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A review by jenmaysie
Killing for Company: The Case of Dennis Nilsen by Brian Masters
Unrated out of 5
I wouldn’t say I “enjoyed” reading this in the typical way people “enjoy” books—reading about the murders and dismemberment of other human beings isn’t something I find particularly fun. I do, however, find it interesting.
In this book Masters attempts to delve into the psyche of Dennis ‘Des’ Nilsen in an attempt to uncover why multiple murderers commit their crimes. It’s clear from the outset that this is Masters’s first foray into writing true crime and that his experience as a writer lies elsewhere, but Masters mostly succeeds at articulating the engaging and tragic tale of Nilson’s life, upbringing and crimes.
Personally, I found the beginning and middle of the text to be the most interesting. The sections on dismemberment being the most fascinating and simultaneously disturbing for me personally. The book unfortunately falls flat when we reach the “answers” section of the text. Masters isn’t a criminal psychologist, nor does he have a background in forensics or law so it’s here where he seems to struggle somewhat to come to a conclusion of sorts on what drove Nilson to murder.
The book succeeds wonderfully in the description of Nilsen as a man and murderer, but stumbles around philosophical and spiritual ponderings.
Nevertheless, Killing for Company is still an interesting look at one of the UK’s most notorious serial killers and I would recommend this to those who are interested in true crime.
I wouldn’t say I “enjoyed” reading this in the typical way people “enjoy” books—reading about the murders and dismemberment of other human beings isn’t something I find particularly fun. I do, however, find it interesting.
In this book Masters attempts to delve into the psyche of Dennis ‘Des’ Nilsen in an attempt to uncover why multiple murderers commit their crimes. It’s clear from the outset that this is Masters’s first foray into writing true crime and that his experience as a writer lies elsewhere, but Masters mostly succeeds at articulating the engaging and tragic tale of Nilson’s life, upbringing and crimes.
Personally, I found the beginning and middle of the text to be the most interesting. The sections on dismemberment being the most fascinating and simultaneously disturbing for me personally. The book unfortunately falls flat when we reach the “answers” section of the text. Masters isn’t a criminal psychologist, nor does he have a background in forensics or law so it’s here where he seems to struggle somewhat to come to a conclusion of sorts on what drove Nilson to murder.
The book succeeds wonderfully in the description of Nilsen as a man and murderer, but stumbles around philosophical and spiritual ponderings.
Nevertheless, Killing for Company is still an interesting look at one of the UK’s most notorious serial killers and I would recommend this to those who are interested in true crime.