Death Row: Profiles of People Who Face the Ultimate Penalty

by Xavier Waterkeyn

Sex and murder are as popular as they've ever been, not necessarily in that order. Just a few minutes of watching television, or reading a newspaper is enough to demonstrate the enduring fascination we have with people who are willing to kill to get their way, those who let themselves be used, and those who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. In Death Row, Xavier Waterkeyn probes into the real stories behind some of the most famous murderers in recent history, and then goes further, and talks to prisoners facing execution on Death Row right now.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about men, and women, on death row around the world. The author focuses on one criminal in each chapter, giving a run-down of the crimes that landed them on death row, a bit about their court cases, and how they were executed (if they have been). He includes some correspondence that he had with some of them, too. I have included the table of contents for your reference. Just a heads up, the descriptions are graphic. Includes 8 pages of black-and-white photos. If you're a true crime fan, you'd probably like this book.

3 Stars = I'm glad I read it.

Gallery of Rogues
1892-1906 The Baby Farmers of Australia
1896 The Factory of Death: HH Holmes
1910 Murder and Stupidity: Doctor Hawley Harvey Crippen
1936 Cruelty Unlimited: Albert Fish
1953 10 Rillington Place: Timothy Evans and John Christie
1955 Crime of Passion: Ruth Ellis
1951-1967 The Last Australians

More Modern Mayhem
1989 Killer Charm: Ted Bundy
1994 A Mistake of Nature: Andrei Chikatilo
1994 The Clown Who Killed: John Wayne Gacy Jr
2001 Method in Madness: Javed Iqbal
2001 Collateral Damage: Timothy McVeigh
2002 The Highway Hooker: Aileen Wuornos
2004 The Red Hammer: Yang Xinhai

Cruel and Unusual Punishment
1960-1999 Cruel and Unusual Punishment
1960 Caryl Chessman
1977 Gary Mark Gilmore
1996 John Albert Taylor
1996 Billy Bailey
1999 Allen Lee 'Tiny' Davis

Waiting for Death
On Death Row
The Night Stalker: Richard Ramirez
The Washington Snipers: John A Muhammad and John Lee Malvo

Milestones of the Last Mile
2005 Van Tuong Nguyen
2005 Kenneth Lee Boyd
2005 Stanley Tookie Williams

Coda: The Voices of Death Row
William Van Poyck
Milo Rose

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a warning that this book is very graphic, especially in the beginning and may be very unsettling to people.