Devil Incarnate: A Depraved Mercenary's Lifelong Swathe of Destruction

by Wayne Thallon

Athol Visser, or "Ivan the Terrible," is a ruthless torture technician who has maimed and murdered his way around the globe, killing his first victim at 16 and his last at 60, and working in between as a mercenary, drug smuggler, gun runner, and spy. In his own words, Visser takes readers on a chilling journey through his memory bank of horrors, including an account of being involved in one of the most high-profile assassinations of the 1980s, that of the Swedish prime minister Olof Palme. This disturbing story of a man who killed for pleasure and then adopted it as a profession, traces his movement from one deadly right-wing organization to the next, before rising to the highest ranks of the CCB, South Africa's foreign assassination unit. Now ravaged by AIDS, he has taken the telling of his life's story upon himself to find out the reasons behind his unforgivable actions.

302 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 2007

Reviews

[rich skeleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This disturbing books follows the life of Athol Visser, from his traumatic childhood in Rhodesia, killing his first victim at age 16, cutting a path of torture, destruction and chaos through Africa in the 70's and 80's to his shady work with the South African Apartheid regime attempted to blow up an Anti-Apartheid demonstration in Glasgow.

This intriguing account also includes a chilling description of the assassination of Olaf Palme then prime minister of Sweden including morbid details the author claims only the true assassin would know. This books is a macabre insight into the mind of man who took pleasure in murder and torture and then decided to make it his career and demonstrates the horrific secrets of political agendas and their masters is often too shocking to believe.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most disturbing books I've ever read. If you are into graphic violence, killing, and vivid descriptions of kidnapping, torture and rape, this is the book for you!

[Anne]

a very disturbing read. not for the faint-hearted or those who do not wish to plunge into the reality of a decadent and violent world.

[Sophie Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A disturbing biography of an assassin. I guess there is a place in the world for people like this.