Psycho USA: Famous American Killers You Never Heard Of (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
It seems that most murderers have the spotlight for a few months, or a few years, and then they fade into obscurity as something else takes their place. That is exactly what happened to the murderers profiled in this book; at one time, they terrorized and titillated the American public, but for whatever reasons, no one remembers them today.From black widows to bluebeards to family slayers to those who killed for a grudge or no discernible reason at all, Harold Schechter details the lives and crimes of those whose deeds had been notorious in their times. Many spawned murder ballads; some even inspired best-selling books. A few were molded into chilling movie characters. But none are widely remembered today.I found the book interesting. Schechter has a readable and engrossing way of writing, although sometimes the same phrases kept popping up in the profiles (I kept getting the Styx song "Renegade" in my head from the numerous times that "the jig is up" was used). He also supplements the profiles with information about the times or what other important events were occurring. He also includes a lot of lyrics to murder ballads, which are interesting. Altogether, recommended to those who are into true crime. I don't usually foray into the true crime genre, but I really enjoyed this book. It branched out into the more obscure killers of America, and included lots of background and side information that connected you to other resources. The stories stayed nice and brief, and ended just when you got tired of hearing about a certain person. It's a great entry point into the genre. Also, I consider myself a lover of gore, but my stomach was still turned at some of the murder descriptions described in this book. Seriously, they were disgusting. But definitely it always stayed fascinating. Read it!
What do You think about Psycho USA: Famous American Killers You Never Heard Of (2012)?
I didn't really like this book. I found it to be pretty repetitive and boring.
—Maia
A compulsively readable and often sensational catalogue of American murderers.
—anu
A compendium of little known killers. Fantastic read!!
—Klinton
