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runsonespresso's review against another edition
4.0
Well written, easy read. Didn't quite get 5 stars because sometimes there was a lack of transition and moved to a new topic suddenly. A few times I had to go back and double check I didn't miss something
tarb0t's review
dark
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.0
Less an analysis of facts than a recitation of facts - not a lot of juice here, but that's real life. The fact that he basically turned himself in and skated by on dumb luck for 40 years will never not be bizarrely funny to me
titanic's review
5.0
"He considered himself a nice guy. When Julie Otero had complained that her hands were going numb from her bindings, he had adjusted them. When Joe had said his chest hurt from lying on the floor with broken ribs, he had fetched Joe a coat to rest on. Now, in the darkened bedroom of the house on Hydraulic, he gave the sick woman a sip of water."
I have been seeing this book recommended by every person interested in true crime, which to be honest is the only reason I got it. I hate Dennis Rader more than any other serial killer. He creeps me out. He's one of three, I believe, serial killers that really creep me out. So when I first started reading this book, I was thinking that it was going to put me on edge and that I was going to feel uncomfortable, and want to put it down and forget about it forever - and it did put it down so that I could finish reading another book, but that wasn't because it was bad because this book was the exact opposite. It was brilliant!
This book put so much detail in, and the effort that went into it clearly paid off because I have yet to read a better true crime book - it's my favourite! Most books about crimes focus on criminals and their crimes and their victims but I honestly loved how this one told us about the police force who spend many years tracking down the criminal, and I loved the details of the constant battle between police and press because it shows what it's like to be working on a crime. It's not all easy breezy. It did thirty years to catch the BTK killer, and during that time, The Eagle newspaper got sent messages from Dennis Rader, and they thought it was only fair to let the public know what was going on, and come on, it totally is. Which is another favourite thing of mine, the photos of his messages he sent. I loved reading the letters, laughing a little and the obvious misspellings, and looking at the photographs of the dolls tied to pipes or had drivers licences tied to them. The crime scene photos and photos of the victims were interesting as it brings the crimes to life, it makes you realise that these were real people, they are not just names in a book, they were real people murdered by a horrible man, and this book did a perfect way of capturing that. It was perfect.
I have been seeing this book recommended by every person interested in true crime, which to be honest is the only reason I got it. I hate Dennis Rader more than any other serial killer. He creeps me out. He's one of three, I believe, serial killers that really creep me out. So when I first started reading this book, I was thinking that it was going to put me on edge and that I was going to feel uncomfortable, and want to put it down and forget about it forever - and it did put it down so that I could finish reading another book, but that wasn't because it was bad because this book was the exact opposite. It was brilliant!
This book put so much detail in, and the effort that went into it clearly paid off because I have yet to read a better true crime book - it's my favourite! Most books about crimes focus on criminals and their crimes and their victims but I honestly loved how this one told us about the police force who spend many years tracking down the criminal, and I loved the details of the constant battle between police and press because it shows what it's like to be working on a crime. It's not all easy breezy. It did thirty years to catch the BTK killer, and during that time, The Eagle newspaper got sent messages from Dennis Rader, and they thought it was only fair to let the public know what was going on, and come on, it totally is. Which is another favourite thing of mine, the photos of his messages he sent. I loved reading the letters, laughing a little and the obvious misspellings, and looking at the photographs of the dolls tied to pipes or had drivers licences tied to them. The crime scene photos and photos of the victims were interesting as it brings the crimes to life, it makes you realise that these were real people, they are not just names in a book, they were real people murdered by a horrible man, and this book did a perfect way of capturing that. It was perfect.
mschaeff's review
4.0
This is an astonishingly well-researched book. It does an amazing job of capturing not just BTK's actions and the horrific murders he perpetrated, but in the team of people who worked around the clock to catch him. There are moments when it drags a little, probably because there are literally decades of story to cover, but it's satisfying and smart. I listened to the audiobook, which is excellent, and I recommend this one for fans of true crime.