The Killer Book of Infamous Murders: Incredible Stories, Facts, and Trivia from the World's Most Notorious Murders

by Tom Philbin, Michael Philbin

Spine-chilling tales of the ultimate evil deeds for all true crime fans! Murders have long made headlines, but only those with the most heartless betrayals, twisted lies, and gruesome crime scenes have earned a place in infamy. The Killer Book of Infamous Murders takes you behind the crime scene tape and into the heart of notorious and remorseless massacres. Uncover fascinating facts about killers' dark pasts, pent-up rage, and what finally caused them to snap—leading them to commit some of the world's most shocking crimes, And much more… Beyond a mere collection of cases, this book serves as a vital resource for true crime enthusiasts, providing a deeper understanding of the sociological, psychological, and legal aspects of these infamous crimes. Venture into the darker side of human history with The Killer Book of Infamous Murders .  Key

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History, Ebooks, Adult

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Tom Philbin is a writer of numerous books and has also written articles for a variety of magazines, including Parade, Woman's Day, and Reader's Digest. He lives in Centerport, New York.

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading books about true crime and murder is becoming an occupational hazard for me, especially so since my 2nd novel, Ngeri, has been quite a bestseller to my surprise. I find my readers challenging me to come out with crime stories that are both creative and insane. Having no capacity to imagine those gruesome actions, I turn to facts.

This book is possibly the 5th I've picked up on this topic and proven to be one of the most enjoyable ones that doesn't put me to sleep. It has facts, it has storytelling. But most of all, it has all the hard cold reality contents that I didn't think I would be able to get without talking to the authorities. I especially liked the transcripts of real interviews conducted, it's so real and raw - definitely something that I could use in my crime stories.

The other part I enjoyed was the GUESS WHO I AM section. Ironically, I never thought I will be able to identify any killer just by reading their brief summary of childhood and brutal crime actions, but I did - another sign that I'm reading too many true crime stories. Is that a good thing or bad thing? I ain't too sure. But one thing I know, if you are a crime thriller author, this book is one you must read!

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just your common, basic overview of household names

[Corban Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, the Criminal Minds/Law and Order guy in me was curious enough to read it, and it was interesting enough to finish, but only just. I felt as if it couldn't decide if it were a scholastic kids book in regards to how it went into this topic or if it were a hard nosed dive into infamous crimes over the years, and frankly I just felt underwhelmed by the whole thing. It could have been a lot more interesting and informative, and it wasn't.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Iiiii'm a sucker for a good true crime book, as I'm sure you know if you've been following my blog for any length of time. I'm sorry to say that this one is pretty much just okay. I mean, I liked it? But there were huge chunks of primary sources that had no analysis and no context, just a few brief words of introductions and then transcripts for pages. I would have appreciated more analysis of those; how is the killer giving him- or herself away, what is this lawyer doing, stuff like that.

The stories are brief and well written, and not particularly sensationalized, so there's that. I think my other problem with this book is that some of the murders are infamous and some are really... not? For example, how many of you have ever heard of Rudolph Hoff, or even Eddie Byrne? And then there's the classics, Lizzie Borden and Jeffrey MacDonald and Leopold and Loeb. Then there's the crimes themselves, which are really very old. Apart from one case which took place in 2005, the most recent crime they discuss happened in 1990, for a book published in 2011. It is, however, addictively readable; it wasn't until I finished the book and started to think about it that I realized I hadn't actually enjoyed it very much.

Yeah, I don't know. I guess it's an interesting read, but I don't think I'd recommend it for real true crime buffs. Maybe a good place to get started.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was horribly written. It was actually painful to get through it. Its only redeeming quality is the content itself. The stories were definitely interesting.

[Morgan Winstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories were interesting, but, like many other reviewers have said, it wasn't written very well.

[Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was interesting enough for me to finish, though I had to pretend not to notice how horribly written it was. Honestly it was almost painful.

[Readasaurus Rex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok

The stories in this book were good but most of the interrogations or testimonials I found to be rather boring.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Philbin brothers do a really nice job of writing these books. I've read multiple ones by them and they're always a fascinating (and slightly disturbing) read. They give very detailed accounts of what happened and try to keep things as unbiased as possible. When they do give their opinion, it's clearly labeled as such. I also like that they include the Q&A and Trivia sections, as they make an interesting break from the different stories. If anyone is interested in crime, I'd definitely recommend on of the Philbin's brother "Killer Books of.." as they've all been good so far.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories in this book were very good. The writing and way it was written, not so much. The story would be broken up with a random fact that had nothing to do with the story and the author would repeat himself several times throughout the book like each chapter was once a news article put together to form a book.
But the crimes were interesting and I enjoyed reading about them. They range from Lizzie Borden to less popular killers in the late 90s.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh!

There are some interesting facts in this book but it's written so badly you miss them. I read the Kindle version which might attribute to the choppy format but the humorless jokes are all the author's fault. If you want to read something and there's nothing else around this is the book for you. Personally I'd rather read a phonebook.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an interesting look at a few of the infamous crimes occurring in America, but I have read better. I recommend it more for the digressions and sidenotes than most of the major articles. Though the one on Leopold and Loeb stands out as a high point.

[Kimathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best put together book, but I still enjoyed learning all the things about the murders. I swear I'm mentally insane for being as obsessed with murders and murderers as I am.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable Read

I really enjoyed reading this book. It introduced me to some new infamous murders I had never nears of before while providing more details into the ones I already knew about. It’s a quick read that anyone I believe will find interesting.

[morgan rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting stories, though infamous is a stretch for some of them… this book was horribly written at times, which was baffling. also, weirdly biased at times (i.e., the brief mendendez brothers mention).

[Sarah Martiszus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another chilling group of crimes that highlights the depravity of our world, I appreciated the use of personal experience and how it feels like the author is speaking to me in person. Frick you, Otis Toole. I hope you are suffering tenfold for the evil acts you committed.

[Graham Clayton · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main problem with this book is the format - along with descriptions of the crimes, there are quotes, slabs of original sources, Q&A sections, glossary and Who Am I quizzes scattered all through the book, which detract from the stories being told.

[Sydney’s Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely do enjoy a good true crime book and this one wasn’t too bad. A little slow but still good. I wouldn’t mind reading the other books that they have.

[Janis Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about several famous murder mysteries. About Leopold and Loeb, Dr. Sam, Lizzie Borden, and Jeffrey MacDonald and several other ones.


Murders have long made headlines, but only those with the most heartless betrayals, twisted lies, and gruesome crime scenes have earned a place in infamy. The Killer Book of Infamous Murders takes you behind the crime scene tape and into the heart of notorious and remorseless massacres.
Uncover fascinating facts about killers' dark pasts, pent-up rage, and what finally caused them to snap-leading them to commit some of the world's most shocking crimes, including: Leopold and Loeb's "perfect crime" the kidnapping and slaying of fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks The bloody shootings of Alan and Diane Johnson, killed by their sixteen-year-old daughter The cold-blooded murder of the Clutter family The puzzling and controversial murder of Marilyn Sheppard And much more...

Bury yourself in these edge-of-your-seat tales, read chilling quotes and courtroom transcripts, and test your crime IQ with trivia. You'll shudder in horrified delight-and you just might need to sleep with the lights on.(les

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely enjoy the series written by the Philbin brothers (in this case Tom) about killers, cases, murders, and mysteries. The format of the stories is great, breaking it into different chapters with "did you know?" "who am I?" or supplements and sidenotes about the stories being discussed. I also don't mind how Tom gets personal and talks about connections he had with cases and what he has learned.

I am recommending these to students and they're enjoying the seriousness, the reality, and the grotesque nature. As with the other, you need to read a feel-good story afterward to remember not to lose hope in all of humanity!

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about true crime. This book was a little bit lighter, not in content, but in readability. It was an easy read, which came after some not so easy ones for me, so it was a welcome change of pace! There are short little "fun fact" sort of pieces all throughout the book that relate well to the stories being told. All in all, good true crime book.

[Hana Nur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depressing. I might read it again because it has a lot of information I may need if I decide to write on this subject. Good book with loads of information.

[Y · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars. Like others have said, interesting information, but terrible writing. Your enjoyment from the book will likely be determined by how well you can ignore the latter.

[Kayla Riccio · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a true crime lover I found the stories in the book to be interesting, however the content was at times disorganized and there were repetitions throughout the book. I liked the glossary in the back of pertinent terms but some of the terms defined were not scientific or important to explain such as busy work, or make a canoe ( this one was in poor taste). The story of the murder of Kathy Woods was more interesting because it was a first hand account of the author's interactions with the detectives investigating the murder.