Killers - The Most Barbaric Murderers of Our Time

by Nigel Cawthorne

The Great majority of murders are family affairs, committed by outwardly ordinary people who often have never committed a crime.

But the murders that grab headlines, that stay in our memory and haunt our nightmare, are at work of psychotic serial killers and mass murderers, brutes whose behavior challenges our very definition of humanity.

In some ways, our brothers; in others, monstrous freaks of nature. How could they do what they did? What turned them into killers? And Why are we so fascinated by them?

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Ebooks, Mystery, History, Short Stories

304 pages, Unknown Binding

First published February 1, 2006

About the author

Nigel Cawthorne is an Anglo-American writer of fiction and non-fiction, and an editor. He has written more than 80 books on a wide range of subjects and has contributed to The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail and The New York Times. He has appeared on television and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Many of Nigel Cawthorne's books are compilations of popular history, without footnotes, references or bibliographies. His own web site refers to a description of his home as a "book-writing factory" and says, "More than half my books were commissioned by publishers and packagers for a flat fee or for a for a reduced royalty".

One of his most notable works was Taking Back My Name, an autobiography of Ike Turner, with whom he spent a number of weeks working with him on, taking up residence in Turner's house. The book caused much controversy, resulting in court cases for three years following its release.

Cawthorne currently lives in Bloomsbury, London with his girlfriend and son, Colin (born 1982).

Reviews

[Victoria Trevino · Rating 4 out of 5]

WARNING:
This book includes some details about the murders such as rape, sexual/child abuse, cannibalism, dismembering bodies, stabbing, shooting, language, and other things.

Review
This book is very much interesting. I would NOT recommend this to those who aren't mature enough to handle it - we wouldn't want them to get ideas of how to murder people from this book. It does mention sexual things. Cawthorne doesn't go much into detail in some things, but he doesn't leave much for the imagination.

Overall, there are 19 chapters in the book mentioning twenty-something murder stories that have happened over the past 50 years. Cawthorne gives details of each murder including when it happened, what weapons the murder/murderers used (if they indeed used a weapon), who was killed, how many people were killed, and sometimes the trials.

Some chapters go more into detail than others. Some murders that I read were kind of iffy. Yes, they are horrible, but some I was wondering, "how could these even be in the book? They're not that bad."

This book made me kind of feel horrible in the inside after reading this. The idea of murder kind of made me sick in my stomach after reading people that had their heads dismembered off of their body and boiled in a pot on the stove. Or kids being sexually abused and killed by their parents. Nonetheless, the book was very interesting and provided some interesting facts. My brother actually used part of this book for his report on gun control in college campuses.

Murderers Mentioned in the Book
Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate
Albert Desalvo, "The Boston Strangler"
Eric Edgar Cooke
Julian Knight
Frank Vitkovic
Charles Whitman Jr., "Snpier in the Tower"
The Zodiac Killer
Charles Manson and "The Family"
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley
Ted Bundy
Peter Sutcliffe, "The Yorkshire Ripper"
David Berkowitz, "Son of Sam"
Dennis Nilsen
Lindy and Michael Chamberlain**
Richard Ramirez, "The Night Stalker/Prowler"
Michael Ryan
Tracey Wigginton, Kim Jervis, Lisa Ptaschinski, and Tracey Waugh**
Rodney Dale, "Satan's Laughing Hitman"
Jeffrey Dahmer
Fred and Rosemary West
Dr. Harold Shipman, "Doctor Death"
Eric Hrris and Dylan Klebold (Columbine)

**Didn't believe these were that "horrible" or "barbaric" of murders compared to the others in the book.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was almost perfect for me because while I'd heard of most of these murderers I didn't know much about each one. There were a few exceptions, Ted Bundy and Charles Manson to name two.
I saw in another review that someone else mentioned it and I agree - two or three of these "murderers" (one may not have actually murdered) just didn't belong in the book. The Australian "dingo case" is one that I remember off the top of my head. I'd like to ask the author what made him add that and the other one or two in. While they are still horrible of course, they're so far different than any of the rest and really distract from the rest of the book.
This can be read very fast - all in one shot or story by story where it's easy to set down and pick back up.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a interesting book to read. It was fascinating and I couldn't put it down but what bothered me about it is the fact that the author rarely, if at all, sites his sources and has no bibliography page. I couldn't take it all as fact so I always had that in the back of my mind. I suppose anything that I have questions about or plan on discussing with others about these murderers will have to be researched. I have a hard time taking books as truth without reliable sources. But regardless, it is worth the read.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I watch a lot of crime investigation tv with my partner so i do like reading more about killers and their motivation and back stories.
Especially with these ones that are featured as they were stories that I had heard briefly about but not in that detail. They were also condensed enough that each story or account wasn't too long. Just enough to get the gist of the story.

Also a good leader into reading individual accounts of different serial killers.
Now back to reading some fiction haha

[no elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

is it really even worth nothing that nigel cawthorne isn't much of a writer? completely devoid of personality and just straight facts (albeit somewhat questionable ones), which is actually fine if that's what you want to read. it just wont be very much fun.

[Kimberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

don't bother with this book. there's many others that are far better. given that this is about true crimes, it's disturbing when the author is supposedly citing direct quotes from americans but uses britishisms.

[Am Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely one of the more engaging and well-written true crime books I've read. Features quite a number of cases. Some involve high-profile and famous murderers such as the Columbine killers, Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Fred & Rosemary West, etc, while others involve less well-known ones like Charles Starkweather, Eric Edgar Cooke, Julian Knight, Frank Vitkovic, Charles Whitman Jr & more. I'd not heard of some of them and was both fascinated and disgusted to read of the heinousness of their acts. It turns out mass shootings were a problem in the US as far back as the '60s, and that mental illness or brain-related issues (e.g. tumours) were involved in quite a few of the killings. The cases were well-presented, concisely-written, and easy to read, and in almost all of them, we are told of the killers' backstory, like their childhood/upbringing, what others had to say about them, what they were like, and so on. Probably more shocking and upsetting than the killings themselves, was reading about how - in so many cases - so many more murders could have been prevented if the police had just done their job properly, or the justice system had been more sensible and, for instance, not allowed people accused multiple times of serious crimes to be released back into society again and again, with nary a slap on the wrist.

My only gripe with this book was that, in a few of the chapters nearing the end, there was suddenly a ton of spelling errors. It was as if the book's editor decided to stop checking stuff from a certain point onwards. Aside from this, this was an interesting and educational read.

[AMY MATTALIANO · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure if "The most barbaric murderers of our times," is really all that accurate. Does this book delve into some extremely depraved monsters? Absolutely. Are there others who could fall more into the category? Yes, definitely. It contains a wide range of criminals, from classic American cases we've heard about for years (Son of Sam, Charles Manson, etc.), to ones that are more obscure from the other side of the globe.
If you're a fan of true crime books, this is one you are likely to enjoy. It really doesn't dive too deep into the nitty-gritty details of each case. But you definitely get a clear image of the crimes, as well as clarity of the criminals' backgrounds.

[Miss Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

As True Crime goes this was okay. Covering 19 of the worst cases, from Manson and The Family to the tragic massacres of Hungerford and Columbine, it looks at the what, when and how but doesn't delve too deeply into the why.

A good, informative read that was, unfortunately, spoiled by the numerous typos that distracted my attention away from the narrative far too much, trying to figure out what the author was trying to say.

[Lesley Trippensee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've seen several reviews docking this book for not really giving an in-depth bio of the different people, but that's not what I would expect from an anthology-type collection like this. My lower rating came entirely down to, not even poor writing, but poor editing. There were several gramatical and printing issues in my edition.

[Yasmin Barker · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is full of errors, there are a lot of spelling mistakes. Also one paragraph will say something and the next will say the complete opposite. Definitely needed a better proof reader

[Anna Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It´s a 2.5, since some chapters were super boring and didnt really fit in but others were very interesting, even though I knew a lot of things about most of these killers already.

[Cai · Rating 4 out of 5]

dark, twisted, and true, this book stands as one of my favorite true crime novels.

[joolz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book about some terrible murders. As well as explaining about the murders it also gives some information about the victims, which makes this more upsetting than a straightforward crime book at times. It brings home that, whilst many of the killings may be quick, they still qualify as barbaric for the cruelty inflicted upon the people left behind to cope with the devastation. For example, this comment about an American killed on a whim by a sniper:

"Thirty-three-year-old post-graduate mathematician Robert Boyer was looking forward to his trip to England. He had already secured a teaching post in Liverpool, where his pregnant wife and two children were waiting for him. But when he stepped out on to the mall, heading for an early lunch, he was shot, fatally, in the back."

It's unbearable to think how his wife and family could have dealt with that. It wouds be horrifying at any time, but pregnant and stuck in a strange country?

A lot of true life books concentrate on the USA, but this also covers the UK and Australia. Some of the crimes have already been publicised a lot eg the Moors Murders, Yorkshire Ripper, Son of Sam, Columbine, but the familiarity with the cases doesn't mean that there's no point in reading the book. The chapter about Shipman ('Doctor Death') went more into his background than the news reports I read at the time and the book includes crimes I hadn't heard about.

I'm not sure why 'The Dingo Case' is included as it was decided that no crime had taken place and I felt that one of the murders was only included because of the titillation of the 'Lesbian Vampires' claim, yes, it was a nasty murder, but didn't really provide much in the way of psychological insight to the killer.

Overall an interesting read.

[Alexey Varfolomeev · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all, this one is an entertaining collection of blood chilling accounts of SOME of the century's most resonating killing sprees and mass murders. For those keen on issue of this matter, the book might be of some interest. Yet, if you are an expert, a, so to speak, veteran in this field, these reports may seem too hollow to you. Like the one on Ted Bundy, which might have provided a lot more information, should the author tried harder. I personally picked this one because, living in Russia, struggle finding a decent English book of the kind.
Yet, there are two things that really stop me from giving the book anything above three stars.
First is the angle, the approach the author resorted to when selecting 'characters' for his book. With an epic title like the one this book has, you really need to do a more thorough research. Has he ever heard of Andrei Chikatilo? Or, since the guy originated from the USSR, he is not worth mentioning? If that's the case, it is no longer an objective journalistic work.
Second, consistency, or, rather, absence thereof. With loads of information all around, the author follows a rather strange logic and selects only a few of his stories for a more in-depth narration.
Also, with 'should have rang' encountered in the text, I just don't know whether it is the publisher or the writer I, a non-native speaker, should hold accountable.

[Hud-c · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a compilation of several heinous murders done by some of the most gruesome killers and psychos the world have seen. If you're looking for straight facts, then try to read this book. However, if you won't to get more details specifically the reasons for the murders and more on the life of the killers, then, get another book - a biography or a book solely written for that specific crime. The good points of this book is the way Mr. Cawthorne outline each crime. He created subsection for each type of murderers eg. motives, number of victims, weapon used, etc. He put on enough details which I think is quite good enough if you just want to have some background on a case. However, some of the chosen cases here, in my opinion, shouldn't be included. The Dingo case, the vampire ladies, the shootings, I think most reviewers would agree, they don't belong here because we're talking about barbaric. I don't belittle their crimes, but there are others who are far more horrible.

[Natasha M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like other reviewers I kind of questioned some of the evidence given as there wasn't much to back up some of the statements made but as this was one of my impulsive Bargain Buys before hopping in line at the cashiers, I suppose this is what I get for making hasty purchases. This book sort of reads like a very dry noir mystery writing (to me, anyway) but I was surprised to see something as "recent" as the Columbine shooting included at the end of the book. I must say, I have read better books with more in-depth information (for killers such as the Moors Murderers, Dennis Nilsen, Fred and Rosemary West and so forth) regarding some of the cases, but this I think was meant to be more of an overview. What I did like is that the author tried to introduce a more international perspective by siting some killers I've never heard of (mostly the Australian murderers).

[Chris Ramsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this was a rather cursory review of some of the most heinous murders on record. I enjoyed the collection between England, Australia and the United States. For the most part, probably because I have read other pieces on most of these cases, I found the book offered little I didn't already know. However there were aspects to Son of Sam and the Columbine murders I was not originally aware of. In some cases it seemed the research and information was more indepth, yet in others it felt horribly rushed, like a book report turned in at the last minute. Also the editing was sub par, as if it were either written by someone where English was not there first language or edited by someone with their eyes closed.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, in the aspect that it gives so much detail about the killers, but a couple of the sections were too wordy, such as Doctor Death, which I ended up just skimming just so I could get it over with. The writer must be English, since those are the killers that were too wordy and/or pointless. The vampire and debit worship sections were pointless to be put in this book, I can think of a lot more barbaric murderers than those. By the end I was a bit disappointed with this book overall.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like reading a wikipedia entry as if it were a pulp novel. A little overwrought with adolescent macabre detail, while providing almost no context or theory about reasons or causes (despite the introduction promising this). If you want to read a checklist of crimes with just enough human information to seem exploitative (this victim was a father of three! this one was about to attend college!), go for this book.

[S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you compare Nigel Cawthorne to properly-published writers then of course all his entire output comes out at the 2-3 star level. but if you think of him as that "1.99 ebook speed-writer" then possibly we can even go as far as 4 stars for these quickly-researched, quickly-written books about war, crime, sex. of the three, Cawthorne is skilled at writing about the second and third.

this book has graphic accounts of newspaper-famous killers. demented, twisted, and often sexual 4/5

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I;m glad I got this for 50cents, I would have been been disappointed otherwise. For a book with this dramatic of a cover, it was pretty blah. Like the history teacher that manages to make something that should be interesting into a boring lecture. Its better than having nothing to read, but as a last resort only.

[Paul Fenlon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting read , it certainly opened my eyes to further things to look into but in general I found this book to be pretty shallow in covering a lot of these very interesting cases. At times some of the coverage is somewhat gruesome but again it was really a very brief snapshot about the crimes not much detail into the killers minds that isn't already out there.

[John Barclay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly well written series of short pieces about famous murders and murderers. No great new revelations or anything but mostly well documented history of this sort of thing. I read it hoping for things to show students, but it's all has an edge of lurid detail that makes it not useful in the classroom.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually kept giving me nightmares when I was reading it before bed so I stopped. Like an extremely detailed wikipedia entry, with lots of added gore and such. Not particularly interesting or whatever, but I guess it was cool to learn about certain killers that I might not have otherwise.

[Sarai Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book toted as being about "the most Barbaric murderers of our times," Mr. Cawthorne included some rather idiotic ones.

This book was frustrating at points because of grammar and other such errors that do not belong in a published book.

[Desley (Cat fosterer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an OK read, but like others I was surprised at the choice, and also the lengths of some of them seemed odd in comparison to their crimes. I found out a few new things about some of the murderers.

[Elisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
There's not much to say about this book.I didn't really like the way it is written, some information in this book was unnecessary.
The fact that people can be this evil never fails to amaze me.
Oh and the dingo case wasn't really needed in this book.

[Cheryl Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for a little more insight into the minds of these people, the why, and this book didn't deliver a lot of that. The author also seems biased against alternative religions, with a "if it's not Christian, it's Satanism" attitude.
It was interesting, but more of an overview.

[DAISY READS HORROR · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had some very interesting cases that I had not heard about, and also some I have read before on. Overall the cases were interesting. I just wish there would have been more pictures surrounding each case spoken about in this book.