Title | : | The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers: Volume Three M-S |
Author | : | |
Rating | : | |
ISBN | : | - |
Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
Number of Pages | : | - |
Publication | : | Published November 24, 2020 |
The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers: Volume Three M-S Reviews
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The encyclopedist has compiled the quintessential horror book. You can read Volume Three as a standalone when you want to devour any portion of the 482 pages of detailed nonfiction. The M through S solved-serial-killer cases feature monikers such as Machete Murderer, Night Stalker, the Ogress of Colonia Roma, the Pied Piper of Tucson, Queen Poisoner, Railroad Killer, and Sacramento Slayer. Because there is enough horror in the words alone, the 16 scary mug shots and 4 scowling head shots are unnecessary.
I received an advance review copy for free.
I am posting this review voluntarily. -
This is exactly what you might think it would be. It’s an encyclopedia of terrible deeds done by terrible people.
It goes as far back as the mid-1500s all the way up to present day, so it’s both historical and terrifying. Entries range in alphabetical order from the Machete Murderer (Corona Juan Vallejo) to the Sydney Mutilator (William McDonald), and spans the globe. There are even entries where there is little to no tangible information about the killer. If they’ve ever received so much as a nickname from investigators or journalists and Hall was able to uncover it, they’ll be included here.
The style of writing is very spare and informative, there’s not much by way of opinion from the author. It’s strictly fact-based, which I appreciated, although I will say that sometimes during chronological breakdowns of a killer’s activities, she did get a little bit hard to follow at times. I found myself having to reread several passages.
I also found it a little confusing that although you could find any murderer by their given name or their press name in the index (say Richard Ramirez, aka the Nightstalker to make this an easy, specific example), you could only find them in one spot in the body of the book. So, Ramirez was listed under both the “R” and “N” sections of the index, but in the body of the book he was only under “N” for Nightstalker. I wish a place would have been held under “R” as well – even if it just said something along the lines of “see Nightstalker” or something. I feel like that makes more sense. But, since this is a reference book, I would also assume that anyone looking for a particular killer would do so by visiting the index anyway, so maybe it’s a non-issue.
Aside from a few small gripes, I still think this book was interesting enough and definitely seemed well researched. I haven’t checked out the other entries yet, but if I am ever looking for specific serial killer info, I’ll probably be visiting this series of encyclopedias for it. -
Another chilling true crime encyclopedia
Hall pens a detailed true crim title in THE WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SERIAL KILLERS: Volume Three M-S. I read the two books that came before this one, and plan on reading whatever comes next. This is a book that gives information on serial killers that fit within the alphabet M through S. Hall has a way of presenting the information about serial killers but also reminds the reader of the victims that were unlucky enough to catch the eye of the killer. Some of the killers may not be infamously known, but there is something they all have in common. They killed, enough times to be considered a serial killer, and also there was more than just murder on their mind. It's very informative, and chilling. More like terrifying, as it is true and not something seen on the big or small screen for entertainment. I look forward to reading more by this author. This book is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. -
I wants was obsessed with true crime books and the reason I stopped reading them is because all they want to write about and re-write about is famous serial killers. This book totally proves my point they have some very unknown serial killers that I’ve never heard of and I am hesitant to say I enjoyed reading this book but it definitely intrigued me and held my attention. When I said they have a lot of serial killers I’ve never ever heard of I feel like I’m under selling it. This was a great book and one any true crime fan should have in the library. I am so glad I got it. I received it for free from Books sirens and I’m giving this review voluntarily because the book was that good!
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I purchased this book yesterday. I found this book extremely easy to read and could not put it down once I started reading the book. A lot of killers I have never heard of and it is amazing how many Serial. Killers are released from prison and the unnecessary suffering of more victims. Amazingly this is throughout many countries. The book I found to be Quite a page turner and it has now Perked my interest to see if I can find more books on certain Serial Killers that I read in This series. I now look forward the next volume.
Thanks to BookSirens and Wildblue Press I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. -
Please note that I gave the third volume of The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killings a rating based on its genre as an encyclopedia. I am not suggesting it is four stars as a novel or any other genre.
If you want to look up a few serial killers, here is a good source to remind you of who they are or to begin studying them. However, I found reading through the volume, one killer after another, to be hard work. After a half an hour or so of reading a lot of the killers start to blur together. I kept turning back to recall who was who. Also, sometimes after several stranglings, stabbings, or poisonings it can begin to feel like you’re surrounded by vicious psychopaths! So, I do not recommend the book for everyday, leisure reading.
Nevertheless, Susan Hall has taken on an incredible task to make available to true crime readers a brief article of serial killers from the very recent past to centuries ago and from spots all over the globe. (She must truly love research!). For the most part, I think she did a fine job. I could never have tackled it. However, there are a few spots that seem to need further proofreading. One example is when Wales is described of as a country in the UK that is southeast of England. That’s most likely a typo, but it gave me some doubts about the veracity of other information. Once in a while, it isn’t clear what country(ies) the criminal resided in. While I give Hall a lot of credit of searching out the records and compiling them, I wish someone could have given her the time to make things a little clearer by catching typos, etc.
One of the hard things about this undertaking must have been deciding how to list people who have aliases and/or names given by the media. Hall went with names known to people through the media. Hence, birth names are printed, secondly. So, for example, there are a lot of “Monster of ...” entries. Fortunately, an index is in the back, so if you only know one sort of name you can find it by referring to alphabetical media names or hunting for the given name.
By reading this volume I have been very aware of how very many serial killers there have been. Yikes! What is also frightening is how often such dangerous people have been paroled. It amazed me. While I can understand the debate between life sentences and capital punishment, I don’t think countries have always been responsible in protecting its citizens. I am all for mercy, but letting such people roam freely is foolhardy.
Except for the information overload I experienced reading straight through the volume, there is certainly a wealth of knowledge for those inclined to learn about serial killers. One thing that I appreciated is that almost always, if information about victims is available, Hall has named the victims.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily -
As a history and true crime buff, volume three again provides an opportunity to learn more about life as it happened. As in any encyclopedia, some entries are quite long and detailed while others just provide bare details. Either way, it’s an interesting way to spend some time. I preferred to randomly select pages and read about various killers.
The bibliography is detailed and provides a great place to start your own research.
For true crime fans, this set is a great addition to any collection.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. -
I have been a great fan of True Crime for a while now. What makes the Encyclopedia of Serial Killers a worthwhile and amazing read is that it sorts the known serial killers, even from way back in history, The encyclopedia comes in installments, which gives an indication of how many serial killers there have been, and which have been documented.
For any fan of true crime this is an awesome read and the detail that the author managed to accumulate is mind blowing. A recommended read. -
If you love murderers and serial killers, you are going to LOVE this book! It is FULL of information, tid-bits, and great facts!
This was a great read, and I look forward to reading more from this publisher! Grab it now for the true crime lover in your life!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. -
This book does a great job covering the tales of every serial killer M-S.
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This is absolutely fascinating. As a big true crime fan, I have been blown away at the number of killers I have never heard of. Amazing.