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Robert Berdella: The True Story of a Man Who Turned His Darkest Fantasies Into a Reality

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One man’s Robert Berdella is another’s Kansas City Butcher.

We may not always see what truly hides within the minds and hearts of certain people, and where we believe is a good, pure individual, lays a terrible murderer capable of the most horrible acts.

Robert Berdella was one such man, a helpful and friendly individual who — in a spree separated by a few years — managed to capture and horrifically torture seven young men, murdering six along the way. Control and dominance were his tools, the pain was his method.

The Kansas City Butcher had no mercy, and his victims soon learned that he had no limits in terms of defiling or humiliating their bodies, minds, and spirits once they were bound and gagged.
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Robert Berdella: The True Story of a Man Who Turned His Darkest Fantasies Into a Reality is a book that recounts the tale of the Kansas City Butcher, a man capable of committing the most truly degrading acts on his victims, a monster who will never be forgotten by the families of those young men whose lives he destroyed.

Be warned, reader, you aren’t just about to read about Bob Berdella and his acts.

You are about to walk into his very mind.

83 pages, Paperback

Published August 11, 2017

240 people are currently reading
271 people want to read

About the author

Ryan Becker

39 books81 followers
Ryan Becker is a True Crime author who started his writing journey in late 2016. Like many of you, he loves to explore the process of how individuals turn their darkest fantasies into a reality.

Ryan has always had a passion for storytelling. So, writing is the best output for him to combine his fascination with psychology and true crime. It is Ryan’s goal for his readers to experience the full immersion with the dark reality of the world just like how he used to do it in his younger days.

Now with his small team, Ryan wishes to push the storytelling even further with other passionate writers and together they can leave a mark on the reader with their various storytelling styles.

To reach out or just to say hi you can email him at Ryanbecker@ryanbeckerwrites.com.

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5 stars
102 (28%)
4 stars
89 (25%)
3 stars
101 (28%)
2 stars
43 (12%)
1 star
21 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for Fishface.
3,295 reviews242 followers
January 8, 2020
Meh

This read like a hastily-banged-out summary of Tom Jackman's book on the same case, "Rites of Burial." There was no new information or insight in here and the writing was often pretty clumsy.
53 reviews1 follower
June 6, 2019
Monster on the loose...

Robert Berdella (aka: The Kanas City Butcher) came across as a very nice and helpful man; however, Robert had a very dark side to him.

Robert would pick up young men and bring them to his home and would proceed to get them intoxicated to the point of passing out. He would inject them with a strong sedative to insure that they would stay unconscious. He then stripped them of their clothing and tied them to the bed. He would brutally sodmized them and also stick objects up their rectum.

His other forms of torture included injecting Drano into their throat to make them mute. He also would put Drano into their eyes to blind them. He would use caulking in their ears to stop them from hearing. Robert also took pleasure in using electronical shock treatments in various parts of their bodies. When the victim could no longer withstand anymore pain and torture and die from the abuse, he would then cut off their head and bury it in the backyard. The rest of the body were dissected and put in trash bags outside for the trash collector to pick up.

The 6th victim managed to escape, before being killed, while Robert was out doing errands. That 6th victim was Robert's downfall, and the police soon came and arrested him.

A plea bargain was reached that if Robert confessed to all charges, he would get life without parole instead of the death penalty. Robert was sentenced to 2 life sentences without parole. Robert only served 4 years of his sentence as he had a heart attack and died at the age of 43 years old on October 8, 1992.

Very interesting story for any true crime reader.

Dianna,
Prescott, AZ.
16 reviews
November 20, 2017
Glad I didn’t pay money for a book that couldn’t figure out where the guy was.
Profile Image for Remy.
38 reviews
January 8, 2018
Not for the faint of heart...

In spite of being a short read, the author is able to convey just what a monster Robert Berdella was. Becker has a talent for writing true crime and that talent is evident here. He recounts in detail some of the torture these poor men endured while in the captivity of Berdella's house. How one person can inflict such horrors on another human being is unfathomable. This book will make you quiver.
Profile Image for karin whitehead.
1,013 reviews8 followers
March 8, 2019
If you doubt there are truly evil people among us then read this book. Robert Berdella grew up in a loving home with both parents and siblings. He was a likable fellow, social and intelligent. He defied the definition of a serial killer, he was active in school, was working, and was social and friendly. Was he truly evil, sadistic or just misunderstood? Read it for yourself.......
Profile Image for LeeAnn Hardeman.
37 reviews
January 4, 2018
Ok if you want a little info in a short amount of time.

Two stars because A: the book did not live up to the author's own hype of his promise to tell this story in a full and comprehensive way. He even warns the reader that he will not mince words and will in fact tell us in gruesome detail of all the heinous acts the killer committed with his victims. The author failed to deliver on his promise. B: The author and editor (if there is one), missed a rather large mistake. In the second half of the book, Kansas City mysteriously moves from Missouri to Ohio. I don't know how others feel about such a glaring error as this, but I found it to be a very hard pill to swallow. C: There were numerous small errors throughout the book such as missing words and extra words, etc. If you are looking for an overview of Berdellas' crimes, or to collect some useless information to bump up your trivia game then this book is for you. But if you are looking for an in depth read on this case, you will want to continue your search. A short fast read. Great book for your "throne room" reading basket.
Profile Image for Lauretta.
119 reviews1 follower
February 14, 2018
You Real What You Sow

Robert Berdella was a sadistic murderous killer. He had no feelings, no compassion and no morals. It's unbelievable what he did to his victims and thinking he was going to find a way to be set free. In the end he received his payment very well...his own death.
11 reviews1 follower
August 27, 2018
HOW DOES ANY HUMAN BECOME A DEPRAVED MONSTER?

This book is well written with enough fleshing of each character to involve the
Reader all the way to the end. I couldn't put it down, but honestly a couple of the murder details gave me the heebie -jeebies. Once I very nearly lost my lunch. That said I'm ready to start the next "Becker book"!
Profile Image for C Kloi.
230 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2019
Sometimes interesting can be a scary thing...

Spoiler alert!!!





Draino??? OMG! Draino! I once got some Draino spilled on my arm, it freaked hurt! I can’t imagine having that kind of hurt in the ways this murderer used this chemical! Yucky, icky, GROSS! Ewww! And ouchie. That kinda freaked me out some. I’m not so sure I want to read more about serial killers.
Profile Image for Jean .
666 reviews21 followers
August 27, 2019
Ryan Becker‘s account of Robert Berdella’s descent into evil is well-written. If you want to learn (or refresh yourself on) the known facts about the “Kansas City Butcher,” this book is an obvious choice. It doesn’t imagine dialogue or go into gruesome detail; the facts are appalling enough. I recommend it to True Crime readers.
Profile Image for Cassandra.
Author 4 books276 followers
October 22, 2019
This book was an interesting read. I enjoy books about true crime and this one was a good one. It tells of the grisly things Robert Berdella did to his victims. A tale of a twisted individual who had no remorse for what he had done. Robert Berdella was a very inhumane and heartless man. I only gave it four stars because I felt it could have been longer.
Profile Image for Ashley Hedden.
5,259 reviews43 followers
January 6, 2021
Robert Berdella: The True Story of a Man Who Turned His Darkest Fantasies Into a Reality (Real Crime By Real Killers #1) was a good read by Ryan Becker. Robert Berdella was a helpful and friendly man who horrifically tortured seven young men. He was on a murder spree that was separated by a few years. He was known as The Kansas City Butcher. This was another good true crime story by Ryan Becker.
Profile Image for Bittersweet.
35 reviews
Read
January 12, 2025
Not Uplifting. Tragic. sick. All this sadistic merciless madness happened very close to where I lived at the time. It adds yet another reason to be suspicious, a warning to trust no one. All of us have secrets within us we keep hidden. Mercifully most of what we hide is overall benign. Berdella's were anything but benign, they were malignant depravity.
Profile Image for ahava.
Author 4 books6 followers
February 8, 2025
Quick read. I don’t know if I ever read about Berdella before or not, but this book quickly touched on the parts of how he became a serial killer. It’s unfortunate what his last victim went through but at least he was able to get away to help put Berdella in jail. I just wish he had more time in jail to suffer before he died essentially being released from his earthly torture…
Profile Image for Nikki.
15 reviews
September 16, 2017
Typos

Some may not mind too much but I'm pretty picky about typos and there are many in this book. Other than that it's very well written. For a short story there is a lot of information.
25 reviews8 followers
August 7, 2018
Horrific

I love true crime and have never heard of this guy. It just blows my mind thinking what those men went through. And Ryan Becker was right ...he didnt hold things back!! Great writing!
Profile Image for Dee Cherry.
2,945 reviews68 followers
August 11, 2018
This was the first time I've heard of this sick individual. His method of capturing and torturing his victims was scary as he was initially trusted by most. This short account gave sufficient information as I look forward to reading all the stories in this real killer series.
Profile Image for MoDonasChridhe.
334 reviews4 followers
August 22, 2018
My first book by this author

I love true crime and Ryan Becker is added to my list of authors to follow. Condensed into a short read it contained all the attributes of a great read. Background on killer and victims, crimes and finally justice.
7 reviews
August 24, 2018
Great true crime read!!

Ryan brings the horrors that this man committed into reality. These crimes are the base of nightmares. Left me wondering how a man who tried to do good could end up doing so much evil.
Profile Image for Christy.
658 reviews8 followers
March 14, 2019
There are no words

Reader beware! Oh. My. Gosh. I can't imagine how anybody could be so sadistic and ghastly in their crimes. Now as it nears night time, I need to find something to get this out of my mind.
Profile Image for Patricia Atkinson.
1,045 reviews11 followers
October 5, 2024
wow this one was a gory one he would drug men tie them up wait for them to wake up tell them what he was gonna do and torture them and try to keep them as long as he could before they would die. as he continued to get away with murder he continued this book is a hard read very disturbing story.
Profile Image for Sandra Burns.
1,798 reviews41 followers
August 15, 2017
This guy was gruesome!

This guy was a real sicko. Blaming what he did, on a movie he watched. He was responsible for what he did. May he not, RIP.
Profile Image for Robin Dix.
729 reviews
October 21, 2017
Good book and interesting material. Would have like more in-depth background in this killer.
Profile Image for Jenna.
16 reviews
November 27, 2017
This book by Ryan Becker is like the other one which is Edmund Kemper. Both butcher and a good man in the story. And now I am afraid of whom really to trust. Good written.
Profile Image for Jenna.
16 reviews
December 16, 2017
This book by Ryan Becker is like the other one which is Edmund Kemper. Both butcher and a good man in the story. And now I am afraid of whom really to trust. Good written.
Profile Image for Danielle.
169 reviews
April 4, 2018
A short read but utterly disturbing! Probably more details than I needed, but in all fairness, the author does warn you at the beginning that it is gruesome.
Profile Image for Lindsay Valenty.
32 reviews2 followers
June 8, 2018
Even though I've been into true crime for many years now, I'd never heard about Robert Berdella and the crimes he committed. It was a horrifying look into how depraved the human mind can truly be.
13 reviews1 follower
August 23, 2018
Great read

I like reading true crime and Mr. Becker left nothing out. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes true crime. Thank You.
Profile Image for James.
9 reviews
August 24, 2018
Short read

I shouldn't complain about this book because it was free. If you just want the facts then this author is your guy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

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