The Confessions of Psychopaths: Their Evil Crimes Told in Their Own Words

by Al Cimino

What dark thoughts roam the mind of a murderer?

In this gripping account, Al Cimino examines the lives and crimes of renowned serial killers as told in their own words - through the confessions they gave to police, their outbursts in court and the chilling manifestos they left behind.

From Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer to Aileen Wuornos and David Berkowitz, this book covers 10 infamous psychopaths who have committed some of the most horrible crimes known to humanity. Their evil deeds seem unthinkable to the rest of us. Yet each had their own twisted logic for their dastardly deeds.

Tinged with sadistic glee, an intense desire to justify their own actions, rage against society and the most intricate descriptions of their victims and the atrocious actions they took against them, their shocking confessions provide a window into the darkest side of human nature.

These confessions are accompanied by chilling black and white photographs throughout.

ABOUT THE The True Crime Casefiles series covers some of the most shocking crimes and notorious criminals and psychopaths of all time, without shying away from the grisly details. These books include psychological profiles, witness testimonies, court proceedings and more, accompanied by chilling photographs of the people and places involved.

Genres: True Crime

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 6, 2026

Reviews

[Kelsey Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a really good read and I was hooked from page one, I am a fan of these types of books / documentaries etc on tv and thoroughly enjoy learning about true crime! This book was really good and disturbing in some parts - makes you wonder what goes through these people’s minds and how they can do such horrible things and why? It was interesting and hard to put down, I will definitely read more like this by this author and other ones too!

[Kristen S · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off this is an author I am fond of. Because their books typically has a lot of information about the VICTIMS as well as the killers.

This book had a whole page that expressed why that was not the case for this one.

I personally loved the transcripts of the confessions. It made this feel more like I was watching an episode of my favorite crime show vs reading a book which I enjoyed. Getting to see the words vs hearing them, to me, helped it stick better because I absorb information better when I read it vs hearing it.

I will be buying this book when it comes out. If you are a true crime fan that enjoys getting that extra glimpse into a psychopaths mind- this is the book for you.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just ok. I’ve read most of it in the past from other books. Most of it seemed very familiar. It covers Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Dennis Nilsen, Peter Sutcliffe, Charles Manson, Aileen Wuornos, David Berkowitz, Albert DeSalvo, H. H. Holmes, and Carl Panzram. If any of these killers are new to you, you may have a different result.

[Jodi Gallegos · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of true crime books, I was very eager to read The Confessions of Psychopaths when I read that it includes insight into the crimes of these murderers from their own perspectives. The details of their crimes from their point-of-view does contribute to a more vivid, and horrific understanding of what these people’s victims endured. I found the writing style to be smooth, engaging, and clear. It was easy to read in format, but could be difficult in content just because of the blunt recounts of the crimes by the murderers. I appreciated that the author went back to some more historical serial killers instead of only covering the more modern and well-known ones. Overall this was a good book to read.

[Allieveryday · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know the title says "in Their Own Words" but I didn't think the book would be 80% transcripts of confessions and whatnot.

Every chapter structure is basically: date+crime, transcript, repeat repeat repeat. And too often the transcripts were explicitly violent/sexual and there is no further analysis, breakdown, context, dive into the mind of the psychopath. Without this, the transcripts feel present for shock value. Without further commentary on the transcripts, the whole book feels lazy (sometimes sloppy), superficial.

[Ron Baumer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book unsure of what to expect. From the title, I thought it was going to be the words and accounts by the murderers. While there was some, there was also a lot of court transcripts, and presenting of facts that if you knew of the cases beforehand, did not provide any new information.

Still, it is a good true crime book.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Annie Vanhoose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book, some chapters were more boring than others. Lots of information. Some of the more “famous” psychopaths chapters like Ted Bundy and Charles Manson were full of facts that most everyone already knows from the media.

[Tracy Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Chapter 9 was the most boring though.

[Christy Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between 3 and 4 stars. If you are interested in true crime I would pick this up but it can be very graphic

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not going to read any books about murderers for a long time. The realization of how horrible people can be is nauseating.

[Brandy Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on Audio, which was better than reading it. The narrator was entertaining but the book itself lacked some substance

[Grinning Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

THE CONFESSIONS OF PSYCHOPATHS sounded promising when I read the blurb. The psychology of True Crime is always fascinating, I thought. But I found this book underwhelming, #netgalley

[Alora Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay true crime. Some of the chapters were really interesting while others definitely lagged. I do find that most of the information in the book I had read other places before now. It was an interesting premise to go off just what these serial killers had said in interviews instead of background information.