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Archive > Can you recommend any good murderer/serial killer books :)

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message 1: by Kirsty (new)

Kirsty Stevens | 4 comments Hiya everyone i waa wondering if any of you could recommend any good books regarding murderers or serial killers any help would be much appreciated thankyou :) i always welcome new friends aswell x


message 2: by Chris (new)

Chris (bibliophile85) | 30 comments I know this may sound like a downright morbid question, but is there any one killer or aspect of their crimes you have a particular interest in? I ask because I can literally think of dozens of books to recommend you, but I don't want to post one giant list for you to sift through lol.


message 3: by David (new)

David Tamarin (davidltamarin) | 6 comments The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule about Ted Bundy is a classic. Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked by Graysmith are excellent. If you want to read something by an actual serial killer, try Killer Fiction by Schaeffer. Any book by Harold Schecther is worth reading. Vronsky's Female Serial Killers is fascinating, and finally the biased but classic Helter Skelter by Bugliosi. John Douglas has written some excellent books on profiling,as has Ressler.


message 4: by Daniel (new)

Daniel | 1 comments The Night Stalker was really terrifying. I could not put it down. As a kid living in southern california I remember how afraid i was that he would come to my house.


message 5: by Hannah (last edited Dec 10, 2012 12:05PM) (new)

Hannah | 2 comments Im am enjoying the book Terrified by Kevin O' Brien.


message 6: by Katy (last edited Jan 22, 2013 04:25AM) (new)

Katy (katykat2662) I think The Riverman is a good serial book, if you don't mind a majority of it being about Ted Bundy. But the information and confessions are chilling. I would also recommend The Stranger Beside Me (anything Ann Rule for the most part) and for sure Helter Skelter about the Manson murders.


message 7: by Sonny (new)

Sonny Long (SonnyLong) | 12 comments Naturally, I am going to recommend my own book, Among Murderers and Madness. I was a reporter in a small East Texas Town when a family of three was found murdered and followed the case for nearly 20 year before someone finally went to jail. There are lots of twists and turns. The correspondence from prison with a couple of main players is exclusive to the book. It's available on Amazon, CreateSpace and for the Kindle. Thanks.


message 8: by Caitlin (new)

Caitlin Rother (caitlinrother) | 8 comments Hi Kirsty, I wanted to jump in and introduce myself. I've written a couple books about serial killers, BODY PARTS and LOST GIRLS. Both killers are serial rapists as well, and addiction and mental illness play a role in both cases, which take place in California. The killers are Wayne Adam Ford, who turned himself in with one of his victims' breasts in his pocket. The other is John Gardner, who killed two teenage girls, Amber Dubois and Chelsea King, the latter of whom was the impetus for Chelsea's Law. I hope that helps!
Best regards and happy holidays, Caitlin Rother



message 9: by Steve (new)

Steve Miller (goodreadscomavalanche50) | 2 comments I have to suggest Nobody's Women: The Crimes and Victims of Anthony Sowell, the Cleveland Serial Killer. Really hard book to write but it came out well. Another one on the same guy is House of Horrors: The Shocking True Story of Anthony Sowell, the Cleveland Strangler. Creepy dude, both of us dealt with Sowell himself while writing the books.



message 10: by Sonny (new)

Sonny Long (SonnyLong) | 12 comments OK...don't take my word for it:




message 11: by Chris (new)

Chris (bibliophile85) | 30 comments Can't we just recommend some good books rather than shamelessly whoring our own ad-naseum?

*rolls eyes*


message 12: by Lady � Belleza, Gif Princesa (new)

Lady ♥ Belleza (bella_foxx) | 3704 comments Mod
Caitlin wrote: "Hi Kirsty, I wanted to jump in and introduce myself. I've written a couple books about serial killers, BODY PARTS and LOST GIRLS. Both killers are serial rapists as well, and addiction and mental i..."

I can also recommend LOST GIRLS. I haven't read BODY PARTS but LOST GIRLS is good.


message 13: by Alex (new)

Alex | 1 comments I received gift cards to go buy myself a new book. I was thinking of picking up Final Truth: Autobiography of a Serial Killer. Has anyone read this? And do you recommend it?


message 14: by Fishface (last edited May 22, 2016 01:46PM) (new)

Fishface | 18438 comments Alex wrote: "I received gift cards to go buy myself a new book. I was thinking of picking up Final Truth: Autobiography of a Serial Killer. Has anyone read this? And do you recommend it?"

I've read it, and you should only try this one if you're a member of what Manny Rosen from The Poseidon Adventure would call the Strong Stomach Club. There are acts of cruelty in there even I never dreamed of. Just thinking about it makes me feel a little sick.


message 15: by Lady � Belleza, Gif Princesa (new)

Lady ♥ Belleza (bella_foxx) | 3704 comments Mod
here's a link to an old thread asking the same questions. More answers on this one: Can you recommend any good murderer/serial killer books :)


message 16: by Alex (new)

Alex Smooth Talker: Trail of Death This one is written by Steve Jackson, who is a NYT best selling author!


message 17: by MrsPyramidhead (new)

MrsPyramidhead | 5 comments I, the Creation of a Serial Killer by Jack Olsen
The Night Stalker by Philip Carlo
Panzram A Journal of Murder by Thomas E. Gaddis
Die For Me by Don Lassater

These are a few I thought were really good.

I also agree w/ an earlier post that anything by Harold Schecter is worth reading.


message 19: by Shelley (last edited Sep 17, 2016 04:25PM) (new)

Shelley | 1225 comments Some of the ones I have read on specific serial killers that I rated either excellent or very good.

Bundy: The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History Not my favourite one but the best one if you read only one on Bundy. Covers it all.
Roger Kibbe: Trace Evidence: The Hunt for the I-5 Serial Killer
John Crutchley: The Vampire Next Door: The True Story of the Vampire Rapist
Tom Luther: Monster by Steve Jackson /book/show/1...
Joel Rifkin: From the Mouth of the Monster: The Joel Rifkin Story
Earle Nelson: The Dark Strangler: Earle Leonard Nelson
Kenneth Allen McDuff: Bad Boy from Rosebud
Randy Kraft: Angel of Darkness: The True Story of Randy Kraft and the Most Heinous Murder Spree
Carroll Edward “Eddie� Cole: Silent Rage: Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer
Keith Hunter Jesperson: I: The Creation of a Serial Killer
Richard Biegenwald: The Jersey Shore Thrill Killer: Richard Biegenwald
Michael Ross: The Man in the Monster: An Intimate Portrait of a Serial Killer
Gordon Stewart Northcott: The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders
Russell Williams: Camouflaged Killer: The Shocking Double Life of Canadian Air Force Colonel Russell Williams
Ed Kemper: Why: The Serial Killer In America
Cody Legebokoff: The Country Boy Killer: The True Story of Cody Legebokoff, Canada's Teenage Serial Killer
Israel Keyes: Devil in The Darkness: The True Story of Serial Killer Israel Keyes
Dennis Nilsen: Killing for Company: The Case of Dennis Nilsen
Larry Lee Smith: Similar Transactions: A True Story
Peter Kürten: The Sadist
Faryion Wardrip: Scream at the Sky: Five Texas Murders and One Man's Crusade for Justice


message 20: by Sue (new)

Sue Williams (goodreadscomcatfish95969) | 7 comments This isn't a new book but once you read it, it will stick with you forever, at least it has me.
It was written by Kate Millett. It is called: The Basement: Mediations on a Human Sacrifice.
A very true story. Some of the people that took part in the murder are probably still alive.
Amazon has Kindle copies and used hardbacks starting at about $0.01.


message 21: by Fishface (new)

Fishface | 18438 comments I have heard The Basement: Meditations on a Human Sacrifice: With a New Introduction is a novelized version of the story, is that true?


message 22: by Sue (last edited Dec 08, 2016 10:14AM) (new)

Sue Williams (goodreadscomcatfish95969) | 7 comments In the book I had it was what happened to a young girl that was left with neighbors while her parents went away to find jobs. Come to think of it, I don't think it was "novelized" because it contained trial transcripts and interviews with the people that caused her death. If there is a new book out I would like to read it. As I said, this case has stuck with me for years because of the inhumanity of the crime and the fact that none of the people involved in her death seemed to have any idea that what was happening was the cruelest kind of torture.
Many people gave it poor reviews. One of the reasons they gave was that it jumped around. One person didn't like it that Millet took time to talk about the perpetrators. I think it was important to know about them, what, if anything, was going on in their heads. Yes, the story does jump around somewhat but what was happening wasn't like honey flowing from a spoon. It was happening in little chunks. Millet wasn't trying to write a story, she was reporting on a horrible crime the way crime investigators do. Some reviewers thought she was "coo coo" but since you can look up actual reports about the crime, I don't think she was nuts.


message 23: by Fishface (new)

Fishface | 18438 comments Here is the whole Sylvia Likens bookshelf here at the TC group: /group/books...

The only really new books on the list are The Punishment Game and Sylvia. House of Evil is the updated edition of the original instant paperback that was written while the trial was still going on. That one is the oldest by far.


message 24: by [deleted user] (new)

Fishface wrote: "The best (IMHO) books on specific serial murderers:
Gacy: Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders
Reg Christie: 10 Rillington Place
Nilsen: [book:Killing for Company:..."


AWESOME LIST!


message 25: by Fishface (new)

Fishface | 18438 comments


message 26: by [deleted user] (new)

Fishface wrote: ""

LOL!


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