Serial Killers True Crime Anthology 2014 (True Crime Library RJPP #1) by R.J. Parker

Release Date: December 11, 2013
Publisher: RJ Parker Publishing
Series: True Crime Library RJPP, Book 1
Authors Included: R.J. Parker, Peter Vronsky, Dane Ladwig, Sylvia Perrini, Michael Newton  

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Those who step outside the bounds set by society captivated the masses for as long as the tales of their deeds were told to the next generation. Real evil began to infiltrate the usual bedtime stories about scary boogeymen, vampires or werewolves. Men and women who became obsessed, or some say possessed, by the desire to take the lives of others roamed the streets and blended in with average folk as they went through their everyday routines.

In this volume of the True Crime Anthology, several serial killers were explored from their birth and early childhood through their crimes and the aftermath. The novel included both men and women from both ends of the financial spectrum and from various parts of the world. Exploring the cases through police reports, court documents and even through the words of the killers themselves, the authors shine a light on the dark deeds without neglecting to remember the victims.


Review:
*Graphic Warning* - This novel explored subject matter that might be disturbing to some readers. It included pictures of crime scene evidence as well as statements made by the killers in written or vocal interviews.

This book was among one of the great deals that I found on OHFB - a site that I love for keeping my Kindle stocked with lots of different books. Since I was always interested in crime and crime-related stories, I knew the included photographs or statements wouldn't bother me. However, I must say that there was little, if any, censoring of either items in their related stories, but there weren't a lot of the photographs throughout the book either. Each of the authors covered a particular serial killer, or killers in a few cases.

They delved into the earliest known information about the serial killer involved and follow him or her through the years, the murders and the repercussions of their actions. Written and taped interviews were used alongside police evidence and court documents to try and find the answers to questions that plagued investigators and society alike over the years. Some of the killers in this volume of the anthology include people from hundreds of years ago to the early part of the 2000s. Some were rich, killing with impunity because of their station in life such as Erzsebet (Elizabeth) Bathory. Others weren't so lucky to come from wealth and made due with what they were given, including the Bloody Benders and Robert Pickton.

For me there wasn't much in the way of pacing for this book. Each of the chapters laid out the timeline for each of the killers without leading into the next. It was much like the chapter was its own case file. That made it easy to set the book down if I needed to take care of something else and come back to it later without feeling lost or confused about where I am in the book. The victims weren't forgotten in the midst of all the coverage of the crimes. Their names, faces and voices gave them more weight than much of the media did during their coverage. Not a lot of detail about the actual crimes filled the pages even though they weren't hidden either.

While I knew of a few of the killers listed, there were a few that I hadn't heard of before, making it an interesting read. Overall, I liked the book and found it interesting to see the evolution of many included killers as well as possible explanations for their methods of madness. I was also glad to see that very little speculation appeared in the various chapters. When it did, the author was sure to note what was speculation and what wasn't. If you're looking for a fairly comprehensive look at a small section of serial killers and what may have led them to do what they did, then this anthology is definitely one to consider!

Serial Killers True Crime Anthology 2014 (True Crime Library RJPP #1) by R.J. Parker is currently available at various online retailers in paperback, Kindle and audio-book versions. Clicking the link below will bring up the book's page at Amazon.
Serial Killers True Crime Anthology 2014 (True Crime Library RJPP #1) by R.J. Parker