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Houses of Death
If the walls of 25 Cromwell Street had ears, what horrifying acts would they have overheard during the occupancy of serial killers Fred and Rose West? A house where brutal torture sessions and grisly murders were a regular occurrence, and young women and girls were routinely dismembered and buried in the cellar or under the garden patio. When the police investigation concluded that the Wests had between them murdered at least 12 females whilst living at the house and their killers were finally brought to justice, 25 Cromwell Street had to be torn down to stop souvenir hunters from collecting items from the grounds to sell or to keep as memorabilia.
Such buildings retain something of their previous lives. After the evidence has been removed and the perpetrators imprisoned or executed, an aura of horror, fear and disgust lingers on for decades, sometimes centuries. These places become 'the haunted house', or 'the bogey man's lair' to generations of local school children, who stare at the pavement, or run quickly past in order to avoid whatever evil still lurks behind the darkened windows. Houses of Death explores these infamous buildings, the murderers and the victims who called them 'home', as well as the bizarre and bloody events which took place within their walls.
Such buildings retain something of their previous lives. After the evidence has been removed and the perpetrators imprisoned or executed, an aura of horror, fear and disgust lingers on for decades, sometimes centuries. These places become 'the haunted house', or 'the bogey man's lair' to generations of local school children, who stare at the pavement, or run quickly past in order to avoid whatever evil still lurks behind the darkened windows. Houses of Death explores these infamous buildings, the murderers and the victims who called them 'home', as well as the bizarre and bloody events which took place within their walls.
189 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2008
About the author
Gordon Kerr
124 books25 followersGordon Kerr was born in the Scottish new town of East Kilbride and worked in the wine trade and then bookselling and publishing before becoming a full-time writer. He is the author of numerous books in a variety of genres, including art, history, true crime, travel and humour. He has a wife and two children and lives in Hampshire and—when he can—South West France.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 9, 2022
Its a scary world we live in. This book proves it
May 24, 2012
Houses of Death was a unique read in that the primary focus of the novel was the location in which most of these horrendous crimes occurred. From the small apartment of Jeffrey Dahmer to the huge castle inhabited by Countess Erzsebet Bathory as well as numerous prisons throughout the world, Gordon Kerr takes the reader on a journey to locations where some of the most horrific crimes have occurred. I was familiar with quite a few but there were those who I had not heard of nor read about.
Very good read.
Very good read.
March 30, 2019
Interesting
I wish a bit more had been said about some of the cases. I didn't notice if there were grammatical errors or typos. If there was, it was enough to distract from reading it.
Not sure when this was written, because I would have liked to have read about the concert shooting in Nevada.
I wish a bit more had been said about some of the cases. I didn't notice if there were grammatical errors or typos. If there was, it was enough to distract from reading it.
Not sure when this was written, because I would have liked to have read about the concert shooting in Nevada.
March 24, 2018
Good
This book is interesting and enjoyable to read. If you are interested in hotel history this is your book. Good to read
This book is interesting and enjoyable to read. If you are interested in hotel history this is your book. Good to read
February 10, 2021
Okay. Definitely could use an editor.
March 14, 2021
Very good and chilling book
I can't believe the things people will do . This true crime book had me in many emotions , most of all I couldn't stop reading it . Well written .
I can't believe the things people will do . This true crime book had me in many emotions , most of all I couldn't stop reading it . Well written .
April 22, 2023
Chilling.
May 6, 2012
One of my friends and I recently drove to Philadelphia to tour the ruins of Eastern State Penitentiary. I wouldn’t say that I love old ruins, orthat I’m a history buff in the least, but places like old prisons, insane asylums, and battlegrounds have always held a kind of awe for me. Walking through the ruins, listening to a tour guide describe events in detail is amazing, especially when the place is supposed to be haunted. Now, while Eastern State Penitentiary is a ruin, I wouldn’t say it was scary to tour. I imagine going there at night or being the sole person on the premise would have been freaky, but since it’s only open during the day time and many people are all over the sight, I wasn’t scared in the least, but more so intrigued.
Seeing those cells, and the remnants of prisoners from long ago was exciting, and so I went to find a book about it. Interestingly enough, I was unable to find any books about Eastern State Penitentiary via Kindle. Yes, there are hard copies galore, but in my haste to learn as much as I could and be able to download it stat, I found nothing aside from Houses of Death, by Gordon Kerr. Being the instant gratification kind of person that I am, I purchased it (.99 cents) and read it in one sitting—it’s relatively short. Now, I was a little sad to find that the section of Eastern State Penitentiary was only a few pages long, but the book itself was great, focusing on 38 infamous houses and wielders of death throughout the world—from the Manson family, to Sing Sing, to Lizzie Bordon, to Alcatraz, the list goes on. Kerr digs deep down into history, giving the reader an overview of the people and places where atrocities took place, explaining the crimes (if any) and places in detail, yet not expounding upon the gruesomeness of the murders, which is a plus. I found this book to be a great buy, and if you’re interested in historical crime, then this book is for you.
To see my full review (5/22/12):
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
Seeing those cells, and the remnants of prisoners from long ago was exciting, and so I went to find a book about it. Interestingly enough, I was unable to find any books about Eastern State Penitentiary via Kindle. Yes, there are hard copies galore, but in my haste to learn as much as I could and be able to download it stat, I found nothing aside from Houses of Death, by Gordon Kerr. Being the instant gratification kind of person that I am, I purchased it (.99 cents) and read it in one sitting—it’s relatively short. Now, I was a little sad to find that the section of Eastern State Penitentiary was only a few pages long, but the book itself was great, focusing on 38 infamous houses and wielders of death throughout the world—from the Manson family, to Sing Sing, to Lizzie Bordon, to Alcatraz, the list goes on. Kerr digs deep down into history, giving the reader an overview of the people and places where atrocities took place, explaining the crimes (if any) and places in detail, yet not expounding upon the gruesomeness of the murders, which is a plus. I found this book to be a great buy, and if you’re interested in historical crime, then this book is for you.
To see my full review (5/22/12):
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
March 6, 2014
Hotels of Death had a lot of potential, but ultimately I was disappointed. Though the title implies this book is about death in hotels, it was really more about the background stories of the people who coincidentally happened to take their last breaths in hotels. Each story was very high-level and only a few pages in length, and most of these stories are already well-known to many people, it wasn't the kind of book that kept me itching to read on.
Aside from the stories themselves, the author made no notations of sources and even managed to reference a conflicting date of death for Jimi Hendrix (the chapter title states September 18, 1970, but the narrative itself references October 18, 1970). The issue of credibility and accuracy led me to take the details in these stories with a grain of salt.
Luckily it was a quick read. It could have been a lot more interesting, but it just struck a wrong chord with me.
Aside from the stories themselves, the author made no notations of sources and even managed to reference a conflicting date of death for Jimi Hendrix (the chapter title states September 18, 1970, but the narrative itself references October 18, 1970). The issue of credibility and accuracy led me to take the details in these stories with a grain of salt.
Luckily it was a quick read. It could have been a lot more interesting, but it just struck a wrong chord with me.
March 29, 2013
I could not put this book down!
A brief look into the most disturbing murders that have ever taken place.
The book fascinated me to learn of what a human is capable of doing to another human being.
Each 'chapter' lists a brief description of the murderer(s)/crime(s) and then explains with a little bit more detail.
As I was reading, I would look up photos on the Internet of where the murders took place to give me more of an image in my head.
WARNING: A very good read but not for the easily offended or squeamish.
A brief look into the most disturbing murders that have ever taken place.
The book fascinated me to learn of what a human is capable of doing to another human being.
Each 'chapter' lists a brief description of the murderer(s)/crime(s) and then explains with a little bit more detail.
As I was reading, I would look up photos on the Internet of where the murders took place to give me more of an image in my head.
WARNING: A very good read but not for the easily offended or squeamish.
February 16, 2014
The first couple of chapters were good. However, once the book veered to assassinations and hotel celebrity deaths it became a superficial retelling of the gossip surrounding each case. Even the section on hotel terrorism did little more than recite the barest of facts already known in each case. If you are unfamiliar with any of these deaths the book may be somewhat interesting, but if you remember the headlines this book will not offer anything new.
April 2, 2020
Brief overviews of true murders.
November 13, 2016
A decent overview of some horrific murders and murderers. If you are looking fro an in depth analysis, this is not the book for you. Generally only a few pages are spent on each topic with and include a brief rundown of the events. A quick and easy read for a coffee table, or the bathroom!
May 31, 2018
Captivating
This captured my interest from the first page.I’d recommend this novel to the suspense or crime/horror genre lovers because the author seems to have done a great job in research! Truly intriguing!
This captured my interest from the first page.I’d recommend this novel to the suspense or crime/horror genre lovers because the author seems to have done a great job in research! Truly intriguing!
December 6, 2012
Interesting but lacking in some detail as if you weren't familiar with the case you didn't get a lot of detail about the crimes within
April 8, 2013
This was very very interesting. I am usually not very into true crime but this caught my attention after reading about the Amityville murders. Its creepy and I wanted to read more.
March 3, 2014
The stories were nothing new to me. Shouldn't have bothered really.....
March 30, 2015
Great book, short but factual chapters on several crimes. Enjoyable and well written.
August 1, 2015
Excellent
Facts informative clever this book was a very good one. There is so much I learned while being entertained I cannot comprehend a better written book.
Facts informative clever this book was a very good one. There is so much I learned while being entertained I cannot comprehend a better written book.
January 16, 2016
Good
Pretty good book. There is some word misusage, but other than that, a fine read. I could use an editing job if anyone is hiring.
Pretty good book. There is some word misusage, but other than that, a fine read. I could use an editing job if anyone is hiring.
October 2, 2023
Good book looking at the crimes that took place in properties now forever associated with those crimes.
November 30, 2012
Eh.. nothing I had not read before and every story was far too short for my taste.
April 7, 2017
Meh. Too shallow and poorly written. The subject meanders all over the place. It reads like a bad school book report. Not worth finishing.
May 14, 2019
It's truly shocking to read what some peoples minds drive them to do to others.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews