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Talking with Serial Killers: The Most Evil People in the World Tell Their Own Stories
An investigative criminologist, Christopher Berry-Dee is a man who talks to serial killers. Their pursuit of horror and violence is described in their own words, transcribed from audio and videotape interviews conducted deep inside some of the toughest prisons in the world. Berry-Dee describes the circumstances of his meetings with some of the world's most evil men and reproduces, verbatim, their very words as they describe their crimes and discuss their remorse -- or lack of it. This work offers a penetrating insight into the workings of the criminal mind.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2001
722 people are currently reading
7288 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Berry-Dee
75 books345 followersChris was a former Royal Marine intelligence officer. He is now a criminologist who has interviewed over 30 serial killers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 473 reviews
June 13, 2017
'talking with serial killers' my ass. more like 'incoherent rambling about serial killers while stroking my ego'.
it's full with grammatical errors, incomplete sentences and obvious errors like when talking about the calibre of bundy's gun. the author jumps between .22 and .25 in a matter of sentences, again and again.
also, he seems to be really proud of himself and his interviewing technique because the killers told him stuff that led to the closures of several open homicide cases. ok, that sounds really nice, so why wasn't there one interview in this book?! it was just the description of the killers' lives and murders and their conviction with a couple of quotes thrown into the mix.
if you spend years corresponding with those people and tape face to face interviews with them and then write a book about talking to those people then FOR FUCK'S SAKE TELL US WHAT THEY SAID!
also, why was defeo in there? definitely not a serial killer...
glad i bought it used but it still wasn't worth the two quid.
it's full with grammatical errors, incomplete sentences and obvious errors like when talking about the calibre of bundy's gun. the author jumps between .22 and .25 in a matter of sentences, again and again.
also, he seems to be really proud of himself and his interviewing technique because the killers told him stuff that led to the closures of several open homicide cases. ok, that sounds really nice, so why wasn't there one interview in this book?! it was just the description of the killers' lives and murders and their conviction with a couple of quotes thrown into the mix.
if you spend years corresponding with those people and tape face to face interviews with them and then write a book about talking to those people then FOR FUCK'S SAKE TELL US WHAT THEY SAID!
also, why was defeo in there? definitely not a serial killer...
glad i bought it used but it still wasn't worth the two quid.
June 5, 2018
For what amounts to basically the entire time I read this book, I was convinced that it was going to strike a two star rating from me. The writing is bombastic and there are more ways of referring to a serial killer using the word family of "monster" that I can count. The only reason I would recommend this book is if you want to read the words and statements which the criminals made to the author - that would be maybe 30 pages of the entire book. The rest, although giving factual information of the murders and the sentences that the killers got, is pretty bland and in no way a special or worthwhile read, even more so if you've read other, much better accounts from professionals. Or... like... the serial killers' Wikipedia pages.
I take issue with consistently referring to serial killers as monsters, the worst of the worst, the lowest of the low and others as such. While I do believe that they are severely mentally ill human beings who have done almost unspeakable things to their own kind, and that they deserve every second of prison time they get, persistently using language of this type ends up sounding monotonous, empty and devoid of any weight. I will say this again - for anyone who thinks I'm excusing them - once an individual progresses to the level described in this book, they have completely forfeited their right to freedom, in my mind. But if "monster" is thrown around every five pages, you lose sight of what the person you're reading about is: a human being, not a monster, not an other-worldly thing, but a person like you and me. Detaching yourself and your "kind" from them serves only one purpose: to make you believe they are are not like you, that they could never be your son, your husband, your wife or your mom. But they can. And they sometimes are. And the books and news stories and documentaries and films which dramatize and blow out their deeds forget that they represent a flaw of humanity - on of which you should be aware every single day. The title of the book boasts "The Most Evil People In The World Tell Their Own Stories" - the killers he's included in the book are, by no means, the most evil people in the world. That is a claim made in order to market the book and make sales. And quantifying evil in terms of how violently they've killed a human being or how nonplussed they look when they speak about eating human flesh implies that evil is something which is confined to the spectrum of violent crime, sadism and mental disorders. A thing which - in case you haven't noticed - I absolutely reject.
A Google search of the author's name tells me he was a Royal Marine intelligence officer turned criminologist, and that he's interviewed over 30 serial killers, including Peter Sutcliffe (let's ignore that I can't find an official page of his, a Wikipedia page or any other professional information, just third party book sites or popular blogs). He claims he can get into their minds and make them confide things they've never confided before. OK, all's good so far. In my years of reading about and researching serial killers, I have countless times seen authors who indulge in more than a little arrogance if they happen to be of the few who have had access to the criminals. But this guy is the cherry, the cream and the first layer of chocolate on the cake and tops it all off with unbelievably self-indulging comments. I will not - and dare not - deny the work he has put into interviews and research, the time devoted to trying to get close to murderers who can spin and twist an interrogator's mind into fifteen different directions - but come on, have some modesty! Please, just once, recognize you might be wrong! Limit your own pride and be cognizant that you are not an all-knowing, brave and brilliant investigator! If others want to and do say that about you, that's great. But when you imply it in your own words, it makes me severely doubt it. And that's the last straw. Don't bother with this book.
I take issue with consistently referring to serial killers as monsters, the worst of the worst, the lowest of the low and others as such. While I do believe that they are severely mentally ill human beings who have done almost unspeakable things to their own kind, and that they deserve every second of prison time they get, persistently using language of this type ends up sounding monotonous, empty and devoid of any weight. I will say this again - for anyone who thinks I'm excusing them - once an individual progresses to the level described in this book, they have completely forfeited their right to freedom, in my mind. But if "monster" is thrown around every five pages, you lose sight of what the person you're reading about is: a human being, not a monster, not an other-worldly thing, but a person like you and me. Detaching yourself and your "kind" from them serves only one purpose: to make you believe they are are not like you, that they could never be your son, your husband, your wife or your mom. But they can. And they sometimes are. And the books and news stories and documentaries and films which dramatize and blow out their deeds forget that they represent a flaw of humanity - on of which you should be aware every single day. The title of the book boasts "The Most Evil People In The World Tell Their Own Stories" - the killers he's included in the book are, by no means, the most evil people in the world. That is a claim made in order to market the book and make sales. And quantifying evil in terms of how violently they've killed a human being or how nonplussed they look when they speak about eating human flesh implies that evil is something which is confined to the spectrum of violent crime, sadism and mental disorders. A thing which - in case you haven't noticed - I absolutely reject.
A Google search of the author's name tells me he was a Royal Marine intelligence officer turned criminologist, and that he's interviewed over 30 serial killers, including Peter Sutcliffe (let's ignore that I can't find an official page of his, a Wikipedia page or any other professional information, just third party book sites or popular blogs). He claims he can get into their minds and make them confide things they've never confided before. OK, all's good so far. In my years of reading about and researching serial killers, I have countless times seen authors who indulge in more than a little arrogance if they happen to be of the few who have had access to the criminals. But this guy is the cherry, the cream and the first layer of chocolate on the cake and tops it all off with unbelievably self-indulging comments. I will not - and dare not - deny the work he has put into interviews and research, the time devoted to trying to get close to murderers who can spin and twist an interrogator's mind into fifteen different directions - but come on, have some modesty! Please, just once, recognize you might be wrong! Limit your own pride and be cognizant that you are not an all-knowing, brave and brilliant investigator! If others want to and do say that about you, that's great. But when you imply it in your own words, it makes me severely doubt it. And that's the last straw. Don't bother with this book.
February 9, 2020
This book contains conversations between a criminologist, and some of the worlds most evil and disturbed individuals. When I say evil, I definitely don't say it lightly. The information I have read in this book was unsettling to say the least, and terribly difficult to digest at times.
There are certain serial killers mentioned within these pages, and the crimes that each person committed are written in great detail. We get the background on their lives, their upbringing, and it really begs the question, if their circumstances in their childhood were different, could these horrific crimes be prevented? The answer is probably a yes. Should people capable of such evil ever be released back into society? For me, that answer will always be a no.
Although I found this book interesting for the most part, the actual writing style was irritating and kind of disjointed at times, and I feel the author got some of his facts incorrect, so for that reason, it puts me off reading more from this author in the future.
There are certain serial killers mentioned within these pages, and the crimes that each person committed are written in great detail. We get the background on their lives, their upbringing, and it really begs the question, if their circumstances in their childhood were different, could these horrific crimes be prevented? The answer is probably a yes. Should people capable of such evil ever be released back into society? For me, that answer will always be a no.
Although I found this book interesting for the most part, the actual writing style was irritating and kind of disjointed at times, and I feel the author got some of his facts incorrect, so for that reason, it puts me off reading more from this author in the future.
July 26, 2011
For a book that claims to be non-fiction, it just doesn't hold a whole lot of credibility. Tons of errors, both various kinds of typos and factual errors (Prozac just isn't an anti-psychotic, hello?!!) The writing is generally bad, full of clichés, and lacking in structure. Most chapters start out with Christopher Berry Dee giving us some background information on the killer in question, then listing the murders that he/she committed , and finally we get a couple of quotes - I wouldn't say that classifies as "telling their own story" like the cover states. All in all really, really disappointing.
May 1, 2020
Any serious professional in this field will look at his topic of expertise with a certain scientific detachment. Where readers stop taking a "world-renowned investigative criminologist" seriously, therefore, is when he refers to his subjects as "monsters", "demoniacal", and "The Antichrist" (I kid you not) on every other page. A quality author will lay out the facts for the reader in the most matter-of-fact style he can muster, and leave the dignity to the reader to draw his or her own conclusions.
This one, however, sounds less like a studied professional of sound scientific background and much more like a stranded The Sun reporter trying to scrape the barrel of moral highground (or for my fellow Germans: Bild comes fairly close, and for Americans that would probably be Fox News)
If you want to read an actual account from an author who is trying to trace what's gone wrong in killers and how we can work to limit these occurrences in the future, I warmly recommend "Listening To Killers - Lessons Learned from my 20 Years as Psychological Expert Witness in Murder Cases" by James Garbarino. Back to my rant:
What especially rubs me the wrong way is his holier-than-thou treatment of victims and survivors from his High Horse of Hindsight. Here a couple of gems I've been unlucky enough to lay my eyes upon:
- "Alice Johnson, a somewhat dim-witted, plain woman in her 30s fell for him, and this naive and gullible cleaning woman with few friends thought she'd met a hard-working, decent man." - Yes Christopher, because I'm sure you've never been wrong about a person in your entire life, and surely everybody was on the receiving end of well-intentioned upbringing and education to shield them from predators and con-artists. Definitely. If he is as much of an expert when it comes to serial killers and psychopaths as he claims he is, he would surely be the first one to remind us of how cunning and manipulative these individuals can be, and about how they can sometimes portray the loving husband and father for decades, and credibly so, before their mask slips. But apparently, this victim didn't deserve that little reminder.
- when elaborating on how many prostitutes one of them had killed: "[...] the obvious fact that he had also raped and killed [...] two quite decent women [...]" Great, yet another man who follows the good old dichotomy of prostitutes = bad, "decent" women (whatever that's supposed to mean) = good. I am so sick of educated people, especially the ones from Europe, who don't realize how easy it is to slip into homelessness - and all the accompanying concomitants like drug habits and prostitution - in the US if you happen to be an unlucky kid in their teens kicked out by their parents with no social network to fall back on, to name just one of some very realistic scenarios. But yes Christopher, surely nobody sleeping rough or stuck in a bad situation can possibly be "decent" deep down.
The whole book reeks of unacknowledged priviledge of this kind and I'm not the first one to suspect that it's all just one big occasion to stroke his ego to the high heavens and back.
- "for he's the wolf in sheep's clothing, part human, part Anti-Christ"- No Christopher, we are talking about a deranged individual damaged beyond repair, and if you were really interested in helping society deal with them, you'd stop dehumanizing them and make people aware of how everybody, and that's their neighbours, teachers, fathers and sons (and occasionally daughters) can potentially pose a threat and what best we can do to prevent future outbreaks of violence early on. But yes let's continue casting them as the spawn of satan to keep readers engaged. Or is the author perhaps trying to create maximum distance between him and the cruel actions of these killers, so as not to be associated? I can't tell, but I wish it hadn't taken a toll on his writing style the way it did.
A great pity, as the book is very well-researched, albeit full of grammatical errors (and I'm not even a native so I definitely shouldn't be able to spot your errors), and if it wasn't for the sensational clamouring for outrage and shock-effect it would be an interesting read, but as it stands, this book won't be for you if you like serious literature/journalism.
This one, however, sounds less like a studied professional of sound scientific background and much more like a stranded The Sun reporter trying to scrape the barrel of moral highground (or for my fellow Germans: Bild comes fairly close, and for Americans that would probably be Fox News)
If you want to read an actual account from an author who is trying to trace what's gone wrong in killers and how we can work to limit these occurrences in the future, I warmly recommend "Listening To Killers - Lessons Learned from my 20 Years as Psychological Expert Witness in Murder Cases" by James Garbarino. Back to my rant:
What especially rubs me the wrong way is his holier-than-thou treatment of victims and survivors from his High Horse of Hindsight. Here a couple of gems I've been unlucky enough to lay my eyes upon:
- "Alice Johnson, a somewhat dim-witted, plain woman in her 30s fell for him, and this naive and gullible cleaning woman with few friends thought she'd met a hard-working, decent man." - Yes Christopher, because I'm sure you've never been wrong about a person in your entire life, and surely everybody was on the receiving end of well-intentioned upbringing and education to shield them from predators and con-artists. Definitely. If he is as much of an expert when it comes to serial killers and psychopaths as he claims he is, he would surely be the first one to remind us of how cunning and manipulative these individuals can be, and about how they can sometimes portray the loving husband and father for decades, and credibly so, before their mask slips. But apparently, this victim didn't deserve that little reminder.
- when elaborating on how many prostitutes one of them had killed: "[...] the obvious fact that he had also raped and killed [...] two quite decent women [...]" Great, yet another man who follows the good old dichotomy of prostitutes = bad, "decent" women (whatever that's supposed to mean) = good. I am so sick of educated people, especially the ones from Europe, who don't realize how easy it is to slip into homelessness - and all the accompanying concomitants like drug habits and prostitution - in the US if you happen to be an unlucky kid in their teens kicked out by their parents with no social network to fall back on, to name just one of some very realistic scenarios. But yes Christopher, surely nobody sleeping rough or stuck in a bad situation can possibly be "decent" deep down.
The whole book reeks of unacknowledged priviledge of this kind and I'm not the first one to suspect that it's all just one big occasion to stroke his ego to the high heavens and back.
- "for he's the wolf in sheep's clothing, part human, part Anti-Christ"- No Christopher, we are talking about a deranged individual damaged beyond repair, and if you were really interested in helping society deal with them, you'd stop dehumanizing them and make people aware of how everybody, and that's their neighbours, teachers, fathers and sons (and occasionally daughters) can potentially pose a threat and what best we can do to prevent future outbreaks of violence early on. But yes let's continue casting them as the spawn of satan to keep readers engaged. Or is the author perhaps trying to create maximum distance between him and the cruel actions of these killers, so as not to be associated? I can't tell, but I wish it hadn't taken a toll on his writing style the way it did.
A great pity, as the book is very well-researched, albeit full of grammatical errors (and I'm not even a native so I definitely shouldn't be able to spot your errors), and if it wasn't for the sensational clamouring for outrage and shock-effect it would be an interesting read, but as it stands, this book won't be for you if you like serious literature/journalism.
February 18, 2019
To put it simply this is basically Clickbait: The Book.
I, presumably along with many others, was drawn in by the tagline of this book: "The most evil people in the world tell their own stories". I'd like to see anybody try and defend that blatant baiting. In reality the book is a fairly generic look at killers, in a couple of cases it tries to understand the pyscholgy behind what makes people do the things they do but more often than not it's just backstory.
At the end of each chapter is a note about where the information came from - being research and correspondence, the latter of which being why you're supposed to pick this book up as opposed to another but half the time there's no quotes from the killers.
(Also, there are a lot of typos and repetitive sentences which would bother me a lot more if I didn't get it on sale 😄
I, presumably along with many others, was drawn in by the tagline of this book: "The most evil people in the world tell their own stories". I'd like to see anybody try and defend that blatant baiting. In reality the book is a fairly generic look at killers, in a couple of cases it tries to understand the pyscholgy behind what makes people do the things they do but more often than not it's just backstory.
At the end of each chapter is a note about where the information came from - being research and correspondence, the latter of which being why you're supposed to pick this book up as opposed to another but half the time there's no quotes from the killers.
(Also, there are a lot of typos and repetitive sentences which would bother me a lot more if I didn't get it on sale 😄
May 9, 2012
Meh. There are better books about serial killers, there are worse books about serial killers. Unless this is the first book you have ever read about killers, you won't learn much and there is some outright bad information in this book but it's too "meh" for me to give a crap.
Yeah. I don't know. I'm not feeling it but I'm not hating it. Like, if you're on a plane and have nothing else to read, this book will help pass the time and maybe that is all we can ask from yet another book about serial killers.
Yeah. I don't know. I'm not feeling it but I'm not hating it. Like, if you're on a plane and have nothing else to read, this book will help pass the time and maybe that is all we can ask from yet another book about serial killers.
April 11, 2021
Kiedy Christopher Berry-Dee nie pisze o swoim samouwielbieniu to okazuje się, że jego książki da się czytać. Jasne, że nie jest to "najwyższa półka", jeśli chodzi o gatunek, ale trudno mu odmówić dererminacji i researchu. Zastanawia mnie jednak tytuł serii "Rozmowy z...", bo to są teksty, które powstały na podstawie rozmów z seryjnymi mordercami/psychopatami, ale trudno je nazwać rozmowami, gdyż autor jedynie relacjonuje makabryczne dokonania swoich rozmówców, ale nie przybiera to formy wywiadu/rozmowy.
September 12, 2020
I do not like that the author refers to sex workers as hookers, prostitutes and whores.
The author sounds like he's very proud of himself and he should not be on account of his grammatical errors
The author sounds like he's very proud of himself and he should not be on account of his grammatical errors
September 29, 2022
Ta książka ma dość istotną wadę- brakuje w niej rozmów z seryjnymi mordercami XD
February 14, 2017
This book is a lot of hat and not very much cattle. It profiles and interviews Harvey Louis Carignan, Arthur John Shawcross, John Martin Scripps, Michael Bruce Ross, Ronald Joseph "Butch" DeFeo, Jr., Aileen Carol Wuornos, Kenneth Allen McDuff, Douglas Daniel Clark and Carol Mary Bundy (who declined to be interviewed), and Henry Lee Lucas. (I note that somebody changed the subtitle between the time the book was in galleys and the time it was printed: the cover says "the most evil people in the world," while the title page says, "the most evil men in the world." Which, yes, hello, you did interview Aileen Wuornos.) Berry-Dee seems more interested in congratulating himself on his own prowess as an interviewer (interviewing people who wouldn't talk to anyone else, getting his subjects to talk about things they wouldn't talk about with anyone else) than in the people he interviewed. (I think it's probably unintentionally telling that the photograph of Michael Ross is actually a photograph of Christopher Berry-Dee shaking hands with Michael Ross; Ross is essentially invisible behind the bars of his cell.) In some cases there's barely any interview at all. The section on Kenneth McDuff, while it indulges in an indefensible description of lethal injection from the injectee's point of view (e.g., "McDuff felt pressure in his chest" (257)), dismisses the interview with very little more than "McDuff whinged on for an hour about the injustices committed by the judicial and prison system" (260). Granted that McDuff is maybe the number-one contender for Most Repellent in this particular rogues' gallery, that's still a poor excuse for an "interview." And Berry-Dee is not as good as he thinks he is at laying out the (admittedly very complicated) careers of these serial killers in a clear narrative.
If this book has a valuable point, it's the shrieking need for prison reform in America. Several of these killers murdered, were arrested, convicted, sentenced, imprisoned, were paroled for reasons ranging from over-crowding to bribery, and went right back to murder. (McDuff was given three death sentences in 1968, had the sentence commuted to life in 1982 (? Berry-Dee has it as 1992, but that can't be right), and was paroled in 1986. It's believed he started killing again three days later.) Capital punishment may or may not be the answer, but letting this kind of killer out to continue murdering is most definitely NOT.
If this book has a valuable point, it's the shrieking need for prison reform in America. Several of these killers murdered, were arrested, convicted, sentenced, imprisoned, were paroled for reasons ranging from over-crowding to bribery, and went right back to murder. (McDuff was given three death sentences in 1968, had the sentence commuted to life in 1982 (? Berry-Dee has it as 1992, but that can't be right), and was paroled in 1986. It's believed he started killing again three days later.) Capital punishment may or may not be the answer, but letting this kind of killer out to continue murdering is most definitely NOT.
June 25, 2019
look it was okay but all the spelling mistakes and the author's own massive ego (apparently many of his interviews helped actually close lots of these cases which sounds fake considering not even wikipedia knows who he is) were distracting. also can somebody please take the comma key away from this man, he has no self-restraint
dnf
May 25, 2023made me ill
September 29, 2018
Talking With Serial Killers by Christopher Berry Dee is a collection of conversations between the investigative criminologist and some of the worlds most disturbed individuals. This book looks at the crimes of these people and gives an account of their perception of what they did and in some cases gives answers to what drove them to commit such heinous crimes.
So this book concentrates on a select few serial killers and gives detailed profiles of the crimes each person committed. The descriptions of these are very graphic so id warn the reader if you don’t have a stomach for these kind of disgusting details then id be careful whilst reading on. With each you get some background information about their childhood and what life was like for them in order to connect the person to their environment, to be able to see wether they are a product of their upbringing and if the circumstances could have been prevented. There are accounts of correspondence through letters, telephone calls and one on one meetings between the author and these people.
Heres what has me torn when thinking about this book. I enjoy reading about true crime and behavioural analysis of serial killers. The mind is an incredible thing so to think it can be so unhinged to drive a person to be like this is something I enjoy reading the how and why behind it. Although the book gives a lot of factual information and some conversations and quotes from the killers I felt it was quite disjointed. The author at times got his facts mixed up, there are grammar errors which were hard to ignore, on many occasions you get a statement from the author stating if it wasn’t for his interviews and the book certain facts about the murder cases would not have been resolved however when you look into these claims they are not entirely true.
The accounts are chilling and disgusting. I knew about the serial killers mentioned in this book and of their crimes but reading them in this detail does leave you unsettled. For me those were the only parts worth reading, otherwise I don’t think I’m a fan of how the book is written by the author and although he has many other similar books to these I don’t think ill be picking them up.
So this book concentrates on a select few serial killers and gives detailed profiles of the crimes each person committed. The descriptions of these are very graphic so id warn the reader if you don’t have a stomach for these kind of disgusting details then id be careful whilst reading on. With each you get some background information about their childhood and what life was like for them in order to connect the person to their environment, to be able to see wether they are a product of their upbringing and if the circumstances could have been prevented. There are accounts of correspondence through letters, telephone calls and one on one meetings between the author and these people.
Heres what has me torn when thinking about this book. I enjoy reading about true crime and behavioural analysis of serial killers. The mind is an incredible thing so to think it can be so unhinged to drive a person to be like this is something I enjoy reading the how and why behind it. Although the book gives a lot of factual information and some conversations and quotes from the killers I felt it was quite disjointed. The author at times got his facts mixed up, there are grammar errors which were hard to ignore, on many occasions you get a statement from the author stating if it wasn’t for his interviews and the book certain facts about the murder cases would not have been resolved however when you look into these claims they are not entirely true.
The accounts are chilling and disgusting. I knew about the serial killers mentioned in this book and of their crimes but reading them in this detail does leave you unsettled. For me those were the only parts worth reading, otherwise I don’t think I’m a fan of how the book is written by the author and although he has many other similar books to these I don’t think ill be picking them up.
March 26, 2022
Cu „De vorbă cu criminalii în serie. Cei mai diabolici oameni din lume își spun povestea” este… cu totul altă poveste. M-am lăsat amăgită de titlu sperând că autorul a fost sincer când l-a ales. Apoi m-am gândit că or fi tradus ai noștri ca să facă clickbait, dar nu, traducerea e exactă. Așa că prima dezamăgire e legată de faptul că nu se vede că a stat de vorbă cu criminalii autorul, cu excepția câtorva citate care, scoase din context, își pierd și ele sensul. Mai mult, „cei mai diabolici oameni din lume” sunt astfel doar pe considerente subiective – și ele neclare în carte, în orice caz, de vreme ce doi criminali sunt comparați la nivel de număr al victimelor, cruzime și perversiuni sexuale, dar tipul iese ca fiind omul rău, iar tipa e doar singură, grasă și tristă. Cuvintele autorului, nu ale mele.
Autor care e criminalist, aflăm despre el din clapeta de la final. Și care mi se pare, în numeroase rânduri, mai degrabă neprofesionist: se mândrește cu reușitele sale când amintește de câteva crime pe care condamnații i le-au mărturisit doar lui, când documenta el cartea asta (și serios, poți să spui orice despre tine, de bine sau de rău, dar cred că-s importante și cuvintele alese, dar și capacitatea de a pricepe că lumea merge înainte cu tine sau fără tine). Livrarea informațiilor mi se pare că e făcută într-un mod greoi, alambicat – mi-am zis și că poate e scrisă ca pentru specialiști, dar: 1. nu e vândută cu marketing făcut pentru specialiști, 2. mi-e greu să cred că un criminalist își organizează datele fără să fie puse cronologic, le amestecă, mai confundă câte un calibru etc.
Recenzia completă este aici: http://ancazaharia.ro/2022/03/un-lung...
Autor care e criminalist, aflăm despre el din clapeta de la final. Și care mi se pare, în numeroase rânduri, mai degrabă neprofesionist: se mândrește cu reușitele sale când amintește de câteva crime pe care condamnații i le-au mărturisit doar lui, când documenta el cartea asta (și serios, poți să spui orice despre tine, de bine sau de rău, dar cred că-s importante și cuvintele alese, dar și capacitatea de a pricepe că lumea merge înainte cu tine sau fără tine). Livrarea informațiilor mi se pare că e făcută într-un mod greoi, alambicat – mi-am zis și că poate e scrisă ca pentru specialiști, dar: 1. nu e vândută cu marketing făcut pentru specialiști, 2. mi-e greu să cred că un criminalist își organizează datele fără să fie puse cronologic, le amestecă, mai confundă câte un calibru etc.
Recenzia completă este aici: http://ancazaharia.ro/2022/03/un-lung...
August 26, 2019
I picked up this book as I am drawn into the psychology of human thinking and to what drives some people to commit unspeakable crimes. Unfortunately, this read was rather generic and I got a massive issue with the author referring to serial killers as 'monsters'.
This is not to excuse the acts or to sympathize with the individuals mentioned in the books. However, it makes me question how someone so judgemental already decided on what they thought about these serial killers was able to get close to them, corresponded with them so many years before finally meeting them? Even though this book is titled as Talking with Serial Killers, the only talking done is by the author. Despite few quotes it does not introduce the perspective or narrative of the serial killer, rather it provides author's generic view and facts you can easily find on wikipedia.
Furthermore, by referring to these killers as monsters the author somehow draws a line between us and them. It creates an illusion these killers are not humans, they must be something else. By doing that it unfortunately sends a misleading message that serial killers can be easily spotted, that they are not someone's wife/husband, daughter/son but this odd entity.
Overall, this book is a waste of time and should be avoided.
This is not to excuse the acts or to sympathize with the individuals mentioned in the books. However, it makes me question how someone so judgemental already decided on what they thought about these serial killers was able to get close to them, corresponded with them so many years before finally meeting them? Even though this book is titled as Talking with Serial Killers, the only talking done is by the author. Despite few quotes it does not introduce the perspective or narrative of the serial killer, rather it provides author's generic view and facts you can easily find on wikipedia.
Furthermore, by referring to these killers as monsters the author somehow draws a line between us and them. It creates an illusion these killers are not humans, they must be something else. By doing that it unfortunately sends a misleading message that serial killers can be easily spotted, that they are not someone's wife/husband, daughter/son but this odd entity.
Overall, this book is a waste of time and should be avoided.
January 15, 2023
Am stat de vorbă cu criminali în serie alaturi de Christopher Berry-Dee în fiecare dimineață, câteva minute pe zi, timp de o săptămână. Conversațiile au fost neplăcute, acre de cele mai multe ori, dar pline de interes.
Mă simțeam ușurată atunci când fiecare sesiune lua sfârșit, iar mai ușurată când trecusem prin fața tuturor și ajunsesem la ieșire.
Ceea ce veți găsi în spatele paginilor nu este pentru cititorii sensibili, nici pe departe.
În incercarea de a intra în mințile acestor oameni tulburați, autorul a fost nevoit să sape adânc și să împărtășească cele mai dure imagini, de aceea, este posibil să nu puteți suporta întregile pagini în care sunt detaliate modurile lor de a ucide vietăți.
Fără rușine și pic de teamă, aceștia au comunicat cu noi prin corespondență, iar după obținerea unui interviu cu fiecare, am început vizitele unde destăinuirea a decurs în același fel.
Cu toate că m-am antrenat să fiu imună la astfel de orori, mai ales știind în ce lume voi călători, nu m-am putut împiedica să îmi adresez tot felul de întrebări, să strâmb din nas la cele mai îngrozitoare imagini, să iau pauze și să încerc să înțeleg cât de inuman poți fi să acționezi astfel.
Cu toții au avut parte de traume în copilărie, dar cel care mi-a rămas în minte este Arthur John Shawcross - a ucis 53 de femei, le-a abuzat sexual atât înainte, cât și după crimă, iar unora le-a mâncat anumite părți ale corpului.
Mă intrigau motivele unei femei, deși sunt arhicunoscute, de aceea am fost foarte atentă la interviul cu Aileen Carol Wuornos. Se pare că femeile reprezintă doar 2% din numărul infractorilor care au fost condamnați la moarte în SUA, un procentaj mic, dar înfricoșător dacă dai la o parte cortina.
Cartea aceasta reprezintă adevărurile pe care le vedem și în ziua de astăzi, acele articole pe care le citim de la depărtare și ne bucuram că nu ne aflăm în fapt.
Mă simțeam ușurată atunci când fiecare sesiune lua sfârșit, iar mai ușurată când trecusem prin fața tuturor și ajunsesem la ieșire.
Ceea ce veți găsi în spatele paginilor nu este pentru cititorii sensibili, nici pe departe.
În incercarea de a intra în mințile acestor oameni tulburați, autorul a fost nevoit să sape adânc și să împărtășească cele mai dure imagini, de aceea, este posibil să nu puteți suporta întregile pagini în care sunt detaliate modurile lor de a ucide vietăți.
Fără rușine și pic de teamă, aceștia au comunicat cu noi prin corespondență, iar după obținerea unui interviu cu fiecare, am început vizitele unde destăinuirea a decurs în același fel.
Cu toate că m-am antrenat să fiu imună la astfel de orori, mai ales știind în ce lume voi călători, nu m-am putut împiedica să îmi adresez tot felul de întrebări, să strâmb din nas la cele mai îngrozitoare imagini, să iau pauze și să încerc să înțeleg cât de inuman poți fi să acționezi astfel.
Cu toții au avut parte de traume în copilărie, dar cel care mi-a rămas în minte este Arthur John Shawcross - a ucis 53 de femei, le-a abuzat sexual atât înainte, cât și după crimă, iar unora le-a mâncat anumite părți ale corpului.
Mă intrigau motivele unei femei, deși sunt arhicunoscute, de aceea am fost foarte atentă la interviul cu Aileen Carol Wuornos. Se pare că femeile reprezintă doar 2% din numărul infractorilor care au fost condamnați la moarte în SUA, un procentaj mic, dar înfricoșător dacă dai la o parte cortina.
Cartea aceasta reprezintă adevărurile pe care le vedem și în ziua de astăzi, acele articole pe care le citim de la depărtare și ne bucuram că nu ne aflăm în fapt.
March 8, 2020
Ta książka została napisana przez światowej sławy kryminologa śledczego, osobę, która latami zdobywała zaufanie morderców pochodzących z różnych kontynentów. Autor chce nam pokazać to, co siedzi w ich głowach, dlaczego zdecydowali się mordować, odbierać innym życie. Każda historia zaczyna się od przedstawienia dzieciństwa danego mordercy, autor tak jakby chce nam pokazać, że duży wpływ na dalsze losy ma ciężkie dzieciństwo, ale czy na pewno tak jest? Kryminolog szczegółowo i to nawet bardzo przedstawia nam krok po kroku morderstwa, których dokonali Ci zbrodniarze, ale nie tylko, pokazuje też, że kiedy zadaje im pytanie, czy by to znów zrobili, oni bez wahania odpowiadają, że tak, nie wyciągają żadnych wniosków i to jest przerażające. Mnie osobiście zaciekawiła osoba Arthura Johna Shawcrossa zabił on dwoje dzieci i ponad pięćdziesiąt kobiet wśród nich prostytutki, ponieważ roznosiły choroby. Mamy przedstawione również wydatki i możemy zobaczyć ile kosztowało schwytanie takiego mordercy, są to ogromne sumy. Tę książkę nie przeczyta się ot tak od razu, jest tu tyle zła, cierpienia i krzywdy, że były u mnie momenty odłożenia na dzień lub dwa, aby odpocząć od tego. Książka posiada zdjęcia tych okrutnych i amoralnych ludzi. Samych rozmów jest tu mało, autor bardziej przedstawia to, co usłyszał lub przeczytał w listach od tych morderców jednak i tak jest ona ciekawa. Książka rozpoczyna serię, w której będziemy mogli przeczytać o psychopatach, królowych zbrodni oraz o najgorszych na świecie, także ja jestem bardzo zaciekawiona pozostałymi częściami. Natomiast ta część jest dla osób o mocnych nerwach, gdyż są tu przedstawieni ludzie, którzy po dokonanym morderstwie potrafią odkroić część ciała i zjeść a później mówią i porównują, do czego jest ono podobne w smaku. Jak dla mnie to ciekawa książka jednak nie jest ona dla wszystkich, osoby delikatne, wrażliwe raczej powinni sobie ją odpuścić. Moja ocena 7/10.
March 18, 2020
Seryjni mordercy opisani w tej książce zabijali ludzi brutalnie. I takie też są opisy, które tutaj znajdziemy. Autor podczas pogłębionych badań materiałów udostępnionych przez policję, listów oraz rozmów z samymi mordercami przygotował profile kilkoro z nich, aby zapoznać człowieka z okrucieństwem, za które zostali skazani. To lektura mocna, ale potrzebna, warta wysłuchania, przetrawienie. Autor opowiada o tym, co ukształtowało tych ludzi, zwraca uwagę na pewne psychologiczne i społeczne aspekty, które zaważyły na ich losie i pomaga czytelnikowi je identyfikować. Dzięki temu łatwiej jest znaleźć przyczynę. Mocna książka, dobrze napisana, czyta się szybko. Momentami może zbyt szczegółowa, ale zdecydowanie ciekawa. Napisało ją przerażajace, ale samo życie.
March 1, 2019
This is a rather harrowing read looking at case study of some of the most awful serial killers to have existed. The interviews raise some important questions about whether these people are sane, how they came to commit this crimes and in some cases, whether they actually committed these crimes or did someone else do it and get away with it.
I thought that some of the descriptions of the crimes were unnecessarily graphic. I really didn't need all the gory details.
I thought that some of the descriptions of the crimes were unnecessarily graphic. I really didn't need all the gory details.
April 8, 2019
Considering the fact that this book is sold as being based on exclusive, personal interviews with serial killers, most of the content could be found on Wikipedia. There is no personal, private, in-depth human angle to this. Berry-Dee has done nothing to illuminate the real motives behind real killers, and spends more time on why they were released on parole to kill again (lack of funding in the penal system) than why they really killed in the first place. In addition, Berry-Dee uses inappropriate, insensitive and often derogatory language in reference to women, prostitutes, LGBT+ people, people of lower social classes, and so on. This book is little more than an opportunity for Berry-Dee to tell a story he thinks will thrill, with no respect to the victims (who aren't even named if it doesn't suit his purpose), family members, or any possible humanity of the killers. This book absolutely does not do what it claims to do.
July 18, 2019
Actually DNF at page 119.
This book is misleading. I thought by the title it would be a series of conversations with serial killers giving us an insight into their minds, perhaps with psychoanalysis afterwards. Instead the format for each criminal seems to be laundry list of crimes/Berry-Dee calling them a monster/the punishment. There’s no real dialogue (I just read about John Scripps and there is no conversation, just a footnote that the details came from a conversation they had before Scripps was hung) and no real analysis. Im grateful for the beginning of each segment cataloging the crimes as I wasn’t aware of many of these killers (as in the case of Scripps, he was convicted of one murder which hardly makes for a serial killer) but everything else seems to be massaging Berry-Dee’s ego.
The one star is for the explanation of each case. The lack of other stars is because this book as far as I read to was a real let down.
This book is misleading. I thought by the title it would be a series of conversations with serial killers giving us an insight into their minds, perhaps with psychoanalysis afterwards. Instead the format for each criminal seems to be laundry list of crimes/Berry-Dee calling them a monster/the punishment. There’s no real dialogue (I just read about John Scripps and there is no conversation, just a footnote that the details came from a conversation they had before Scripps was hung) and no real analysis. Im grateful for the beginning of each segment cataloging the crimes as I wasn’t aware of many of these killers (as in the case of Scripps, he was convicted of one murder which hardly makes for a serial killer) but everything else seems to be massaging Berry-Dee’s ego.
The one star is for the explanation of each case. The lack of other stars is because this book as far as I read to was a real let down.
April 25, 2020
I would've preferred this book if it had included more high profile killers. There was a fair amount of spelling and grammatical errors too, this just slowed the pace right down. There was also a fair amount of background information on the killers and in all honesty I would've just preferred facts about the sprees.
May 26, 2021
3,5⭐️ O ile uwielbiam historie o seryjnych mordercach i mogłabym czytać o nich całymi dniami, to miałam mały problem z tą pozycją. Głównym moim zastrzeżeniem jest to jak zostały te rozdziały poprowadzone. O ile wprowadzenie w historię i same szczegóły zbrodni są bardziej ciekawe to w momencie, kiedy została już ona opowiedziana zaczyna się podawanie nazwisk mało związanych z całą sprawą, snucie jakichś teorii, które do niczego nie prowadzą. Nie wiem też czy to nie kwestia tłumaczenia, ale znalazłam pare błędów logicznych jak na przykład zmienienie wieku jednej ofiary: na początku ma 30 lat, a już kilka linijek później dwadzieścia kilka. Ciekawa pozycja jeśli ktoś chce się dowiedzieć czegoś o kilku z najsławniejszych seryjnych morderców.
April 22, 2022
to było naprawdę bardzo złe
były przedstawiane w tej pozycji same suche fakty - w bardzo nieciekawy a czytelnika sposób
jedynie fragment poświęcony shawcrossowi wywołał we mnie emocje - obrzydzenie i wściekłość gdyż opisy zbrodni były bardzo dokładne
reszta morderców została przedstawiona w "łagodniejszy" sposób
były przedstawiane w tej pozycji same suche fakty - w bardzo nieciekawy a czytelnika sposób
jedynie fragment poświęcony shawcrossowi wywołał we mnie emocje - obrzydzenie i wściekłość gdyż opisy zbrodni były bardzo dokładne
reszta morderców została przedstawiona w "łagodniejszy" sposób
May 21, 2023
Książka to zbiór wywiadów z seryjnymi mordercami. Głównie są to parafrazy rozmów oraz zarys biograficzny przestępców. Dla tych którzy czytują true crime, może być to ciekawa lektura. Jednak dla osób o słabych nerwach już nie będzie taka przyjemna. Autor cytuje dość okrutne słowa morderców. Wstrząsające są też niektóre życiorysy, które ukształtowały osobowość przestępców.
September 12, 2023
Rozczarowanie. Nie mogłam wczuć się w te historie, w te wydarzenia i krzywdę ludzi.
Jedyne co, to przedostatni rozdział naprawdę mocno przyciągnął moją uwagę i czytało mi się całość świetnie i za to jedna gwiazdka więcej.
Jakoś... No nie wiem. Ogólnie lektura jest w porządku i smutno mi, że nie dałam się wciągnąć.
Jedyne co, to przedostatni rozdział naprawdę mocno przyciągnął moją uwagę i czytało mi się całość świetnie i za to jedna gwiazdka więcej.
Jakoś... No nie wiem. Ogólnie lektura jest w porządku i smutno mi, że nie dałam się wciągnąć.
January 20, 2020
Uma obra com muito potencial que deixa qualquer coisa a desejar... carece de alguma objetividade factual, e por vezes sentimos falta de ouvir os protagonistas na 1ª pessoa, sobre o que é a sua vida além do crime... Ficamos a conhecer os criminosos, não as pessoas...
Ainda assim, para os curiosos sobre o tema, não deixa de ter o seu valor
Ainda assim, para os curiosos sobre o tema, não deixa de ter o seu valor
October 20, 2021
Takie to 3 trochę na wyrost, ale znowu, aż tak tragiczna ta książka nie jest. Wydaje mi się za mało dopracowana, przynajmniej jak na to ile autor czasu spędził na rozmowach i korespondencji z mordercami.
November 7, 2021
This is an interesting book, but I would have loved it better if it would have been written from a more insightful perspective. I am very much curious about their personal views, perspectives and thoughts. About how their mind works.
This book is a "cold" perspective of the facts. Nothing more.
Some questions rised about some cases, a lot of irregularities about police work...
All in one it was interesting.
This book is a "cold" perspective of the facts. Nothing more.
Some questions rised about some cases, a lot of irregularities about police work...
All in one it was interesting.
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