Human Sacrifice: A Shocking Expose of Ritual Killings Worldwide

by Jimmy Lee Shreeve

Human sacrifice still goes on uncomfortably close to home-cases have been found in the U.S., Europe, and the United Kingdom. In other parts of the world, such as South America, ritual killing is almost commonplace. HUMAN SACRIFICE investigates the terrifying current spate of human sacrifices and ritual killings. Jimmy Lee Shreeve draws on police reports and interviews with the victims' families to paint a horrifying picture of ritual sacrifice at home and abroad.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, History, Psychology, Crime, Religion

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 2008

Reviews

[Elisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Things I learned from this book:
1) Not all Satanists support human sacrifice (I assume that most of them are super-nice, normal people who happen to worship the devil).
2) You shouldn’t experiment with magic if you have mental health issues (because we all know that only sane, well-adjusted people drink bat wing concoctions to make Hugh Jackman fall in love with them)
3) Some people today ritually sacrifice humans but, hey, the Celts and Vikings did too and the inquisition killed a bunch of people so we’re good, right?
4) We can’t tell someone that human sacrifice is not cool because we’re telling them their beliefs are not acceptable and we’re just being bigoted.
5) “Professional” human “sacrificers” can’t be prosecuted for murder because they don’t know that they’re doing anything wrong (should this apply to serial killers who are just ridding the world from whoever they consider a problem)?
Well, I happen to have a big – huge – prejudice against people who murder and there is no way that animal sacrifice should be tolerated in the civilized world. So reading this pamphlet trying to normalize something so horrific just got my goat. I should have stopped reading, but I was somewhat interest in the matter and eventually just kept hate-reading, trying to see how far the author would go trying to justify the unjustifiable.

[Eris · Rating 1 out of 5]

The general topic is interesting enough, it can't help but be. The bizarre lengths humans will go to in order to try to get more than their neighbor is always both shocking and intriguing. The author, however, jumps right in the middle of his "journalistic" report and repeatedly inserts his experiences in magic to the point of complete distraction. He comes off as narcissistic, and in desperate need of attention. While the subject matter is compelling, the author is not.

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I saw this book on the shelf at the library and thought that this might well be a very interesting read. But I was wrong. The book was nothing more than a ton of babble. The author inserts himself and his experiences entirely too much in the book. The cases he writes about though, are interesting if you research them yourself on the net. Interesting subject, poorly written book.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the subject matter but was put off by the author's insertion of personal anecdotes at inappropriate times. I'm all for adding a touch of lightheartedness or even humour to allow the reader a breath between the greusome stories we're consuming, but there's a way to do it without taking focus from the horrible realities of these events, and Shreeve missed the mark on that this time.

Also, while this book should certainly start a discussion about religion and to what extent it can be used as an excuse for violent crimes, the author seemed to be pushing a little too hard for one side, which was uncomfortable to read, and not in a way that provoked thought.

[Tim Pendry · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always difficult to review a friend's book, especially when it is a signed gift - a bad review might offend and a good review be distrusted. Fortunately, Jimmy Lee Shreeve is one of the least 'precious' of litterateurs, a man who consciously models his style on American 'gonzo' journalism, a man for whom criticism is like water off a duck's back.

So it is with some pleasure that I can say that this book really is worth reading, assuming that you have a strong stomach and that you take it for what it is and not for what you might like to be.

The book is published by Barricade whose list includes quite a large number of more conventional true crime books that concentrate on one of America's greatest gifts to the world - the 'romance' of organised crime. From this perspective, 'Human Sacrifice' is definitely a bit offbeat because it is looking at murder not as business or art or compulsion but as religious tool.

Shreeve's own perspective is basically Ayn Rand with balls. But with a twist. He has a finely tuned sense of the use of Magick, of the shamanic, of voodoo, of imagination and of the 'irrational'. The ambiguity of human sacrifice fascinates him. First, it was possibly what our own ancestors did. Second, it can be surprisingly sophisticated in its reasoning. Third, its religious component is often sincere - people really do believe in the amoral spirit world that underpins the 'crime'. Human sacrifice for 'spiritual' reasons certainly raises disturbing questions about cultural relativism and 'savagery' that are extremely inconvenient in our politically correct age.

There are two aspects of this book worth mentioning - style and content. The style is very engaging if you are prepared to accept it as tabloid journalism without the stupidity. In-depth research (Shreeve wears his learning lightly but he ticks all the right boxes here) is combined with direct interviews with key figures, personal experience (when perhaps he gets most lyrical to the point of his reader not quite suppressing a smile at his booze-fuelled adventures and meetings with Mr. D), some hearsay and transcripts of his radio show.

With some writers this melange could have descended into a mess - he is disarming about how he had problems with finishing a chapter or understanding an issue - but somehow he makes it all hang together.

But the book must rise or fall as 'true crime' on its content. The style is not in the Truman Capote league but it does serves its purpose of keeping the reader going and stimulated.

Over 300 or so pages, he takes a look at the disturbing 'torso in the Thames' case where the victim (a young boy) seems likely to have been murdered for black magic purposes, the 'muti' culture of Africa (a key element in the recent 'District 9' film from South Africa), 'Satanic' killings in Germany and the US (often linked to disaffected youth in the heavy metal culture), survivals of Andean human sacrifice and grave robbing for the Palo Moyembe cult in the hispanic communities of North America.

There are also passing references to the possible role of human sacrifice amongst the drug lords of Mexico and the well-attested survival of human sacrifice in some Indian Tantric cults. Apart from the murders linked to disturbed Western kids (which, it has to be said, are rare), nearly all these killings are linked to extremely deprived third world cultures which are being disrupted by modernisation.

Shreeve is a liberal sort of guy with respect for other cultures, though less respect for religion as a whole, but it is hard not to draw the conclusion that some serious savagery is on the very edge of normal across parts of the so-called South. Worse, this nightmare of cruelty that might have come from an HP Lovecraft tale as something 'other' appears to be leaching into the West through mass economic migration.

Killing for criminal magical benefit is probably very rare in the West and not common in the South but the good folk of New Jersey and other East Coast cities are not inclined to feel very progressive when grannies' bones turn up in a cauldron in a nearby shaman's lair and the local migrants cannot see that they have done anything wrong in making use of them.

Similarly, the leaching of 'bad' religion is not just about the wrong end of 'Juju' or Muti but is also embedded in primitive Christianity and Islam. On the one hand, Christian activists have been persecuting non-criminal pagans with tales of sorcery involving suggestions of human sacrifice while others of their type have been 'beating the devil' out of little girls.

Western social services are caught between the rock of liberal respect for other cultures and the hard place of the demand that the authorities police abuse amongst people of very low education with beliefs that are, shall we say, challenging. Most nice middle class people do not see the rising new edge of this culture clash in the inner cities where village life is transported into a sophisticated welfare society by the simple expedient of getting on a jumbo jet and walking through some very weak border controls.

But let's be clear - abuses are exceptional in their worst form though, no doubt, for each of these few cases, there are tens of thousands of incidents of petty viciousness born of poverty and habit that go on behind closed doors and which are widely tolerated as customary. The worry is that the requirements of social order may mean that these abuses are allowed to continue and to be covered up rather than fear driving these cultures underground. Poverty does breed crime and magical or shamanic practice is used to buttress the power of local drug lords. Keeping things in the open and informally monitored is good policy.

One of the themes of the book is how drug, crime and political interests in the third world will resort to extreme magickal measures, including killing, in order to gain power and advantage. Once this sort of thinking is embedded in society, it becomes extremely difficult to eradicate.

The authorities' approach to Palo Moyembe in the US, for example, is increasingly to treat it as a legitimate religion and then to try and contain and control grave-robbing - but one suspects that African 'Muti' may be a much more formidable problem with body parts having a value that encourages a culture of killing where life is cheap.

Unfortunately, this is not a well documented world. Shreeve does his best but it is clear that, at times (and a reason for the four rather than five stars of the review), he takes a story, as a tabloid journalist might, that could be true but turns it into something that is probably true as far as he is concerned. The most extreme story in the book (a truly gruesome story of horrific African sacrifice by 'two hundred cuts') has the feel of an urban legend from start to finish.

Most of the magical influx into the West is an eclectic and intensified, perhaps neurotic, version of tribal and cultural practices that were once suppressed with more or less success by district administrators and priests. Fifty years of failed decolonisation combined with the stresses and strains of globalisation have rebuilt a base for practices that are sometimes the last hope of extremely frightened and poor people so that it is very credible that extreme magickal solutions, involving a revival of human sacrifice and murdering for body parts, should emerge. This is 'Ghost Dance' stuff rather than a genuine community-based expression of traditionalist religious practice.

It is certainly questionable just how prevalent all this is. My guess is that the revival of radical traditionalist religions is a very real phenomenon and that the use of extreme solutions to problems is growing but that it is still mostly very extreme personalities who are engaging in the worst excesses. Most people muddle along in their particular insanity without causing much harm to others.

But I am equally persuaded in reading this book that the liberal-minded determination to deny that claims of extreme practices are just a form of racism are also unfounded. These crimes are not perpetrated by 'black' people, they are perpetrated by black or olive-skinned people who just happen to be extremely ignorant, frightened and poor.

As Shreeve points out, when white people were extremely ignorant, frightened and poor - and living in their equivalent of the anarchic conditions of Africa, upper Peru or the Mexican border - they were also engaged in similar 'magickal' and shamanic projects that also resulted in attested cases of deliberate killing for 'spiritual' purposes.

This raises a big policy issue for the West. There are two different ways of dealing with the 'import' of magick since it cannot be suppressed - partly because the oppressive act of suppression in itself binds the magickal more effectively to their magick.

The obvious way is to deal with the issues raised in the way that the US East Coast police authorities are handling Palo Moyembe - through understanding, dialogue and education of both sides in the community.

Ideally, the West would also be educating South Americans and Africans although the scale of the task is so huge, there are no jobs for all the educated and third worlders themselves bridle at what they see as cultural imperialism by the back door. The progressive impulse of the Western centre-left drove policy in the direction of investment in the third world, especially in education, until recently as a means of bringing peasant populations into something approaching a cultural middle class. The truth is, however, that the money has run out for this as a forward policy in the South. Governments are going to be hard pressed even to maintain the programmes that they do have in their own inner cities.

It is only a matter of time before the pressure on budgets and on social expectations (especially when the indigenous populations of the West get spooked) are concentrated on specific abuses in which the authorities are ordered to take action against the culture and beiefs of migrants. In the UK, it took an inordinate amount of time to deal with forced marriages and honour killings because no one wanted to be 'racist'. Courageous centre-left political figures had to shift the agenda from one of racism to women's rights to get the matter dealt with.

Although not currently an immediate problem, there are clues that third world 'spiritual' practices that involve abuse (such as Christian fundamentalist treatment of children), 'muti' and basic fraud are going to become an issue before too long - much as child abuse in a signally dimwitted Catholic Church has become. This is a powder keg in which different basic human rights and freedoms conflict with each other and with lack of resources.

Shreeve's book (though he does not go down this political route) is an important starting point in opening up a debate ourselves before it is opened up in an infiniely nastier way by some social services failure or scandal. It is also littered with interesting insights to magical and shamanic thinking. Although none of it will be new to people who have moved in those circles, it should be educative for anyone fascinated by true crime and who is more used to books on forensics or the doings of the Lucchese family.

Shreeve, for all his bragaddocio, gun-toting and gin (and, yes, he presents that image in his real life despite being a Norfolk-based family man), is a very humane individual. He could have followed tabloid instincts and presented a paradigm of Daily Mail savagery which would have sucked in every Aryan Brother or BNP member from miles around - but he does not do so. He sees the desire for magical succour and the actuality of shamanic experience as part of the human condition and one that, eventually, we will grow out of as we mature.

I am not at all convinced by his attempt to explain the human condition in his final chapter along left brain/right brain lines (a somewhat discredited theory) but he is on the right path. As I put to him in a private note, reasoning or rationalism and magick or imagination are merely tools of a sophisticated 'rational' self that makes judgements that are not fully rational in the positivist sense but are rational from the perspective of that person.

Human sacrifice thus becomes a rational crime based on deep belief under certain extreme conditions and in certain types of culture. Having managed, with much labour, to push much of that type of thinking to one side in the educated and prosperous West, it is now vital to stop its re-entry by the back door of migration. We have our native forms of adapted paganism and shamanism in the West. They will be the first cultural victims of any excessive tolerance of what we should not be afraid to call imported savagery, whether Christian fundamentalist or 'Muti'.

There is a separate public debate, still suppressed by the bien-pensants, to be had about mass migration and national sustainability but this is not the same as a debate on a social commitment to an investment in monitoring social practices and containing abuse while showing respect for belief systems that have an important role in allowing village people to adjust to modern urban life. If we are to have mass migration, then let's not be irresponsible about its social effects.

[Joana Gomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a bit disturbing -- the ritualistic killings are described in great detail, the author does not shy away from telling us if the victims were (probably) alive or not during the sacrifice, how much pain they were likely to have endured... etc etc
Very disturbing, indeed... a great read for Halloween!
but what confused me the most was the constant attempt to not turn this narrative into an "anti-african religion" book, to the point that the author questions if the crimes committed by the ritual killers could be considered crimes, since it's all done in the name of religion and gives examples of religious atrocities committed by catholics -- as if we would not consider those actions as crimes too...
in this respect, I would say that goes a little bit too far...

[Lindsey Warner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love books on subjects like this, but was very disappointed with this particular title. I could not get past the author constantly segueing into personal stories that were irrelevant to the content. Poorly written to the point where I could not even finish the book. Would not recommend

[R.J.]

Morbidly fascinating and thoroughly researched. An in-depth look at the myriad forms of human sacrifice across the globe. Not for the faint of heart, but recommended.

[Lexi Sølvhammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes you on a journey into an often debated subject that has been denied by professionals in true crime. However this book will give you an idea about how there might be something to the stories we have heard now and then.

The book is well written and has been a compelling source into this types of killings.

The narrator is awesome he really drags you into the book making everything you hear very visual.

I found the book as facilitating as the author himself.

Warning:
If you are faint at heart this book might not be for you as it is very graphic in nature.

*this review is placed on multiple platforms

[Katelyn Fitzjarrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book to say the least, there is more talk about religion in this book than I thought there would be, but I enjoyed hearing about the ritualistic thinking of people there is a lot of murders and it’s interesting to think that people would do it if it meant that they could have their dreams fulfilled

[Sve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Key takeaway -> the more aware you are of the phycological mechanisms that drive your behaviour, the less likely you are to engage in religious sacrifice or any other organization or individual that works with your subconscious.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5 stars

Human Sacrifice investigates some recent cases of human sacrifices and ritual killings throughout the world. With the use of police reports and interviews, Jimmy Lee Shreeve tells the history of these cases.

This book was interesting. I didn’t realize ritualistic killings and human sacrifice was still happening around the world. Certain cultures still use human sacrifice for rituals that will better their lives. These cases were very sad and heartbreaking, especially since a good portion hasn't been closed. I feel like I need to do more research on these cultures now after listening to this.

Sadly, I had a huge issue with this book though and that was the author itself. He frequently inserts his experience with magic and human sacrifice in the middle giving information about a case. It was distracting, especially since it was never anything that pertained to the case. I wouldn’t have minded if this only happened once or twice but it was with every single chapter he was adding unnecessary personal stories.

Overall, this was an interesting book but the author's constant personal antidotes quickly became distracting and took away from the impact of the cases. I would have given this a higher rating if it was just information about human sacrifice cases because that was the real interesting part of this book.

You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.

[Karo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very interesting subject matter. Sadly it's approached in a far too anecdotal way. The author keeps bringing up his own 'expertise' related to magic and the occult, which seems to be strenuous and drug induced at best.

[Dave Wilkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing content, obviously. Well researched and detailed. Couldn’t get passed the authors take on the people taking part in the rituals not being evil due to them not knowing what they’re doing is wrong.

[William Hobbs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow I thought this would be an interesting read but the author really went out of his way to insert himself in to the book. I don’t normally say this but stay away from this one it really rambles around a lot and not a ton of information.

[Carla (There Might Be Cupcakes Podcast) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Occasionally lost the plot, excuse the pun, but otherwise a fascinating deep dive into these religious beliefs and practices.

[Lucija · Rating 1 out of 5]

meh

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't at all what I thought it would be and that'll teach me never to judge a book by its cover.

I saw this in the Audible plus catalogue, which includes free to listen books as part of the subscription, and being fascinated by history, and archaeology in particular, thought it would be about human sacrifices from an archaeological point of view.

Although the practice of human sacrifice in ancient times is mentioned in passing, Druids, Aztecs, Norse, etc, the book is actually about modern sacrifice. Quite startling as I didn't realise the extent of this at all.

The author is British and spends a lot of time talking about the torso in the Thames murder a few years back, which captivated the media with gruesome speculation that this was a ritual killing of a young boy, who to this day remains unidentified. Much exposition and discussion takes place of the modern but obviously underground practice of human sacrifice in Africa and Central America, and some of this is tied in to the drug trade and local warlords looking for an advantage over rivals, or possibly even looking to terrify would be snitches. But he also mentions that the practice, linked to such religions as Palo Mayombe and certain traditional African belief systems, is spreading around the globe as people migrate to other countries. He is at pains to stress that not all practitioners still use sacrifice but that there is unfortunately still demand for it and people are prepared to pay to have these rituals performed to give them what they want. Associated with this is the trade in human bones and other body parts, many are stolen from graves rather than being obtained through sacrifice.

The author has lived a fairly colourful life, and walked on the wild side, with experience in Voodoo and Shamanism, and has an understanding of Chaos Magick and Satanism as well as other religions. Although he says he isn't religious himself, he does go into some detail about how religions such as these work, how rituals and spells work and how powerful a hold belief in spirits and deities can have over people, such that it will justify the killing of another human. In no way does he condone this, but does attempt to explain the mindset behind the practice. It's all very fascinating and thought provoking.

He then goes on to discuss other sacrifices that were supposedly done in the name of satanic rites, but makes the point that these were not the sort of thing that happens in the actual Church of Satan, more the interpretation by minds that had become mentally imbalanced. Teenagers in America influenced by death metal, and a husband and wife from Germany that had taken their dark vampiric fantasies to extremes.

It's a really weird and disturbing subject, and obviously not for the faint hearted at all. But having said that, it isn't just a gruesome list of crimes, it's a fairly balanced discussion of the practice of ritual human sacrifice in a modern day context. The author brings his own knowledge, experience and history of occult practice into it, as well as transcripts of interviews with subject experts and the result is really interesting, whilst being utterly terrifying as well.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes a look at the psychology behind various cultures and religions and their use of human sacrifice. Of course, this book speaks heavily on Satanism, but there are a lot of other religions throughout history that used human sacrifice for various purposes. Two negative things I have to say about this book are:

1. This is very short, and not as comprehensive as I had hoped.
2. While I do not support human sacrifice, there were times that the author seemed a bit condescending towards people who practiced this.

This book is currently available to listen to on the Audible Plus catalog, which is the version that I had. This book appealed to be from an anthropological perspective. There are a lot of cultures and religions that have used human sacrifice for various reasons. I appreciated that this book took a look at why groups of people utilized this method. I really enjoyed this book, and other books like it. Learning about cultures and religions is very enjoyable to me. If you are into that subject, this is an okay selection, though it is short and doesn't go as in depth on things and I would have liked.

[Joshua Nykamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book with some crazy stories. I had no idea this stuff was still going on. The book doesn't praise Satanism like some reviews say it just says most satanist aren't bad and most aren't. Most of them seem to be trolling Christians in my opinion. The book got hard for me to read at the end when I feel like he was trying to copy Hunter S Thompson's style. Hunter is impossible to imitate because his style was so much his own anyone who writes like he does fails because it seems like Hunter without being him. Hail Satan....

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I started reading this book, it was a bit different than what I was expecting, as I chose it on the title alone, but I did find that I really enjoyed the book.

Looking at the different cases of human sacrifice, in the modern world, but fascinating. It was interesting to learn a bit more about the different religions still using human sacrifices, and some of the lengths they will go to.

Good read! Very informative.

[Jamie Zoroneck-Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

i picked this book up at my work (a thrift shop), & thought the topic was interesting & niche, never seen a book like this before.
i'm happy i didn't pay full price for it... the random personal accounts sprinkled throughout the book.. which to be fair, i don't care about, made the book almost insufferable. i was expecting more to be written about the rituals & actual sacrifice... not police work.
this book will not be staying on my shelf.

[AttackGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye opening terrifying reality of freedom of religion

Perhaps this needs to be considered and announced each time each news cycle and definitely a volunteer list made from all those liberals running the boats filling the civilized world potential of professionals trained to sacrifice…


Read this shocking and eye opening scary book. The author is really just encouraging and advertising and this maybe be one book that should be restricted but then the more you fight it the bigger it grows. Blood and body….communion right?!

This book is more disturbing than ‘Deviant’

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of interesting case studies in this book. The sections pertaining to the author's own experiences are often distracting, though sometimes complementary. Listening to it certainly kept me awake on car journeys.

[Vykky · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's actual information dispersed throughout the sensationalized leaps in logic and personal anecdotes that the author seems to think adds credibility. You just have to wade through that shlock to get there. Wouldn't recommend.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. Bad. Very bad.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Listened to audiobook*

I can't say I'm surprised human sacrifice still exists, but some of it's pretty gnarly. Interesting listen.

[Shannon Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should have known there'd be some seriously gross parts, but I read it anyway. 🤢

[Littlewolf · Rating 1 out of 5]

What I thought was going to be an exploration into ritual sacrifices, turned out to be more of a religious witchhunt specifically towards Christianity. Not what I expected and completely disappointed

[Cody Lasko · Rating 1 out of 5]

Intriguing concept. Poor execution. Don’t know if it’s worth saying anything more than that.