The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers (1997) - Plot & Excerpts
Well, this man is such an awesome writer that I had to start a shelf of ONLY his books!!! I plan to read each book that Mr. Schechter writes and am currently reading both Deviant and Psycho USA - Famous American Killers you Never Heard Of. This man, Schechter, has a way of uniting you with eras long lost and forgotten. You empathize with the murdered, revolt at the very thoughts of the killer, and just wish it were all set to music. I think that, as a student of psychology, this is a must read! I couldn't put it down. This book listed not just the names of serial killers but their proposed reasons for killing. The why's and how's are answered. He even dispelled some common myths like only Americans are serial killers or only white men are serial killers. This is a true encyclopedia of murderers. I enjoyed every minute of it!He begins by clearly defining the term serial killer and includes where it originated and by whom. He then lists traits or similarities of serial killers. He lists the history of these dysfunctional personality types and then gives the motivations behind such killers. He makes no mistake of calling these people JUST evil, but goes into specific behaviors that classify them as such by most readers and details how they end up - either captured, committing suicide, etc. He sums it up by explaining the world's fascination with gore. Some of the things we do such as attain memorabilia of murderers, making PLAYING CARDS of these sad people, just to name a few of the macabre things we do were a shock to me. Anyhow, the book was utterly fascinating. A complete must-have for any true crime fan.
I have previously enjoyed other crime books from Harold Schechter, I found 'Deviant' and 'Bestial' to be fascinating reads that gave a lot of background on the subjects.This encyclopedia falls far short of his other work, the main reason being the format in which the information is given. I expected an A-Z of serial killers by name not by headings such 'ads', 'partners' or 'x-rated'. This made the read very difficult to engage with as Schechter trots out the same information pertaining to the killer every time he ties them to the sub heading. In some cases the same info is given up to 6 or 7 times, this quickly become irritating and every time I came across it, it made me want to DNF. The effects are jarring and turn what could have been an interesting read into a snoozefest. There was some interesting info included but it wasn't enough to lift the rating out of 2*.The art in the book is also pretty pathetic, I'm not sure why the author didn't use pics of the subjects instead of tacky memorabilia cards or 'art'. You won't find anything in this book that you can't find on the web. Not recommended.Read through Scribd.
What do You think about The A To Z Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers (1997)?
•tThis was a really nice change from all the fiction I’ve been reading lately. Now, the subject matter of this book was a little odd, but it was still very interesting. I like it because first and foremost, it didn’t try to glorify serial killing. It did tell of some gory details but it always made sure to treat them simply as fact and not objects of sick fascination. There was also a ton of information in this book. I was always able to read it at a pretty steady pace when I had time to read because it was interesting. Overall, I’m glad I read it.
—Tamcamry
I love this book. I love this book. I love this book. I seriously can't stress how much I love this book. I know, it's really awkward to admit to or explain to my friends but I adore books on serial killers. This was a great primer for me starting out. It gives just enough taste of some of the big names and the interesting things about them so you can figure out what you really like. It's like a big, pretty tray of finger sandwiches. Except, you know, it's a book about serial killers. So, those finger sandwiches are probably made of actual fingers. Because of this book, every movie I have ever seen about crazed murderers (real or imaginary) can be easily deconstructed into which real life figures/behaviors they may have drawn inspiration from.
—Heather Winstead
it okay kind of mostly bibliography and exclopediac, more for people who dotn knwo anything about mass murder, serila killing, spree killer and terroist its okay got when i was big into serial killers when I was in high school because of the tv show millinium.
—Eugene booker
