved in protesting proposed anti-gay laws while investigating what appears to be the work of a serial killer preying on gay men. Mark, a fifty-something retired teacher, is drafted the be the personal assistant to Paul, his flamboyant younger friend, who lucks into a position as a "lifestyle" commentator on a tabloid TV show. When one of the support people on the show, who had previously dated Paul, becomes a victim of the killer, he and Mark investigate the possible connections between the victims, which takes them from Sydney to a smaller town as well as to a meeting of the local S&M play group! Lots of dry comedy mixed in with a decent mystery plot, as is usual in Scott's entertaining books.

This is a rather predictable mystery novel that benefits from an interesting premise. The mystery is mixed with solid historical fiction concerning the enduring enigma of Jack the Ripper, in the London of 1888. Fans of unsolved mysteries in history can have fun with this premise, remembering the fact that Bloch advances a culprit out of his own sense of writing a fun novel. However, one of the reasons that the Jack the Ripper story remains so fascinating with enthusiasts is the cover-up angle, as many investigators (in many non-fiction books) suspect a person of high standing in British society who benefited from a cover-up. In Bloch's story here, the conspiracy angle is examined but the perpetrator turns out to be someone far less interesting. Also, the motive (the key to any strong mystery story) is weak and under-explored. Add to that Bloch's very formulaic construction of the story, as if he was working straight from a "How to Write a Mystery" manual, along with completely unnecessary cameos by historical personages like Arthur Conan Doyle and the Elephant Man. This treatment of the Jack the Ripper legend is a fun read but is not an especially strong example of the mystery genre. [~doomsdayer520~]

Working from the facts of the Whitechapel murders, Robert Bloch takes on Jack the Ripper in The Night of the Ripper and proposes a novel, logical, yet highly imaginative solution to the crimes. This is pure fiction, so one should not think that Bloch proposes a reasonable theory behind the Ripper murders and the identity of Saucy Jack. A number of entirely fictitious characters find themselves at the heart of this tale of murder. Mark Robinson, a young American doctor working at London Hospital, becomes the centerpiece of the action, working in conjunction with Inspector Abberline to find a solution to the horrific crimes sending London into fits of panic. Eva Sloane, a young nurse at the hospital, catches his eye early on and becomes the object of his unrequited affections and concern. With several of the doctors at the hospital initially considered suspects of a sort, particularly the eccentric Dr. Hume who seems to enjoy his surgical work just a little too much, Robinson adopts the role of Eva's protector, but this aspect of the story could have been much better incorporated into the larger picture of the murders. While this novel failed to win me over completely, I must say that the ending, highly imaginative as it is, does provide a surprise or two and in its way manages to explain some of the discrepancies in the Ripper evidence, particularly that surrounding the most brutal slaughter of Mary Jane Kelly. One interesting touch that I did like was Bloch's means of introducing each chapter; working his way through history, he gives short descriptions of some of mankind's most brutal and horrifying activities.

It may well be that someone unfamiliar with the details of the Ripper murders would enjoy this novel more than I did. Being an armchair Ripperologist myself, the true facts of the actual murders in this novel fail to shock or horrify me; rather, I tend to dwell on the facts that Bloch left out and the general incompleteness of the facts he chose to play with. Bloch also chose to mention all manner of past theories over the course of the novel without attempting to explain the real significance (or impossibility) of some of them. Also, I can't say I care for the insertion of such well-known characters as Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, and John Merrick (the Elephant Man) into the narrative. These characters serve no purpose at all in this novel beyond making it more sensational; each of them makes a brief, wholly unimportant appearance and is then forgotten. As talented a writer as Bloch was, I can't imagine why he would resort to such needless sensationalism. The main problem I have with the novel is in fact the shallowness of all the characters. These characters never come alive; for the most part, we merely watch them come and go like puppets controlled by the author. The presentation of such historical individuals as Inspector Abberline, Sir William Gull, and Sir Charles Warren is superficial and more misleading than insightful. Abberline remains quite inscrutable, although Bloch chooses to repeat ad nauseum the conditions of the poor man's troublesome stomach.

Only a certain breed of author would attempt a fictionalized explication of Jack the Ripper's crimes. Bloch was certainly one of that rare breed, but I believe his fictional engine was not clicking on all cylinders as he wrote The Night of the Ripper. His determination to bring in some of the actual facts of the murders, give lip service to all manner of Ripper theories, and insert a number of famous men having little or no connection to the crimes seemed to distract him from the more important issue of character development; that deficiency makes this novel a superficial read that fails to impress this reader.

For anyone who loves mysteries, this book is for you.
For anyone who loves Rober Bloch, this book is for you,
For anyone who is fascinated by the Jack the Ripper murders this book is your bible.
Bloch is one of the best writers out there today and he weaves a giant web of mystery and suspense that keeps the reader turning the pages. This is one of those books that grabs you and holds in in place until you turn the final page. You can't put it down. Soon, as the story deepens you find yourself sweating and biting your nails. With each turn of a page you tell yourself you don't want to know what happens next, that you want to put the book down and stop reading. This possibility, of course, is impossible. Whether you like it or not you are along for the ride with no exits.
If you're looking for a page-turner sure to give you goosebumps this is the book for you. You won't regret reading it.

The short stories Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper and A Toy for Juliette, as well as the Star Trek episode Wolf in the Fold show just how fascinated legendary writer Robert Bloch had been with the Whitechapel serial killer. This 1984 novel poses an original idea for who the killer may have been and why the crimes were committed. Bloch's voluminous knowledge not only of the crimes themselves but of the Victorian Era makes the novel worthy of repeated readings. A very good book from a great writer. Highly recommended.

I read the first two pages and it became a wall banger. Totally incomprehensible. YUCK

the journey the author has mapped out for his readers. Like the characters in this novel, I also fell prey to the winding ways of Mancanzano that lead to the darkest corners of human nature. I can't wait to read what James Sturz has planned for us next.

The narrator, one of four research scientists to arrive at Mancanzano, Italy to study the prehistoric frescoes found in the nearby caves, writes a letter to his pregnant New York girlfriend relating events here. However, intruding on the scientific efforts is two dead naked teenagers just beneath the drawings. Their mouths are filled with the mystically medicinal grounded form of tufa that seems to be everywhere.

As they carefully work with the frescoes, the quartet finds more pictures this time of bleeding cherubim alongside dead naked people, but soon more teens die in the caves. As the narrator learns more about the local legends and history of Mancanzano, he falls into a local darkness that teeters on the insane. He adds to his perplexity when he begins a heated affair with a member of the "asylum". When their passion cools, they squabble until she is found dead and he is accused of her homicide.

SASSO is at its best when it focuses on the irony of the lofty narrator being sucked into the mystical mayhem and insanity of the locals. When the story line tries to turn into a philosopher's stone, it bogs down as "tufa" ostentatious. James Sturz shows he has a tremendous gift especially providing a murder mystery with a touch of the mystic and plenty of the absurd, but SASSO, though entertaining and darkly humorous, tries to be too much when it turns reflectively intellectual. Still this reviewer looks forward to more works from Mr. Sturz, an obvious talent.

Harriet Klausner

Sasso is one of the strangest and most interesting books I've read in a long while. It's part thriller, part murder mystery, part love story, part anthropological study of the closed-in world of southern Italy - and then it's not any of those, either. What Sasso is is an astonishing tale of the deepest dark spaces inside of us all. The ones that will always be "unfathomable." I found Sasso funny, dark, thrilling, full of textures, atmosphere and sweltering heat. The book keeps catching my attention, as much as it catches my breath.

Pat Barker's earlier work impresses the reader with the same fearless vision that brought her fame with "The Regeneration Trilogy." Her compassion, and respect, for the tough lives of the British working class never flags. She sees her characters, whether they are admirable or not, as complex people with challenges in life that would make most of us shake our heads and give up. But they don't give up, they persevere to do the best they can for one another and especially for their children. Her honest writing drives right through the depressing aspects of their lives, not avoiding them for a moment, and comes out on the other side with real understanding and admiration for the human spirit they embody. I have now read all of her work to day, and continue to count her among my most admired living writers.

'Blow your house down' by the wonderful Pat Barker, handles working class, northern women in such a non-judgemental, fragile fashion, it is ever so difficult to perhaps judge them from your own point of view. Rather than portray these women, as sad, desperate and dirty, Pat barker has written about strong, determined, inderpendant working mothers, lovers and friends. 'Blow your house down' recognises the dreary, miserable, mangled environment these women are forced to work in as a result of their own situations, which life has left them in.

The main story line tells us of a murderer who kills one of the prostitutes. It establishes the fact that no matter how much danger is lurking in and out of these women's lives, they still carry on working the streets, earning their living. Still haunted by their friends murder, they don't reject their own lives- they risk them.

A truly good, honest and disturbing read from one of my favourites.

very interesting novel which explores the living standards of middle class women. I found the life of each woman very exciting. I am studying this novel as part of my coursework and would be happy to hear anybodys view on this book

Pat Barker's _Union Street_ and _Blow Your House Down_ are hard-hitting, gritty novels about the lives of working-class women in northeast England (_Union Street_) and prostitutes living in fear of a serial prostitute murderer (_Blow Your House Down_). These novels are not for anyone already taking Prozac; _Union Street_ in particular is unrelentingly depressing, with rape, physical abuse, unwanted pregnancies, and other unpleasantness. Both novels contain scenes that are deeply, shockingly horrible.

So why read these two novels? Barker skillfully makes the lives of these women come alive for the reader: the tedium of their jobs, all the sensory attributes of their homes, the nature of their relationships with their husbands, boyfriends, children, and women friends. She allows us to look in at defining moments in these women's lives: moments that shape their lives, moments where they are forced to make choices, moments where they come to terms with their circumstances.

Neither of these novels are exactly what you'd call fun reads, but they are thought-provoking, absorbing, well-achieved, and memorable. I prefer _Blow Your House Down_ to _Union Street_, perhaps because it is a bit more unified. The accumulation of different horrible circumstances in _Union Street_ can be a bit overwhelming. Both books impress you with these women's ability to survive despite extraordinary hardships, but neither book ever waltzes into the potentially mawkish territory of triumph over circumstances. These women are survivors, not victors.
Pat Barker is one of the greatest contemporary British writers. If you are a fan of her better-known later work, I recommend this volume.

And doesn't amount to a whole helluva lot. Style over substance. Don't bother.

Characters that live and breathe, a unique concept, a real page turner, but with depth. This is what T.M. Wright's known for, and he gives all this to us in spades with The Ascending.

What more can I say?

My one line summary says it all

fyi s. blake is pen name of science fiction writer
gregory benford.

I enjoyed this book written by an author that I had never heard of before. It surprised me that I hadn't heard about anything of his before. A very well written book and very suspenseful. The characters were very real. It was also a very interesting story I've never read anything like it before.

I have to admit I really did enjoy this book.Blake really coveys this cold hearted apocalyptic god worshiping psycho killer.I Developed a true dislike to this character simply named 'George'.For all of you murder mystery fans this isn't the book for you.But for people who like a big heaping mouthful of suspense-you should read this book.Blake has a nack for putting you write there in the action as he writes from the point of view of all four characters

This is the second book of Grimwood's Arabesk series. Do not read this if you have not read the first one, "Pashazade." While it may be theoretically possible to understand everything that has gone on and the relationships between the characters from just this book, I wouldn't recommend trying it.

Ashraf Bey is an unlikely man to whom unlikely things happen. He acts as a political wildcard and detective in the slightly alternate future version of Alexandria, here called El Iskandriya. His relationships with his nine year old niece Hani and Zara, the beautiful daughter of a gangster industrialist, are complex to say the least.

This book fleshes out more of the relationships and backgrounds of the major characters, while also obliquely illuminating the political situation that Iskandriya finds itself in. We learn little more about Asraf's background, but more about how he chooses to act now.

The best thing about these books is the air of the exotic and the illustration of a place very, very different from our own, even if the time is very close to ours. This is especially true in the way that Grimwood depicts the reality of child "warriors" in the armies that fight the wars in Africa. He gives us an up close and personal portrayal of the kind of life these conscripted children lead, and it is sobering.

This is not a light book. The plot is confusing and sometimes it seems that there is much, much more going on behind the scenes than Grimwood chooses to show us. However, the characters and the setting are definite strengths and keep one hooked throughout the entire novel. I recommend this, assuming you have read the first book, and I look forward myself to reading the final book in the trilogy, "Felaheen."

His Excellency Pashazade Ashraf "Raf" Bey has been selected as the detective chief of El Iskandryia at a time when the Ottoman Empire is divided between religious fundaments and secular nationalists. However, Bey tries not to concern himself at the moment with extremists from either side though he knows not to ignore danger that might follow from zealots. Instead his focus is a brutal serial killer who mutilates his victims.

Clues point towards businessman Hamzah, owner of Hamzah Enterprises. Complicating the case for Raf is that he falling in love with Zara, the daughter of his prime suspect starting from the moment she gave a coat to his ward Hani. However, while struggling with an investigation that increasingly looks like he will arrest the man who he would like as his father-in-law, Raf also must deal with assassinations, explosions and abductions terrorizing the residents of El Isk.

EFFENDI, the sequel to the delightful police procedural PASHAZADE is quite different in plot design as the who-done-it shares billing with terrorism and political and religious intrigue. The key to why this novel and its predecessor are worth reading lies in Jon Courtenay Grimwood's ability to paint a realistic futurist alternate universe in which the Ottoman Empire is the superpower as it has been for centuries. Raf is a terrific protagonist struggling with his personal life interacting negatively on his official duties. With cross genre appeal, EFFENDI is a strong work of speculative fiction.

Harriet Klausner

It is a world where no one blinks if the Chief of Detectives does drugs in public. It is a world where children are engaged in guerilla warfare. It is a world where America doesn't pull all the strings. It is a world that is like a hall of mirrors; a fun house without the fun; a carnival where the roller coaster drops endlessly down, down, down. Grimwood lets the reader into this world one step at a time, with blinders on. Facts are revealed slowly, and sometimes out of sequence, creating an off-kilter feeling. I've never read anything quite like it.

Chief of Detectives, Ashraf Bey, finds that his knowledge of both sides of the law is essential to performing his duties. His unorthodox methods of crime solving and his personal habits are a source of amused consternation for his superior, General Pasha. Pasha tells him, "...as Chief you have three main problems. The first is personal. The way life works is public virtue, private vice. You keep doing it the wrong way round." Even the corrupt General recognizes the way things should work; even if he, too, fails to follow the law.

Bey's one anchor, and my favorite character in this otherwise dark world, is his niece, Hani. Her sense of humor allows us to see another side of Ashraf Bey. Precocious, intelligent and clairvoyant Hani assists her Uncle in surprising ways as he works to discover who is murdering female tourists.

Although this book is the second in a series, it is easily read as a stand alone book. While not to my taste, this novel is well crafted and is recommended for anyone who likes cyberpunk, speculative fiction or alternative histories.

She's a bit repetative, uses the same two families as examples of what is going on in cuidad juarez (as seen in documentaries). She fails to keep me wanting to learn more about the topic.

Nunca me imaginé que esto estuviera sucediendo en Ciudad Juárez y que según muchos estadounidenses persiguen y discriminan a los mejicanos así mismo deben hacer para así poder dar con los criminales que estan causando tanto dolor a muchas familias

A lo largo de todo el libro, la autora trata muy bien la problematica de ciudad Juarez. Un libro muy interesante.

Rei Mikamoto, Reiko the Zombie Shop, vol. 5 (Dark Horse, 2006)

I have to admit to being somewhat amazed. Of the manga series I'm currently reading, Reiko the Zombie Shop, despite the fact that the subject matter was almost tailor-made for me, has been my least favorite of the bunch; loose, episodic, with little justification for the extreme gore--the manga equivalent of an American big-budget brainless horror film. Volume 5 may be changing that, as it looks like Mikamoto's actually working on setting up a major story arc here.

After learning that her sister didn't actually die in their confrontation, Reiko transfers to Cross High School to get close. Problem is, big sis isn't the only thing in the town of Cross that's gone horribly, horribly wrong--the two of them, along with a number of the town's other residents, are being stalked by the mysterious Star Collector.

It finally seems as if the series is getting meaty enough to sink one's teeth into and hold on for a while. This is the first time I've ever been impatient for the next volume of Reiko. *** ½

After repeated bullying, the newly awakened Midori Yurikawa killed the daughter of the very doctor that has been taking care of her since she came out of her coma. A coma brought about by her sister, the infamous Saki, who now serves as one of Reiko's combat zombies. Reiko doesn't really want to kill Midori. In fact, she finds herself sympathizing more and more with the girl. Reiko too was victimized by an older sister as she was growing up and she could have very easily turned out like Midori but for her own inner strength. Not everybody has the will to stand up to repeated abuse and still be normal mentally. Not that Reiko is exactly normal, seeing as how her head is stapled onto the dead body of one of her former friends! Speaking of her sister, Riruka is back in action and is recruiting a new zombie army to bring her vision of a world ruled by the undead with her as queen to life.

Grotesque as most of Reiko the Zombie Shop is, Rei Mikamoto has always found a little time for some human pathos along the way. In this volume it's all about the effects of familial abuse and the effects it can have on a person's life. Was Midori doomed to be a killer simply by the fact that she shared blood with Saki? Mikamoto's view on this is "NO" since Reiko has turned out the opposite of Riruka. This manga never quite falls into predictibility and comes up with one or two shocking moments each volume that keep your interest and keep you loving each book. The art is beautiful and clean, even though it focuses on bust sizes too much at times. Get ready for dark adventure.

If there's one thing Reiko the Zombie Shop never fails to deliver, it's the shocking plot twists. While volume 4 ended with Midori Yurikawa on the loose as a psychologically unstable rage-infused serial killer, the first part of volume 5 briefly focuses on that. From there on, it builds with Reiko pursuing the younger sister of Saki and the events that unfold as a result is shocking enough to drop jaws for a few seconds. The second half of the volume focuses on Reiko's transfer to a different school called the St. Cross. There, she meets fellow summoners (including Gohjin Iwata) and encounters a new dilemma. Two antagonists named Shiroko and Hakuei (siblings) are turning people into irregular super zombies in order to expand the army of Riruka. However, the real problem doesn't lie there. There's a third-party threat named Star Collector who has the ability to take other summoners' stars and abilities. What happens next is just as entertaining as the first two volumes of this gore-bloated series. Of course, the ending is an unbelievable cliffhanger that rivals the first volume. This is a must-read for Reiko fans and B-Movie horror fans in general.

I had been waiting to read this book for quite some time and finally got the chance this past week. While I won't go into a lengthy critique of the story and analyze the characters I will say that this is definitely a page-turning read. At certain times it is preferable that the reader not have a weak stomach however I don't imagine one who would be drawn to a book about a supposed serial killer if they did not have a high tolerance for disturbing situations. All in all this book was definitely worth my time and effort. Granted it plays off as more of a quick summary but it does get the point across, though I can't help feeling short changed somehow. Perhaps as a reader I wanted more closure. I'm sure others feel the same way. Regardless though, I recommend it.

I read Earle's previous "Final Truth" about Donald Gaskins. That book, like this one, was an interesting read, but I have the same problem with both: are we really reading true "confessions" of serial killers here, or just the jumbled fantasies of a couple of psychopaths. Gaskins claimed to have killed over 100 people, but there was little proof, just Gaskins' word, and his over-riding ambition was to make a name for himself before his execution. With this book there is less of a record than Gaskins'. Young Wager is raped and abused by her father, falls in with another abused girl who practices some sort of country bumpkin witchcraft, her gay brother and a local boy. They use drugs heavily, roll and sometimes kill randy old men and in general seem like characters out of a Dennis Cooper book. Wager personally kills several people before the end of the story, and witnesses some rather horrific torture-killing perpetrated by others (shades of Donald Gaskins' "coastal kills"?). If Earle was disgusted by Gaskins, he seems to admire Wager, despite it being obvious she is a sadist who could very well be killing to this day (the book seem to slyly suggest this possibility). But is it true? There's no public record of anything dealing with this case, and some of the incidents are rather far-fetched (a tiny 13 year old girl weilding a shotgun?). The book seems more concerned with describing underaged lesbian sex, bowel movements (or lack thereof) and torture than anything else. It has its moments: the whole "Evil Holding" motif is pretty bizarre and fascinating, but the overall effect is dubious.

This was a pretty disturbing read. I was of course glad to see the ending, with who died in the end. I felt they deserved it quite frankly. But I was still very shocked to see how she openly admitted the other stuff which she should've been punished for. Of course at her age, I don't think she would've done anymore than three years extra.

What this girl and her friend endured was one of the worst stories I've ever heard, and I feel very sorry for them both. Seeing how young they are though which couldn't be more than 25 or 26 give or take a few years I can't but believe they'll kill again sooner or later. I can't see how she didn't do what she did. I would've been very interested to know her grandparents complete background on both sides even though it wouldn't be possible.

The world is a cruel place, sooner or later someone will push the right buttons and people like this will kill again. There's just too much show of violence at such an early age, some unprovoked. The activities that she's involved in now will just help speed up this. (Witchcraft and other nonsense, sorry just my opinion. I'm don't mean to judge) I think her friend is much more dangerous and disturbed, and she's more guilty in many ways too with her age and her whacked out views on reality.

I'm sorry to not show sympathy if that's how it seems. I know she went through ALOT. I would've even liked to have seen her grandfather get his as well for his attitude. But that doesn't make it right. Charles Manson, and many others were treated like animals at a very early age, you still can't release them in public like that.

Like I said, I just can't help but think she won't kill again. There's far too much time for her to act out. She's beat the system too often and it probably made her feel more superior. It'll be interesting to see if anything ever happens again from this case, if we get know about it that is. Since everything is totally confidential I don't know what we'd hear but that's very bizarre with the other murders she committed with the other friends of hers. Maybe there will be a sequel. I hope she'll do ok, but I doubt it.