Reviews - Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers

372 reviews for:

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers

Caroline Fraser

3.84 AVERAGE

ktcarden21's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark informative medium-paced

hiraeth18's review against another edition

2.5

challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

Real mixed feelings on this book. I'm close to the same age as the author, and also spent my entire childhood growing up in this area of Washington state. So I have an understanding of the time and place.
It purports to connect the plumes from smelters and mining to making more serial killers.
I found very little cited that would prove that to be true, even if there are a couple of studies pointing to the effect lead and other metals have on the brain.
I'm not arguing that these metals aren't dangerous, or that they can't cause us harm. It's just the book doesn't entirely make the case.
And the entire section about the floating bridges-what did that have to do with anything? While interesting and infuriating about how dangerous the I-90 reversible lanes were, and the poor engineering that went in to our floating bridges, I'm not clear how this corresponds to or adds to the concept of the books premise.
I'm also uncomfortable with the whole recounting of the details of gruesome sexual assaults, torture, and murder. It's unecessary and all part of what I refer to as true crime porn.

Content Warnings