May contain spoilers
Since a long time ago I have been fascinated by murderers and people who commit horrendous things towards their fellow human beings. What I am interested in finding out is why would someone kill another person, and what on earth would drive them to doing so again. Is it something that a person is born with, a so-called killer gene, is it something they learn from their surroundings or is it a horrible accident that leads a person towards this murderous and dark path? My curiosity and determination to finding out the answer to these questions has led me to take on the psychology bachelor education, watching countless documentaries, tv series and reading many, many books on this topic. One of the books I have most recently read was Talking with Female Serial Killers by Christopher Berry-Dee.
Who is the man behind this book?
A simple google search confirmed what has been written throughout the whole book, that Christopher has considerable experience as a criminologist and as a writer. He has interviewed over 30 serial killers, written multiple books about them, and participated in various tv shows. However, after reading Talking with Female Serial Killers I must conclude that I will not be reading any more of Christopher’s works.
“Reading this book was like hooking up with your ex — with feelings of excitement at the beginning, followed by a deep questioning of how your life has led you here and disappointed once you have finished.”
What I liked about the book
I think that what liked the most was that it was very clear that the author has put in a lot of time and effort into the book. The extensive research and amount of time that were put into writing each chapter is evident when you read it, and I personally appreciate it. The author paints a picture of each charter mentioned in the book by outlining their life story, presenting snippets from his personal interviews with the killers and by presenting the actual evidence that eventually led to the caption of each of the killers.
Another strong point of this book was that it was written with entertainment in mind, and not like a stuffy and academical course book. The texts were engaging, the language not too difficult (even for a non-native English speaker like myself) and the author’s personal comments often spiced up the text. It was almost like reading a crime novel! The difference is of course that the events described in the book actually happened in real life.
Some critique
I can be a picky reader at times, so when I actually decide to read a book I have a certain idea of what it will be about. For example, when picking up Drugs Free of Hot Air by David Nutt I was expecting to read a book about drugs. Which is exactly what I got. When picking up Talking with Serial Killers by Christopher Berry-Dee I was expecting to read a psychological analysis of famous (or not famous) female serial killer. Which is not exactly what I got from this book, as I would personally say that this book serves as a more descriptive purpose of the crimes and background of various female killers. Along with some free publicity of the author’s other works, as well as some books that he has co-authored and tv shows he has filmed. There was very little actual analyzing going on beyond saying how evil these women are, how they must be psychopaths and how some of them are “more deadly than the male” (p. 299).
Beyond just being a disappointment in what the book contained, I also must comment on the fact that it was at times difficult to follow the story the author was describing. There were many jumps back and forth between different points in times, listing of many names without properly introducing them into the story and presentation of irrelevant self-promoting comments. Worst of all, sometimes there would be a few sexist comments thrown in, such as “It would be fair to say that females ought to be instinctively nurturing and maternal. Most reasonable people simply cannot imagine why a woman /…/ could harbor such evil desires” (p. 12), making it quite difficult to focus on the book instead of the anger one feels while reading it.
Last but not least — the cover has to be mentioned as well. Myra Hindley is the woman on the cover, and while she was indeed a famous serial killer she is barely mentioned in this book. Once or twice in the passing, but there is certainly no chapter with her on it. While this does not mean that she cannot be used on the cover, it does mislead the reader in regard to what this book will be about.
Final thoughts
Reading this book was like hooking up with your ex — with feelings of excitement at the beginning, followed by a deep questioning of how your life has led you here and disappointed once you have finished. Read this book at your own risk.
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