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Talking with Psychopaths and Savages: A Journey into the Evil Mind
Criminologist Christopher Berry-Dee takes readers deep inside the dark minds of some of the most pitiless and dangerous people alive. Having spent years interviewing imprisoned criminals, including notorious serial killers, he discovered that the lack of remorse they showed was in many ways more terrifying than the crimes they had committed. Yet in the course of these conversations, the author also had the chance to interview his subjects' psychiatrists and, in doing so, uncovered a terrible truth: a monster can be hidden behind a friendly face. Some of these experts, he found, proved to have more in common with their patients than he would ever have expected. This book examines horrific crimes committed by some of the most remorseless and merciless people ever to have lived. If it reveals a mindset wholly alien to most people, it also, shockingly, demonstrates that some of the people who treat these psychopaths have their own demons. Talking with Psychopaths may shift the reader's view of psychopaths, and in doing so, reveal that horror can be much closer to us than we think. Subjects include JR Robinson, Kenneth Allen McDuff, Arthur Shawcross, Kenneth Bianchi, Michael Bruce Ross, Melanie McGuire, and more.
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First published April 6, 2017
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About the author
Christopher Berry-Dee
74 books340 followersChris was a former Royal Marine intelligence officer. He is now a criminologist who has interviewed over 30 serial killers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 978 reviews
March 6, 2021
Not only the worst true crime book I’ve ever read, but Talking With Psychopaths and Savages is possibly the worst BOOK I’ve ever read. Berry-Dee is considered to be “the UK’s top true crime writer” and yet he is the most narcissistic, self-serving, irritating and arrogant author I’ve ever come across. If you thought John Douglas was a tad egotistical while reading Mindhunter, believe me - he ain’t got nothin’ on Berry-Dee.
I could maybe look beyond his ego if he was a good writer or presented his findings and research in a cohesive and interesting way. Yet he can’t even do that. The writing is deplorable, there are errors scattered throughout and his “research” was the equivalent of a quick Wikipedia search on said serial killer. The timelines themselves are difficult to follow as he is incapable of presenting a coherent narrative. I find myself siding with a serial killer who described one of Berry-Dee’s previous books as “rubbish”. Agreeing with a serial killer on something, who’d have thought it...
The repetition drove me NUTS. He repeatedly alluded to his “restricted word count” in this novel, and constantly referred to the vast number of serial killers and psychopaths he has interviewed over the years.... “more than Stephen King can even imagine”, in fact!! I think he underestimates Mr King. The way he speaks about women also got under my skin, he describes one “hooker” who had “more tattoos than a fairground worker”. Every other woman is “vivacious”. I loathe that adjective. I also felt that he handled mental health issues and psychopathy itself quite insensitively.
To add to his egotistical ways, Berry-Dee constantly advertises previous books he has written and all I can say is that I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than ever read one of those. There are so many amazing true crime books out there, do not waste your time and money on this narcissist.
I could maybe look beyond his ego if he was a good writer or presented his findings and research in a cohesive and interesting way. Yet he can’t even do that. The writing is deplorable, there are errors scattered throughout and his “research” was the equivalent of a quick Wikipedia search on said serial killer. The timelines themselves are difficult to follow as he is incapable of presenting a coherent narrative. I find myself siding with a serial killer who described one of Berry-Dee’s previous books as “rubbish”. Agreeing with a serial killer on something, who’d have thought it...
The repetition drove me NUTS. He repeatedly alluded to his “restricted word count” in this novel, and constantly referred to the vast number of serial killers and psychopaths he has interviewed over the years.... “more than Stephen King can even imagine”, in fact!! I think he underestimates Mr King. The way he speaks about women also got under my skin, he describes one “hooker” who had “more tattoos than a fairground worker”. Every other woman is “vivacious”. I loathe that adjective. I also felt that he handled mental health issues and psychopathy itself quite insensitively.
To add to his egotistical ways, Berry-Dee constantly advertises previous books he has written and all I can say is that I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than ever read one of those. There are so many amazing true crime books out there, do not waste your time and money on this narcissist.
April 9, 2017
I was looking forward to reading this book, but I felt that it failed deliver on most fronts. Berry-Dee repeatedly states that he is not going to dwell overly on the salacious details of the crimes committed by the 'psychopaths' in question, while continually plugging his other books where he presumably does impart these tidbits. Instead, we are told that his focus is on psychopathy itself: looking at how psychopaths develop, whether they are born, and how one might recognise a psychopath in our own lives, etc.
Unfortunately, the only insight I really gained was into how the author regards himself since he talks about himself constantly, about how other people feel about him, and his relationships with notorious criminals, or celebrated figures in psychology or criminology. He references himself frequently, and quotes people talking about him or to him for seemingly no other reason than to show he has had personal contact with them. The psychopaths and savages referred to in the title feel like periphery characters included to add colour.
As someone with a psychology background and a guilty (excuse the pun) interest in True Crime, I felt let down on both fronts.
That being said, had I come across the writing on a blog, which would have been more fitting for the personal, informal writing style, as well as capable of holding links to the author's other works, I would have found it more enjoyable I think. I certainly read it quickly and easily enough.
Unfortunately, the only insight I really gained was into how the author regards himself since he talks about himself constantly, about how other people feel about him, and his relationships with notorious criminals, or celebrated figures in psychology or criminology. He references himself frequently, and quotes people talking about him or to him for seemingly no other reason than to show he has had personal contact with them. The psychopaths and savages referred to in the title feel like periphery characters included to add colour.
As someone with a psychology background and a guilty (excuse the pun) interest in True Crime, I felt let down on both fronts.
That being said, had I come across the writing on a blog, which would have been more fitting for the personal, informal writing style, as well as capable of holding links to the author's other works, I would have found it more enjoyable I think. I certainly read it quickly and easily enough.
July 6, 2017
'In a world where elephants fly, lead balls bounce and fairies reign supreme...' a thought, but perhaps if the author didn't use this horrendously tedious sentence every other page he wouldn't have to lament the insufficient word count every four pages. Interesting subject matter, find a different author, this chap's a narcissistic numpty.
November 6, 2018
A disturbing look into the self involved mind of a narcissist - pity it's the author's.
There's so much wrong with this book it's hard to know where to begin. Proofreading aside, it is one of the most badly written things I've ever read (and I've read The Turner Diaries). It is padded to the gills with repetition and self serving quotes. The dates are haywire - some people are executed before committing the crimes that landed them on Death Row in the first place - perhaps Dee was channeling Philip K. Dick. He has a grating buddy buddy style that manages to convey absolutely nothing - for all his bluster about gaining access to these twisted minds and skirting the abyss, his revelations boil down to the fact that serial killers are manipulative and vain - Wow, who would ever have believed that? He is also maddeningly fond of exclamation marks, lending the book the feel of a teenage girl's journal.
What really bothered me about this trash though, was his arrogance. At one point, after discussing a young woman's gruesome death, he has the vulgar temerity to insert a quote from the victim's mother plugging one of his books on the subject. He also manages to berate female victims for not taking his advice, implying their stupidity was to blame for their murders.
He also rants about how he has proved that John Canaan killed Suzy Lamplugh but no-one will listen - perhaps that's because you wrote a book claiming the same unassailable knowledge that it was Michael Sams who was guilty of the deed.
The only thing I learned from this book was to be more circumspect with my small change the next time I'm browsing in The Works. A truly terrible, vainglorious piece of crap.
There's so much wrong with this book it's hard to know where to begin. Proofreading aside, it is one of the most badly written things I've ever read (and I've read The Turner Diaries). It is padded to the gills with repetition and self serving quotes. The dates are haywire - some people are executed before committing the crimes that landed them on Death Row in the first place - perhaps Dee was channeling Philip K. Dick. He has a grating buddy buddy style that manages to convey absolutely nothing - for all his bluster about gaining access to these twisted minds and skirting the abyss, his revelations boil down to the fact that serial killers are manipulative and vain - Wow, who would ever have believed that? He is also maddeningly fond of exclamation marks, lending the book the feel of a teenage girl's journal.
What really bothered me about this trash though, was his arrogance. At one point, after discussing a young woman's gruesome death, he has the vulgar temerity to insert a quote from the victim's mother plugging one of his books on the subject. He also manages to berate female victims for not taking his advice, implying their stupidity was to blame for their murders.
He also rants about how he has proved that John Canaan killed Suzy Lamplugh but no-one will listen - perhaps that's because you wrote a book claiming the same unassailable knowledge that it was Michael Sams who was guilty of the deed.
The only thing I learned from this book was to be more circumspect with my small change the next time I'm browsing in The Works. A truly terrible, vainglorious piece of crap.
June 6, 2018
Utter shite
June 3, 2017
I'm only about 50 pages into this book and I am seriously considering giving up on it. This is something that NEVER happens. I have a strange compulsion with books where I feel that I absolutely have to finish a book even if I'm hating it (seriously, to the point where if I leave a book at home I can't start a new one because it's "cheating"). But I really feel I might have to abandon this one.
Firstly, I can't seem to separate the author's voice- his presence, as 'author' - from what he's discussing, and while this is often something which benefits or adds to a book, I really feel that Berry-Dee is unfairly the main focus of this book instead of its extremely interesting subject matter. I bought this book because I'm fascinated by the mind, by mental illness, and particularly by psychopathy and the study of the mindset of serial killers. I didn't buy it because I'm Christopher B-D's biggest fan and I love hearing about his bestselling works and how they're required reading by students. I mean, that's great - but that's a blurb, or an 'About the Author' page: it's not part of your argument. Add to this a very poorly edited script and I'm already reeling.
But what really bothers me about what I've read so far, and the reason that I am considering ditching this book, is the fact that the author seems to be constructing an implicit and obvious link between mental illness and serial violence, often arbitrarily. There's a passage inserted between case studies of serial killers and psychopaths talking about a mental hospital near where the author grew up and how the inhabitants were roaming around being crazy - because that's apparently relevant. I can't deny that much of the time, murderous, violent people may have some kind of mental illness in their history. But that is not to say that there is a clear link; that's not to say that every single person who has committed a crime did so because they suffer from mental illness, and it's certainly not to say that everyone suffering from a mental illness is capable of committing such a crime. As someone who has struggled for many years with my own demons, I find it insulting that my character - something beyond my control - has been associated with serial violence and, in the author's words, "evil" and "monsters". I might keep reading just to see where he goes with it and inevitably get sad and angry, but I might just give it up now and say, well done Christopher, you wrote a lot of bestselling books but you need to do some more research.
Firstly, I can't seem to separate the author's voice- his presence, as 'author' - from what he's discussing, and while this is often something which benefits or adds to a book, I really feel that Berry-Dee is unfairly the main focus of this book instead of its extremely interesting subject matter. I bought this book because I'm fascinated by the mind, by mental illness, and particularly by psychopathy and the study of the mindset of serial killers. I didn't buy it because I'm Christopher B-D's biggest fan and I love hearing about his bestselling works and how they're required reading by students. I mean, that's great - but that's a blurb, or an 'About the Author' page: it's not part of your argument. Add to this a very poorly edited script and I'm already reeling.
But what really bothers me about what I've read so far, and the reason that I am considering ditching this book, is the fact that the author seems to be constructing an implicit and obvious link between mental illness and serial violence, often arbitrarily. There's a passage inserted between case studies of serial killers and psychopaths talking about a mental hospital near where the author grew up and how the inhabitants were roaming around being crazy - because that's apparently relevant. I can't deny that much of the time, murderous, violent people may have some kind of mental illness in their history. But that is not to say that there is a clear link; that's not to say that every single person who has committed a crime did so because they suffer from mental illness, and it's certainly not to say that everyone suffering from a mental illness is capable of committing such a crime. As someone who has struggled for many years with my own demons, I find it insulting that my character - something beyond my control - has been associated with serial violence and, in the author's words, "evil" and "monsters". I might keep reading just to see where he goes with it and inevitably get sad and angry, but I might just give it up now and say, well done Christopher, you wrote a lot of bestselling books but you need to do some more research.
July 30, 2019
By a long distance the worst book I've read. It's printed click bait at best, I was bored at the airport, got baited, and lived it to the full so I could write a review.
This is cheap, empty, self-important writing, and the book hasn't been properly edited - poorly structured with unnecessary repetitions, spelling and grammar mistakes.
Worst of all the author is very present, in a very annoying way - he is continuously self-promoting, referring to other books he's written, and he clearly likes himself very much, in a very chummy way. His non-existent editor might have tried to talk him back from some of his supreme Trumpian ramblings, but clearly this author is a genius so we have to live with it for as long as we read the book.
The way he treats the cases has nothing original or insightful, there is no Talking with Psychopaths, it just feels like he copy-pasted juicy bits from Wikipedia. Still, mister Berry-Dee is very happy to "get in the mind of the monster" (even for cases that are 80 years old and poorly documented), where nothing interesting happens, except for emptiness and cliché being followed by completely uncalled for, useless and extremely superficial simplistic moral judgment.
To finish it off, for a book that claims this hotshot author has been "Talking with Psychopaths" I have to quote from the pen of the master:
'I myself wrote to Russel Williams to try to find the answer to that question. He failed to reply'
This is cheap, empty, self-important writing, and the book hasn't been properly edited - poorly structured with unnecessary repetitions, spelling and grammar mistakes.
Worst of all the author is very present, in a very annoying way - he is continuously self-promoting, referring to other books he's written, and he clearly likes himself very much, in a very chummy way. His non-existent editor might have tried to talk him back from some of his supreme Trumpian ramblings, but clearly this author is a genius so we have to live with it for as long as we read the book.
The way he treats the cases has nothing original or insightful, there is no Talking with Psychopaths, it just feels like he copy-pasted juicy bits from Wikipedia. Still, mister Berry-Dee is very happy to "get in the mind of the monster" (even for cases that are 80 years old and poorly documented), where nothing interesting happens, except for emptiness and cliché being followed by completely uncalled for, useless and extremely superficial simplistic moral judgment.
To finish it off, for a book that claims this hotshot author has been "Talking with Psychopaths" I have to quote from the pen of the master:
'I myself wrote to Russel Williams to try to find the answer to that question. He failed to reply'
September 27, 2019
A pre-completion review:
I picked up Talking with Psychopaths and Savages: Beyond Evil from an airport bookshop and was super excited to read it. I started yesterday and was completely baffled by how bad the writing is. Imagine if Guilderoy Lockhart and Donald Trump had a baby who thought he was a criminologist. That level of bad.
The grammar is so bad (random capitalizations, missing periods & other punctuation) that had me looking up the publisher to see if they offer editing services or if it was a vanity press; and the writing itself is full of non-sequiturs, random tangents, and internal contractions. I’m finding the book wildly uninformative...yet so hilariously bad I can’t put it down. It is genuinely terrible.
I picked up Talking with Psychopaths and Savages: Beyond Evil from an airport bookshop and was super excited to read it. I started yesterday and was completely baffled by how bad the writing is. Imagine if Guilderoy Lockhart and Donald Trump had a baby who thought he was a criminologist. That level of bad.
The grammar is so bad (random capitalizations, missing periods & other punctuation) that had me looking up the publisher to see if they offer editing services or if it was a vanity press; and the writing itself is full of non-sequiturs, random tangents, and internal contractions. I’m finding the book wildly uninformative...yet so hilariously bad I can’t put it down. It is genuinely terrible.
November 12, 2017
How the fuck did this get past an editor?
October 3, 2019
Talking with psychopaths and savages by Christopher Berry-Dee is the first in this series and it's interesting to see the way one has to try and get into the mind of evil, it's not so much the killers crimes we see it's the relationship the criminologist has to make to gain some kind of trust for the killer to open up.
How someone can sit there and listen to those evil pieces of skin I have no idea ☠️
Definitely worth a shot if you like to know the why!📖
How someone can sit there and listen to those evil pieces of skin I have no idea ☠️
Definitely worth a shot if you like to know the why!📖
October 7, 2019
Talking With Psychopaths And Savage's Beyond Evil by Christopher Berry-Dee is book 2 in this series and it's definitely darker than the first but it also came across that the author wasn't bothered this time with placing little snippets of his real opinion as well as his professional opinion thought out about these evil people he has interviewed in his working years as a criminologist.
It just utterly ridiculous how many and how viscously evil people can be😨
It's definitely a book worth continuing with to finish this series 📖
It just utterly ridiculous how many and how viscously evil people can be😨
It's definitely a book worth continuing with to finish this series 📖
August 16, 2025
Jeez! I need therapy now.
My Rating- 2 stars
Christopher Berry-Dee, a criminologist and former Royal Marine intelligence officer, dives deeper into the minds of some of the world’s most notorious serial k*llers, with firsthand interviews to expose the raw, unfiltered evilness behind their crimes.
🔍 What It's About
1. The author’s conversations with over 30 convicted murderers.
2. Their methods—strangulation, suffocation, stabbing and more—and their psychological profiles.
3. Author's attempts to place us readers inside the heads of these individuals, making it so disturbing.
This was truly disturbing. Not Recommended for minds with weaker stomachs. So inhumane, so devastating!
Pre-Read
This is my first time reading 'true crime'.
My Rating- 2 stars
Christopher Berry-Dee, a criminologist and former Royal Marine intelligence officer, dives deeper into the minds of some of the world’s most notorious serial k*llers, with firsthand interviews to expose the raw, unfiltered evilness behind their crimes.
🔍 What It's About
1. The author’s conversations with over 30 convicted murderers.
2. Their methods—strangulation, suffocation, stabbing and more—and their psychological profiles.
3. Author's attempts to place us readers inside the heads of these individuals, making it so disturbing.
This was truly disturbing. Not Recommended for minds with weaker stomachs. So inhumane, so devastating!
Pre-Read
This is my first time reading 'true crime'.
July 30, 2017
This is probably the worst book I have read and one of the very few that I had to abandon at the risk of my head exploding. It is badly written, appallingly edited (if at all), patronising, inaccurate, repetitive, dull, mundane, narcissistic, did I say repetitive, probably but who cares! The publishers should be ashamed of themselves.
September 5, 2017
Christopher Berry-Dee should be renamed Narcissus. This is a terrible book; notwithstanding the overt self-plugging on every other page, both of his former books and his "heroic" crime solving/ personal crusades, he gives little substance other than sensationalist remarks. His pages are full of tautology and superficial anecdotes. I'd recommend heading to Wikipedia and saving yourself the time and cost of trawling through 290 pages of dross.
September 20, 2017
After reading Talking with Serial Killers I was looking forward to another in-depth look into the minds of killers, however like most commenters I found this book very self-indulgent; ironic that the author in discussing grandiose sense of self worth goes on at length at how he cleverly manipulated the psychopaths - and in greater detail than he discusses any of the criminal backgrounds or crimes themselves.
Another big issue I found with this (in the John Blake UK edition) is the amount of typos! I noticed 4 really sloppy mistakes in the first 50 pages, which made me think that this book was rushed and just to fill a quota. At one point it describes a killer being put away in October 2979...come on.
Another big issue I found with this (in the John Blake UK edition) is the amount of typos! I noticed 4 really sloppy mistakes in the first 50 pages, which made me think that this book was rushed and just to fill a quota. At one point it describes a killer being put away in October 2979...come on.
August 20, 2017
You know those really annoying blokes down the pub who keep bragging about what they've done, and you so want to just tell them to piss off but you're a little transfixed so you buy them another pint then instantly regret it as they ramble on some more with just enough interesting stuff to keep you going? This book is like that.
August 25, 2021
I quit at 38%, this book is inherent and jumbled rambling.
Very disappointing.
Very disappointing.
August 12, 2019
I hate to form an opinion of a book without finishing it, let alone write a review, but... about 50 pages in I came here to see if it gets better. Apparently it doesn't. Like others I was bored at an airport and bought it, but have found myself more bored for reading it. It's worse than I imagine the book equivalent of a crappy, American dramatised crime-documentary called Rivers of Blood: When Serial Killers Go Bad Gone True Crime Wrong would be.
At the beginning of the book he mocks a serial killer for his poor grammar, ironically sandwiched by his own awful grammar. The sloppiness could almost be forgiven if there was any substance past hyperbole and cliché. In fact, this is probably one of the most superficial books I have ever read about anything sociological, with the author making it quite clear at the outset that he thinks these, often neuro-atypical, serial killers are simply monsters and brutes, without any nuance. I don't profess to be an expert in serial killers or psychology, but I am sure that there is more to it than that - or if there isn't, at least make it interesting and submit a decent argument as to why.
I don't think I'll be able to read the book any further, because so far it just seems like constant self-fellaciating; a macho man, self-reporting on his experiences talking with serial killers and how he handled himself, with a convenient lack of supporting evidence past his own word.
The 'true crime' here is the publication of this book. Sorry for the rant but this is the only time in my life I have felt compelled to write a book review, and I will consider it worthwhile if I save even only one person the £8.99 it cost.
At the beginning of the book he mocks a serial killer for his poor grammar, ironically sandwiched by his own awful grammar. The sloppiness could almost be forgiven if there was any substance past hyperbole and cliché. In fact, this is probably one of the most superficial books I have ever read about anything sociological, with the author making it quite clear at the outset that he thinks these, often neuro-atypical, serial killers are simply monsters and brutes, without any nuance. I don't profess to be an expert in serial killers or psychology, but I am sure that there is more to it than that - or if there isn't, at least make it interesting and submit a decent argument as to why.
I don't think I'll be able to read the book any further, because so far it just seems like constant self-fellaciating; a macho man, self-reporting on his experiences talking with serial killers and how he handled himself, with a convenient lack of supporting evidence past his own word.
The 'true crime' here is the publication of this book. Sorry for the rant but this is the only time in my life I have felt compelled to write a book review, and I will consider it worthwhile if I save even only one person the £8.99 it cost.
July 14, 2023
Iesaku šo grāmatu lasīt sabiedriskajā transportā, neviens nemēģina apsēsties blakus. Bet vispār...grāmata tik atgādina, cik uzmanīgiem jābūt komunikācijā ar cilvēkiem. Esiet piesardzīgi!
October 28, 2019
I joined Goodreads just so I could warn people not to waste their time or money on this ridiculous book, which is essentially the incomprehensible ramblings of a narcissistic lunatic who obviously has never heard of an editor in his life.
The book is FULL of grammatical errors in every sense. It is repetitive, with confusing prose that rambles on for full paragraphs. The author doesn't seem to understand how to use commas, because on one page they are seriously lacking (please, Mr Author, look up what an oxford comma is for heavens sake) or they are, suddenly, just there, all, the, time. He also seems to-be-very-hyphen-happy, injecting hyphens throughout the book like his life depends on it.
There are undertones of sexism, brash opinions that aren't objective nor well rounded, and at one point he says if you disagree with his point of view, that means you are okay with having your wife or children raped and murdered and their corpses left out to rot in the cold (no joke).
If I could give this book 0 stars I absolutely would. I dont understand how this got past a publisher at all. The only way this could ever become a bestseller is by the "clickbait-y" front cover and blurb on the back, making people believe it is going to be an interesting deep dive into psychopaths and true crime.
Do not be fooled. Do not spend your money on this book.
The book is FULL of grammatical errors in every sense. It is repetitive, with confusing prose that rambles on for full paragraphs. The author doesn't seem to understand how to use commas, because on one page they are seriously lacking (please, Mr Author, look up what an oxford comma is for heavens sake) or they are, suddenly, just there, all, the, time. He also seems to-be-very-hyphen-happy, injecting hyphens throughout the book like his life depends on it.
There are undertones of sexism, brash opinions that aren't objective nor well rounded, and at one point he says if you disagree with his point of view, that means you are okay with having your wife or children raped and murdered and their corpses left out to rot in the cold (no joke).
If I could give this book 0 stars I absolutely would. I dont understand how this got past a publisher at all. The only way this could ever become a bestseller is by the "clickbait-y" front cover and blurb on the back, making people believe it is going to be an interesting deep dive into psychopaths and true crime.
Do not be fooled. Do not spend your money on this book.
September 11, 2020
1) I don't care about your opinion, Chris. I'm not reading a true crime story to hear your politics. It was clearly insane of me to expect actual interviews with serial killers from a book which says "interviews with serial killers" on the front.
2) This book actually dismisses human rights as "lefty".
3) I'm laughing at the irony of this man condemning murderers as the "scum of the earth" (how factual) then salivating over killing people and them catching fire in electric chairs.
4) I've heard "but I digress" so many times now - this whole book is a digression.
5) I am so happy this was free from the library because I'd be devastated if I gave this guy any money.
2) This book actually dismisses human rights as "lefty".
3) I'm laughing at the irony of this man condemning murderers as the "scum of the earth" (how factual) then salivating over killing people and them catching fire in electric chairs.
4) I've heard "but I digress" so many times now - this whole book is a digression.
5) I am so happy this was free from the library because I'd be devastated if I gave this guy any money.
December 11, 2018
20% of this book is really good and a great insight into the minds of sadistic criminals.
80% of this book is the author self promoting his other works and being obnoxiously boastful.
December 26, 2017
This is not an insight into the psychology of killers. This is a selection of case studies - most details of which can be found on Wikipedia - linked together with the author's self-agrandising narrative. Berry-Dee uses language best suited to a gutter tabloid to paint demonic pictures of serial murderers, without giving any understanding or insight into why they committed such dreadful crimes. Indeed, I feel I have learnt more about how Berry-Dee manipulates people, than I have about the mindset of the killers. The incarcerated appear to have reacted quite rationally in telling him to get lost, once they have got wind of his deceptions!
Sadly, this book does not live up to its title.
Sadly, this book does not live up to its title.
October 8, 2024
1.5 stars
I’m super fascinated by criminology and psychology and am always watching videos or listening to podcasts about true crime so I assumed this book would be really interesting to me. Unfortunately this book isn’t what it says it is. There are no actual discussions or interviews with serial killers and the cases that are actually mentioned aren’t gone into nearly enough detail. The structure of it all was very confusing as well and the author appeared to go from talking about one killer to another without any kind of transition. Most of the book is just the authors own political opinions and shameless self-promotion of his other works. From other reviews I’ve also seen that there are a tonne of grammatical and spelling errors, however I listened to the audiobook so did not discover that for myself. Regardless, this is not what I expected and I am very disappointed.
I’m super fascinated by criminology and psychology and am always watching videos or listening to podcasts about true crime so I assumed this book would be really interesting to me. Unfortunately this book isn’t what it says it is. There are no actual discussions or interviews with serial killers and the cases that are actually mentioned aren’t gone into nearly enough detail. The structure of it all was very confusing as well and the author appeared to go from talking about one killer to another without any kind of transition. Most of the book is just the authors own political opinions and shameless self-promotion of his other works. From other reviews I’ve also seen that there are a tonne of grammatical and spelling errors, however I listened to the audiobook so did not discover that for myself. Regardless, this is not what I expected and I am very disappointed.
November 5, 2022
Ta książka to jest cholernie niewykorzystany potencjał! Chciałam przeczytać książki autora w kolejności wydawania, ale chyba się nie wstrzeliłam. Ciągłe gadanie o sobie, o swoich książkach, narcyzm wręcz bije z kart książki, a tytuł jest kompletnie nietrafiony, bo samych rozmów jest tutaj niewiele. Autor przedstawia turbo ciekawe sprawy, nazwiska, których nie znam, ale robi to w tak irytujący sposób, że zamiast cieszyć się z książki i chłonąc treść, połykam przekleństwa i wywracam oczami.
Dorwałam już mnóstwo książek z gatunku, wiele było naprawdę lepszych. Nie przeczę, że autor nie ma doświadczenia, nie ma wiedzy, ale jest przy tym tak cholernie egocentryczny, że nie da się tego znieść.
Dorwałam już mnóstwo książek z gatunku, wiele było naprawdę lepszych. Nie przeczę, że autor nie ma doświadczenia, nie ma wiedzy, ale jest przy tym tak cholernie egocentryczny, że nie da się tego znieść.
February 16, 2021
Pod względem treści książka ma dość spory potencjał. Swoje wnioski autor opiera na prywatnej korespondencji z seryjnym mordercami oraz na rozmowach z przedstawicielami wymiaru sprawiedliwości. Ciekawe ujęcie tematu, muszę przyznać. Niestety, całość jest koszmarnie chaotyczna. Jeśli konstrukcyjnie był tu jakiś zamysł, to ja go nie załapałam. Największy problem mam jednak z samym autorem, bo ta książka, poza kilkoma ciekawszymi wyimkami, to po prostu przejew narcystycznej osobowości Christophera Berry'ego-Dee. A jak wiadomo wśród wielu psychopatycznych skłonności narcystyczna osobowość jest bardzo często spotykana. Tak tylko mówię.
December 4, 2019
This was fascinating in the way that all books about serial killers are fascinating and disturbing. However, the author did an absolutely awful job of telling the story with constantly digressing and going off-topic, not to mention the constant self-promotion that got seriously annoying. Seems like the author is seriously in love with himself and was just constantly bragging and name-dropping which is a very weird thing to do in a book about serial-killers. Was hoping for a thoroughly interesting read, but was extremely disappointed.
December 15, 2017
This book read like one of those TV episodes made up of cuts of already made old episodes and flashbacks. It's repetitive - the same phrasing is used over and over again and not to good effect. It references itself over and over, contains too many mentions to the author's previous books and feels like a cheap infomercial. I wanted to like it but I really couldn't. This book cannot stand on its own.
October 11, 2017
Mr. Berry-Dee needs to learn how to write and where to put a comma, to start with. To follow, maybe do not make your book a list of all your other, presumably more detailed books for the reader to check. If you could avoid stroking your own ego line after line during 290 pages, the reader would appreciate it too. All in all, I am glad this cost me about 3 pounds, as I would not wish it upon anybody and it is going right into the trash.
June 16, 2020
When I saw this book has an average rating of 2.77 I was really shocked but I also couldn't believe a book could be that bad...
I don't think this book is absolutely terrible but it certainly has its flaws.
One of the main things which I found really annoying, is how the author constantly refers to previous books he has written. I get he is trying to tell the reader that if you found this interesting, you might want to read my other book where I mentioned it too but it comes across as repetitive self promotion.
Another big issue with this book was the writing. There were quite a few grammar errors, which shouldn't happen. I'm not sure if this book was actually proof read before print.
Also there was a part where he literally copied a chapter from before, which he said in the book was to 'avoid being repetitive' but it was really repetitive and very lazy in my opinion.
Saying that, his writing style was quite easy to read. It was informal and quite humours in places too.
I did find the cases interesting. There were some that I was not aware of before, which I learnt about by reading this book.
However, there is a lot of information dumping and a lot of the authors own opinion, which doesn't seem to be backed up by science.
There were some discussions about the anatomy of a killers brain, but not a lot. I would have liked to have seen more in depth intellectual discussion not just opinion.
Overall, a mixed bag for me. I'm glad I didn't buy it though because the grammar errors is quite shocking for a mainstream published book to have
TW: real life graphic descriptions of murder, violence, torture, rape and suicide etc.
I don't think this book is absolutely terrible but it certainly has its flaws.
One of the main things which I found really annoying, is how the author constantly refers to previous books he has written. I get he is trying to tell the reader that if you found this interesting, you might want to read my other book where I mentioned it too but it comes across as repetitive self promotion.
Another big issue with this book was the writing. There were quite a few grammar errors, which shouldn't happen. I'm not sure if this book was actually proof read before print.
Also there was a part where he literally copied a chapter from before, which he said in the book was to 'avoid being repetitive' but it was really repetitive and very lazy in my opinion.
Saying that, his writing style was quite easy to read. It was informal and quite humours in places too.
I did find the cases interesting. There were some that I was not aware of before, which I learnt about by reading this book.
However, there is a lot of information dumping and a lot of the authors own opinion, which doesn't seem to be backed up by science.
There were some discussions about the anatomy of a killers brain, but not a lot. I would have liked to have seen more in depth intellectual discussion not just opinion.
Overall, a mixed bag for me. I'm glad I didn't buy it though because the grammar errors is quite shocking for a mainstream published book to have
TW: real life graphic descriptions of murder, violence, torture, rape and suicide etc.
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