Killer Doctors

by Colin Evans

Doctors have a special position in society; they are looked up to as healers and trusted friends. This book examines thirteen cases of doctors who have cruelly exploited their privileged position to kill for lust, greed and power. There are cases of wife murderers, children killers, homicidal mania, flights from justice, poisoners, and elderly victims who willed their physicians all their worldly goods before being murdered. This is a macabre but highly entertaining examination of the most extreme form of medical malpractice— premeditated murder.

Genres: True Crime

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Colin Evans is the author of 17 books dealing with forensics and true crime. His fascination with the murkier side of human nature began while he was still in school. Hours spent in library archives researching contemporary newspaper accounts about "Jack the Ripper" (no, he doesn't have any clues to the killer's identity, and he seriously doubts that anyone else does, either) got him started and it's really never stopped since then.

He was living in America when his first book was published in 1993, and since that time he's gone on to become one of the foremost writers dealing with the history and development of forensic science.

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I chose to read this book after enjoying another of Evans' writings earlier this year about the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in NYC. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. The biggest letdown was that the title led me to believe these were accounts of physicians who killed their patients. Not that I approve of such things, but after reading a lot about Charles Cullen, a nurse who was responsible for many patient deaths in our area, I was fascinated by the thought that there have been more out there like him. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the stories involved doctors who mudered their wives, and really the book could have been called 'Killer Lawyers', 'Killer Salesmen', or 'Killer Accountants' and very little would have to be changed besides the perpetrators' profession.
The other big issue I had was how dated the book was. Most of the stories happened >30 years ago, many pre-WWII, and many outside the United States. Maybe that's refreshing to know that there weren't enough recent cases here in the USA to make up a book and he had to stretch far back for material, but I wish he just wouldn't have bothered.
Very glad I did't pay very much for this book.

[Kyle Wendy Skultety (gimmethatbook.com) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty dull...almost all the doctors killed their wives, so not sensational.

[Juanita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes me look at doctors in a whole different light.

[kuriyama mirai · Rating 5 out of 5]

that was a really great book, i don't really have anything to add, it made me question a lot of things about humans and their moral values.

[Magdalene Choong · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read though the cases are dated. Overwhelming singular theme of killing for the same thing, ie for new wives, preferably a richer one. Hmm...

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shocking eye-opener

An excellent book, well documented. We as a society, are much too trusting of doctors, even those who do not deliberately plan to commit murder. The lack of any real accountability in atrocious mistreatment of patients including
actual deaths truly shocked me.
I expected murder and mayhem, that's what the book was about!
But, such cold indifference to the suffering and deaths of people by
those in the medical field is just not acceptable. Even after investigating and finding wrongdoing they do nothing!
Only death after death (or the doctor being charged with actual
murder) results in any kind of action. Doctors are as prone to evil and criminal behavior as any other human beings and we would do well to remember it.

[Betty Stoneking · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was good

[Elena Melanson · Rating 1 out of 5]

not so great. I did not like it for one the other it was dull

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had heard of most of these cases, and some I had seen on shows such as 20/20 and 48 Hours. A few of the very old cases were new to me. It always boggles my mind that physicians, who we think of as preserving life, would turn to murder. What was especially striking in most of these cases was how psychopathic these physicians were.

[Deb Lancaster · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Pure schlock.