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Deranged

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 746 ratings · 64 reviews

LURED FROM THE SAFETY OF HOME -- INTO THE JAWS OF HELL "America's principal chronicler of its greatest psychopathic killers" (The Boston Book Review), Harold Schechter shatters the myth that violent crime is a modern phenomenon -- with this seamless true account of unvarnished horror from the early twentieth century. Journey inside the demented mind of Albert Fish -- pedop...more

Paperback, 242 pages

Published October 1st 1998 by Gallery Books (first published 1990)

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Oct 18, 2011 Evan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-for-real, horror-macabre, _lk-library, __in-my-collection, ny-ny, 2011-reads, sexuality, human-its-whats-for-dinner, religion

In terms of sheer numbers, Albert Fish would seem to be little more than a lightweight in the annals of crime; he was only charged with and found guilty of one murder. But that one highly disturbing case--the brazen 1928 kidnapping and brutal killing of a New York City 10-year-old, Grace Budd--eventually brought about Fish's confessions to many more crimes of kidnapping, torture, murder and cannibalism: mainly perpetrated on young boys and occasionally girls, who, if prepubescent, were similar e...more In terms of sheer numbers, Albert Fish would seem to be little more than a lightweight in the annals of crime; he was only charged with and found guilty of one murder. But that one highly disturbing case--the brazen 1928 kidnapping and brutal killing of a New York City 10-year-old, Grace Budd--eventually brought about Fish's confessions to many more crimes of kidnapping, torture, murder and cannibalism: mainly perpetrated on young boys and occasionally girls, who, if prepubescent, were similar enough to young boys in their androgyny to suit Fish's predilections. No one knows how many victims Fish had during a criminal career that spanned more than 50 years, beginning with petty crimes and evolving into unspeakable ones that dovetailed into his auto-erotic preferences for sadism, pain and religious fantasies. He may have abused, by his own admission, 25 to 30 children a year, and possibly torture-murdered 15. His victims may have numbered in the hundreds.

Whatever the case, and as this book makes clear, Fish was one of the sickest persons who ever lived.

This incredible true-crime book, expertly structured, finds a happy medium between meticulous detail and lightning-paced narrative. It details the disappearances of Fish's first known victims (though there were likely many before those), the frustrating failed investigations into those cases, and the appearance of a kindly old stranger named "Frank Howard," who, seemingly in the commission of good deeds conned his way into the Budd home and stole a little girl right from her own kitchen with the clueless consent of her parents. As the book shortly reveals Howard was none other than Fish, an otherwise (seemingly) kindly family man who never harmed his own children but as an itinerant house painter committed atrocities in as many as 23 states, leaving no traces of himself and a trail of violated kids.

The Budd case outraged and frightened the public, and if not for the kind of dogged investigatory patience of Detective William King (a real hero who devoted more time to the case than any detective would likely dedicate today, or would be allowed to by budget- and time-strapped departments), as well as Fish's own momentary carelessness and the divine intervention of a well-placed cockroach, the case might never have been solved.

Schechter stays his hand beautifully in this book, letting the case unfold naturally, only giving the reader details of the true nature of Fish as his trial proceeds in the latter part of the book. The details of his religious manias and drive for self-torture (sticking alcohol-soaked rags up his ass and lighting them or sticking dozens of pins in his lower body) and the torture of others in similar ways are excruciating to comprehend. Fish was a pedophile, sadist, cannibal and much more. The infliction of pain on himself and others gave him orgasms. He took particular delight in sending obscene letters in response to classified newspaper ads, writing to strangers about his desires to have them mercilessly spank his fictitious retarded son, "Bobby." He also enjoyed golden showers and eating shit. He was obsessed by the Biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, believing God commanded him to sacrifice children, and subsequently torturing himself painfully believing that same God was commanding him to atone for his sins.

The book details a more innocent time--and in some sense shows how the lack of knowledge about sex in those more repressed times led people to discount its existence, particularly the existence of people who practiced extreme forms of criminal sexual behavior. Fish, as it happened, had been picked up and held briefly at least six times by the New York City police and served a short psychiatric stint in Bellevue before being released, deemed harmless by the authorities.

The trial of Fish is thrillingly recounted here by Schechter. Fish's well-selected attorney, James Dempsey, gave a brilliant performance in attempting to use the insanity plea to keep Fish from the electric chair. Dempsey's courtroom dramatics and rapier comebacks remind me of another brilliant defense attorney of that era, Clarence Darrow. Defense attorneys back then were so kick-ass.

Fish was a fascinating case of guilt and remorselessness, of normalcy alternating with extreme perversion--and yet, somehow, because of the attitudes of the day, his "eccentricities"--beating himself bloody with a nail paddle while masturbating, claiming Jesus told him to do bad things, or playing weird flagellation games with his stepdaughters while nearly nude--were tolerated and dismissed among family members as just the odd habits of a dear old man.

The Fish case is chilling and disturbing to the max. Gray and wizened and stooped, he seemed harmless. As a criminal specter he was known as the Gray Man and the Bogeyman. The site of the Budd murder, an abandoned house in rural Westchester County, NY, known as Wisteria Cottage, is, as can be seen in photos in the book, one of the creepiest places you'll ever encounter.

As a psychologist who testified at Fish's trial said: "To the best of my medical knowledge, every sexual abnormality that I have ever heard of this man has practiced--not only has he thought about it, not only has he daydreamed about it, but he has practiced it."

This is one of the best true-crime books I've read, and, certainly, any writer who would make this case dull reading should be banished from the writing profession. In this Schechter does not disappoint. If you can handle being exceedingly disturbed, this is an essential read about the incredible brutality that can emanate from the human soul.
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Oct 16, 2012 Michael rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-have-reviewed

Can a book be terrible? A book can be bad, it can be boring, it can be poorly written, but I like to think that just by being a book it’s exempt from being thought of as “terrible”. Terrible like Ivan. Terrible like children who are two. Terrible like some of the things Ann Coulter and Rick Santorum say.

Sadly, Deranged: The Shocking True Story of America’s Most Fiendish Killer, is, despite it’s eye-grabbing National Enquireresque title, pretty much a terrible book.

And worse, I didn’t find it ter...more Can a book be terrible? A book can be bad, it can be boring, it can be poorly written, but I like to think that just by being a book it’s exempt from being thought of as “terrible”. Terrible like Ivan. Terrible like children who are two. Terrible like some of the things Ann Coulter and Rick Santorum say.

Sadly, Deranged: The Shocking True Story of America’s Most Fiendish Killer, is, despite it’s eye-grabbing National Enquireresque title, pretty much a terrible book.

And worse, I didn’t find it terrible because of the gruesome subject matter, but because it’s not only poorly written and it’s not only boring, but it reads like a shortcut-seeking, high school student’s book report. And by shortcut-seeking, I mean the type of book report that was written in a hurry by someone not being familiar with the book and relying only on the synopsis on the book's dust jacket.

The subject of the book, Albert Fish, was a serial killer who committed crimes too horrible for me to mention here. He was born in 1870 to a supposedly distinguished family that suffered from histories of mental illness. After his father died when he was five-years-old, Fish was sent to an orphanage and it was there where the seeds that would shape his future obsessions and behaviors were planted. That is about the extent of the man’s biography shared in the book. Thorough, huh? More biographical information is given about a German serial killer, Fritz Haarmann, than about Albert Fish.

The rest of the book is made up of boring, long-winded accounts of Fish's two final crimes, the city-wide manhunt, and his subsequent arrest and conviction and it reads like everything was simply lifted out of old newspapers. And the narrative - it just goes on and on and on and...

Let me save you some time. Fish was tried and despite jurors saying they believed he was insane, they also believed he should die for his crimes so they found him sane and he was put to death in the electic chair in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Too bad he wasn't holding this book when they pulled the switch.

You guessed it: I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone.(less)

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Jul 13, 2010 Chick_Flick rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't know if it's age or motherhood, but I feel an urge to bathe to "cleanse" myself after having read the book. Perhaps I no longer have the stomach to read true crime books of this nature, especially ones dealing with such atrocities committed toward children. I tend to agree with the defense attorney that Albert Fish must have been insane, for I cannot imagine how a sane person would have had committed so many depravities as he had done. In fact, in their own words, most of the jurors had...more

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Apr 29, 2012 joolz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: true-crime

As in other true crime reviews, the rating I've given doesn't literally mean that I 'enjoyed' it, but that I found it a thoroughly interesting book that made me think a lot about the topic.

I am firmly against the death penalty, but this book is the only time I have thought that a person might truly be better off dead. More for the man himself than for the terrible crimes he committed. For his crimes the court should have put him in prison and thrown away the key, certainly, but this book made me...more As in other true crime reviews, the rating I've given doesn't literally mean that I 'enjoyed' it, but that I found it a thoroughly interesting book that made me think a lot about the topic.

I am firmly against the death penalty, but this book is the only time I have thought that a person might truly be better off dead. More for the man himself than for the terrible crimes he committed. For his crimes the court should have put him in prison and thrown away the key, certainly, but this book made me wonder if there is any point to someone living when they are driven by such compulsions and desires as Albert Fish was. If your life is so painful and twisted with no hope of recovery then isn't it possible that allowing someone to commit suicide would be the right thing to do?

This book really makes you think hard about the line between sanity and insanity. Is someone insane because they do things that seem insane to you? Or might they actually be sane and just making a deliberate choice to do wicked things? Does being a wonderful father to your children under difficult circumstances mean you cannot be deemed insane? Or can you be insane and do compassionate things while you are also murdering and killing?

Whilst some of the items on Fish's list of perversions may always be considered deviant, there are certainly several that would not be considered that way now, so we need to bear in mind that times change, but no matter what he did to himself, Fish's deeds against children were repugnant and, if I was a juror, I don't know whether I would have made a knee-jerk reaction to the crimes or made a logical consideration of the sane/insane issue. The comment made after the trial by one of the jurors about the decision they made is very interesting.

The photos at the end of the ebook show Fish as I imagined him to be, I can see why he has been cited as a classic example of the 'boogie man' that your parents warn you about.

It's thanks to people like him that kids lead more restricted lives nowadays. Heading off for hours at a time and playing in local woods isn't an option now as it was for the kids in my street when I was a child. The publicity of the evil that humans can do has put a stop to that.(less)

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Jun 25, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Mum

Shelves: 2011, kindle-baby, own

A true crime book that completely lives up to its title - I don't believe I've ever read of so appalling a catalogue of crimes before and am shortly off to give myself a good scrub to get rid of their taint.

Albert Fish was a harmless looking old man whose appearance masked a truly depraved personality - host to an incredibly long list of sexual and religious perversions, amongst other things Fish was a child killer who tortured and ate his victims.

I've never read such a shocking account of depra...more A true crime book that completely lives up to its title - I don't believe I've ever read of so appalling a catalogue of crimes before and am shortly off to give myself a good scrub to get rid of their taint.

Albert Fish was a harmless looking old man whose appearance masked a truly depraved personality - host to an incredibly long list of sexual and religious perversions, amongst other things Fish was a child killer who tortured and ate his victims.

I've never read such a shocking account of depravity, but was also surprised by many other aspects of the case. The police in the 1920's seem an altogether more naive bunch than those around now - when Grace Budd (and the other children) initially goes missing it seems unfathomable to them that anyone would be kidnapping a child for anything other than ransom (both rather popular criminal activities in the '20s), and many parents were unaware also (unlike parents of today who are hyperaware of paedophiles and child murderers).

Also surprising (though it probably shouldn't be) was the sensationalism of the tabloids, with one particularly lurid account of The Mirror going so far as to provide step-by-step illustration of Grace's murder - "culminating in a close-up of the little girl's strangulation."

I was taken aback at how little time the psychiatrists (for both the prosecution and the defence) spent with Fish once captured in an effort to ascertain if he was insane. Though the defence managed to spend a total of 12 hours with him, those for the prosecution managed a single visit of just 3 hours. The legal side to this argument was fascinating and I did spend some time myself questioning how I would have decided had I been a juror; to be able to commit such awful crimes Fish was surely insane, though he wasn't without his reason, and I fully sympathise with the jurors who had to sit through such detailed testimonies and decide whether the man lived or died. There was no hope that the man could be rehabilitated in any way and punishment was like sexual reward to him so while I don't personally support the death penalty, I can understand why many of the jurors saw fit to have him executed even while believing he was insane. Personally, I can't help but think that there would have been more benefit to society had members of the psychiatric profession been able to speak to and learn from him instead.

Simply and straightforwardly written, there were only a couple of occurrences that didn't sit right with me where the author attempts to present some moments 'inside the mind of the killer'. While I appreciate that some of Fish's thoughts and feelings from the time could have been gleaned from his interviews, these couple of instances felt more like supposition and were the sort of sensationalism I expect from the tabloids than from a decent journalist. That said, I will be seeking out more of Schechter's work.(less)

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Mar 28, 2012 Christina rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you are a fan of the true crime genre, I imagine you would really enjoy this. I don't generally like true crime books, but I really enjoyed Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, and while walking through the airport recently, I saw he had another book out. Upon arrival at my destination, I looked up the reviews of Larson's new book and saw many readers recommending this author, Harold Schechter, if you liked Larson's books. I was intrigued and searched for Schechter, then purchased this, hi...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Juanita rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: true-crime, crime-serial, 5-stars

The acts that Fish committed were the stuff that no fictional artist could imagine. It takes a specific kind of individual to even come close to thinking of the things that Fish practiced his whole life.

I am not a person that thrives on the lowest of humanity or on being able to stomach the horrific. Still, I chose to read a book, this book, which includes all of the above and more. I could not put it down – I read it whenever I could and was captured from the very first words: “Every period is...more The acts that Fish committed were the stuff that no fictional artist could imagine. It takes a specific kind of individual to even come close to thinking of the things that Fish practiced his whole life.

I am not a person that thrives on the lowest of humanity or on being able to stomach the horrific. Still, I chose to read a book, this book, which includes all of the above and more. I could not put it down – I read it whenever I could and was captured from the very first words: “Every period is known not only by its heroes but by its killers as well.” The author, Schechter, is an author with true talent. It is a given that you will be shocked when reading Deranged – Fish, the person written about, was TRULY deranged – but it takes skill to write a book about such a murderous villain and have the book be more about the people he affected than about the murderer himself, even though the depravity was written about in detail.

Deranged read like a mystery, and even though I knew who and what the book was about having learned and read of Fish on the internet, I was continually enthralled with finding out when and how this man would get caught and just how sick this man actually was. In the beginning, we are introduced to the Budd family whose humble living and innocence makes them a prime target for Fish, and learn of their eventual regret in allowing a predator to take their child away. We move forward to other families that suffer similar losses and actually feel their pain as their babies are led into the woods of the never-again-seen-alive. The book in its finality gives us the depths of this man, Albert Fish, and makes no excuses for him though the author makes it a point to tell what Fish felt were catalysts to his bad behavior. I know that it takes quite a bit to read about a person like this and not hate them and judge them as I read. It appears, though, that the author has as little judgment as humanly possible as he writes this monstrous tale. That in itself is a feat. It was enjoyable to read because of these facts – not because a person of unseen proportions of degeneracy was on display.

So, I would suggest this book to anyone who’d like to try and gain a better understanding of humanity, because when you can face the lowest of humanity without running away or closing a book then you can face the greatest of humanity with even greater understanding.

I cannot recall reading a book this well written. The book of the year for me – and I have read almost 30 books this year alone!(less)

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May 16, 2011 Israel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Albert Fish es también conocido como el "Hombre gris", "El hombre lobo de Wysteria" y posiblemente con su calificativo más ridículo "El vampiro de Brooklyn". Muchas cosas se han dicho sobre Fish, la mayoría mitos o exageraciones basadas en el excéntrico personaje.

Fish confesó 3 homicidios que la policía fue capaz de investigar y relacionar con el sujeto. Fue sometido a juicio por el asesinato de Grace Budd, condenado y ejecutado. Esa es al versión corta y certera, lo interesante está entre líne...more Albert Fish es también conocido como el "Hombre gris", "El hombre lobo de Wysteria" y posiblemente con su calificativo más ridículo "El vampiro de Brooklyn". Muchas cosas se han dicho sobre Fish, la mayoría mitos o exageraciones basadas en el excéntrico personaje.

Fish confesó 3 homicidios que la policía fue capaz de investigar y relacionar con el sujeto. Fue sometido a juicio por el asesinato de Grace Budd, condenado y ejecutado. Esa es al versión corta y certera, lo interesante está entre líneas.

Deranged está muy bien escrito, Schechter maneja los detalles sin abrumar, crea el suspenso necesario y la calidad suficiente en la narración para sobrepasar el morbo de los acontecimientos, incluso da en el clavo cuando toca los puntos más sensibles de los involucrados.

Albert fue "El Fenómeno" de la pscología en su época, nadie, en un ningún registro existente, había presentado tantas patologías o desviaciones juntas: Homosexualidad, Sadomasoquismo, Pedofilia, Urofagia, Coprofagia, Canibalismo y esas de las que me recuerdo por ser las más sencillas. Era tan sujeto de estudio que mucho se insitió en darle cadena perpetua en una institución mental y correr exámenes para entender el funcionamiento de su cerebro.

El motivo de la leyenda nace una vez que Fish es sentenciado, al verse condenado, empezó a cantar. Se estima que asesinó al menos a 100 niños, de los cuales la policía solo logró corroborar algunos con extrema precisión según la información proporcionada por el propio Fish, pero los demás, concuerdan con morbosa coincidencia con varios casos sin resolver y ni hablar de los cientos de casos que empezaron a hacerle "click" a las autoridades de varios estados, pero por ser tan viejos ya no habia manera de probarlos.

¿Qué les hizo a sus víctimas? leanse el libro o junten todas las patologías anteriores más un grado de maldad, aunque para dar un panorama más claro: mandarle una carta a la madre de una de tus victimas para aliavarla de su dolor por no conocer el paradero de su niña extraviada contandole con lujo de detalles como te aprovechaste de su confianza para secuestrarla y luego la estrangulaste, descuartizaste, cocinaste, devoraste y lo disfrutaste, no tiene precio.

Lo que quizás le faltó a Schechter en su relato es hacer un poco de incapié en el ambiente religioso que se manifestaba sobre Fish, otro camino oscuro de su mente donde nadie quizó adentrarse lo suficiente.

Deranged es una lectura vertiginosa, adictiva, rica y bien documentada, probablemente lo mejor que se haya escrito sobre Fish.

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Mar 13, 2013 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

You know that feeling when you get a little bit sick, cold and just feel the need for a blummin good shower, well that's how I feel having read this book.

The fact that it was a true account of one mans depravity and unbelievable cruelty just makes it even more scary. I live in the hope that if Albert Fish was around today, committing such heinous crimes, the police would be much quicker to act. The naivety of the 1920's police is nearly as shocking as the crimes themselves, although to be fair,...more

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Feb 15, 2011 Wesley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes truth beats fiction. Sometimes it is stranger, more horrible, and more disgusting. Having been an avid reader since the age of 6, I've read any number of things - fiction, nonfiction, the works. I'm also a fan of Stephen King - and I must say, Albert Fish is so much more evil than any imaginary monster.

This is a disgusting book. The things written inside were so vile, so sick, that I actually became physically ill about halfway through and had to take a break from reading. Of course...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Katrina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autobiographies-biographies, books-read-in-2013, crime, forensic, horror, non-fiction

WOW. I've read a lot about the different serial killers over the ages but I've never heard of Albert Fish (and I suspect many others haven't either). Schechter takes the reader through the events prior to Grace Budd's abduction, who Fish was, and his subsequent trial. Fascinating story about a man many people haven't heard of. If you're at all a fan of Criminal Minds, or like True Crime, I highly recommend this book. Though I will say a warning: It is not for the faint of heart. I have read lots...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: true-crime, serial-killers

I've always been fascinated by Albert Fish, and I thought I knew all about him. I was wrong. Schechter has a way of making you feel like you're there, and you can see it all perfectly clear. I knew Fish was incredibly depraved and disturbed, but the extent of the horrors he inflicted on innocent children was far beyond anything I thought I knew. It takes a lot to creep me out. Fish creeps me out. This book creeps me out. It's well-written and the facts are solid. Anyone who is interested in true...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Ryan Jackson rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you're a fan of the true crime genre I would recommend this book, but if you aren't a fan I couldn't recommend it. I would've liked to know more about Mr. Fish than was told in the book. Very little of his early life was discussed (although, giving the author the benefit of the doubt, perhaps that information isn't readily available). The reader has to wait until very late in the book to find out what made the culprit really tick, and even then there wasn't much. I gave the book the four star...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Marianne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

I rated this 3 stars, not because it wasn't a well-written and fascinating, if disturbing, book; but because it was written too much like a novel. At several points I found myself wondering how Mr. Schechter could have possibly known certain things. I don't doubt that perhaps these things are written down somewhere, but I would like to know where the information came from.

That being said, I found this book to be well-written and extremely disturbing. Do not read this anywhere near mealtime unle...more

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Sep 15, 2008 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, crime

Anyone who thinks it is only the modern times that suffer the depraved killings of psychotic lunatics, then they should read books such as this. The murderer, Albert Fish, was a scatalogically compelled masochistic monster, who captivated headlines after his eventual capture by a persistent police detective (who went on many a goose chase). These pre-CSI stories fascinate me. What comes through though too is just how many killers were never caught. How many people, especially children, just disa...more

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Apr 17, 2008 Pinkbullets rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: every single reader interested in true crime stories

Shelves: non-fiction-true-crime, favourites, best-reads-of-2008

Whew!
When was the last time I read the last 200 pages of a book in one single sitting?! - And what a great time I had yesterday night, gulping it all down.

While I wasn't too sure in the beginning if this book wouldn't get too confusing with time - stating every even all so tiny detail - the second half truly did come up with a step-by-step development and finally solution for each one of these details/cases.

It's sheerly astonishing how thoroughly Schechter has worked through every single piece...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Emma Darcy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: true-crime

I found the biographer's style a little too speculative, but that didn't stop me from being engaged and horrified by the events detailed. Fish seems to have been too awful to have been true- it is baffling how one person could have possibly fostered all of those neuroses and fetishes and sadomasochistic behaviors.

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Jul 12, 2009 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not for the squeamish. A very good read about a truly depraved individual, and someone who doesn't quite have the universal fame as some killers. This was truly a disturbed individual, and the story seems to present his story well. A fast read. Highly recommended for true crime fans.

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Sep 24, 2011 Alshia Moyez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite

I...Found this book scary and I have a strong stomach. It's not really a "gory" book, or even that detailed, but it's about a guy who just a monster. I enjoyed this true-crime book, but when it was done I was glad. I don't read true-crime anymore, btw.

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Apr 03, 2013 Bill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Harold Schechter's account of cannibal killer Albert Fish. He lured 10 year old Grace Bud to her death by telling her parents he would like to take her to his niece's birthday party. He then took Grace to an isolated vacation cabin and murdered her.

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Jun 29, 2012 Chanoah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Albert Fish was definitely a sick, sick man. If you don't have a very strong stomach, I wouldn't suggest reading it due to some of the descriptive details. All in all though, the book was very well written and again Harold Schechter has impressed me.

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Jun 14, 2012 R.W. Ridley rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the few books that kept me up at night. It's well-written, but oh so disturbing. That a man like Albert Fish ever lived scares the hell out of me. I, of course, had to make him a monster in one of my own books.

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Nov 07, 2009 ♥ Marlene♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, personal-collection, serial-killer, true-crime

On Sunday, November 13, 2005 I wrote about this book:

My first book by Harold Schechter and still one of his best.
My copy is much older and 1th print

This was another really shocking story. I love the way this author writes.

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Aug 22, 2012 Amanda Dukes rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love the whole series of books, deviant, depraved and derranged! I could never couldnread about just one yserial killer and luckily Harold keeps putting them out. As a writer, he has a great ability to go behind the killings to show you the killer. And you can always depend on a little humor to lighten the read.

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Jan 19, 2009 Giligadi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: true-crime

Albert Fish is perhaps the most depraved and disturbing maniac from American history whom people have not, as a rule, heard about. Schechter's book is one way to learn more about his demented and warped life.

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Jul 26, 2011 Anthony rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-collection

Wow this book is so demented and disturbing! Far more shocking than any fiction book I have read. Albert Fish was a truly sick individual, and I wanted to get the book away from me as soon as I finished it.

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Nov 14, 2012 Majeed rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is very well written with a very interesting true story.That said I would avoid reading it if you are faint of heart as it includes allot of real life graphic violence of the most sick and perverse kind.

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Jan 17, 2012 Andy rated it 4 of 5 stars

The creepiest! Well written book about Albert Fish, a fiendish serial killer of children whose twisted mind and criminal acts were beyond belief. Presented in a factual and interesting manner.

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Oct 15, 2011 Dustin Reade rated it 5 of 5 stars

if you like true crime. if you like serial killers. if you like to be made sick by a book about creepy old men with needles in their crotch. then i recommend you read the hell out of this book.

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Apr 15, 2009 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

I can't remember why but I like this book. I think it was because it was more of the story telling and less about the courts. I hate when they go to trial, that bores me.

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About Harold Schechter

Aka Jon A. Harrald (joint pseudonym with Jonna Gormley Semeiks)

Harold Schechter is a professor of American Literature and culture at Queens College, the City University of New York. Among his nonfiction works are the historical true-crime classics Fatal, Fiend,Deviant, Deranged, and Depraved. He also authors a critically acclaimed mystery series featuring Edgar Allan Poe, which includes The Hum Bu...more

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Books by Harold Schechter

Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original "Psycho"

The Serial Killer Files: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World's Most Terrifying Murderers

The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers

Depraved: The Definitive True Story of H.H. Holmes, Whose Grotesque Crimes Shattered Turn-Of-The-Century Chicago

The Devil's Gentleman: Privilege, Poison, and the Trial That Ushered in the Twentieth Century

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Deranged

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