What do you think?
Rate this book
The New Evil: Understanding the Emergence of Modern Violent Crime
A CHILLING FOLLOW-UP TO THE POPULAR TRUE CRIME BOOK THE ANATOMY OF EVIL
Revisiting Dr. Michael Stone's groundbreaking 22-level Gradations of Evil Scale, a hierarchy of evil behavior first introduced in the book The Anatomy of Evil, Stone and Dr. Gary Brucato, a fellow violence and serious psychopathology expert, here provide even more detail, using dozens of cases to exemplify the categories along the continuum. The New Evil also presents compelling evidence that, since a cultural tipping-point in the 1960s, certain types of violent crime have emerged that in earlier decades never or very rarely occurred.
The authors examine the biological and psychiatric factors behind serial killing, serial rape, torture, mass and spree murders, and other severe forms of violence. They persuasively argue that, in at least some cases, a collapse of moral faculties contributes to the commission of such heinous crimes, such that "evil" should be considered not only a valid area of inquiry, but, in our current cultural climate, an imperative one. They consider the effects of new technologies and sociological, cultural, and historical factors since the 1960s that may have set the stage for "the new evil." Further, they explain how personality, psychosis, and other qualities can meaningfully contribute to particular crimes, making for many different motives.
Relying on their extensive clinical experience, and examination of writings and artwork by infamous serial killers, these experts offer many insights into the logic that drives horrible criminal behavior, and they discuss the hope that in the future such violence may be prevented.
Revisiting Dr. Michael Stone's groundbreaking 22-level Gradations of Evil Scale, a hierarchy of evil behavior first introduced in the book The Anatomy of Evil, Stone and Dr. Gary Brucato, a fellow violence and serious psychopathology expert, here provide even more detail, using dozens of cases to exemplify the categories along the continuum. The New Evil also presents compelling evidence that, since a cultural tipping-point in the 1960s, certain types of violent crime have emerged that in earlier decades never or very rarely occurred.
The authors examine the biological and psychiatric factors behind serial killing, serial rape, torture, mass and spree murders, and other severe forms of violence. They persuasively argue that, in at least some cases, a collapse of moral faculties contributes to the commission of such heinous crimes, such that "evil" should be considered not only a valid area of inquiry, but, in our current cultural climate, an imperative one. They consider the effects of new technologies and sociological, cultural, and historical factors since the 1960s that may have set the stage for "the new evil." Further, they explain how personality, psychosis, and other qualities can meaningfully contribute to particular crimes, making for many different motives.
Relying on their extensive clinical experience, and examination of writings and artwork by infamous serial killers, these experts offer many insights into the logic that drives horrible criminal behavior, and they discuss the hope that in the future such violence may be prevented.
615 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2019
232 people are currently reading
1704 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
March 31, 2019
The book is not solely about the Gradations of evil, it gives insightful discussions into the various sub-sets of murder such as infanticide, women who kill, stalkers, school shooters. These chapters lead the reader through the various attributes and historical increase in their occurrence. As we know, there was a dramatic increase in violent and murder across America from the late 1960s. This is the very reason the FBI set up their Behavioural Science Unit at Quantico. The book discusses some of the possible causes for this ‘new' evil which has evolved in modern times.
You could substitute the word ‘evil’ for violence, depraved acts, immoral behaviour and the scale would still work the same way and the book would be just as good. The Gradations of Evil Scale contains 22 categories which are on a continuum. Some acts of murder are not very evil and would be placed at number 1. Other acts of murder are described as being the worst kind of evil and would be placed at number 22.
This book walks the line between giving accurate credible information that a professional could relate to, and is well written enough for a layperson to be able to read and enjoy. I have always thought of clinical psychologists being interested in the ‘whole person’. This book does just that, it gives detailed examples of the types of offender that each category has. However, applied psychologists (such as criminal psychologists) are more interested in identifiable and measurable behaviours or acts, which can be statistically tested in order to prove and define them. As I read, I found myself getting very excited about the possibility of testing their categories.
Besides the scale of evil, this book is an excellent source for those who want to learn more about personality disorders and the differences between psychosis, psychopathy, sadism, and narcissism. The book also discusses cultural changes over time and how these can have an impact on behaviour. It also gives some thought as to why rape, murder, and other types of violent behaviour have increased over time.
You could substitute the word ‘evil’ for violence, depraved acts, immoral behaviour and the scale would still work the same way and the book would be just as good. The Gradations of Evil Scale contains 22 categories which are on a continuum. Some acts of murder are not very evil and would be placed at number 1. Other acts of murder are described as being the worst kind of evil and would be placed at number 22.
This book walks the line between giving accurate credible information that a professional could relate to, and is well written enough for a layperson to be able to read and enjoy. I have always thought of clinical psychologists being interested in the ‘whole person’. This book does just that, it gives detailed examples of the types of offender that each category has. However, applied psychologists (such as criminal psychologists) are more interested in identifiable and measurable behaviours or acts, which can be statistically tested in order to prove and define them. As I read, I found myself getting very excited about the possibility of testing their categories.
Besides the scale of evil, this book is an excellent source for those who want to learn more about personality disorders and the differences between psychosis, psychopathy, sadism, and narcissism. The book also discusses cultural changes over time and how these can have an impact on behaviour. It also gives some thought as to why rape, murder, and other types of violent behaviour have increased over time.
September 14, 2022
The New Evil By: Michael H. Stone MD and Gary Brucato PhD is like a Wikipedia of Hell, a phonebook of the Damned. It goes on and on each murderer kidnapper rapist gets their own Bio that voluminously describes the crime they were later convicted of and details their pathology and mental abnormality obsession or perversion for a few pages, it just that this is rather comprehensive and their must be at least a hundred cases or more, which the authors uses for illustration these various forms of evil. They have a very involved scale of Evil that helps non-professional like myself, find exactly where a predator might be placed on this based upon how one answers dozens of questions. It’s very involved and I’m glad I don’t have to figure this stuff out on my own although I do not see how it matters much any placement on the scale should indicate the person should not be permitted to live in normal society and it seem that to me both authors had probably spent many hours in a courtroom discussing this very thing, so the scale of evil is perhaps more a tool for a parole board and not something that I found very useful or informative.
Ok, so what did I think of the book? Well full and rich in details but kind of a single note the long laundry list of examples gets mind-numbing and the main premise is that there is a new evil brought about by changes in society coming out of the 1960’s. (Really?) The actions of serial killers and psychopaths who murdered prior to the 1960’s is discussed but since the 1960’s the cultural change has super charged post 1960 murderers. Such a conservative law and order premise is put forth with hardly any data other than a endless retelling of horrid murder rape and sadistic killings as if the saying this is all the proof needed. That the majority of these cases happened over the last sixty years.
This is well written and very comprehensive but somehow I just don’t find that the authors really explains their main premise that sexual changes in society namely the development of birth control, feminism, to me this is a political point of view, whose logic is at best circumstantial and not grounded in any sharper analysis than that this happened after 1960’s therefore,…I wish the authors would have gave less spotlight on all the abnormal criminal types and given more explanation as to why they think the 1960’s created this new evil environment? I always thought that Dostoevsky had a very good explanation of how a societies fall is like a long river and as it nears the ocean it loses its firm bank and starts to meander becoming a soggy marsh until it dissolves into the sea. The ideal is that society as it nears the end of its life cycle will also lose its strength, I find this a better explanation of why acts of evil have increased and not because low-status uneducated males can’t deal with women who have more rights and higher level of education than them. Although I do believe I agreement with the authors on how the availability of pornography has had its correlation with the rise in sex crimes. Still I’m going to only give this three stars, because it reads like a phonebook from hell just evil shits from the first to the last page and while interesting I do not feel I have any clearer understanding of the causes of why than I had prior to this reading. The New Evil is just the same old bullshit as far as I can tell. The break down of the family, state crimes the endless wars, rapid technological changes economic pressures, and population explosions seem to me to be just as relevant a cause of the rise of new evil, as the sexual revolution of the 1960's or the break down of the old order.
Ok, so what did I think of the book? Well full and rich in details but kind of a single note the long laundry list of examples gets mind-numbing and the main premise is that there is a new evil brought about by changes in society coming out of the 1960’s. (Really?) The actions of serial killers and psychopaths who murdered prior to the 1960’s is discussed but since the 1960’s the cultural change has super charged post 1960 murderers. Such a conservative law and order premise is put forth with hardly any data other than a endless retelling of horrid murder rape and sadistic killings as if the saying this is all the proof needed. That the majority of these cases happened over the last sixty years.
This is well written and very comprehensive but somehow I just don’t find that the authors really explains their main premise that sexual changes in society namely the development of birth control, feminism, to me this is a political point of view, whose logic is at best circumstantial and not grounded in any sharper analysis than that this happened after 1960’s therefore,…I wish the authors would have gave less spotlight on all the abnormal criminal types and given more explanation as to why they think the 1960’s created this new evil environment? I always thought that Dostoevsky had a very good explanation of how a societies fall is like a long river and as it nears the ocean it loses its firm bank and starts to meander becoming a soggy marsh until it dissolves into the sea. The ideal is that society as it nears the end of its life cycle will also lose its strength, I find this a better explanation of why acts of evil have increased and not because low-status uneducated males can’t deal with women who have more rights and higher level of education than them. Although I do believe I agreement with the authors on how the availability of pornography has had its correlation with the rise in sex crimes. Still I’m going to only give this three stars, because it reads like a phonebook from hell just evil shits from the first to the last page and while interesting I do not feel I have any clearer understanding of the causes of why than I had prior to this reading. The New Evil is just the same old bullshit as far as I can tell. The break down of the family, state crimes the endless wars, rapid technological changes economic pressures, and population explosions seem to me to be just as relevant a cause of the rise of new evil, as the sexual revolution of the 1960's or the break down of the old order.
August 22, 2024
The part about the school shooters was literally so unnecessary, it just didn't add anything to the understanding. In fact, it was the opposite, it just left questions.
April 22, 2019
Were that this was fiction-
Explore the the algorithm for the Gradations of Evil scale- use it every time you read a news report of a new atrocity (once the suspect or suspects have been formalized, of course). The Drs. Brucato and Stone escort you through a true House of Horrors as they describe the most jaw-dropping heinous acts from the era of 1955 (or so) to the present- never heard of these perpetrators? It doesn’t matter because now you have, once you have completed this book, and you may decide you are, at that point, fully awake
The book is well-reasoned and well written; l had to take it in doses of 20 or so pages at a time as the human monsters described briefly crowded my consciousness, until memory seized them and put them in an appropriate place in the Shadow, where they will indeed stay, called forth as points of reference only
Understand the era we live in- buy this book, which also will reward re-reading with greater understanding
Ike
Explore the the algorithm for the Gradations of Evil scale- use it every time you read a news report of a new atrocity (once the suspect or suspects have been formalized, of course). The Drs. Brucato and Stone escort you through a true House of Horrors as they describe the most jaw-dropping heinous acts from the era of 1955 (or so) to the present- never heard of these perpetrators? It doesn’t matter because now you have, once you have completed this book, and you may decide you are, at that point, fully awake
The book is well-reasoned and well written; l had to take it in doses of 20 or so pages at a time as the human monsters described briefly crowded my consciousness, until memory seized them and put them in an appropriate place in the Shadow, where they will indeed stay, called forth as points of reference only
Understand the era we live in- buy this book, which also will reward re-reading with greater understanding
Ike
July 16, 2019
The New Evil: Understanding the Emergence of Modern Violent Crime is the "be all and end all" exploration of evil that men do in which time and again will cause the reader to pause in absolute horror reflecting upon the very fact that the worst evil one could conjure up in fiction doesn't even come close to the ones that occur in the real world, and as the authors takes us through their gradation of the subject (ranging from 1 until 22) with extremely disturbing examples of each category, even the steeliest of readers are bound to be shocked beyond belief of what the warped human mind is capable of coming up with in this methodical descent into the nightmarish core of modern violent crimes - this mind-boggling book is truly not for the faint-hearted.
August 7, 2022
This book presents itself as a evidence based work to explain the emergence of modern crimes.
What this work is actually is a sensationalist work, which in a muddled fashion applies disjointed statistics and historical facts, as support for sexist, classiest and the loss of puritanical notions about sex, to explain modern crime.
Such as when the authors keep pointing to the "degradation of traditional familia units" when women entered the work force and the rise of contraceptives, as a source for generating killers. when once more they don't offer any support for the assertion. As the authors make claims and then describe cases of past killers home life's to help support this assurion. yet the author never seem to connect the fact that abusive home life is the main linkage between each killer, and not single parent homes. Which you would think supports the idea that childhood abuse is the danger, not women working.
At other points, the author explains that neurodivergent individuals should learn to make peace with being shunned by society at large, and to adapt to their lot in life as socal outcasts. Which is a failing of autistic killers, and the reason why they turned to killing.
The author attempts to point to reaching genetic explanations for why adopted children are more likely to become killer's. Then the author failes to realize the adopted children who grew up to murder was time spent in abusive orphanages, or halfway homes, before ending up in yet more homes that weren't caring.
Yet the author harps on possible genetic inferiority, drug abuse and the like for a possible explanation for how they turned out.
I'd be here a while if I listed all the issues with the evil scale the book utilizes to rank how bad each crime is. Just suffice it to say it's lacking and so is rendered unusable.
In short, if the work was meant as an academic work, its useless for that.
If the book was meant as a resource to entertain rather than inform, for those who like true crimes. well it falls flate there too. As almost all the cases discussed are well known in circles who enjoy true crime like Ted Bundy, the zodiac killer and the like.
So unless the true crime hobbyist is just starting out, you will be left sitting through many retreads of cases you already know
In short there's really no reason to spend time with this book. As you could be spending that time on works that are either more entertaining, or informative, or both.
What this work is actually is a sensationalist work, which in a muddled fashion applies disjointed statistics and historical facts, as support for sexist, classiest and the loss of puritanical notions about sex, to explain modern crime.
Such as when the authors keep pointing to the "degradation of traditional familia units" when women entered the work force and the rise of contraceptives, as a source for generating killers. when once more they don't offer any support for the assertion. As the authors make claims and then describe cases of past killers home life's to help support this assurion. yet the author never seem to connect the fact that abusive home life is the main linkage between each killer, and not single parent homes. Which you would think supports the idea that childhood abuse is the danger, not women working.
At other points, the author explains that neurodivergent individuals should learn to make peace with being shunned by society at large, and to adapt to their lot in life as socal outcasts. Which is a failing of autistic killers, and the reason why they turned to killing.
The author attempts to point to reaching genetic explanations for why adopted children are more likely to become killer's. Then the author failes to realize the adopted children who grew up to murder was time spent in abusive orphanages, or halfway homes, before ending up in yet more homes that weren't caring.
Yet the author harps on possible genetic inferiority, drug abuse and the like for a possible explanation for how they turned out.
I'd be here a while if I listed all the issues with the evil scale the book utilizes to rank how bad each crime is. Just suffice it to say it's lacking and so is rendered unusable.
In short, if the work was meant as an academic work, its useless for that.
If the book was meant as a resource to entertain rather than inform, for those who like true crimes. well it falls flate there too. As almost all the cases discussed are well known in circles who enjoy true crime like Ted Bundy, the zodiac killer and the like.
So unless the true crime hobbyist is just starting out, you will be left sitting through many retreads of cases you already know
In short there's really no reason to spend time with this book. As you could be spending that time on works that are either more entertaining, or informative, or both.
March 31, 2019
I’m a big fan of Most Evil and the scales of evil Dr. Stone developed. The New Evil expands on the scale as we learned it and really elaborates on the qualifications of each category with a corresponding case and killer to help illustrate it.
I enjoyed how the book started with defining the scales and offering examples then moving to dozens more cases allowing me as the reader to assign the categories along the way to see if I’m right.
The book is terrifying and educational, two of my most favorite things! All the true crime fans out there must read this book!
I enjoyed how the book started with defining the scales and offering examples then moving to dozens more cases allowing me as the reader to assign the categories along the way to see if I’m right.
The book is terrifying and educational, two of my most favorite things! All the true crime fans out there must read this book!
June 10, 2019
The New Evil is the most comprehensive true crime book I've ever read. While at parts it can be hard to read for those sensitive to the gory details of a criminal's actions, it is extremely engaging and thoroughly detailed. The best part of The New Evil is the authors' insights to the minds of each individual discussed. An essential read for any true-crime reader or criminal psychology student.
January 30, 2020
The New Evil: Understanding the Emergence of Modern Violent Crime
This is a very well researched book written in unflinching detail; – over 600 pages, which at times remind one of a textbook.
This is definitely not light reading, & the tone the writers use is appropriate for such subject matter (one horrific crime after another is described in great detail-this is not an easy book to read); respect is shown for the victims & their families & the facts concerning the crimes are not muted (So brace yourself, the litany of gruesome & perverse crimes can be truly stomach-churning.).
The authors point out that crimes of a particularly callous nature are far more common than last mid-century (statistics indicate these events are worsening in frequency & severity). They believe that the culture reached a tipping point around 1965. In fact they note that there are some categories of crime today that scarcely existed before 1965.
They detail many of the changes (More fatherless males, for example - increased family dysfunction, access to internet pornography & violence, the empowerment of women, access to guns, infamy of mass shooters & serial killers.) that may have loosened restraints on narcissistic psychopaths who enjoy inflicting suffering.
In the end we are told that those that perpetrate & participate in unbelievable horrific behaviors & crimes, they are not sick but rather morally depraved & live & act like many of us. It is un-nerving that a very large majority of these crimes take place in the USA, meaning that the cause must at least, in part, be a cultural one. A culture that is becoming more coarse, uninhibited, amoral, & selfish; therefore the bulk of evil actions are the result of selfish choices made by cognizant individuals.
At the end of this book this brilliant assessment is made-we have seen the rise of a sort of false compassion, where many of these criminals are seen as victims, driven to crime due to terrible circumstances that have over-ridden their minds breaking systems. There is minimal emphasis on the role of personal will & the consequences of one’s actions. This growing tendency to blame outside forces is, in fact, a hallmark of narcissism.
This is a very well researched book written in unflinching detail; – over 600 pages, which at times remind one of a textbook.
This is definitely not light reading, & the tone the writers use is appropriate for such subject matter (one horrific crime after another is described in great detail-this is not an easy book to read); respect is shown for the victims & their families & the facts concerning the crimes are not muted (So brace yourself, the litany of gruesome & perverse crimes can be truly stomach-churning.).
The authors point out that crimes of a particularly callous nature are far more common than last mid-century (statistics indicate these events are worsening in frequency & severity). They believe that the culture reached a tipping point around 1965. In fact they note that there are some categories of crime today that scarcely existed before 1965.
They detail many of the changes (More fatherless males, for example - increased family dysfunction, access to internet pornography & violence, the empowerment of women, access to guns, infamy of mass shooters & serial killers.) that may have loosened restraints on narcissistic psychopaths who enjoy inflicting suffering.
In the end we are told that those that perpetrate & participate in unbelievable horrific behaviors & crimes, they are not sick but rather morally depraved & live & act like many of us. It is un-nerving that a very large majority of these crimes take place in the USA, meaning that the cause must at least, in part, be a cultural one. A culture that is becoming more coarse, uninhibited, amoral, & selfish; therefore the bulk of evil actions are the result of selfish choices made by cognizant individuals.
At the end of this book this brilliant assessment is made-we have seen the rise of a sort of false compassion, where many of these criminals are seen as victims, driven to crime due to terrible circumstances that have over-ridden their minds breaking systems. There is minimal emphasis on the role of personal will & the consequences of one’s actions. This growing tendency to blame outside forces is, in fact, a hallmark of narcissism.
September 10, 2019
As someone in the mental health field who has also touched the criminal justice field (which is sadly inevitable), this book was a must read for me the second I saw it on the shelf.
For anyone who is queasy about vivid descriptions of violent crimes, including but not limited to sexual assault, murder of all ages, etc...this may not be the book for you.
The structure of the book flows around the author's created classification system called the Gradients of Evil; a means of defining and clarifying (classifying) various serious violent offenders based on key attributes. While the concept is quite nice and makes a ton of sense, I struggle to see it's usefulness outside perhaps an academic spectrum(this may also be short sighted on my part). I also admittedly cringe a bit at the use of the term "evil" which feels judgemental and moralistic whereas I am more akin to criminology based works being more clinical and detached. But this is a minor qualm.
The authors also explore social stressors that gave rise to the serial killers of the 60s and 70s and then transitioned them into the mass shooters of today. Interesting that as our culture has become more driven towards immediate results and rewards, so too follow the actions of our killers. This exploration does focus quite a bit on access to firearms as a primary factor (seemingly) in some points which may or may not jibe with your view point or political values.
Take a second and put those initial feelings aside and just let the authors tell you the research and the stories. There is still a great deal to absorb even sans that detail.
There were times that I found myself almost bored but then put the book away and came back. When violent crime descriptions make you bored you have had too much....
But overall this is a must read for anyone interested in true crime, psychology, forensics, etc. I look forward to passing this book around. It has already been read by two other friends in my field!
For anyone who is queasy about vivid descriptions of violent crimes, including but not limited to sexual assault, murder of all ages, etc...this may not be the book for you.
The structure of the book flows around the author's created classification system called the Gradients of Evil; a means of defining and clarifying (classifying) various serious violent offenders based on key attributes. While the concept is quite nice and makes a ton of sense, I struggle to see it's usefulness outside perhaps an academic spectrum(this may also be short sighted on my part). I also admittedly cringe a bit at the use of the term "evil" which feels judgemental and moralistic whereas I am more akin to criminology based works being more clinical and detached. But this is a minor qualm.
The authors also explore social stressors that gave rise to the serial killers of the 60s and 70s and then transitioned them into the mass shooters of today. Interesting that as our culture has become more driven towards immediate results and rewards, so too follow the actions of our killers. This exploration does focus quite a bit on access to firearms as a primary factor (seemingly) in some points which may or may not jibe with your view point or political values.
Take a second and put those initial feelings aside and just let the authors tell you the research and the stories. There is still a great deal to absorb even sans that detail.
There were times that I found myself almost bored but then put the book away and came back. When violent crime descriptions make you bored you have had too much....
But overall this is a must read for anyone interested in true crime, psychology, forensics, etc. I look forward to passing this book around. It has already been read by two other friends in my field!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2019
Efter att ha läst dr. Stone's THE
ANATOMY OF EVIL hade jag höga förväntningar på uppföljaren.
Liksom första boken är THE NEW EVIL en brutal bok om de våldsamma dåd som triggar en att tänka på ordet "ondska".
Till och från i denna bok blev det för brutalt, även för mig som är väldigt insatt i temat. Särskilt svårt var allt kvinnovåld. Kan tycka att denna bok plöjde på med allt för många fall vilket gjorde den något svagare i jämförelse med den första. Bitvis mer obehaglig läsning än många horror novels jag läst.
Intresseras man av det morbida, sadistiska och psykologin bakom det, är detta rätt bok i sin genre. Jag uppskattade framför allt efterorden samt att lära mig ännu mer om psykopater.
ANATOMY OF EVIL hade jag höga förväntningar på uppföljaren.
Liksom första boken är THE NEW EVIL en brutal bok om de våldsamma dåd som triggar en att tänka på ordet "ondska".
Till och från i denna bok blev det för brutalt, även för mig som är väldigt insatt i temat. Särskilt svårt var allt kvinnovåld. Kan tycka att denna bok plöjde på med allt för många fall vilket gjorde den något svagare i jämförelse med den första. Bitvis mer obehaglig läsning än många horror novels jag läst.
Intresseras man av det morbida, sadistiska och psykologin bakom det, är detta rätt bok i sin genre. Jag uppskattade framför allt efterorden samt att lära mig ännu mer om psykopater.
September 27, 2019
yeah this was really good. provided some satisfying answers without being overly presumptuous. there were some minor inaccuracies, but in the scheme of things that was fine. (aside from like. citing dave cullen's columbine work as fact when a lot of it Is Not) i read a library copy of this & i might just have to buy a copy bc its a really good reference book for this kind of thing... would absolutely recommend
August 20, 2025
This is just violence porn. The scale the author created serves no purpose. The reasoning seems more like personal cherry-picking than science (cf. violence in video games and movies). I read several hundred pages, but when he assigned a violent case to each letter of the alphabet, I gave up.
September 21, 2019
Love this book as a true crime addict. The research is impressive and the format is different in a great way. Hiiiiighly recommend.
May 3, 2020
Not for the faint of heart.
August 27, 2019
I loved this book!!!!! I found it one of the most comprehensive books I’ve read. It was engaging, thoroughly detailed, highly informative and quite riveting. A masterpiece of writing that I happily recommended to anyone interested in this genre. A must read!!!
August 31, 2023
Wide Breadth, Shallow Depth. If you want to know a little bit about the psychology of evil, or want to hear examples of certain crimes fall on the "scale of evil" popularized by the show of a similar name on Investigation Discovery, then this is a decent read.
Be forewarned, there is a tremendous amount of disinformation on rifles frequently classified as "assault rifles" and make no qualms, the authors make the typical case that guns are the reasons for violence a shallow and incorrect view.
The book was mildly interesting but there are better uses for your time.
Be forewarned, there is a tremendous amount of disinformation on rifles frequently classified as "assault rifles" and make no qualms, the authors make the typical case that guns are the reasons for violence a shallow and incorrect view.
The book was mildly interesting but there are better uses for your time.
February 12, 2020
I don’t know why “true crime” books are so dreary, but The New Evil has got to be the most dreadful of the lot. Before I begin looking at the book, I need to get something straight: evil has nothing whatsoever to do with murder; “evil” is a term that refers to a theological abstraction, but this notion is completely misleading when applied to sociological dimensions like homicide. No one is suggesting that manslaughter is a desirable thing, but a killer’s rampage has nothing to do with religious studies.
Like good little Christians, the authors imagine that they can somehow intuit whatever was in the mind of a murder – and through this act of clairvoyance, Stone and Brucato assign a number to some of these lethal proclivities and then rank various mental partialities against each other. Truly, this is how-many-angles-can-dance-on-the head-of a pin level shit. Murder is murder. A corpse is just a corpse. I don’t care what might have motivated the killer – the victim is just as dead. Evil is just Jesuitical masturbation.
Stone was featured in a cable TV series about his penchant for positioning murderers on this subjective scale, and he probably imagines that the viewers have bought into his hierarchy – but, to be honest, the general public just wants to stare at the freaks. Saying that Killer A is worse than Killer B is like saying the Pinhead is worse-off than the Lobster Boy.
The authors want you to assume that there is some great surge in wickedness in the modern world. But that is just pop analysis. Human nature never changes. Human beings have always found a means to slaughter each other, and the ways that the human body can be mutilated have not increased in number – however, the manner of reporting these atrocities has certainly improved during the last few decades. A couple centuries ago, only the butchery of the ruling class would be recorded; but in our age, even an average bloke’s act of bloodshed can be repeated across the internet. Even the most sadistic serial killer of our time never inflicted any more pain than what the Emperor Caligula might have watched for his own amusement. Jefferey Dahmer never achieved any greater cruelty than what Gilles de Rais might have done to his subjects. Can a modern serial killer armed with pliers do any greater evil than a medieval inquisitor with his implements? No matter what point in history the reader might have been unlucky enough to find himself, everyone around him would still want to kill their neighbors if only they could get away with it. Modern technology just means a grater chance of getting caught.
The New Evil is not a cohesive book. Some serial killer vignettes are used as illustrations of the various “Levels of Evil” in the first part of the volume, then a bunch more biographical snippets are included in an alphabetical afterthought at the end of the book. Oddly enough, there is even a chapter on child-custody maneuvers, which reads like a recycled journal article. Stone and Brucato reveal a bias are for instituting gun control and iterating saccharine comments about some innate human goodness. The authors need to decide whether they want to be sloppy theologians or slapdash criminologists.
Like good little Christians, the authors imagine that they can somehow intuit whatever was in the mind of a murder – and through this act of clairvoyance, Stone and Brucato assign a number to some of these lethal proclivities and then rank various mental partialities against each other. Truly, this is how-many-angles-can-dance-on-the head-of a pin level shit. Murder is murder. A corpse is just a corpse. I don’t care what might have motivated the killer – the victim is just as dead. Evil is just Jesuitical masturbation.
Stone was featured in a cable TV series about his penchant for positioning murderers on this subjective scale, and he probably imagines that the viewers have bought into his hierarchy – but, to be honest, the general public just wants to stare at the freaks. Saying that Killer A is worse than Killer B is like saying the Pinhead is worse-off than the Lobster Boy.
The authors want you to assume that there is some great surge in wickedness in the modern world. But that is just pop analysis. Human nature never changes. Human beings have always found a means to slaughter each other, and the ways that the human body can be mutilated have not increased in number – however, the manner of reporting these atrocities has certainly improved during the last few decades. A couple centuries ago, only the butchery of the ruling class would be recorded; but in our age, even an average bloke’s act of bloodshed can be repeated across the internet. Even the most sadistic serial killer of our time never inflicted any more pain than what the Emperor Caligula might have watched for his own amusement. Jefferey Dahmer never achieved any greater cruelty than what Gilles de Rais might have done to his subjects. Can a modern serial killer armed with pliers do any greater evil than a medieval inquisitor with his implements? No matter what point in history the reader might have been unlucky enough to find himself, everyone around him would still want to kill their neighbors if only they could get away with it. Modern technology just means a grater chance of getting caught.
The New Evil is not a cohesive book. Some serial killer vignettes are used as illustrations of the various “Levels of Evil” in the first part of the volume, then a bunch more biographical snippets are included in an alphabetical afterthought at the end of the book. Oddly enough, there is even a chapter on child-custody maneuvers, which reads like a recycled journal article. Stone and Brucato reveal a bias are for instituting gun control and iterating saccharine comments about some innate human goodness. The authors need to decide whether they want to be sloppy theologians or slapdash criminologists.
December 11, 2019
A boundless catalog of the violence marked by a descent into a Dante's Inferno like 22 point categorization of the escalating violence humans can commit. Each level darker and more horrifying that the first with case studies and analysis of the personalities behind. The author explores modern violence like school shootings, stalking, custody battles in parallel with infanticide, serial murder, sadism to show how violence in modern society takes many new forms and expand via normalization of violence in popular media, weakening family, community, and personal ties, and a driving immediacy reward system where individuals are emotionally blunted.
The case work and analysis is fascinating and resoundingly disturbing with many cases impossible to forget. I'm sure there are fans of true crime who will enjoy the case reviews however I can't seem to shake some of the authors dubious claims that women's liberation via divorce, sexual technologies like birth control etc lead to men responding with escalating violence.
The author expands on his hypothesis that social stressors rise to the serial killers of the 60s and 70s and then transitioned them into the mass shooters of today. The immediacy of results and rewards expected in modern society the author claims is a driving factor for mass murder today. Possible but the author tends to view the crimes in a moralistic view labeling things as "evil" - I think this contrasts strangely with the clinical and detached criminologist view the author provides in the case work. Nonetheless absolutely terrifying, worst is the realization and convincing showcase that the author provides that many of the of the horribly "evil" violence acts committed by humans are done so by individuals who are "normal" and psychologically indifferent from others.
The author provides a very strong case for limiting access to weapons and guns as a solution to the endless public shootings in the US . Comparing the case of mass murder in Australia vs the US in which Australia immediately banned guns after its history worst mass murder.
The case work and analysis is fascinating and resoundingly disturbing with many cases impossible to forget. I'm sure there are fans of true crime who will enjoy the case reviews however I can't seem to shake some of the authors dubious claims that women's liberation via divorce, sexual technologies like birth control etc lead to men responding with escalating violence.
The author expands on his hypothesis that social stressors rise to the serial killers of the 60s and 70s and then transitioned them into the mass shooters of today. The immediacy of results and rewards expected in modern society the author claims is a driving factor for mass murder today. Possible but the author tends to view the crimes in a moralistic view labeling things as "evil" - I think this contrasts strangely with the clinical and detached criminologist view the author provides in the case work. Nonetheless absolutely terrifying, worst is the realization and convincing showcase that the author provides that many of the of the horribly "evil" violence acts committed by humans are done so by individuals who are "normal" and psychologically indifferent from others.
The author provides a very strong case for limiting access to weapons and guns as a solution to the endless public shootings in the US . Comparing the case of mass murder in Australia vs the US in which Australia immediately banned guns after its history worst mass murder.
April 11, 2020
I don’t know how I feel about this book. I find the concise depictions of true crime stories to be informative. And strangely, I find myself “happy” to read familiar Canadian content. (The murder of Tori Stafford even gets a brief mention.)
The scale of evil is just an arbitrary classification somebody came up with. I’m not really sure who is using it or why. As one Goodreads reviewer rightly said, it’s “angels on the head of a pin”. Killing is killing. Torture is torture.
The book is poorly written, and poorly edited, especially the second half. The biographies of murderers, written in decidedly unprofessional language, have been slashed (oops, sorry) to the point where many lack continuity. Also, where deception is described—which occurs frequently given the subject matter—it is written awkwardly; for example the phrase “as if to” is often used unnecessarily.
We also occasionally see gems like this:
“mothers and fathers who are more “aren’t” than “p-arent”’ [cringe]
Then there are the ingrained biases of the author who wants to show that “evil” has been growing at an accelerated pace since 1965. Divorce. The Pill. Women’s liberation. Fatherless boys. (Hey women, look what you’ve gone and done to society with your freedom-loving ways. You’ve caused a backlash from insecure men.) But there’s also drugs. Pornography. Violent video games.
Yes, all those things ARE more prevalent in the post-1950s world, but... this so-called “evil” has always been with us, not just since 1965. What about Caligula? Atilla the Hun? Vlad the Impaler? The Spanish Inquisition? The Aztecs? Uh, Hitler?
Sigh. There’s good stuff in this book. You just have to dig through a lot of less good stuff to find it.
The scale of evil is just an arbitrary classification somebody came up with. I’m not really sure who is using it or why. As one Goodreads reviewer rightly said, it’s “angels on the head of a pin”. Killing is killing. Torture is torture.
The book is poorly written, and poorly edited, especially the second half. The biographies of murderers, written in decidedly unprofessional language, have been slashed (oops, sorry) to the point where many lack continuity. Also, where deception is described—which occurs frequently given the subject matter—it is written awkwardly; for example the phrase “as if to” is often used unnecessarily.
We also occasionally see gems like this:
“mothers and fathers who are more “aren’t” than “p-arent”’ [cringe]
Then there are the ingrained biases of the author who wants to show that “evil” has been growing at an accelerated pace since 1965. Divorce. The Pill. Women’s liberation. Fatherless boys. (Hey women, look what you’ve gone and done to society with your freedom-loving ways. You’ve caused a backlash from insecure men.) But there’s also drugs. Pornography. Violent video games.
Yes, all those things ARE more prevalent in the post-1950s world, but... this so-called “evil” has always been with us, not just since 1965. What about Caligula? Atilla the Hun? Vlad the Impaler? The Spanish Inquisition? The Aztecs? Uh, Hitler?
Sigh. There’s good stuff in this book. You just have to dig through a lot of less good stuff to find it.
April 3, 2021
Horrific. Wish I'd never read it. I thought the author would stick to his thesis--that certain acts of evil have increased since 1965--and would then go on to examine WHY. I imagined this might be an interesting take on certain social trends of the second half of the 20th century.
Instead, he simply presents a never-ending series of gratuitous descriptions of heinous acts, to the point where it seemed as though he was reveling in them. Even for a detached doctor as the author, the focus on specific vignettes was a bit much, and it made me wonder about the author himself.
He doesn't prove his thesis, and he doesn't dive any deeper into the "why" than he could've done in the blurb on the back of the book.
Also, in the chapter on school shooters, it is ridiculous to me that the author could go through all the many variations of evil and the complexities of shooter motivation, and then somehow still arrive at the stupidly facile conclusion that semiautomatic weapons are solely to blame. I wonder if the doctor is aware that semiautomatic weapons have been around since 1885. Clearly something else, or some many things, must account for the increase in shootings.
I couldn't finish the book, which is extremely rare for a me, but it was just too much. By the time I got to the A-Z chapter at the end, which just seemed like an excuse to squeeze in as many specific acts of evil as possible, I was done.
Do not recommend.
Instead, he simply presents a never-ending series of gratuitous descriptions of heinous acts, to the point where it seemed as though he was reveling in them. Even for a detached doctor as the author, the focus on specific vignettes was a bit much, and it made me wonder about the author himself.
He doesn't prove his thesis, and he doesn't dive any deeper into the "why" than he could've done in the blurb on the back of the book.
Also, in the chapter on school shooters, it is ridiculous to me that the author could go through all the many variations of evil and the complexities of shooter motivation, and then somehow still arrive at the stupidly facile conclusion that semiautomatic weapons are solely to blame. I wonder if the doctor is aware that semiautomatic weapons have been around since 1885. Clearly something else, or some many things, must account for the increase in shootings.
I couldn't finish the book, which is extremely rare for a me, but it was just too much. By the time I got to the A-Z chapter at the end, which just seemed like an excuse to squeeze in as many specific acts of evil as possible, I was done.
Do not recommend.
November 3, 2021
Incredibly detailed work on the various psychological and behavioral aspects of evil -- murder, rape, kidnapping, indentured servitude/sexual slavery, and violence in general. I'm not sure I agree with every hypothesis, but the authors definitely know their stuff, and I highly recommend it to anyone, if for no other reason than the statistics alone.
Ann Burgess, one of the legends of American criminal profiling, said in the afterword that anyone in the mental health or criminal justice fields should read this book. I would extend that to anyone who has an interest in the origins of violence.
Ann Burgess, one of the legends of American criminal profiling, said in the afterword that anyone in the mental health or criminal justice fields should read this book. I would extend that to anyone who has an interest in the origins of violence.
August 2, 2020
This was easily one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I was a little apprehensive to read The New Evil before reading The Anatomy of Evil, but rest assured, Dr. Brucato’s analysis of the gradations of evil is so thorough and easy to understand. The description of each gradation is explained out so fully there is little room for confusion. Part 2 of the book by Dr. Stone is absolutely fascinating. There are so many things throughout history that have impacted violent crime. Dr. Stone also talks about different types of evil in today’s society as well.
If you are remotely interested in violent crime, I would highly recommend this book. Hell, even if you aren’t interested in crime, The New Evil is incredibly important in understanding crime in today’s world.
If you are remotely interested in violent crime, I would highly recommend this book. Hell, even if you aren’t interested in crime, The New Evil is incredibly important in understanding crime in today’s world.
July 7, 2025
I absolutely loved it! It is, in my opinion, as essential of a reading as that dog William Bass in the respect of introspections into the overall studies of everything from backgrounds of the individuals (and types of) to the stories the remains provide. Honestly, the depth of the analysis in The New Evil astoundingly and profoundly impressive! Great job!
December 9, 2023
I cannot finish this book. Rather than academic, it’s sensationalist and a poorly veiled excuse for describing different horrific crimes. The Gradations of Evil Scale is incredibly subjective, and the authors do not adequately address their own bias in any step. Only giving 2 stars because I didn’t finish it, and maybe it somehow gets better later on, though I’m doubtful.
September 12, 2024
Unnecessarily descriptive, calls incestuous rape 'intercourse' while otherwise seemingly understanding what rape means, and doesn't allow room for lifestyle choices (being gothic) and choice of music to be normal. Or at least, no disclaimer is given when these subjects arise.
Unfortunate, because this book does have good points. Why was lead poisoning never considered though?
Unfortunate, because this book does have good points. Why was lead poisoning never considered though?
May 24, 2019
This is absolutely a great book. I would recommend this for any crime fan. It's discussed alot serial killers and the categories they fit in. A amazing book. Thank you
January 4, 2020
jesus. can’t goths catch a break? if you’re nostalgic for satanic panic...
October 30, 2020
Never ending descriptions of depravity.Still don’t think the author understands evil
Read
November 27, 2025
Words I learned in this book
Aspersion: a false or misleading charge meant to harm someone's reputation or the act of making such a charge; a sprinkling with water especially in religious ceremonies
Chicanery: deception by artful subterfuge or sophistry
Concomitant: accompanying especially in a subordinate or incidental way; something that accompanies or is collaterally connected with something else
Convalescent: to recover health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness
Demur: raise doubts or objections or show reluctance
Enuresis: the involuntary discharge of urine; incontinence of urine
Harridan: an ill-tempered scolding woman
Hornswoggle: to trick or deceive (someone)
Inveigle: to win over by wiles; to acquire by ingenuity or flattery
Lascivious: filled with or showing s**ual desire
Licentious: lacking legal or moral restraints; marked by disregard for strict rules of correctness
Olio: an unorganized collection or mixture of various things
Paraphilia: a pattern of recurring s**ually arousing mental imagery or behavior that involves unusual and especially socially unacceptable s**ual practices
Rubber check: slang for a bad/bounced check; a check that is returned unpaid
Sacristy: a room in a church where sacred vessels and vestments are kept and where the clergy prepares for services, rites, etc.
Sagacity: the quality of being sagacious (having or showing an ability to understand difficult ideas and situations and to make good decisions; marked by keen and farsighted understanding and judgment)
(Telephone) Scatologia: deviant s**ual practice in which s**ual pleasure is obtained through the compulsive use of obscene language, often via obscene phone calls [usually to strangers]
Scuttlebutt: rumor; gossip
Sepulchre: a final resting place for a dead person
Virago: a loud overbearing woman
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews