Fatal Analysis

by Martin Obler, Thomas Clavin

Recounts the case of the New York serial killer dubbed the Soda Pop Slasher, who used broken class to cut his young victims, from the perspective of his psychologist, who began to suspect his patient of being the culprit and to believe that he and his girlfriend are the targets of his patient's compulsion. Reprint.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 15, 1997

Reviews

[Michael Hermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty entertaining read, but the ending had me questioning if the story was truly real or just and elaborate tale. I would recommend the book, but you will have to make your own decision on whether or not you truly believe the story.

[Donna Humble · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into a psychopath and his therapist.

[Johnya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Not worthy of an actual review.

[Henri Paratte · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most interesting part of this book is in my view in some remarks about thé evaluation and possible "redirecting" of psychopaths. It has long been known psychopaths are not stupid and that there are probably more in business and in politics than into serial murder, but they share the same values: an inflated ego and a total inability to "feel" anything for others or try to share another point of view than their own. According to the psychologist's son, who co-wrote a first version, this has been considerably fictionalized by the coauthor for thé publisher in order to sell. It is likely that the invented "Soda bottle slasher" is an outright invention, since there are many rapists fucking their victims up the ass, but no track of one repeatedly filling their rectums with shards of pop bottles so they would die in a flow of blood while the movements of their bowels would cut them deeper as they would try to expel them. Needless to say the "monster" is a sodomite who watched his father bugger his mother when he was 4 and probably abused his little brother - enough to titillate with perversity the potential readers. The book is fairly tedious after a while - obviously any professional would make sure the police pounces on his potentially criminal ass-fucking client. Not Dr. Obler, though; his high professional standards force him to nnot disclose the shard-bugger until he killed 12 and is ready to shove that old shard of glass up the gorgeous psychologist's mistress old dirt road in a lonesome cabin belonging to the rich slasher's parents. The story ends idiotically - Trump may be a psychopath but I doubt any rectal-slasher, even recycled by the threat of being exposed, is going to enjoy a healthy political career. Most ass-fucking serial killers are more the pathetic loser type than the bright psychology or law student! But this probably explains why I alwasy felt both psychologist's and lawyers were conniving, lying, unreliable nincompoops. The psychologist is probably more fucked up, actually, than the ass-fucking genius serial killer type. This has interesting moments but is so cliché it is sometimes terrible. A female cop is a real sex kitten, the mistress a curvaceous creature even ready to dye her hair red for her rather unfriendly lover, cops are usually beefy, and we're even treated to the old lady psychologist teacher who mostly says "It's up to you, boy!" proving the depth of her wisdom. The serial killer has apparently all the time in the world, the therapist no other interesting patients than the big rectal king, and by and large this is a tedious and fairly poor piece of fiction with a vague base culled from some real cases, an absurdly dramatized "dilemma", à nutty "doctor", and a totally unrealistic ending. If you study psychology, it might be a good idea to avoid Brooklyn college: Dr Obler may still be teaching there and would potentially mentor you to a brain structure as thoroughly fucked as his!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was worth the time to read, but i think the psychological consternation of the author to do what is right for society and what is right for his patient could have been explained with more intensity in order for the reader to feel the emotions more subjectively. For me the author kind of skirts around the edges of emotional chaos and tries to be mostly clinical in his approach. One thing of interest; I had not heard of the Soda Pop Slasher serial killer before so this book piqued my interested to research this further.

[Laurie Stoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good psychological thriller. AND it's a true story!

[Janna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow - this book kept me on the edge of my seat!! Well written and I was wrong about how it all turned out. I hope we find out the real identity of the patient/killer post-humously.

[Jj Hitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amateur fiction passed off as "true crime". Only marginally believable.