Serial Killers: Inside the minds of the most monstrous murderers

by Charlotte Greig

From perverse acts of cannibalism and dark sexual fantasies to vicious acts motivated by greed and a simple lust for blood, this book reveals the methods and motivations of some of the world's most notorious serial killers, including Juan Corona, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, Pee Wee Gaskins, and Ivan Milat.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History, Horror

304 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Brody Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not a bad book, but I have two gripes. First, the editor did not do their job as there are plenty of typos and sections that are difficult to interpret. Secondly, despite the title, the book does not give insight into the minds of these murderers. There are speckles of speculation, mainly from possible childhood abuse or head trauma, but no real professional explanation of their actions.
The writing style is a bit repetitive, but it was my porcelain read, so it was spread over several readings, making it bearable.

[jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid and informative overview of various serial killers and details regarding their lives and crimes, though I felt each section was pretty basic and could have been more in-depth. As well as this, many of the last chapter's criminals - "vampire killers" - did not really fit the chapter (or if they did, it was not really described) and I was unsure how they fell under this category.

[Kale Mill · Rating 1 out of 5]

A serial literary disaster. I hoped everytime I put this book down, it would be the last.


If I have to hear "one of the most prolific serial killers in existence" one more time, I might lose it Greig.


I learnt so much reading this book, for example:

304 pages can feel like 900 pages.

Many a serial killer had been created, not by negative sexual experiences, but by a swing set.

Not many serial killers have the cancer starsign.

A woman and her unborn foetus were killed (she was pregnant btw).

And finally, they all love the book 'crime and punishment'.


I am absolutely amazed how an established author can make such an interesting topic such a bland, boring, drag. I felt like I read the exact same story over 20 times. 


I now have the perfect recipe for a serial killer. One part loner, two parts alcoholic father and don't forget being born into a family of 7+ children. For a little extra spice, throw in an abusing mother (she is surprisingly strong).



Better luck next time Greig, the fantasy girlies and I did not enjoy this one

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly decent overview of notorious murderers. None of the stories go into much detail, but I wasn't really expecting that.

[Mikaela Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t think I could read another page of this book, if I have to hear one more time that a father was an alcoholic, a child was an orphan or loner, or that they were the most prolific serial killer of their time again I might scream

The only thing that got me through was Victoria and Emerson’s annotations 🙏🏼

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real interesting book. I have a strange fascination with true crime stories. I'm obsessed with the show Criminal Minds, so reading this book was great.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explains the backgrounds and crimes of over 50 of the most violent serial killers. I really enjoyed learning about all of them and also learning about some new ones I never knew of. Crazy how some are just “regular “ people hinding in plain sight.

[Logga Dogga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smashed it in 2 days, great book.

[Maxine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of anything crime, thriller, or psychological. I often binge watch documentaries on serial killers: Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, David Berkowitz, and even other shows depicting their horrific acts in the Confessions with a Killer, Confession Tapes, and even that of the recent Jeffrey Dahmer's.

This is my only second time reading about serial killers, my first one to be the late Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone In The Dark about the Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, which was 💯 and absolutely recommendable.

My mom one time asked me: "Why do you watch those shows?" Full horror and disgust etched on her face when I watched in our living room 🤣

I think it goes with my eagerness to grasp how a person could be as horrendous and heinous to the extreme, leaving psychological nigtmare and terror not only to the victims directly affected by the crime, but also the community they reside in. Yet everytime I do so, it always boils down to the question: Why?

The process of judging the unthinkables restarts again, and so, here I am. Charlotte Grieg's book on serial killers in my hand.

But what started as great optimism to learn more, I must say I am disappointed with the book. Grieg only listed serial killers and their brief history. I did not get any new information, or as the title suggests, get into the killers' minds.

What I suggest on the other hand is, watch the Mindhunter. 🤠 I'm going to try look for the book the series is based on: the 1995 true-crime Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit.

[Emily Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great overview, but doesn't go into a whole lot of detail. I think true crime is fascinating and have a particular interest in how someone's mind works/ thinks in order for them to do such acts of violence. So it was interesting it be introduced to different serial killers that I had no idea about. There are definitely a couple of them that I will probably look for specific books on as they seem like interesting cases.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way some people think is so interesting. I think it’s good for people to try and understand why people do the things that they do.

[Emerson Bartlett]

Sorry Greeny, didn’t really enjoy this like I thought I would.

[Cathrine Van Der Sandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest, it's a nice summary of the most famous and "prolific" (as it has been used a thousand times in this book) serial killers of the last 150 years or so.

Other than that, it wasn't much to write home about. I will be honest that the last chapter of so called vampire slayers was confusing and I'm not completed sure what made some of the mentioned vampire slayers viewed as vampire slayers as I do not believe the qualifying criteria was met.

I was intrigued that Greig included serial killer Moses Sithole, as he is South African, such as myself. Would have liked a bite more non-Western serial killers to be featured as well.

Other than that, it was short and to the point.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read. Would of liked a bit more details on some of the cases and explanation to why they were put in certain categories but did provide good overviews of some of the most interesting serial killers.

[Toby Ruder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and quick read. The book covers most of the well know serial killers and introduces some lesser known cases in a easy to read (subject matter not withstanding) style. The only criticism really is that it’s all very superficial and doesn’t go into any great depth about any of the cases, good holiday book e.g. pick up read and leave behind.

[Sabbrin Whitethorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the Most Monstrous Murderers caught my attention because of my interest in true crime. At first, due to its title, I thought the book would be delving into the minds of these known murderers; however, after reading the description on the back, I realized this was not the case.

In her book, Charlotte Greig documents each serial killer by giving a brief history of their upbringing, education, careers, known mental issues (if any), and personality traits as described by those around them. She then documents their criminal backgrounds, killing sprees, and their eventual capture.

While I do find the information interesting, it felt as though I was reading from Wikipedia (I didn't get a sense that there was anything in the book I couldn't have read online). I will say that I did like how the author listed the serial killers into categories, such as "Angels of Death" and "Highway Hunters," etc.

For me, there were too many grammatical errors that disrupted my reading experience. It also felt very inconsistent; for example, the author didn't seem to know whether to stick with the more acceptable usage of "sex trade worker," or use the terms "prostitute" and "hooker," going back-and-forth between all three. There were also sections that were a bit confusing: one witness was said not to be found, but in the next paragraph was talking to the authorities with no explanation as to when or how she was found. The author stated in another chapter that a murderous couple had been executed, but then went back to discussing more killings, which made the section feel out of order. These were large contributing factors to my rating.

This is a fast, easy read for anyone with an interest in true crime, and I would still recommend it for a casual (albeit disturbing) read.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a book I’ve been reading on and off over the past year. It’s not that’s it isn’t good just got sidetracked with life and reading off my phone became convenient for a while.

Definitely provides some insight, you can compare who backgrounds led them to the point of killing.

The Vampires section I didn’t feel fight the title, some had a lot of information and some felt rushed to fill the chapter.

I did like the book but if I had the option I’d rate it 3.5 stars, but I gave it four.

[Bobbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read, definitely saw alot of red flags that people missed in these individuals that may have been able to help catch alot of these serial killers faster. Overall an interesting read because you're introduced to serial killers that you don't hear alot about in the mainstream as well as how other countries handle serial killers. If you're interested in true crime or how the serial killer mind works I'd definitely recommend checking this book out.

[Carolina Combetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy true crime and I am familiar with the most notorious serial killers, so I did not find this book as detailed in information as I would have liked. i felt as if I did not learn anything new, but that is because I was already familiar with their stories. It would be a good book to jog your memory or for anyone who is curious about serial killers and does not know too much about them. Still enjoyed the book.

[Samuel Thurston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a terrible read comprised by Charlotte Greig. It’s pretty much what it says on the cover: a serial killer compendium. It doesn’t do anything very unique but you can certainly tell Greig has a passion for this. The thing that erks me with each story is how often the police let ridiculously suspicious things slide, giving these killers the chance to double their numbers. You’d like to think our modern police force are a bit more critical and competent, but who could say.

[Helen Kalinich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book with lots of good basic information, however I wish it went more in-depth on the why and psychology of each of the kinds of killers, but overall a good starter book for learning about serial killers. It also began to feel rushed at the end with some of the stories lacking detail and feeling more basic as the book went on

[Dan Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting read and gives a brief overview of each gruesome killer. I was a little unclear in the final chapter what made each killer a vampire type killer. Some were clear but maybe I just missed that detail.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an easy read, it is a good overview of the cases covered. While it doesn’t go into all the details, you still get enough to give a complete story. I also liked the mix of cases, while the more famous killers were covered, there were also a good number of lesser known cases too.

[Nautika Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

It had a lot of interesting summarized information on serial killers, some of them I had heard of and some of them I had never heard of. If you are looking for a book on more detailed information about a serial killer, however, this is not the book for you.

[Luiza Araripe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a good overall description of serial killers but I would hope for a more insightful and explanatory writing about the killers’ perspective or motives, details that are not known or something else than a collection of public information about them. It’s also very graphic and simplistic.

[Ebba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent read , a couple of grammar mistakes but other than that really interesting.

[Pilke Valta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disorganised with repeating cases from other Charlotte Greig books.

[Brad Mo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is merely a list of murders and their crimes. It’s generic in every sense of the term. It also could have benefited from a better editor.

[Patricia Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

😳