The Pretty Girl Killer

by Andrew Byrne

This is the story of Christopher Wilder: the surf-loving son of a decorated naval war hero born in the suburbs of Sydney, who became the most wanted man in America – a psychopathic serial killer who slaughtered more than sixteen young women in the USA and is the prime suspect in the infamous Australian Wanda Beach murders.
Wilder was handsome and charming, and time and time again he managed to convince beautiful young women that he was a fashion photographer looking to help them start a career in modelling. What followed were some of the most brutal, sadistic crimes the world has ever seen – as well as a years-long police operation, dogged by missed opportunities and bad decisions, to track the killer down.
Featuring new evidence unearthed from case files and interviews with FBI agents, witnesses and survivors, some of whom have spoken for the first time since the horrendous crimes were committed, The Pretty Girl Killer takes us right into the mind and moment of one of Australia’s most heinous exports.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Crime, Book Club, Australia, Mystery

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 6, 2019

Reviews

[Brendon Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive account of the rampage of murder and abuse by serial killer Christopher Bernard Wilder.

Wilder grew up in Sydney Australia and is the main suspect for the infamous Wanda Beach Killings before moving to the USA in his early 20s. This book doesnt pull any punches and describes in graphic details the torture these woman suffered so be warned. It is researched well and engaging story. True crime fans will love it.

[Carly Keys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to give this book a 3 star as it was so hard to read, it gave me the chills made me feel sick, and was just overly confronting but I couldn’t put it down so hence why it’s 5 star :(

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been too long since I last read a good true crime book it seems but this book so far is written well.

Finished a few days ago and it brought back why I love to read true crime books. Mostly because I want to know why. But alas most of the time it is about control. Men were dominated by their mum and do not dare to stand up against them so they want to punish and control women because it is easy for cowards like them.

Very hard to read the descriptions on what happened in the hotel rooms told by some that were lucky to get away but this means you picture the not so lucky victims and it hurts my heart what they had to go through. How their parents can live with this pain. Respect.
4.5

[Romany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad name for a book (and serial killer). Comprehensive look at a horrible person.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made for very uncomfortable and difficult listening. The details of the torture and violence inflicted on the many victims of this barbaric rapist and murderer are horrendous. Yet I felt it was important for people to hear/read the stories of these beautiful young women, and teenagers who suffered at the hands of a monster, and that we remember them as they were, innocent victims, wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and friends.

It is also important that we ask ourselves and the authorities, how this evil monster remained at large for so long, free to inflict torture, violence and death on his many victims. This made me very angry.

I listened to the audio version of this book on the BorrowBox Library App.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kind of true crime writing that I really love. It’s immersive, universally horrifying and alarming. It’s hard to believe that Wilder evaded identification and arrest for so long across two countries. If you like a serial killer read this one is not to be missed.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this was a great true crime book. I don't really know what to say but God Christopher wilder was a awful person

[Maddie Rallings · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version and I really enjoyed that it was narrated by an Australian man. The story was hard to listen to at times, quite graphic in some bits, Christopher Wilder was a horrible, sadistic monster. I could tell the author did a lot of research for this book, it was very detailed. It was my first true crime and I enjoyed it for something different.

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yikes! Wish it was the plot for a criminal minds script, not a recount of actual events...

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was hard to read but was hard to put down

[Priscila Bond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was insane. I was absolutely obsessed with this from the first moment. I couldn’t put it down. The author wrote Christopher’s story insanely well. I had anxiety the whole time. This book was awful and sickening. Absolutely amazing.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was exceptional, it had me hooked from the first page. It was a really good true crime novel about such a horrific and terrifying serial killer. A must read for an true crime fan.

[Olivia Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The descriptions of torture, sexual assault, and murder in this book are really hard to listen to, but I found the procedural elements and the recounting of the police hunt very compelling.

Top tip: this isn't one to read late at night unless you love insomnia and catastrophising in the wee hours.

[Nicole Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a phenomenal piece of writing. The author has done an amazing job at depicting the awful horrors that these poor young women went through at the hands of a psychotic serial killer. I could not put this book down.

[Traci Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd never heard of the case written about in this book and found it interesting enough, but I felt the book went on for a bit longer than it needed to, and I also felt it was far too detailed. I found it really uncomfortable to read about the torture all those poor girls went through. That being said, this was a really exhaustive look at the case and isn't anything a seasoned true crime fan wouldn't be used to.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was of particular interest to me as I was the same age as the Wanda Beach girls and lived reasonably close by. I do not recall any speculation whatsoever surrounding Christopher Wilder at that time. The book is, in my view, the best I have read on this subject though of course it is a minor part of the complicated and sad story of events in the US.

[Kerrie Marriner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true story about a very messed up gentleman who got away with murder and rape of multiple young females. A very hard book to put down, enjoyed it.

[Bill reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher Wilder was the offspring of an American father and Australian mother. The two nations have the highest number of serial killers per capita in the world. A perfect mixture of genetics and culture created a devious and vicious killer.
Wilder first encounter with the law was as a teenager. A gang rape only placed him on probation and he continued on his forays of torture and rape both Down Under and here in America.
Florida provided a fertile hunting ground for young ladies frolicking on the sandy white beaches in bikinis who were convinced by the "model photographer" who would be their gateway to magazine covers. Quite a few of the women fell for Wilder's line of BS. Some escaped but others were not so fortunate and were later found mutilated.
The turning point was when Chris abducted a girlfriend whose wealthy family hired private investigators. The tenacious team connected the dots and the killer went on the run, abducting and killing along the way. A nationwide manhunt ensued as the lunatic crisscrossed the nation.
Meanwhile, Wilder remains suspect number one in the rape-murders of two teenage girls in 1965 at Wanda Beach. He would have been nineteen at the time. It remains the most famous unsolved case in Australia. Bryne and most law enforcement agents are convinced of Wilder's guilt. The Pretty Girl Killer is a very good read.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike a lot of serial killer biographies I have read this one puts effort into providing a bit more than cursory information about the killer's background. Not as much as I would like but enough to not condemn him as emerging at birth a fully fledged monster. There is a lot of hidden and unintentioned evil done in the world - strange acts of omission by policing authorities that meant this killer got away with a large numbers that might easily have been prevented if one person had carried out a simple and obvious check at the right time. Or his psychiatrist had not been so disasterously inaccurate in her analysis of his character. No bad intent in the omission but the killer was tall, good looking, charming, well dressed and obviously very wealthy. Things like that pave the way more easily for trust than they should. His family life was a mix of brutal beatings on one hand and adoration on the other. None of these are evil things singly but combined they resulted in a terrible person constantly getting away with terrible acts. The author also however gets across the confusion, despair and fear of the man himself, simultaneously with detailed descriptions of believable acts of horror. This a thought provoking biography simply and clearly presented. It is not academic and there is a heavy dose of creative non fiction in relaying events. The details would have been correct but it is written as if the author were actually in the room and this jarred for me. This adds to popular appeal and to the drama but because he wasn't actually there he could not have avoided putting his own spin on how events unfolded. With this level of bio I am still left with many questions unanswered but an unexpected twist is an echo of something approaching sympathy. There are too many places in his life and his final killing spree where if someone had been there and did what the role of parent or police authority or psychiatrist would normally require things might have turned out differently for him but far more importantly, his victims and their families.

[Annette Heslin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The True Story of Serial Killer Christopher Wilder who became the most wanted man in America in the 1960's.

Wilder was able to convince young women time and again that her was a Fashion Photographer and could help them start a career in modelling.

His favorite haunts being the beach and shopping malls. Once coerced he committed the most brutal and sadistic crimes the world has seen.

His first victims were 15-year-old Marianne Schmidt and her friend Christine Sharrock who was brutally raped and killed in the sand dunes at Wanda Beach Australia. He later fled to America and continued his crime spree of more than sixteen young women.

I found the read quite interesting and disturbing. The reports and evidence of wilder's crimes were so grotesque.

I feel sad for the victims of the horrifying acts and deeds done to them. And the families of the girls murdered, and no body or trace of their loved ones ever seen again. So many answers that he took to the grave.

[Natalie]

Oh my goodness! How do I rate a book that gave me nightmares and compels me to think twice about chatting with strangers???
Like a deer caught in headlights, I could not tear my eyes from the words delivering shock after horrific shock through this graphic and detailed account of the acts carried out by serial killer, Christopher Wilder. The photographic images compounded the reality of this monster's story and caused my eyes to burn with tears.
I can't say I 'enjoyed' this reading experience, yet can not deny how gasp-out-loud-gripping it is.
I feel a little bit numb after reading this, so I'll hold on to my stars.

[Danny Arenales · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated the realistic depiction of the killer in the book. He was portrayed as distinctly human, devoid of any glorification. What stood out to me was the exploration of the killer's frequent and often foolish mistakes. The story highlighted his flaws, and the only reason he escaped capture was due to institutional incompetence and sheer luck. It's a refreshing departure from the tendency in true crime documentaries, books, and podcasts to portray criminals as brilliant masterminds. In this narrative, the focus is on the stark reality of his shortcomings rather than painting him as a criminal genius.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa… deeply unsettling and another infuriating account of our justice system completely dropping the ball only to result in the loss of lives. I read a lot of true crime but this one is going to keep me up at night for a long time. The only bright spot (if you can call it that) is the amazing survival story within these pages.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and well researched book about a disturbing serial killer I had never heard of prior to reading this. Some parts of the book made me feel ill but I couldn’t put it down. I’m not convinced that Wilder is the Wanda Beach killer though.

[Nicole Kloet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. This book reads like a fictional crime novel but the fact that it is all true and it actually happened blows my mind. Definitely not a book for the faint hearted as the events that occurred and were perpetrated by this serial killer are awful and disturbing.

[Julie Antidormi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow 🤩
What a confronting yet so well researched book.
It portrays the best and worst of mankind.
A difficult story to read at times but the truth isn’t always easy.
Hate to think we have the likes of these serial murderers walking amongst us

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well researched account of a shockingly monsterous murderer.

What was almost as shocking was how Tina Risico, who was just 16 years old when abducted by Wilder and then tortured and abused by him for 9 days, was treated by the public after she bravely survived her hellish ordeal.

[Nat Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pretty Girl Killer

Could not put this book down.
Highly recommend to anybody who loves a true crime story. Very well written and informative

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced fascinating retelling of Christopher Wilder's life and murders.

[Lisa Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written book to tell the awful tragedies this person carried out.
It can be hard to read at times, uncomfortable even but it does lay out the story without confusion. Can recommend.