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The Mammoth Book of Bizarre Crimes
This fascinating A–Z compilation of murderous crimes spans globe and centuries and uncovers the extremes of human criminality. More than 300 cases also shed light on advances in crime detection, law enforcement, and forensic science.
496 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2010
99 people are currently reading
576 people want to read
About the author
Robin Odell
35 books10 followersRobin Odell developed an interest in forensic science after training as a laboratory technician and turned to crime writing as a pastime. His first book, Jack the Ripper in Fact & Fiction, published in 1965, is still regarded as an important contribution to the subject. In a writing career spanning over forty years, he has written or co-written eighteen books in the fields of true crime, forensic investigation and criminal history.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
February 21, 2021
This book is something that would be handy for a bus trip or to read at work. There are hundreds of individual cases averaging about a page and a half in length. In that short span we are told who was killed, how they were killed, who killed them, how the killer was caught, and what became of the killer. When you consider that entire books are routinely written to tell the tale of a single homicide, you can see that each entry will be the barest of outlines of the crime in question. The book takes on a very ambitious task, covering homicides from the 17th century until about a decade ago.
This book would be an acceptable choice if you want to read something that won't break your brain or take up too much of your time. A warning, though: there's nothing in here that will increase your faith in your fellow man. There are a lot of crazy people out there.
This book would be an acceptable choice if you want to read something that won't break your brain or take up too much of your time. A warning, though: there's nothing in here that will increase your faith in your fellow man. There are a lot of crazy people out there.
February 5, 2014
I initially gave this book three stars but felt I was being unduly generous. It's probably meant to be read as a "guide" to give you an insight into crimes deemed bizarre but I've read similiar style books in the true crime genre that were a lot more comprehensive.
'Bizarre Crimes' almost exclusively concentrated on murder and seemed to be focussing on cases that were high profile or well known as opposed to those that were particularly strange. I understand that when less than two pages is dedicated to each crime it won't always be detailed but sometimes the retelling of the crimes wasn't even accurate, not only is that a sloppy move but I feel that failing to verify whether details of the crimes are correct shows a lack of consideration towards the reader. So that pissed me off.
An inoffensive book to read when you are "between books" but if you know this genre quite well you may not learn anything new.
'Bizarre Crimes' almost exclusively concentrated on murder and seemed to be focussing on cases that were high profile or well known as opposed to those that were particularly strange. I understand that when less than two pages is dedicated to each crime it won't always be detailed but sometimes the retelling of the crimes wasn't even accurate, not only is that a sloppy move but I feel that failing to verify whether details of the crimes are correct shows a lack of consideration towards the reader. So that pissed me off.
An inoffensive book to read when you are "between books" but if you know this genre quite well you may not learn anything new.
July 13, 2025
This is a long book, BUT it is filled with short details of out of the ordinary crimes, and is perfect to dip into without a thread to lose.
November 7, 2016
This book gives short ( one to two pages) synopses of crimes. There are at least 200 cases cited in this book. I didn't find many of them bizarre to tell the truth. There were some cannibalism stories, which are always bizarre, but that's about it. Some of these are familiar. I didn't find the shortness of the stories enabled me to really get into the stories. I would have liked less stories and more depth. No pictures.
September 2, 2019
Not as detailed as I hoped it would be and missed out on fascinating details of the more well known crimes. Certainly focused on quantity rather than quality but was still a really good read, one of those hard to put down books.
October 30, 2021
I enjoyed this audiobook, the narrator and the subject matter was good. Whilst there were some rather well known murders included, there were a few obscure and long forgotten ones too which kept the book fresh and interesting. That said, I wouldn’t recommend listening to it all in one go as it would sound repetitive.
July 12, 2020
This book was amazing! Some very bizarre crimes. Seriously interesting and descriptive. Fabulous for fans of true crime who want to learn about crimes that were not necessarily sensationalised in the media etc.
Informative and descriptive, this book will give you chills and goosebumps, but it's definitely worth the read.
Informative and descriptive, this book will give you chills and goosebumps, but it's definitely worth the read.
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May 1, 2021This book is the same format as the other bizarre crimes book I read but not many of the crimes, murders mentioned were actually "bizarre" in nature/theme etc..
I am surprised that particular !urderers were not mentioned such as: Amelia Dyer (she susposely looked after children/babies but killed them instead to gain money from the children's parents)
The casanova killer (an American serial killer) Belle Gunness, the monster of Florence, the beasts of satan (Satanists in a metal band, from Italy)
I like reading about historical crime, modern crimes that are either solved, a miscarriage of justice with a wrongful conviction bevause a confessioj was obtained while the person was pressured/manipulated to confessed to something they didn't do.
I'm angered, frustrated by the fact that trained professionals, still don't properly seal off a crime scene where a murder(s) have occurred, so then the crime svene is contaminated, and any useable forensic evidence is rendered useless, due to multiple people touching it, or walking all over the crime scene. It also really pisses me off when the police don't take a woman/man seriously when they have a abusive relationship with their boyfriend/girlfriend and tje person is stalking them, threatening to harm them or themselves to be emotionally manipulative.
The same indifference & "victim shaming" can apply to the police when a woman has been molested, raped, beaten up and the police don't believe the victim, they shame the victim for their behaviour and try to find a reason to say thos is what caused it to happen. Why is necessary for the police to look at the phone of a rape victim, other than to "victim shame " them.
It's disgusting that any police officer would ever have the audacity to feel like they are justified in "victim shaming" any man or woman ever, especially when they didn't care enough about the victim of any type of crime to at least treat them with respect. They act indifferent, and with supperiority like they have a point to proof, but the way they investigated the crime(s) is lazy, incompetent, especially when fake evidence is planted at a crime scene to frame someone for a crime they didn't commit. So people have "confirmation bias" so the most logical person that could of committed a crime, did commit a crime without fotensic evidence to back up their reason for arresting the person responsible for the crime. I don't particularly trust the police, due to them being corrupt, a rapist, or more recently a British police officer murdered a woman in England that is the same age as myself, it's disturbing & disgusting.
It is frustrating that even when there is forensic evidence, it still isn't enough evidence to prove the right person was at the scene of a crime/or to prove in court that they are the correct person that committed a crime and would be convicted, and sentenced to time in prison.
I enjoyed reading this book, but I wish it included more crimes that are actually "bizarre" otherwise the book title is misleading.
Information about the Zodiac serial killer is inaccurate, he never made a phone call and said about having headaches, it was a hoax and had nothing to do withe real Zodisc serial killer that was never caught or identified.
I am surprised that particular !urderers were not mentioned such as: Amelia Dyer (she susposely looked after children/babies but killed them instead to gain money from the children's parents)
The casanova killer (an American serial killer) Belle Gunness, the monster of Florence, the beasts of satan (Satanists in a metal band, from Italy)
I like reading about historical crime, modern crimes that are either solved, a miscarriage of justice with a wrongful conviction bevause a confessioj was obtained while the person was pressured/manipulated to confessed to something they didn't do.
I'm angered, frustrated by the fact that trained professionals, still don't properly seal off a crime scene where a murder(s) have occurred, so then the crime svene is contaminated, and any useable forensic evidence is rendered useless, due to multiple people touching it, or walking all over the crime scene. It also really pisses me off when the police don't take a woman/man seriously when they have a abusive relationship with their boyfriend/girlfriend and tje person is stalking them, threatening to harm them or themselves to be emotionally manipulative.
The same indifference & "victim shaming" can apply to the police when a woman has been molested, raped, beaten up and the police don't believe the victim, they shame the victim for their behaviour and try to find a reason to say thos is what caused it to happen. Why is necessary for the police to look at the phone of a rape victim, other than to "victim shame " them.
It's disgusting that any police officer would ever have the audacity to feel like they are justified in "victim shaming" any man or woman ever, especially when they didn't care enough about the victim of any type of crime to at least treat them with respect. They act indifferent, and with supperiority like they have a point to proof, but the way they investigated the crime(s) is lazy, incompetent, especially when fake evidence is planted at a crime scene to frame someone for a crime they didn't commit. So people have "confirmation bias" so the most logical person that could of committed a crime, did commit a crime without fotensic evidence to back up their reason for arresting the person responsible for the crime. I don't particularly trust the police, due to them being corrupt, a rapist, or more recently a British police officer murdered a woman in England that is the same age as myself, it's disturbing & disgusting.
It is frustrating that even when there is forensic evidence, it still isn't enough evidence to prove the right person was at the scene of a crime/or to prove in court that they are the correct person that committed a crime and would be convicted, and sentenced to time in prison.
I enjoyed reading this book, but I wish it included more crimes that are actually "bizarre" otherwise the book title is misleading.
Information about the Zodiac serial killer is inaccurate, he never made a phone call and said about having headaches, it was a hoax and had nothing to do withe real Zodisc serial killer that was never caught or identified.
May 11, 2020
Thought it could be an escape from panicdemic, and wished to counter by another disturbing sensation. To one who favor the genre, the rating may be higher.
June 27, 2011
Finally finished this last night. It's full of hundreds of crimes, some of which were quite interesting especially since the focus was not on America (the authors are British). Obviously there wasn't a lot of detail since most crimes were summed up in under a page or two, but it gives enough information.
September 25, 2017
Pass. So boring. It's a topic that should have been entertaining and it just wasn't at all.
June 23, 2021
I ‘read’ the Audible version, read by David Shaw Parker.
Audible review: Probably not the best book for audible as each crime reference is very short with little detail. The reader’s voice is mostly fine, but occasionally annoying due to three things: he sometimes put a strangely happy emphasis on sentences describing gruesome details, which was weird; he uses some strange pronunciations for place names; and most irritatingly, he insists on doing “accents” (usually badly) when saying anything that is a direct quote.
Book review: The crimes are rarely, if ever, “bizzare”. Every crime is murder (or rape & murder/robbery & murder etc). I found that really frustrating because I wanted to hear about bizarre crimes not just generic murders. The author tries to cover by saying that all murders are bizarre, which while true in the sense he means, is a bit of a cheeky reasoning to sell a book on - because I am sure like me, most people bought the book on the strength of the title.
Furthermore, most of the cases are pretty famous and so there is little new for anyone with even basic interest in true crime, with a number of them even the subject of recent documentaries/tv shows/podcasts. I ended up listening to it as background for tasks, which meant I zoned out a little (audible reader had quite a soothing voice), and it was more a “reminder” about cases I already know.
Even for novices, the descriptions are very short with barely any detail, so it’s more like a reference book in which you then need to go look up the details.
Bit of a waste of money really.
Audible review: Probably not the best book for audible as each crime reference is very short with little detail. The reader’s voice is mostly fine, but occasionally annoying due to three things: he sometimes put a strangely happy emphasis on sentences describing gruesome details, which was weird; he uses some strange pronunciations for place names; and most irritatingly, he insists on doing “accents” (usually badly) when saying anything that is a direct quote.
Book review: The crimes are rarely, if ever, “bizzare”. Every crime is murder (or rape & murder/robbery & murder etc). I found that really frustrating because I wanted to hear about bizarre crimes not just generic murders. The author tries to cover by saying that all murders are bizarre, which while true in the sense he means, is a bit of a cheeky reasoning to sell a book on - because I am sure like me, most people bought the book on the strength of the title.
Furthermore, most of the cases are pretty famous and so there is little new for anyone with even basic interest in true crime, with a number of them even the subject of recent documentaries/tv shows/podcasts. I ended up listening to it as background for tasks, which meant I zoned out a little (audible reader had quite a soothing voice), and it was more a “reminder” about cases I already know.
Even for novices, the descriptions are very short with barely any detail, so it’s more like a reference book in which you then need to go look up the details.
Bit of a waste of money really.
November 1, 2018
I really enjoyed this anthology! Each crime was given the appropriate detail, while not being over dry with the nitty gritty. They're bite-sized snippets of some of the most bizarre crimes around the world.
These crimes ran the gambit - from downright absurd to absolutely rotten and cruel.
I learned a little bit about a lot of crimes, and I really liked that. This book gives me a place to start if I decide to venture further in finding sources or other books about the crimes described.
All that said, this book is most definitely not for the faint of heart. There are very graphic images that are spelled out in very gruesome detail. If that's not your thing, this book is most likely not for you.
Overall I enjoyed this book, even though it took me a while to read through the entire thing. Even as a lover of true crime, sometimes some things are best in small doses.
These crimes ran the gambit - from downright absurd to absolutely rotten and cruel.
I learned a little bit about a lot of crimes, and I really liked that. This book gives me a place to start if I decide to venture further in finding sources or other books about the crimes described.
All that said, this book is most definitely not for the faint of heart. There are very graphic images that are spelled out in very gruesome detail. If that's not your thing, this book is most likely not for you.
Overall I enjoyed this book, even though it took me a while to read through the entire thing. Even as a lover of true crime, sometimes some things are best in small doses.
February 28, 2024
Murders can be twisted
The scope of this book is murders and murderers. If you are looking for all the gruesome action with all the details, well it isn't here. This is a vast amount of people, who what they felt were good reasons took the lives of their victims without a card in most cases. Now most of these stories deal with crimes in the United Kingdom and Europe with a soupcon of America thrown. To say this book was enjoyable is not accurate it is just bizarre what people will do I a lot of cases to solve their problems.
The scope of this book is murders and murderers. If you are looking for all the gruesome action with all the details, well it isn't here. This is a vast amount of people, who what they felt were good reasons took the lives of their victims without a card in most cases. Now most of these stories deal with crimes in the United Kingdom and Europe with a soupcon of America thrown. To say this book was enjoyable is not accurate it is just bizarre what people will do I a lot of cases to solve their problems.
July 12, 2025
Maybe I've just read too many true crime books but a lot of these crimes (nearly all murders) didn't seem bizarre? Like yes, of course people kill for the insurance money, of course people kill after finding out about / being found out about affairs.
Also I think the author needs to hear, famous crimes don't automatically equal bizarre crimes. I feel like we heard about every famous murder and serial killer from the 1800s to publishing.
There's much better true crime books out there, that don't require 19 1/4 hours of your life.
Also I think the author needs to hear, famous crimes don't automatically equal bizarre crimes. I feel like we heard about every famous murder and serial killer from the 1800s to publishing.
There's much better true crime books out there, that don't require 19 1/4 hours of your life.
April 30, 2020
Since there were so many cases in this book there were quite a few that even a true crime aficionado like me didn't know. Even though each case is only quite short, I liked this because it introduced me to some compelling cases which I can go on to read about (or watch YouTube videos about) in more detail
July 7, 2020
I wouldn't say all the crimes in this book were bizarre, most actually weren't, but it was still an interesting read. There were crimes in the book I'd known of, but many more I'd never heard of. Each crime depiction was usually no longer than two pages, so this book did introduce me to a lot of crimes, which I liked as I am a crime buff, so this was interesting to read.
January 11, 2021
This is not an in-depth book, but it's short, interesting chapters of true-crime from around the world throughout time. I wouldn't necessarily use it as a reference for anything, but it was entertaining and relaxing.
April 6, 2023
Great book that includes chapters on a lot of murder cases
Great true crime book that covers hundreds of murder cases with chapters of several to a half dozen pages about each murder case. A book that anyone interested in true crime will definitely enjoy reading.
Great true crime book that covers hundreds of murder cases with chapters of several to a half dozen pages about each murder case. A book that anyone interested in true crime will definitely enjoy reading.
June 9, 2025
This book is really good! Loads of short stories about exactly what it says in the title “Bizarre Crimes”. I found myself having to re read some of them because I was quite shocked at how people came to their demise, of their own accidental making! Very interesting!
January 4, 2026
Generally quite interesting, however, I wouldn't describe the majority of the crimes as 'bizarre'.
One thing that I did notice was the recurrent themes of not just lust and jealousy, but also of embarrassment or threat of.
One thing that I did notice was the recurrent themes of not just lust and jealousy, but also of embarrassment or threat of.
August 31, 2019
Some good, some bad, so eerie! Interesting, all in all.
December 11, 2019
Noticed a lot of errors made with certain details - felt poorly researched as well as there being several typos. Have read much better real crime books.
November 9, 2020
I mean, there's a lot of content, but I enjoy my true crime detailed to the bone.
It's okay, I guess, but not something I'd recommend specifically.
It's okay, I guess, but not something I'd recommend specifically.
April 30, 2021
A taste of hundreds of crimes. Interesting.
December 17, 2021
Very interesting
December 23, 2021
This is funny for no reason.
January 29, 2022
A chilling collection of dark tales that leave the reader wondering.
March 20, 2022
*audiobook*
Varied cases, some very interesting and others not so much! But a good book to listen to to pass the time.
Varied cases, some very interesting and others not so much! But a good book to listen to to pass the time.
January 10, 2023
This is the definition of an info dump. That was quite intense. I learnt a few things. But I also totally blanked out in sections.
This should not be read in one go. Lesson learnt.
This should not be read in one go. Lesson learnt.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews