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thebookishelf's review
5.0
A frenzied feast for all true-crime fans!...
This is yet another great read this week that’s really hard to put down. It's a very insightful and detailed account of some of the most horrific serial killers. In fact, while reading this book I just had to keep turning the pages yet again. Not just because it's all that enjoyable in any way, shape or form, to delve a little too deeply into the malefic minds of such murderous men, but because I sincerely believe that most people are fascinated in one way or another by serial killers. Perhaps it’s the human morbid fascination with death. I’m not exactly sure. However, maybe it just astounds the average person as to how depraved other individuals can be.
These serial killers are not mythical beasts with horns and shaggy hair. They are people living among society, going about their day to day activities until nightfall. They are the fathers, husbands, church going members of the community.
This A-Z encyclopedia of 12 messengers of death is the scariest serial killer book you'll read. Included are the most famous true crime serial killers, like Raman Raghav, The Stoneman, and Professor Mohan Kumar, and not to mention the women who kill, such as Cyanide Mallika and Anjanabai Gavit.
Each of the serial killer chapter includes information on when and how they killed the victims, the background of each killer, their trials and punishments. For some there are chilling quotes by the killers themselves. The Deadly Dozen by Anirban Bhattacharya is an easy to follow collection of information on India's most heinous murderers.”
Even if you are a seasoned campaigner of true crime, The Deadly Dozen: India's Most Notorious Serial Killers by Anirban Bhattacharya will surely raise more than a few hairs on the back of your neck. It was a first-class read and the author gave a perspective to these horrific crimes that was both fascinating and intriguing. This was one of the better true crime books that I have read recently.
I would highly recommend this read to all fans of the true-crime genre. Well done again!
This is yet another great read this week that’s really hard to put down. It's a very insightful and detailed account of some of the most horrific serial killers. In fact, while reading this book I just had to keep turning the pages yet again. Not just because it's all that enjoyable in any way, shape or form, to delve a little too deeply into the malefic minds of such murderous men, but because I sincerely believe that most people are fascinated in one way or another by serial killers. Perhaps it’s the human morbid fascination with death. I’m not exactly sure. However, maybe it just astounds the average person as to how depraved other individuals can be.
These serial killers are not mythical beasts with horns and shaggy hair. They are people living among society, going about their day to day activities until nightfall. They are the fathers, husbands, church going members of the community.
This A-Z encyclopedia of 12 messengers of death is the scariest serial killer book you'll read. Included are the most famous true crime serial killers, like Raman Raghav, The Stoneman, and Professor Mohan Kumar, and not to mention the women who kill, such as Cyanide Mallika and Anjanabai Gavit.
Each of the serial killer chapter includes information on when and how they killed the victims, the background of each killer, their trials and punishments. For some there are chilling quotes by the killers themselves. The Deadly Dozen by Anirban Bhattacharya is an easy to follow collection of information on India's most heinous murderers.”
Even if you are a seasoned campaigner of true crime, The Deadly Dozen: India's Most Notorious Serial Killers by Anirban Bhattacharya will surely raise more than a few hairs on the back of your neck. It was a first-class read and the author gave a perspective to these horrific crimes that was both fascinating and intriguing. This was one of the better true crime books that I have read recently.
I would highly recommend this read to all fans of the true-crime genre. Well done again!
bubblegumfactory's review
3.0
This was a weird one. On one hand, there were a lot of new true crime stories that I got to know about, but I couldn't shake off the annoyance of the wanna-be edgy tone that the author chose not to mention the backhanded misogynistic tone that was incorporated at every turn. I listen to a lot of true crime, so I am not faint-hearted or irked by gore, but this book seemed to almost push the voyeurism of the crimes rather than discuss the facts or mitigating factors. This needed much better editing and perhaps a more empathetic approach to writing about the victims and less glamourisation of the criminals.
nevermoreliterature's review
2.0
Such a brilliant concept almost wasted by awful writing. Can be used as a handy reference book for Indian Serial Killers.
(To be reviewed later)
(To be reviewed later)
ankita_g's review
4.0
I have always found serial killers fascinating, mostly because I am amazed by the depths of perversion the the human mind is capable of descending into. Throw any true crime book involving serial killers at me, I will catch it, read it and keep it with me (to refer to later). I read them as psychological studies, but sometimes their depravity disturbs me.
In this book, Anirban Bhattacharyya doesn't try to provide his own psychological insights into the minds of the 12 serial killers of India he has written about. He isn't a profiler, so I don't expect a 'Mindhunter' like book from him anyway, and would have rather been disappointed if he tried to profile them without experience. This book is more journalistic than investigative, so each chapter, centered around one serial killer, reads like a story and keeps you hooked. I was both fascinated and terrified by each "story".
If you are a fan of true crime, you MUST read this book. The only thing that didn't work for me, though it did give a dramatic touch to the stories, was the use of made-up dialogues. It took away a bit of the authenticity for me.
In this book, Anirban Bhattacharyya doesn't try to provide his own psychological insights into the minds of the 12 serial killers of India he has written about. He isn't a profiler, so I don't expect a 'Mindhunter' like book from him anyway, and would have rather been disappointed if he tried to profile them without experience. This book is more journalistic than investigative, so each chapter, centered around one serial killer, reads like a story and keeps you hooked. I was both fascinated and terrified by each "story".
If you are a fan of true crime, you MUST read this book. The only thing that didn't work for me, though it did give a dramatic touch to the stories, was the use of made-up dialogues. It took away a bit of the authenticity for me.
midhu's review
4.0
What more interesting than the real tales of serial killers for a thriller fan?
Anirban Bhattacharyya’s “The deadly Dozen” is the book about notorious serial killers in India. Unlike some non-fictions, this book was written as thriller story. So the readers never get bored by reading the life of this people. The author gives paramountcy to their psychology and investigation of this crime and eschewed unwanted contents. He also gives a short of explications to the unsolved crimes and copycats later appeared. For every psychological thriller fan this book is a revelation.
This magnificent piece of non-fiction is a exhaustively researched and well indicted one. The author quoted case diaries and news paper reports that appeared then. Thriller fans must consider this one as it will feel like reading a cliffhanger.
A highly appreciable read.
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