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Metamorphosis of a Criminal: The True Life Story of Ed Edwards
Ed Edward's story is a fascinating account of a life devoted to courting disaster by drifting from one crime to another... A man of considerable cunning, charm and personal appeal, Ed was never without a woman, and never more than a hair's breadth away from the arm of the law... You will be rooting for him all the way through his squalid life to his miraculous rehabilitation and metamorphosis.
438 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
17 people are currently reading
1274 people want to read
About the author
Ed Edwards
6 books6 followersEdward Wayne Edwards was a convicted American serial killer. Edwards is known to have murdered five people: two in Ohio in 1977, two in Wisconsin in 1980, and one in Ohio in 1996. He was not apprehended for murder until 2009.
In 1967 after being paroled from Leavenworth for robbery, he claimed to be reformed, married, and became a motivational speaker on the subject of his reform. Edwards then appeared on two television shows, "To Tell the Truth" (1972) and "What's My Line?" He wrote an autobiography titled The Metamorphosis of a Criminal: The True Life Story of Ed Edwards in 1972; but by 1982 he had returned to crime, and was imprisoned for two years for arson. It is suspected Edwards is responsible for multiple unsolved murders across the country.
In 1967 after being paroled from Leavenworth for robbery, he claimed to be reformed, married, and became a motivational speaker on the subject of his reform. Edwards then appeared on two television shows, "To Tell the Truth" (1972) and "What's My Line?" He wrote an autobiography titled The Metamorphosis of a Criminal: The True Life Story of Ed Edwards in 1972; but by 1982 he had returned to crime, and was imprisoned for two years for arson. It is suspected Edwards is responsible for multiple unsolved murders across the country.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 16, 2020
My rating is not based on how well this book is written but on how good of an insight it gives us into the mind of an extremely narcissistic individual.
His ideations of superiority shine through every page and although he apparently didnt commit murder until after this was written, its clear to the reader that this may not be the case.
Fascinating read.
His ideations of superiority shine through every page and although he apparently didnt commit murder until after this was written, its clear to the reader that this may not be the case.
Fascinating read.
February 6, 2022
Having worked in adult and youth prisons, including with severe psychiatric criminals, I found this an interesting read.
A good personal historical autobiography of Edward Wayne Edwards, especially the early chapters, filled with interesting details and information. Read for personal research. I found this book's contents inspiring.
Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
A good personal historical autobiography of Edward Wayne Edwards, especially the early chapters, filled with interesting details and information. Read for personal research. I found this book's contents inspiring.
Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
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February 3, 2016I enjoyed the book and it was a quick read. I didn't want to put it down. Ed paints a picture of himself as a reformed criminal whom only did petty crimes however other research and even his own confessions later on in life paint him as a murderer. Some of the statements in the book seem far fetched but it's an autobiography so obviously the author is biased.
I picked up the book on a recommendation of a friend who believes Edwards is involved with the Steven Avery Case. Just the book as a stand alone piece is not enough to prove a connection but you are able to get a look into Edward's mind. Edwards was truly a conniving man who could slip and slide out of many situations. I can't believe he was able to convince all those women to follow him all over the country.
I picked up the book on a recommendation of a friend who believes Edwards is involved with the Steven Avery Case. Just the book as a stand alone piece is not enough to prove a connection but you are able to get a look into Edward's mind. Edwards was truly a conniving man who could slip and slide out of many situations. I can't believe he was able to convince all those women to follow him all over the country.
January 18, 2025
Having recently read "Raised by a Serial Killer" by April Balascio, I followed up with this one, written by her father in 1972. Edward Wayne Edwards became a minor celebrity with lectures, radio and television appearances and a book tour.
April used much of the material here as a source for her book. She suffered a childhood which proved Eddie to be a scheming and brutal liar. The wife and five children were beaten on a regular basis and a DNA match later sent her daddy to prison for murder.
Edwards is a natural born storyteller with chops equal to those of Jack Henry Abbott, another con man who was released from prison due to the efforts of Norman Mailer. He soon reverted to criminality, killing a waiter in a scuffle.
The same was true in the case of Edgar Smith, who, after publishing "Brief Against Death, " appeared on "Firing Line" with William F. Buckley. He charmed the host and was later convicted of another rape and murder.
The troubled boy was brought into this world by a girl of sixteen and was told that she was his sister, and like Ted Bundy, later uncovered the truth. A nun was his first nemesis, Sister Agnes Marie whipped him for wetting his bed at seven and thus began a life of an incredible string of arson, robberies and marriages.
Leavenworth and a fateful meeting with Jimmy Hoffa are a definite highlight. The "reformed" ex-con ended the book with a lecture on family values and I recommend this as a companion to April's work from 2024.
April used much of the material here as a source for her book. She suffered a childhood which proved Eddie to be a scheming and brutal liar. The wife and five children were beaten on a regular basis and a DNA match later sent her daddy to prison for murder.
Edwards is a natural born storyteller with chops equal to those of Jack Henry Abbott, another con man who was released from prison due to the efforts of Norman Mailer. He soon reverted to criminality, killing a waiter in a scuffle.
The same was true in the case of Edgar Smith, who, after publishing "Brief Against Death, " appeared on "Firing Line" with William F. Buckley. He charmed the host and was later convicted of another rape and murder.
The troubled boy was brought into this world by a girl of sixteen and was told that she was his sister, and like Ted Bundy, later uncovered the truth. A nun was his first nemesis, Sister Agnes Marie whipped him for wetting his bed at seven and thus began a life of an incredible string of arson, robberies and marriages.
Leavenworth and a fateful meeting with Jimmy Hoffa are a definite highlight. The "reformed" ex-con ended the book with a lecture on family values and I recommend this as a companion to April's work from 2024.
June 3, 2021
Ed Edwards, describes his life from being adopted at a young age to being placed at an orphanage where he is psychologically and physically abused by the resident nun. He finds that by stealing and being anti social he can draw attention to himself, he decides early in life that he wants to be a high profile criminal as his chosen career.
He then details his subsequent years as a fraud, robber and womanizer. You are left under no illusions throughout the book that Edwards is anything other than a complete scum bag - He frauds vulnerable people who trust him with their finances, cheats on his girlfriends but when he thinks they have done the same to him he beats them to a bloody pulp.
He eventually progresses onto more serious crimes such as armed robbery. Despite all that he paints himself as an individual who despite being a low life has his own moral code and boundaries that he wouldn't cross: He never sells out his friends, even when in pursuit of an armed robbery he never has the intention of physically harming someone but only uses a weapon as a scare tactic for them to comply with his demands, he acknowledges rape as an abhorrent crime despises those who commit it.
This all falls under the narrative of him being the under dog against the system, yeah he is a bad guy but you can also at the same time sense that it wasn't a life choice and was because of the circumstances of his up bringing. Eventually after being caught for armed robbery and being sentenced to a 16 prison sentence at Leavenworth penitentiary he details how a kind guard who taught him a trade has changed his life and how he finally begins to feel remorse for his actions -
He pulls this off quite well to the reader, he details his conflicted feelings over trusting the guard and how he eventually morphed into a decent member of society. Of course we now know that this was all a ruse, he was a remorseless serial killer. This book makes an interesting read to show how an individual like this is a master of deception, that at the end of the day confessions of remorse and guilt are essentially meaningless in contrast to one's actions.
He then details his subsequent years as a fraud, robber and womanizer. You are left under no illusions throughout the book that Edwards is anything other than a complete scum bag - He frauds vulnerable people who trust him with their finances, cheats on his girlfriends but when he thinks they have done the same to him he beats them to a bloody pulp.
He eventually progresses onto more serious crimes such as armed robbery. Despite all that he paints himself as an individual who despite being a low life has his own moral code and boundaries that he wouldn't cross: He never sells out his friends, even when in pursuit of an armed robbery he never has the intention of physically harming someone but only uses a weapon as a scare tactic for them to comply with his demands, he acknowledges rape as an abhorrent crime despises those who commit it.
This all falls under the narrative of him being the under dog against the system, yeah he is a bad guy but you can also at the same time sense that it wasn't a life choice and was because of the circumstances of his up bringing. Eventually after being caught for armed robbery and being sentenced to a 16 prison sentence at Leavenworth penitentiary he details how a kind guard who taught him a trade has changed his life and how he finally begins to feel remorse for his actions -
He pulls this off quite well to the reader, he details his conflicted feelings over trusting the guard and how he eventually morphed into a decent member of society. Of course we now know that this was all a ruse, he was a remorseless serial killer. This book makes an interesting read to show how an individual like this is a master of deception, that at the end of the day confessions of remorse and guilt are essentially meaningless in contrast to one's actions.
September 16, 2018
I loved the book! I cross referenced some dates and locations and totally convinced myself Ed killed a lot more that he didn’t claim yet. If he wrote this in modern times I’m sure there would be a lot of names of victims we’ve heard about that he killed. He’s gross, white trash, ego maniac, totally full of himself but yet..... I couldn’t put this book down.
March 3, 2020
Fascinating for psychoanalysis, Ed Edwards is really a textbook psychopath. Especially considering the multitude of crimes he committed after publishing the book, and all the warnings that were in it.
March 10, 2021
Reading this actually kind of made me sad. The way the ending was written made it sound so hopeful for a complete turn around of his lifestyle but knowing it was all lies is just depressing. What a sociopath.
February 13, 2025
Definitely allows for insight into the mind of a psychopath, great for research purposes. But I'll only give it 1 star because, dead or alive, Edward Wayne Edwards does not deserve any sort of good ratings 😏
April 30, 2018
Ineresting way to see into the mind of a career criminal/serial killer - through his own words. Great for mystery/thriller writing research.
April 10, 2024
This book truly left me speechless. I didn't want to do much research on Ed Edwards until after I read this book, so I'm shocked! I can't believe that any of those girls bought his lies and even continued to stay with him afterwards! I do think that his childhood had a huge impact on his life and if he had gotten the love and attention he needed as a child, he wouldn't of turned out like this.
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July 10, 2018Loved reading this book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews