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True Crime by Evil Killers #5
Robert Berdella: The True Story of the Kansas City Butcher
When Chris Bryson was discovered nude and severely beaten stumbling down Charlotte Street in Kansas City in 1988, Police had no idea they were about to discover the den of one of the most sadistic American serial killers in recent history. This is the true historical story of Robert Berdella, nicknamed by the media the Kansas City Butcher, who from between 1984 and 1988 brutally raped, tortured and ultimately dismembered 6 young male prostitutes in his unassuming home on a quiet street in Kansas City. Based on the actual 720 page detailed confession provided by Berdella to investigators, it represents one of the most gruesome true crime stories of all time and is unique in the fact that it details each grizzly murder as told by the killer himself. From how he captured each man, to the terrifying methods he used in his torture chamber, to ultimately how he disposed of their corpses - rarely has there ever been a case where a convicted serial killer confessed to police in his own words his crimes in such disturbing detail. Horrific, shocking and rarely equaled in the realms of sadistic torture – Berdella was a sexually driven lust killer and one of the most sadistic sex criminals ever captured. Not for the faint of heart, this is the tale of Robert “Bob“ Berdella, the worst serial killer in Kansas City History and for those that are fans of historical serial killers, is a true must read.
88 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2015
103 people are currently reading
288 people want to read
About the author
Jack Rosewood
91 books146 followersI live in one of the most beautiful places in Florida, Jupiter, with my wife, two kids and our golden retriever, Vincent. I've been a full time author for the last 15 years and I wouldn't trade it against anything in the world!
My father was a journalist and wrote about some of the worst crimes you could ever imagine, and that's where my big interest from serial killers and other horrible crimes comes from. Just to hear my father talk about the evil acts of Ted Bundy as we were out fishing as a kid are some of my best memories.
My father was a journalist and wrote about some of the worst crimes you could ever imagine, and that's where my big interest from serial killers and other horrible crimes comes from. Just to hear my father talk about the evil acts of Ted Bundy as we were out fishing as a kid are some of my best memories.
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December 18, 2017A short but revealing ebook about serial killer Robert Berdella, a seriously twisted serial killer who tortured and dismembered 6 young male prostitutes from 1984 to 1988 in his average looking home in Kansas City. Nicknamed "The Kansas City Butcher" by the media for his gruesome habit of cutting up his victims.
August 22, 2021
Comprehensive information
There is a lot of information presented in a short amount of space. It is very well written. A comprehensive amount of information without being drawn out.
My only 'negative' about this book is the type-o's. Simple errors such as "week" instead of "weak" and "of" instead of "off."
There is a lot of information presented in a short amount of space. It is very well written. A comprehensive amount of information without being drawn out.
My only 'negative' about this book is the type-o's. Simple errors such as "week" instead of "weak" and "of" instead of "off."
December 11, 2018
It's amazing how the police report style writing of this ebook can turn even the most disturbing and depraved acts sound monotonous.
December 24, 2021
Wow! I don’t know how this guy isn’t more well known. He was brutal.
This book had quite a few errors in it and since it is not an advance reader copy that was annoying, but otherwise a fascinating true crime story.
This book had quite a few errors in it and since it is not an advance reader copy that was annoying, but otherwise a fascinating true crime story.
February 23, 2022
I heard it as an audiobook. The narrator wasn't that great and he was pronounciating some words in a really weird way. It also really bothered me that rape/torture was several times called sex and intercourse as if the victims had given their consent to such horrible experiences.
The story is mostly a description of the terrible twisted things Berdella did to his six victims.
The story is mostly a description of the terrible twisted things Berdella did to his six victims.
September 6, 2015
I won an e-copy of this book recently and this is my honest review.
A very disturbing book which had me turning the pages until finished. It's the first time that I have read any of Jack Rosewood's books and shall look forward to reading more. I just wonder how many more killings would have happened had there not been an escape. I expect there are others out there just like Berdella who have yet to be caught. I recommend this book to all who enjoy true stories about serial killers.
A very disturbing book which had me turning the pages until finished. It's the first time that I have read any of Jack Rosewood's books and shall look forward to reading more. I just wonder how many more killings would have happened had there not been an escape. I expect there are others out there just like Berdella who have yet to be caught. I recommend this book to all who enjoy true stories about serial killers.
September 22, 2016
I've always been an ID Discovery type shows junkie, but I've never actually read a true crime book. This book was my first. While it is short, it is very, very well researched. A majority of it is tough to read due to the subject matter, the author's insight keeps you reading. I will definitely be checking out more by this author.
June 1, 2020
Seriously disturbing acts by a seriously disturbed individual. How had I never heard of him before? Stiff writing and incredibly gruesome.
December 3, 2017
I read this book via an Amazon-US KINDLE Unlimited download.
While I might be a romance author, I’m also a voracious book reviewer. And as a book reviewer I’ve become quite fascinated by the horrendous and sheer heinous things one individual [or a pair of individuals] can do to another, and from time to time I need to read another book which dwells into these true crime murders and their killers and then write a review for that book; which is probably why I’m now a TOP CONTRIBUTOR for this genre on Amazon.
Doing a search for TRUE CRIME books, I found a book about one of the most sadistic serial murderer we’ve come to know in this country, Robert Berdella. While this individual had only committed six murders during a four-year period of time, it’s what he did to poor victims which caused the media to nickname him “The Kansas City Butcher,” because after he’d viciously raped and tormented them, like a butcher cutting up a side of beef; he totally dismembered their bodies.
In researching this sexually depraved individual, the author, Jack Rosewood came across the profusely detailed 720-page confession from the killer’s own mouth. Robert Berdella apparently must had been proud of his monstrous deeds to have remembered the minutia of details regarding each one. Starting from how he lured each of his victims to his torture chamber and what he did to them once there, and ending with how he finally got rid of their body pieces.
As in all of his books, Mr. Rosewood, goes back to dwell upon the childhood and background for each of his subjects, to see if something might have been there that caused their unbelievable deviant behavior to surface. And ending with the trial and its aftermath, where his readers can find out how each of the participants felt regarding the outcome. When it came Berbella himself, considering everything that happened, I found his feelings and comments to be quite interesting.
For having given me and his readers a fascinating non-fiction account about this individual, this author and his book is getting 5 STARS from this reviewer.
While I might be a romance author, I’m also a voracious book reviewer. And as a book reviewer I’ve become quite fascinated by the horrendous and sheer heinous things one individual [or a pair of individuals] can do to another, and from time to time I need to read another book which dwells into these true crime murders and their killers and then write a review for that book; which is probably why I’m now a TOP CONTRIBUTOR for this genre on Amazon.
Doing a search for TRUE CRIME books, I found a book about one of the most sadistic serial murderer we’ve come to know in this country, Robert Berdella. While this individual had only committed six murders during a four-year period of time, it’s what he did to poor victims which caused the media to nickname him “The Kansas City Butcher,” because after he’d viciously raped and tormented them, like a butcher cutting up a side of beef; he totally dismembered their bodies.
In researching this sexually depraved individual, the author, Jack Rosewood came across the profusely detailed 720-page confession from the killer’s own mouth. Robert Berdella apparently must had been proud of his monstrous deeds to have remembered the minutia of details regarding each one. Starting from how he lured each of his victims to his torture chamber and what he did to them once there, and ending with how he finally got rid of their body pieces.
As in all of his books, Mr. Rosewood, goes back to dwell upon the childhood and background for each of his subjects, to see if something might have been there that caused their unbelievable deviant behavior to surface. And ending with the trial and its aftermath, where his readers can find out how each of the participants felt regarding the outcome. When it came Berbella himself, considering everything that happened, I found his feelings and comments to be quite interesting.
For having given me and his readers a fascinating non-fiction account about this individual, this author and his book is getting 5 STARS from this reviewer.
December 30, 2021
Rosewood's writing style is reminiscent of someone trying to tell a scary campfire story. He falls flat on trying to hype Berdella's horror, which is monstrous enough to stand alone. Although he tries to describe Berdella's childhood as "uneventful and non-descript" numerous sources detail otherwise, which was was a huge miss on Rosewood's part.
Grammatical issues and intense repetition make this short volume unnecessarily sluggish. As a true crime lover, The Kansas City Butcher is a must-read serial killer, but there are plenty other authors that do a better job fully educating you.
Grammatical issues and intense repetition make this short volume unnecessarily sluggish. As a true crime lover, The Kansas City Butcher is a must-read serial killer, but there are plenty other authors that do a better job fully educating you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2023
This man was sick. His "kill-number" may not be as big as other serial killers, but it's not the amount of people that he killed that makes this guy so notable. It's the way he killed them.
That said, this book felt like it was some high school kid's essay. The editing was non-existent. There was no depth to anything, although he tried real hard to make it sound exciting.
It's very short, so if you just want a quick read into this guy and what he did, then it's worth picking up.
That said, this book felt like it was some high school kid's essay. The editing was non-existent. There was no depth to anything, although he tried real hard to make it sound exciting.
It's very short, so if you just want a quick read into this guy and what he did, then it's worth picking up.
August 20, 2019
It goes into great detail, the torture and murder of the men that he eventually killed. However, I was thinking it was going to be more of a biography than just a review of his murders. It's a true crime short story, ultimately. And it seemed like the author couldn't help himself but put cliche dramatic phrases like "but [insert name here] had no idea what was about to happen" (dun dun DUN!) throughout the book.
December 2, 2019
The narrator of this audio book was so bad that I can't tell if it was a terribly written book. The subject matter was horrific, but since it's about a truly disturbed and deviant individual, that wasn't all that surprising. If you must read this, please don't choose the audio. It sounded a bit like a really poorly educated robot....terrible pacing and word emphasis, mispronunciation of SO many words. The word escape does not have an x in it. EXSCAPE?? That's just one example. I have never been so horrified by a performance....and yeah, the subject matter made me want to take a shower.
December 19, 2017
This one was pretty good. I would have liked to have heard a bit more about his behaviour as a child, the trial, and the aftermath, but I know more than I did. The narrator was excellent, though the recording sounded tinny. Ah, well. This was worth my $4.
January 12, 2021
Solid true crime covering of the case
Rosewood doesn't gloss over the crimes of Berdella. He provides the narrative with the perspective of sympathy and gives the biographies of the victims as qell
Rosewood doesn't gloss over the crimes of Berdella. He provides the narrative with the perspective of sympathy and gives the biographies of the victims as qell
February 22, 2018
Was very descriptive, almost nothing mentioned about the law side of things. Mostly just what the killer did to each victim.
July 4, 2018
This killer was beyond sick. Well written, but extremely gruesome.
January 24, 2019
Utterly horrific what this man did to his victims. I advise you read this only if you have a strong stomach.
October 29, 2019
Depraved is tame when trying to explain Robert Berdella and the things he did. I often had to pause the book and come back to it.
January 28, 2021
Solid true crime; very descriptive. I would not recommend this to the faint of heart.
February 16, 2021
Awful
Can get more useful information from Wikipedia. Authors speaks nothing of Berdella's life, just each crime. Terribly written, don't waste your $
Can get more useful information from Wikipedia. Authors speaks nothing of Berdella's life, just each crime. Terribly written, don't waste your $
June 4, 2021
Pretty cut and dry telling of the story but informative nonetheless
April 5, 2022
Ten pages in, I bailed due to spelling and grammatical errors. Life is too short to read books by authors that don’t utilize editors.
December 29, 2022
Hvis du har tenkt å lese denne, vær klar over at alle overgrep denne mannen har gjort blir beskrevet i ekstrem detalj i denne boka.
January 5, 2023
I did not know anything about this killer. What an interesting story!
July 18, 2024
the author was so…. cruel and gave so many details. i just can’t. it was weird.
May 19, 2023
Audible
Warning: this book goes into great depth about the death & torture of the victims. All in all it was decently written & full of information about the murders & arrest of Berdella.
Warning: this book goes into great depth about the death & torture of the victims. All in all it was decently written & full of information about the murders & arrest of Berdella.
April 4, 2016
Robert Berdella: The True Story of the Kansas City Butcher by Jack Rosewood Spoiler Alert!!!
Robert Berdella: The True Story of the Kansas City Butcher by Jack Rosewood, Historical Serial Killers & Murderers, True Crime by Evil Killers Volume 5 detailed the monstrous tortures he inflicted on at least six victims. This is a brutal book & difficult to read. He dismembered his victims & no complete bodies were found. "He kept detailed notes on his exploits..." He also took Polaroid photographs of the torture.
His early family life was normal & uneventful. He was bullied because he had to wear thick glasses because of his poor eyesight. He was above average in intelligence but sometimes seemed rude & condescending.
His first victim, Jerry Howell, choked on his own vomit after being drugged heavily & raped repeatedly. It was ten months before he had the nerve to kill again & his second victim was Robert Sheldon. He tortured him without mercy & finally suffocated him with a plastic bag over his head. This time he kept his head as a trophy & buried it in the garden in his backyard. Victim number three was Mark Wallace & that took place only two months after he had killed Sheldon. After almost a year since his first victim, he officially became a serial killer.
Walter Ferris was victim number four. He wanted to keep him prisoner for a longer period of time so needed to temper the degrees of his torture. His time was brief but Berdella wasn't disappointed since he believed Ferris had set him up with the police for a drug bust.
His fifth victim was Todd Stoops. Word had spread on the street that Berdella was to be avoided because he liked his sex rough & that Jerry Howell's disappearance was related to him. Stoops was a prisoner for thirteen days before his death.
Eleven months after Todd Stoops was killed, he finally found Larry Pearson, his sixth victim. It was 1987.
He kept him captive for nearly two months until Todd bit him & Berdella had to go to the hospital for stitches. He needed to stay but told the doctor he had to check on a dog that had just had puppies & would return. While a taxi waited he suffocated Stoops with a plastic bag & left him while he returned to the hospital. Stoops had been dead three days by the time he returned from the hospital. Berdella had kept the air conditioning turned on full blast but the smell of death had become an issue.
April 2, 1998 one of his victims, Chris Bryson, after four days of captivity, jumped out the window to escape. The Kansas City Police took over the investigation.
I gave this book three stars because of the incorrectly spelled words & homonymns throughout. It was well researched but the evil it described was horrific.
I received a complimentary kindle copy from Amazon. This did not change my opinion for this review.
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Berdella...
Robert Berdella: The True Story of the Kansas City Butcher by Jack Rosewood, Historical Serial Killers & Murderers, True Crime by Evil Killers Volume 5 detailed the monstrous tortures he inflicted on at least six victims. This is a brutal book & difficult to read. He dismembered his victims & no complete bodies were found. "He kept detailed notes on his exploits..." He also took Polaroid photographs of the torture.
His early family life was normal & uneventful. He was bullied because he had to wear thick glasses because of his poor eyesight. He was above average in intelligence but sometimes seemed rude & condescending.
His first victim, Jerry Howell, choked on his own vomit after being drugged heavily & raped repeatedly. It was ten months before he had the nerve to kill again & his second victim was Robert Sheldon. He tortured him without mercy & finally suffocated him with a plastic bag over his head. This time he kept his head as a trophy & buried it in the garden in his backyard. Victim number three was Mark Wallace & that took place only two months after he had killed Sheldon. After almost a year since his first victim, he officially became a serial killer.
Walter Ferris was victim number four. He wanted to keep him prisoner for a longer period of time so needed to temper the degrees of his torture. His time was brief but Berdella wasn't disappointed since he believed Ferris had set him up with the police for a drug bust.
His fifth victim was Todd Stoops. Word had spread on the street that Berdella was to be avoided because he liked his sex rough & that Jerry Howell's disappearance was related to him. Stoops was a prisoner for thirteen days before his death.
Eleven months after Todd Stoops was killed, he finally found Larry Pearson, his sixth victim. It was 1987.
He kept him captive for nearly two months until Todd bit him & Berdella had to go to the hospital for stitches. He needed to stay but told the doctor he had to check on a dog that had just had puppies & would return. While a taxi waited he suffocated Stoops with a plastic bag & left him while he returned to the hospital. Stoops had been dead three days by the time he returned from the hospital. Berdella had kept the air conditioning turned on full blast but the smell of death had become an issue.
April 2, 1998 one of his victims, Chris Bryson, after four days of captivity, jumped out the window to escape. The Kansas City Police took over the investigation.
I gave this book three stars because of the incorrectly spelled words & homonymns throughout. It was well researched but the evil it described was horrific.
I received a complimentary kindle copy from Amazon. This did not change my opinion for this review.
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Berdella...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2015
This guy made Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer look like a choir boy.
If you like true-crime you have to read this 1 also.
Warning: This book is for adults only & contains extreme violence, adult content or expletive language &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written true crime mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of very unique/colorful characters to keep track of. This could also make another great true crime mystery movie, criminal justice, sociology PP presentation or mini TV series (A & E, History channel). A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Goodreads; Wiq Media; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
If you like true-crime you have to read this 1 also.
Warning: This book is for adults only & contains extreme violence, adult content or expletive language &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written true crime mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of very unique/colorful characters to keep track of. This could also make another great true crime mystery movie, criminal justice, sociology PP presentation or mini TV series (A & E, History channel). A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Goodreads; Wiq Media; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
March 14, 2016
Horrific, explicit book
This is a book that should be skipped by anyone sensitive or who has rape triggers. There is explicit language and graphic depiction of torture, rape, etc.
This is a well written book, but very graphic. Despite being a fan of true crime, this book was a very hard read. I finished it because the men he killed need to be remembered, their story needs to be known.
Berdella hurt humans in ways no one should ever be hurt. These serial killers manage to exist in society and no one knows until they are caught. These men he killed mattered.
This is not a good book, it is a truthful book. My heart hurts for the men he hurt and the people who loved those men.
This is a book that should be skipped by anyone sensitive or who has rape triggers. There is explicit language and graphic depiction of torture, rape, etc.
This is a well written book, but very graphic. Despite being a fan of true crime, this book was a very hard read. I finished it because the men he killed need to be remembered, their story needs to be known.
Berdella hurt humans in ways no one should ever be hurt. These serial killers manage to exist in society and no one knows until they are caught. These men he killed mattered.
This is not a good book, it is a truthful book. My heart hurts for the men he hurt and the people who loved those men.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews