Southern Brutality : True Crime Nonfiction : Serial Killers: Hidden Evil Series Volume 2

by Caroline Bardot

The term “serial killer” was first introduced in the 1970s by FBI Agent Robert Ressler. Shortly after joining the FBI in 1970, he was recruited to join the newly developed Behavioral Science Unit where he became fascinated with the psychology behind violent offenders. He wanted to better understand the motive behind a murder – what caused the person to act out in such a way, and what similarities these individuals shared. Ressler recognized that most offenders knew their victims, but there was a certain type of killer that picked their victims at random, and often killed multiple times. He coined the term “serial killer” because of the episodic nature of the homicides and how it reminded him of the television serials he watched as a young boy. The general public, as well as law enforcement, and criminal psychologists have often wondered what motivates a person to become a serial killer. It is interesting to note that many serial killers exhibit the same psychological behaviors including sociopathy, psychopathy, and antisocial tendencies.

Although we may never know what causes a person to become a serial killer, it is often a topic that fascinates many people. Perhaps it is the morbid curiosity, or the ability to view evil from a safe distance. The topic continues to infiltrate our media and entertainment with an endless spate of true crime documentaries, podcasts, and TV shows. The truth is there are monsters walking among us – they are your neighbors, co-workers, peers, and sometimes even family members. This book will focus on two serial killers whose stories appeared to be all but forgotten.

Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins – An American serial killer who brutalized the state of South Carolina from the 1950s through the 1980s. Known as “The Meanest Man in America,” Pee Wee confessed to over one hundred murders, although not all of these murders have been proven. His brutality knew no boundaries – he raped, stabbed, shot, drowned, and tortured numerous innocent victims, mostly hitchhikers along the coast of South Carolina.

Charles Frederick Albright – An American serial killer who was convicted of murdering three prostitutes in Dallas, Texas in 1991. He became known as “The Eyeball Killer,” after his victims were found with their eyes removed with surgical precision.

It is the classic question of nature versus nurture, but childhood trauma is a recurring theme that repeatedly shows itself in all serial killer biographies. As a society, we often want to place blame on a single event, it's just human nature. What if there is no real explanation as to why people become serial killers? What if the only logical explanation is that some people are just born evil?

80 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 3, 2023

Reviews

[Deirdre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second book in the Hidden Evil series was fascinating despite the depths of depravity that the two killers (main characters) in engaged in. The author discussed the history of the term serial killer and how there are so many true crime fans who have caused the genre to grow exponentially.
These are you brutal monstrous murderers. Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins was dubbed the Meanest Man in America. Unfortunately the nickname was revoltingly true. It's not even known how many victims he actually killed. What is known is that many victims were hitchhikers around the state of South Carolina.
Charles Albright another dangerous and disturbing killer from the South who freakishly was obsessed with eyeballs and used merciless techniques to obtain them from unsuspecting human victims. These two savages based on their inhumane treatment of their victims epitomized southern brutality.

[Beth Shuler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting

I have read books, articles and so on about both of these killers but was pleasantly surprised I felt I learned more from this short read! And really enjoyed reading it of I must say. I have a tendency to stick to authors I am familiar with. But glad I seen this one and read it!! I only have one issue as of now and that is when is the next book as I will def be in line!! Lol... good work all the way around!

[Elisabeth Brookshire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh

This author's first book in the series was ok. This one is dreadful. It just quoted endlessly from someone else's work. The story of Pee Wee bored me and while the second case was somewhat interesting, it was still just a quick read. There are so many other books out there to check out: Robert Keller or Jason Neal.

[Tammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting two men

These two men each have their respective physcosis and reasons (albeit not good ones) for their behaviors. Easy read, read.

[michelle handelong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

I wish more in-depth but I guess I'll have to get his autobiography.
I was interesting but need more pictures

[Holly Zegalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two interesting cases I hadn’t heard of before. Some details are a little graphic. The AI voice is bad. It reads annotations.