360 reviews for:

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers

Caroline Fraser

3.84 AVERAGE

nosferatoot's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 20%

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i wanna know about murders why is she talking about pollution for 100 pages

hayleyyyyy's review against another edition

2.5

dark informative slow-paced

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I truly wanted this book to end the whole time I was reading it. I kept waiting for when it would get good. Why did the author insert herself into this story at all? Where was her editor? Why was the pacing and subject focus wildly uneven and ever shifting? Why were there so unnecessary many details? Why did Bundy take up so much time but other serial killers didn’t? I guess kudos and 2.5 stars for the insane amount of research she clearly did (as the reader, confirmed we got it 👍) but it just didn’t come together for me. A nauseating combo of a firehose stream of facts + graphic and brutal descriptions. 

suzanna_m's review

5.0

dark informative reflective slow-paced

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This was a unique intersection of true crime, history, memoir, science, and environmental treatise. Fraser skillfully rolls these disparate entities together into a cohesive narrative of the lead-crime hypothesis with a focus on serial killers of the PNW. But at the same time, this is not just another book about Ted Bundy. Page for page, his crimes and victims make up a small portion of this book.  It's more about how serial killers were made, through industry and policy. 

ashleyylayy's review

3.5

dark informative medium-paced

cheyenneisreading's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

redkitty83's review against another edition

4.75

dark informative medium-paced

marlak91's review against another edition

3.0

dark informative tense medium-paced

unlockedlibrary's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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This is a doozy of a book. A fascinating look at industrial pollution and heavy metal smelting as it affects human behavior, ultimately arguing that this contributed to the explosion of U.S. serial killers in the 1970s through early 1990s.

Taking place mostly in Washington State, where the author grew up, this non-fiction book outlines the deeply disturbing crimes of America’s most famous serial killers, while also berating soulless corporations and their failure to put people before profit. 

I am fascinated by both true crime and late stage capitalism, so this book really caught my attention. However, it was a little meandering and disjointed at points.

huggyyoda's review against another edition

4.0

dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

cheyore's review against another edition

3.25

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced