The Serial Killer Files

The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World’s Most Terrifying Murderers

By: Harold Schechter

Narrated by: Charles Constant

Hollywood's make-believe maniacs like Jason, Freddy, and Hannibal Lecter can't hold a candle to real-life monsters like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and scores of others who have terrorized, tortured, and terminated their way across civilization throughout the ages. Now, from the much-acclaimed author of Deviant, Deranged, and Depraved, comes the ultimate resource on the serial killer phenomenon.

Rigorously researched, this innovative and highly compelling compendium covers every aspect of multiple murderers, including psychology, cinema, fetishism, fan clubs, "trophies", and trading cards.

©2003 Harold Schechter (P)2016 Tantor

creepy serial killers

this book is great in describing the various serial killers and how they chose their victims. the killers were into different ways to kill and creepy sexual assault. I now know how sick and twisted people are in this world.

Research or Gore?

Would you try another book from Harold Schechter and/or Charles Constant?

Probably not. There was little new in this catalog of human monsters, aside from pages of sensationalized gore.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The causes of the crimes were much more interesting than the detailed execution of them.

Which character – as performed by Charles Constant – was your favorite?

There weren't characters per se, just the narrator.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Nope. Netflix maybe.

Any additional comments?

The gruesome details of the murder of children seemed unnecessary. The book was presented as , IMHO, a compilation of crimes and criminals supported by historical facts and police files, etc. The detailed castration of small boys, elaborate fits of cannibalism seemed wildly unnecessary.

It covers a lot of ground but...

while I've enjoyed all of the Harold Schechter books that I've read, this one just tends to repeat itself and I understand why he does that but he's covered a lot of this in earlier works. And for those who are not familiar with some of these fiends, their deeds are mentioned & a roundabout of their crimes but no real gritty detail is given for the most part. I give it a 3 though because I listened to it all the way through it and it was not terrible.

Thorough, objective, informative

What made the experience of listening to The Serial Killer Files the most enjoyable?

The subject matter is prone to sensationalism. I am a history buff that didn't want this information to be presented as a glorification of sadism. The author presented the information in an objective, informative manner always keeping in focus how odious these human beings were and are. There was no glorification of their sadism. Perfectly executed.

What does Charles Constant bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice is exceptionally soothing which was nice given the subject matter. The narrator added the perfect balance to the books somewhat difficult subject matter.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

There were countless fascinating tidbits of the history of crime and specific serial killers.

Any additional comments?

This book is absolutely thorough and perfect for anyone who is interested in the actual history of this subject matter without sensationalism or glorification of sadism. I got a fantastic overview of serial killers. I don't read a lot of crime novels so this was a perfect read for me that gave a great overview.

A bit repetitive but good...

About half way in, I took a look when it was written. 2003. Makes sense. Lots of stories I'd heard before & many repeated throughout the book. Also, there's a great drinking game here, I can't begin to count how many times I heard "unspeakable" and "atrocities". All I could think was "grab a thesaurus!" Love Harold's books, but this one wasn't my favorite.

too graphic for me...

way too much detal. if you like the details or that's what fascinates you this is your kind of book. it was just to much for me.

Pronunciation is key.

If you are going to read a book about serial killers, maaaaaybe you should pronounce them at least half way correct. It is Ed GEIN. NOT ED GINE.

great info, often repeats

so... there is a ton of great history and information, but it repeats so often. the phrases or sentences are often reused.

Interesting

The topic and performance were great but portions were identically repetitive (verbatim). Otherwise it was excellent.

Great but repetitive

This was a great book, but I feel like the source material had to come from a series of books, because it repeated so much info at times that it seemed like it was referencing an earlier book each time. Aside from that, it was great!