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Portrait of the Psychopath as a Young Woman
She is utterly beautiful, and utterly insane. A novel from Edward Lee & Elizabeth Steffen. A full-force, hardcore psycho thriller. Unlike anything you've seen from Ed Lee before. Psychopath She shackles them to the bed. She glues their eyes closed. She punctures their eardrums. She sews their lips shut. Torturess They can't move. They can't see or hear. They can't scream. All they can do is feel. And with her tools -- her scalpels and needles, her bonesaws and her knives -- She gives them a lot to feel... "The novel that American Psycho should have been... brutal, break-neck, and very real. An astonishing, gruesome feminist thriller..." - Andrew Harper, author of Bad Karma
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
22 people are currently reading
801 people want to read
About the author
Edward Lee
270 books1,456 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Edward Lee is an American novelist specializing in the field of horror, and has authored 40 books, more than half of which have been published by mass-market New York paperback companies such as Leisure/Dorchester, Berkley, and Zebra/Kensington. He is a Bram Stoker award nominee for his story "Mr. Torso," and his short stories have appeared in over a dozen mass-market anthologies, including THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF 2000, Pocket's HOT BLOOD series, and the award-wining 999. Several of his novels have sold translation rights to Germany, Greece, and Romania. He also publishes quite actively in the small-press/limited-edition hardcover market; many of his books in this category have become collector's items. While a number of Lee's projects have been optioned for film, only one has been made, HEADER, which was released on DVD to mixed reviews in June, 2009, by Synapse Films.
Lee is particularly known for over-the-top occult concepts and an accelerated treatment of erotic and/or morbid sexual imagery and visceral violence.
He was born on May 25, 1957 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Bowie, Maryland. In the late-70s he served in the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division, in Erlangen, West Germany, then, for a short time, was a municipal police officer in Cottage City, Maryland. Lee also attended the University of Maryland as an English major but quit in his last semester to pursue his dream of being a horror novelist. For over 15 years, he worked as the night manager for a security company in Annapolis, Maryland, while writing in his spare time. In 1997, however, he became a full-time writer, first spending several years in Seattle and then moving to St. Pete Beach, Florida, where he currently resides.
Of note, the author cites as his strongest influence horror legend H. P. Lovecraft; in 2007, Lee embarked on what he calls his "Lovecraft kick" and wrote a spate of novels and novellas which tribute Lovecraft and his famous Cthulhu Mythos. Among these projects are THE INNSWICH HORROR, "Trolley No. 1852," HAUNTER OF THE THRESHOLD, GOING MONSTERING, "Pages Torn From A Travel Journal," and "You Are My Everything." Lee promises more Lovecraftian work on the horizon.
Edward Lee is an American novelist specializing in the field of horror, and has authored 40 books, more than half of which have been published by mass-market New York paperback companies such as Leisure/Dorchester, Berkley, and Zebra/Kensington. He is a Bram Stoker award nominee for his story "Mr. Torso," and his short stories have appeared in over a dozen mass-market anthologies, including THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF 2000, Pocket's HOT BLOOD series, and the award-wining 999. Several of his novels have sold translation rights to Germany, Greece, and Romania. He also publishes quite actively in the small-press/limited-edition hardcover market; many of his books in this category have become collector's items. While a number of Lee's projects have been optioned for film, only one has been made, HEADER, which was released on DVD to mixed reviews in June, 2009, by Synapse Films.
Lee is particularly known for over-the-top occult concepts and an accelerated treatment of erotic and/or morbid sexual imagery and visceral violence.
He was born on May 25, 1957 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Bowie, Maryland. In the late-70s he served in the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division, in Erlangen, West Germany, then, for a short time, was a municipal police officer in Cottage City, Maryland. Lee also attended the University of Maryland as an English major but quit in his last semester to pursue his dream of being a horror novelist. For over 15 years, he worked as the night manager for a security company in Annapolis, Maryland, while writing in his spare time. In 1997, however, he became a full-time writer, first spending several years in Seattle and then moving to St. Pete Beach, Florida, where he currently resides.
Of note, the author cites as his strongest influence horror legend H. P. Lovecraft; in 2007, Lee embarked on what he calls his "Lovecraft kick" and wrote a spate of novels and novellas which tribute Lovecraft and his famous Cthulhu Mythos. Among these projects are THE INNSWICH HORROR, "Trolley No. 1852," HAUNTER OF THE THRESHOLD, GOING MONSTERING, "Pages Torn From A Travel Journal," and "You Are My Everything." Lee promises more Lovecraftian work on the horizon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
July 10, 2025
Just a deep dive and do some pretty crazy minds
This is a type of book that you you didn’t see a lot of in the 90s with all the sexual content, and gory psychological scenes. Sure they were around, but not to this degree. This book read things up a notch for its time. And it still really holds up.
The heart of every good story is good characters in this one has so many characters that captivate your interest. If it’s a psychotic serial killer or the magazine writer that she is obsessed with. I don’t have there isn’t a character in this book that isn’t well explored animated for such a wonderful experience, all the horrible things that happened within this tail.
This is a type of book that you you didn’t see a lot of in the 90s with all the sexual content, and gory psychological scenes. Sure they were around, but not to this degree. This book read things up a notch for its time. And it still really holds up.
The heart of every good story is good characters in this one has so many characters that captivate your interest. If it’s a psychotic serial killer or the magazine writer that she is obsessed with. I don’t have there isn’t a character in this book that isn’t well explored animated for such a wonderful experience, all the horrible things that happened within this tail.
August 1, 2020
This hardcover of "Portrait of the Psychopath as a Young Woman" by Edward Lee & Elizabeth Steffen
is numbered 100 of 150 and is signed by both authors.
A journalist is contacted by a serial killing female in order to tell the killer’s story. The journalist enters a new relationship that challenges her emotionally and before long, the woman, her new lover and the killer are on a collision course, and the journalist and the killer find a horrifying link between themselves. Add a mean cop, lots of violence. The killer herself was an interesting character, and the violence she wreaks might be, for some, extreme horror.
is numbered 100 of 150 and is signed by both authors.
A journalist is contacted by a serial killing female in order to tell the killer’s story. The journalist enters a new relationship that challenges her emotionally and before long, the woman, her new lover and the killer are on a collision course, and the journalist and the killer find a horrifying link between themselves. Add a mean cop, lots of violence. The killer herself was an interesting character, and the violence she wreaks might be, for some, extreme horror.
March 28, 2023
Story 5/5
Narration 4/5
If you’re looking for a gory and disturbing story, with a deranged psychopath who kills his victims in gruesome, horrific and vile ways, you should definitely read Portrait of a Psychopath as a Young Woman by Edward Lee and Elizabeth Steffen.
I enjoyed this story immensely.
I highly recommend it.
PS: there are all the imaginable triggers in this book.
Narration 4/5
If you’re looking for a gory and disturbing story, with a deranged psychopath who kills his victims in gruesome, horrific and vile ways, you should definitely read Portrait of a Psychopath as a Young Woman by Edward Lee and Elizabeth Steffen.
I enjoyed this story immensely.
I highly recommend it.
PS: there are all the imaginable triggers in this book.
December 7, 2024
Portrait of a Psychopath as a Young Woman (1998) By Edward Lee
& Elizabeth Steffen
My Review 5.0 Stars
The original title of the novel was “Portrait of the Psychopath as a Young Women” and it was first published January 1, 1998. These 410 pages, Kindle Edition was published by The Evil Cookie Publishing December 17, 2022. Genre designation is listed as Erotic Horror (or Erotic Thriller) and it has been said that this book is unlike any other work of Lee’s.
Stats for just this Kindle Edition has an average rating of 4.22. The reception to the novel by readers was variable when I focused on the time period. It is important to note that this book was originally published to its first population of readers over a quarter of a century ago. The book’s 27th Anniversary is rapidly approaching (January 1st, 2025).
The description of the book on Amazon for potential readers to glom onto is a stroke of genius in my opinion. It homes in on its target audience like a guided missile.
PSYCHOPATH
She shackles them to the bed, and
she glues their eyes closed.
She punctures their eardrums.
She sews their lips shut.
TORTURESS
They can't move. They can't see or hear.
They can't scream.
All they can do is feel.
And with her tools—her scalpels and needles,
her bone saws and her knives—
She gives them a lot to feel…
SHE IS UTTERLY BEAUTIFUL, AND UTTERLY INSANE.
Evil Cookie Publishing has an excellent endorsement by Douglas Clegg:
“The novel that American Psycho should have been…brutal, breakneck, and very real. An astonishing, gruesome, feminist thriller…”
It was Necro Publications that published the novel in hardcover in 1998. A quote by Necro Publications caught my attention as well:
“The most disturbing book I’ve ever read.”
First, this novel did not make it into the top 50 of books I found remarkably disturbing. That said, the author writes explicitly about sex and torture. It is important to remember that an audience of readers nearly 27 years ago may have found the novel rawer and more nerve-shredding than the extreme horror readers of today.
It made the Preliminary Ballott for the 1998 HWA Stoker Award. The narrative is remarkably if not masterfully written in a descriptive, clinical tone. The reader meets the psychopath of the story and is provided the insight of seeing the past and present tense through her eyes. She was molested by strange men in her home since she was “four or five”, molested by her father when she was a child, and he was noted to let his male friends molest her as well. Her father had purposely hooked her mother on drugs, and she would be used by a group of men frequently while her father watched, as did she watch and hear their laughter torturing her drugged mother and raping her repeatedly. Her mother died early on, but the child maintained a steady communication with her mother’s ghost.
The killer’s past is likely to bring a tear or two to the party. She is an adult now, possesses a genius IQ, and has been gifted with an eidetic memory. But she works in a menial job and mops hospital floors for a living. Recently she has become fixated on the notion of writing a book detailing her abductions and deeds. Specifically, she is drawn to a female newspaper columnist who writes an advice column for women, which ordinarily advises women on relationship issues. Her name is Kathleen Shade.
Kathleen Shade has risen above some of the horrors of her own past, having been sexually violated by a man she trusted in her own family. Her case was heinous in that she had been a child who had been deceived by a manipulative pedophile into raping her for literally years. Kathleen was successful in assisting the state in sending him to prison. Kathleen aspired to be a writer, and thus when the serial murderer who was at large contacted Shade she agreed to cooperate with the police but planned from the beginning to incorporate the killer’s detailed journal of torture murders into a novel.
Spense enters the story when he learns of Shade receiving correspondence from the killer accompanied by a shriveled appendance of one of her victims. Spense is ordered to play “bad cop” with Shade which achieves the desired purpose that she despises him.
The character of Spense is an enigma to me. He is very job oriented, as many detectives in homicide are prone to be. He presents as an exceptionally handsome and well-built specimen of the male sex, wears designer duds, and is the quintessential loner. He is secretly gay but does not seek any male companionship. His only friend is the fascinating Forensic Psychiatrist on the case, Dr. Ian Simmons. There back and forth is fascinating, as is all of the forensic details and findings on autopsy, analyses of chemical findings, and DNA. Their discussion about the female killer is equally riveting. It crossed my mind as I read that this all sounded so modernistic and in depth. The analysis of the psychopath versus the sociopath was a clinic on abnormal and forensic psychology.
There are not many main or principal characters in the novel. The storyline is fleshed out incredibly well, and when Kathleen meets a gentle man who truly cares about her for all the right reasons, it becomes an unusual and especially warm and gentle love story. Maxwell is after all, a poet. He treats Kathleen like a princess on a pedestal, knows her sordid past with the imprisoned pedophile, and adores her. It becomes a testament that some women are able to “come back” from that kind of horror, whereas we know our killer’s psyche was fractured instead creating a brilliant torturer and a remorseless killer.
This novel is perfectly paced, never dull, and provides a venue for learning forensic findings and details that the reader likely does not know or only knows a modicum of info about. The characters are well developed, and the atmosphere perfect for the play that is being carried out on the stage.
I asked myself why that the solitary brilliant torturer/murderer would be moved to share her experiences with Kathleen Shade. Did they know one another? Were they otherwise connected in some way? The killer learns that Kathleen has invited a man into her life, in effect “the enemy”. What will happen, if anything, to innocent Maxwell? Well, we know damn well that something is going to happen to him. I was scared spitless. What about Spence? He is desperately trying to solve this horrific case. Will he ever find the connection, the nascent that his friend Dr. Simmons keeps pounding into his head?
I really enjoyed this book. I have only read one other (much shorter) work by Lee. This novel is well written, smart and intelligent all of the way to the end. I was scared as I approached the end because I had several outcomes that appeared to be possible. Oh---there is a HUGE reveal, plot twist, going into the last stretch. It changed the complexion of the case completely.
The ending? Well, I am not going to reveal as you know. I will say that if you have a curious mind, a scientific thirst, and love an exceptionally well put together serial killer thriller that stars a broken woman with only hate, ghosts, and a genius IQ to get even, then you will love this one.
AN EXCEPTIONAL EROTIC THRILLER FEATURING THE RARE FEMALE SERIAL KILLER
& Elizabeth Steffen
My Review 5.0 Stars
The original title of the novel was “Portrait of the Psychopath as a Young Women” and it was first published January 1, 1998. These 410 pages, Kindle Edition was published by The Evil Cookie Publishing December 17, 2022. Genre designation is listed as Erotic Horror (or Erotic Thriller) and it has been said that this book is unlike any other work of Lee’s.
Stats for just this Kindle Edition has an average rating of 4.22. The reception to the novel by readers was variable when I focused on the time period. It is important to note that this book was originally published to its first population of readers over a quarter of a century ago. The book’s 27th Anniversary is rapidly approaching (January 1st, 2025).
The description of the book on Amazon for potential readers to glom onto is a stroke of genius in my opinion. It homes in on its target audience like a guided missile.
PSYCHOPATH
She shackles them to the bed, and
she glues their eyes closed.
She punctures their eardrums.
She sews their lips shut.
TORTURESS
They can't move. They can't see or hear.
They can't scream.
All they can do is feel.
And with her tools—her scalpels and needles,
her bone saws and her knives—
She gives them a lot to feel…
SHE IS UTTERLY BEAUTIFUL, AND UTTERLY INSANE.
Evil Cookie Publishing has an excellent endorsement by Douglas Clegg:
“The novel that American Psycho should have been…brutal, breakneck, and very real. An astonishing, gruesome, feminist thriller…”
It was Necro Publications that published the novel in hardcover in 1998. A quote by Necro Publications caught my attention as well:
“The most disturbing book I’ve ever read.”
First, this novel did not make it into the top 50 of books I found remarkably disturbing. That said, the author writes explicitly about sex and torture. It is important to remember that an audience of readers nearly 27 years ago may have found the novel rawer and more nerve-shredding than the extreme horror readers of today.
It made the Preliminary Ballott for the 1998 HWA Stoker Award. The narrative is remarkably if not masterfully written in a descriptive, clinical tone. The reader meets the psychopath of the story and is provided the insight of seeing the past and present tense through her eyes. She was molested by strange men in her home since she was “four or five”, molested by her father when she was a child, and he was noted to let his male friends molest her as well. Her father had purposely hooked her mother on drugs, and she would be used by a group of men frequently while her father watched, as did she watch and hear their laughter torturing her drugged mother and raping her repeatedly. Her mother died early on, but the child maintained a steady communication with her mother’s ghost.
The killer’s past is likely to bring a tear or two to the party. She is an adult now, possesses a genius IQ, and has been gifted with an eidetic memory. But she works in a menial job and mops hospital floors for a living. Recently she has become fixated on the notion of writing a book detailing her abductions and deeds. Specifically, she is drawn to a female newspaper columnist who writes an advice column for women, which ordinarily advises women on relationship issues. Her name is Kathleen Shade.
Kathleen Shade has risen above some of the horrors of her own past, having been sexually violated by a man she trusted in her own family. Her case was heinous in that she had been a child who had been deceived by a manipulative pedophile into raping her for literally years. Kathleen was successful in assisting the state in sending him to prison. Kathleen aspired to be a writer, and thus when the serial murderer who was at large contacted Shade she agreed to cooperate with the police but planned from the beginning to incorporate the killer’s detailed journal of torture murders into a novel.
Spense enters the story when he learns of Shade receiving correspondence from the killer accompanied by a shriveled appendance of one of her victims. Spense is ordered to play “bad cop” with Shade which achieves the desired purpose that she despises him.
The character of Spense is an enigma to me. He is very job oriented, as many detectives in homicide are prone to be. He presents as an exceptionally handsome and well-built specimen of the male sex, wears designer duds, and is the quintessential loner. He is secretly gay but does not seek any male companionship. His only friend is the fascinating Forensic Psychiatrist on the case, Dr. Ian Simmons. There back and forth is fascinating, as is all of the forensic details and findings on autopsy, analyses of chemical findings, and DNA. Their discussion about the female killer is equally riveting. It crossed my mind as I read that this all sounded so modernistic and in depth. The analysis of the psychopath versus the sociopath was a clinic on abnormal and forensic psychology.
There are not many main or principal characters in the novel. The storyline is fleshed out incredibly well, and when Kathleen meets a gentle man who truly cares about her for all the right reasons, it becomes an unusual and especially warm and gentle love story. Maxwell is after all, a poet. He treats Kathleen like a princess on a pedestal, knows her sordid past with the imprisoned pedophile, and adores her. It becomes a testament that some women are able to “come back” from that kind of horror, whereas we know our killer’s psyche was fractured instead creating a brilliant torturer and a remorseless killer.
This novel is perfectly paced, never dull, and provides a venue for learning forensic findings and details that the reader likely does not know or only knows a modicum of info about. The characters are well developed, and the atmosphere perfect for the play that is being carried out on the stage.
I asked myself why that the solitary brilliant torturer/murderer would be moved to share her experiences with Kathleen Shade. Did they know one another? Were they otherwise connected in some way? The killer learns that Kathleen has invited a man into her life, in effect “the enemy”. What will happen, if anything, to innocent Maxwell? Well, we know damn well that something is going to happen to him. I was scared spitless. What about Spence? He is desperately trying to solve this horrific case. Will he ever find the connection, the nascent that his friend Dr. Simmons keeps pounding into his head?
I really enjoyed this book. I have only read one other (much shorter) work by Lee. This novel is well written, smart and intelligent all of the way to the end. I was scared as I approached the end because I had several outcomes that appeared to be possible. Oh---there is a HUGE reveal, plot twist, going into the last stretch. It changed the complexion of the case completely.
The ending? Well, I am not going to reveal as you know. I will say that if you have a curious mind, a scientific thirst, and love an exceptionally well put together serial killer thriller that stars a broken woman with only hate, ghosts, and a genius IQ to get even, then you will love this one.
AN EXCEPTIONAL EROTIC THRILLER FEATURING THE RARE FEMALE SERIAL KILLER
January 28, 2011
On the surface, this book seemed like it was gonna be great. The presence of Ed Lee was part of it but the descriptions also made it seem like it was a winner. A journalist is contacted by a serial killing female in order to tell the killer’s story. The journalist enters a new relationship that challenges her emotionally and before long, the woman, her new lover and the killer are on a collision course, and the journalist and the killer find a horrifying link between themselves. Add a mean cop, lots of violence, and pow, you got yourself a decent enough serial killer book. And to be frank, the killer herself was at times an interesting character, and the violence she wreaks might be, for some extreme horror fans, worth the price of admission.
So… Why does this book stink a’plenty? The reasons are myriad and glaring. First, you will never read a more cliched book outside of a romance novel or a western, or maybe a romance set in the Old West, preferably written by my mom. You’ve got your neurotic heroine who is hot and sexy but at weight lighter than Marilyn Fucking Monroe feels she is obese and ugly. Also she’s wacky and likes to run around naked all the time, as body-loathing headcases are wont to do, amirite? We have a murderous whackjob who is a caricature of every abused female killer, with an endless mental dialogue with her abusive daddy. And despite the fact that she’s a mentally deranged killer, she still somehow manages to dress up, lure, stalk and kill her victims and hold a day job with almost nary a hiccup.
But there’s more, oh so much more. We have the cliche of the hard ass cop bullying his unhappy witness. We have a man who is evidently a poet who is acclaimed enough to have made it into The New Yorker who is capable of writing poetry that would make a teenage goth misery case ashamed at the turgid purpleness of it all. Also, he falls in love with the heroine after a night of sex, because that’s what poets do – they fall in love with weird women involved in murder cases. And in a novel about tracking a serial killer, despite the fact that Elizabeth Steffen is a federal crime analyst, we have characters who use the words psychopath and psychotic interchangeably, descriptions of mental states that read like gibberish and a character who appears to be largely psychotic who is yet still able to write out scholarly analyses of her torture techniques. Read my entire review here.
So… Why does this book stink a’plenty? The reasons are myriad and glaring. First, you will never read a more cliched book outside of a romance novel or a western, or maybe a romance set in the Old West, preferably written by my mom. You’ve got your neurotic heroine who is hot and sexy but at weight lighter than Marilyn Fucking Monroe feels she is obese and ugly. Also she’s wacky and likes to run around naked all the time, as body-loathing headcases are wont to do, amirite? We have a murderous whackjob who is a caricature of every abused female killer, with an endless mental dialogue with her abusive daddy. And despite the fact that she’s a mentally deranged killer, she still somehow manages to dress up, lure, stalk and kill her victims and hold a day job with almost nary a hiccup.
But there’s more, oh so much more. We have the cliche of the hard ass cop bullying his unhappy witness. We have a man who is evidently a poet who is acclaimed enough to have made it into The New Yorker who is capable of writing poetry that would make a teenage goth misery case ashamed at the turgid purpleness of it all. Also, he falls in love with the heroine after a night of sex, because that’s what poets do – they fall in love with weird women involved in murder cases. And in a novel about tracking a serial killer, despite the fact that Elizabeth Steffen is a federal crime analyst, we have characters who use the words psychopath and psychotic interchangeably, descriptions of mental states that read like gibberish and a character who appears to be largely psychotic who is yet still able to write out scholarly analyses of her torture techniques. Read my entire review here.
September 30, 2013
The first half of the book I felt was bland & repetitive. The 2nd half really cranked up with some very interesting twists & turns. The chapter called “Manburger” will forever be burned into my mind, I still wince thinking about that chapter. Overall all a pretty good read, a slow burn to begin with but it ends with a bang.
July 3, 2017
Well, it's kinda difficult to type after I chew my arms to the elbows during the last 20% of the book :) Oh dear. That was really a roller coaster. Okay, spoilers under the cut just because I need an outlet for my emotions.
Okay, to the book itself. Loved-loved-loved it. Loved the title. Loved how it doesn't pull any punches. Every book by Edward Lee I read - I think things can't be any more graphic and dusturbing; and yet with every book he manages to surprise me. I think it's because he never fails to see these things as horrible and disturbing. I find it very appealing, this weird mix of gratuitous violence and unambiguous morality.
Loved all the main characters of the book - okay, loved to hate some of them. Spence, the lonely gay cop, quite a douchebag, but oh, how I would love another book with him as a hero! Need to check it tomorrow, maybe there is one? Kathleen, so dysfunctional and so relatable - and her beautiful poet, and their clumsiest, sweetest romance. And the killer... with all the horrible things done to her and all the horrible things she did - to the point when you feel your emotions are torn apart between pity and revulsion. And the rightest, most satisfying ending possible.
The book also made me feel terribly nostalgic about the 90s :) You know, the time when people used electric typewriters, and eating sushi was an experience, and you could hear Depeche Mode's "Master and Servant" in the clubs, and Cindy Crawford was an epitome of hotness... It's not the book's merit it's so atmospheric because it WAS written in 90s but still, it was weirdly fun, to recall all those things.
One minus - well, I figured out the key to the mystery at 60% of the book. I mean when Spence realizes the nascent isn't in Kathleen's articles. Isn't the most obvious question to ask: "Where is it then? What else did Kathleen do to qualify as a great woman?" And the answer is obvious, too. It is not nice, when the heroes seem so much dumber than an average reader. But for the ending - I gladly forgive it. Five loving stars from me.
Okay, to the book itself. Loved-loved-loved it. Loved the title. Loved how it doesn't pull any punches. Every book by Edward Lee I read - I think things can't be any more graphic and dusturbing; and yet with every book he manages to surprise me. I think it's because he never fails to see these things as horrible and disturbing. I find it very appealing, this weird mix of gratuitous violence and unambiguous morality.
Loved all the main characters of the book - okay, loved to hate some of them. Spence, the lonely gay cop, quite a douchebag, but oh, how I would love another book with him as a hero! Need to check it tomorrow, maybe there is one? Kathleen, so dysfunctional and so relatable - and her beautiful poet, and their clumsiest, sweetest romance. And the killer... with all the horrible things done to her and all the horrible things she did - to the point when you feel your emotions are torn apart between pity and revulsion. And the rightest, most satisfying ending possible.
The book also made me feel terribly nostalgic about the 90s :) You know, the time when people used electric typewriters, and eating sushi was an experience, and you could hear Depeche Mode's "Master and Servant" in the clubs, and Cindy Crawford was an epitome of hotness... It's not the book's merit it's so atmospheric because it WAS written in 90s but still, it was weirdly fun, to recall all those things.
One minus - well, I figured out the key to the mystery at 60% of the book. I mean when Spence realizes the nascent isn't in Kathleen's articles. Isn't the most obvious question to ask: "Where is it then? What else did Kathleen do to qualify as a great woman?" And the answer is obvious, too. It is not nice, when the heroes seem so much dumber than an average reader. But for the ending - I gladly forgive it. Five loving stars from me.
April 7, 2016
Not your typical Edward Lee book but still with enough of his hardcore style to know that you are reading one of his books. This book is not for the faint of heart. Very graphic but the graphic parts are not just there for shock. They are a real part of the overall story.I did find myself having to put down the book quite often just to get my bearings back. If you like psychological horror this is a must read.
March 23, 2023
Das Buch ist kein normaler Thriller, sondern geht weit über die normale Schmerzgrenze hinaus. Im Detail wird erklärt, wie die Psychopathin ihre Opfer auseinandernimmt. Aber auch die Flashbacks sind sehr emotional aufgeladen. Das Thema Kindesmissbrauch geht wohl wirklich jeden nahe. Dazu erfährt man ebenfalls die Geschichte der Journalistin Kathleen, die das Schicksal der Psychopathin teilt.
So spannt sich die psychologische Tiefe über verschiedene Ebenen. Ich fand es einfach so spannend zu sehen, was Missbrauch in Menschen anrichten kann und wie abartig Menschen auch sein können.
Das hohe Gewaltpotenzial ist an manchen Stellen schwer zu ertragen, besonders wenn es um Kinder geht. Trotzdem hatte es regelrechte Sogwirkung.
Die Charaktere sind total interessant gestaltet. Auch Polizist Spencer, der homosexuell ist und eigentlich ein totaler Kotzbrocken, hat eine unglaublich realistische Art an sich gehabt. Er selbst erfährt viel Ablehnung und zeigt das auch nach außen. Zusammen mit Kathleen entsteht eine interessante Symbiose zweier Menschen, die beide für Gerechtigkeit kämpfen.
Natürlich spielt auch S*x eine große Rolle. Es werden wirklich alle Auswirkungen des Missbrauchstraumas detailliert geschildert, auch die gestörte Se*ualität.
Ein brutaler Thriller für Fans der härteren Gangart. Für mich ein faszinierendes Buch - ganz ohne die von Lee bekannten Horrorelemente.
So spannt sich die psychologische Tiefe über verschiedene Ebenen. Ich fand es einfach so spannend zu sehen, was Missbrauch in Menschen anrichten kann und wie abartig Menschen auch sein können.
Das hohe Gewaltpotenzial ist an manchen Stellen schwer zu ertragen, besonders wenn es um Kinder geht. Trotzdem hatte es regelrechte Sogwirkung.
Die Charaktere sind total interessant gestaltet. Auch Polizist Spencer, der homosexuell ist und eigentlich ein totaler Kotzbrocken, hat eine unglaublich realistische Art an sich gehabt. Er selbst erfährt viel Ablehnung und zeigt das auch nach außen. Zusammen mit Kathleen entsteht eine interessante Symbiose zweier Menschen, die beide für Gerechtigkeit kämpfen.
Natürlich spielt auch S*x eine große Rolle. Es werden wirklich alle Auswirkungen des Missbrauchstraumas detailliert geschildert, auch die gestörte Se*ualität.
Ein brutaler Thriller für Fans der härteren Gangart. Für mich ein faszinierendes Buch - ganz ohne die von Lee bekannten Horrorelemente.
August 27, 2023
Great story with great character building. Kept my attention in wondering what was going to happen next. Definitely recommend!
May 26, 2017
Was würde ein normaler Mensch denken, wenn er hier zuhörte?
Oder besser gesagt: "Was würde ein normaler Mensch über die in diesem Buch beschriebenen Taten denken?"
Das Buch Porträt der Psychopathin als junge Frau von Edward Lee & Elizabeth Steffen könnte man schnell mal mit einem Wort erklären: "krank"
Aber das trifft es auch nicht ganz, die umgesetzten Ideen, die genau beschriebenen Morde und die abartigen Charaktere sind vielleicht krank, aber um dieses Buch zu beschreiben muss man doch etwas weiter ausholen.
Der Roman ist in erster Linie ein typischer Kriminalroman, wobei die Täterin und ihre Morde weitaus blutiger und verrückter sind als die Standard-Krimi-Morde, aber das ist bei Büchern aus dem Festa-Verlag Pflicht.
Auch der Schreibstil entspricht dem eines Kriminalromans, wir lesen die Geschichte aus mehreren Perspektiven, unter anderem die der Mörderin und des ermittelten Polizisten. Je nach Perspektive ist auch das richtige Vokabular und Fachwissen angewendet, das unter anderem durch die Berufserfahrung der beiden Autoren sehr genau ist und dadurch positiv hervortritt.
An manchen Stellen wird der rund 470 Seiten lange Roman doch etwas langweilig, wenn zum wiederholten Male Vorgänge im Detail beschrieben werden, die wir schon von den ersten drei Malen kennen. Auch das Ende war absehbar, wenn man sich darüber etwas Gedanken macht und für mich nicht überraschend.
Alles in Allem ein gutes Buch, das jedoch, außer mit seiner Grausamkeit und der Beleuchtung der tiefsten Winkel der Sexindustrie, mit nichts Innovativem überzeugen konnte.
Oder besser gesagt: "Was würde ein normaler Mensch über die in diesem Buch beschriebenen Taten denken?"
Das Buch Porträt der Psychopathin als junge Frau von Edward Lee & Elizabeth Steffen könnte man schnell mal mit einem Wort erklären: "krank"
Aber das trifft es auch nicht ganz, die umgesetzten Ideen, die genau beschriebenen Morde und die abartigen Charaktere sind vielleicht krank, aber um dieses Buch zu beschreiben muss man doch etwas weiter ausholen.
Der Roman ist in erster Linie ein typischer Kriminalroman, wobei die Täterin und ihre Morde weitaus blutiger und verrückter sind als die Standard-Krimi-Morde, aber das ist bei Büchern aus dem Festa-Verlag Pflicht.
Auch der Schreibstil entspricht dem eines Kriminalromans, wir lesen die Geschichte aus mehreren Perspektiven, unter anderem die der Mörderin und des ermittelten Polizisten. Je nach Perspektive ist auch das richtige Vokabular und Fachwissen angewendet, das unter anderem durch die Berufserfahrung der beiden Autoren sehr genau ist und dadurch positiv hervortritt.
An manchen Stellen wird der rund 470 Seiten lange Roman doch etwas langweilig, wenn zum wiederholten Male Vorgänge im Detail beschrieben werden, die wir schon von den ersten drei Malen kennen. Auch das Ende war absehbar, wenn man sich darüber etwas Gedanken macht und für mich nicht überraschend.
Alles in Allem ein gutes Buch, das jedoch, außer mit seiner Grausamkeit und der Beleuchtung der tiefsten Winkel der Sexindustrie, mit nichts Innovativem überzeugen konnte.
June 13, 2014
I think this one started a little slow for me.
I started reading it two different times before now, and set it down - accidentally forgetting about it.
Ok, maybe that's not quite right. It didn't start slow, necessarily. It didn't start off as Ed Lee. When you're in the mood for depravity, Lee usually just throws you in head-first - no chance to buckle up. Portrait of the Psychopath as a Young Woman didn't do that, it eased you in.
I started over again yesterday, just finished it, and WOW! As a whole - Holy Shit!! When my brain started firing and putting things together, I wished I could read faster.
The depravity is there, buckets full of it! Mixed with gore, and painfully uncomfortable scenes of torture. It's all surrounded by a story that is as uncomfortable as the torture scenes!
A woman who could be described as a modern day, more feminist (I hate the term, but, roll with me here), version of Dear Abby, is contacted by a killer - a woman who describes her sessions in chilling detail, and adds a little 'proof' that she's not a phony. The detective on the case fucks with her relentlessly, and the wishy-washy love interest tries to be dominant, but someone from her past is the most dominating man in her head.
I'm very impressed with the story now, and I plan to look up Lee's co-author, Elisabeth Steffen.
I started reading it two different times before now, and set it down - accidentally forgetting about it.
Ok, maybe that's not quite right. It didn't start slow, necessarily. It didn't start off as Ed Lee. When you're in the mood for depravity, Lee usually just throws you in head-first - no chance to buckle up. Portrait of the Psychopath as a Young Woman didn't do that, it eased you in.
I started over again yesterday, just finished it, and WOW! As a whole - Holy Shit!! When my brain started firing and putting things together, I wished I could read faster.
The depravity is there, buckets full of it! Mixed with gore, and painfully uncomfortable scenes of torture. It's all surrounded by a story that is as uncomfortable as the torture scenes!
A woman who could be described as a modern day, more feminist (I hate the term, but, roll with me here), version of Dear Abby, is contacted by a killer - a woman who describes her sessions in chilling detail, and adds a little 'proof' that she's not a phony. The detective on the case fucks with her relentlessly, and the wishy-washy love interest tries to be dominant, but someone from her past is the most dominating man in her head.
I'm very impressed with the story now, and I plan to look up Lee's co-author, Elisabeth Steffen.
October 27, 2015
This is a hardcore novel. Extremely brutal. There are enough torture scenes in this novel to give you at least one thing to cringe about. If you're like me, you'll find several. The new uses for power tools was one. The red pepper was another. If you get squeamish easily, pass on this book.
Kathleen Shade is a regular columnist for a feminist magazine when she starts getting stories from a serial killer. Not so much stories as descriptions of the torture inflicted on her victims. There are also glimpses into her childhood which is more depressing than the pain experienced by the men she kills. Detective Spence is the police officer assigned to investigate the killing spree but he can't quite find the connection between killer and columnist and is left a step behind as the victims pile up.
While a good read, Lee has done better. The torture is over the top at times and we don't usually find out too much about the victims. This leaves us not feeling much for them one way or another when they are killed. And there are even victims that we cheer the killer on with their torture. Without feeling for the victims, the book becomes more about the killer and those with who she chooses to communicate. We get a good view of these characters but for me, the feelings as to what might happen to them wasn't there. The novel is still kick ass and not one I would pass up but Lee has done better.
Kathleen Shade is a regular columnist for a feminist magazine when she starts getting stories from a serial killer. Not so much stories as descriptions of the torture inflicted on her victims. There are also glimpses into her childhood which is more depressing than the pain experienced by the men she kills. Detective Spence is the police officer assigned to investigate the killing spree but he can't quite find the connection between killer and columnist and is left a step behind as the victims pile up.
While a good read, Lee has done better. The torture is over the top at times and we don't usually find out too much about the victims. This leaves us not feeling much for them one way or another when they are killed. And there are even victims that we cheer the killer on with their torture. Without feeling for the victims, the book becomes more about the killer and those with who she chooses to communicate. We get a good view of these characters but for me, the feelings as to what might happen to them wasn't there. The novel is still kick ass and not one I would pass up but Lee has done better.
March 29, 2013
Quite different from anything else I've read by Ed Lee. It has been said that every horror novelist must write a "serial killer" novel, and Mr. Lee doesn't disappoint here. The comparisons to Brett Easton Ellis' "American Psycho" are unfounded in my view. B.E.E.'s book, brilliant as it was, was essentially a hilarious satire on yuppie culture in the 80's. You'll find none of that here. This book is DARK. Ed Lee has always been effective at making you laugh and simultaneously squirm, but the gross humor that seems to be his trademark is utterly absent here. Some of the torture sequences are so horrific even I was wincing. (Believe me-that's hard to do) I've never been much for reviews, so all I can say is READ IT I
March 31, 2023
If you have read Edward Lee then you know what to expect. Brutal violence, gore and lights up every trigger to turn your stomach. Edward and Elizabeth definitely do not disappoint is the novel. It is disturbing and gut wrenching as this topic is something that unfortunately is a true story for so many unfortunate people. If you think you can stomach it than and a fan of extreme horror then you need to read this!
October 25, 2008
Not for the weak of stomach. If you liked "American Pyscho" by B.E. Ellis this is the companion piece--only this time a woman is preying on yuppie men.
April 10, 2009
I love this book! Man burger anyone? HA!
August 29, 2014
There were some pretty gruesome scenes that really got under my skin. The reading flowed nicely. This story is similar to a slasher film solely for the purpose of grossing a person out.
March 16, 2017
ziemlich heftig...und genial!
December 10, 2023
Edward Lee is an author I usually like to read works he wrote on his own, this is the same for many authors to be fair except for a couple of who often work together better when collaborating. I wasn't a fan of Goon, but I did enjoy Teratologist and Family Tradition despite them not being anything amazing, they were just fun gory reads that were wild but engaging. His work with Elizabeth Steffen I've heard a lot of good things on but having mixed feelings about collaborated works, I wasn't too sure what to expect so I decided to take a deep dive and blindly see for myself what this book has in store for me.
Katherine Shade is a writer for 90's Woman magazine, answering questions and giving advice to women who need her help. However, when she's contacted by a cruel serial killer who's killing men across the city, her past is about to come back and haunt her. Not only does she have to bear with an overwhelming cop who pretends to dislike her and the tormenting memories of her r*pist, but she's about to fall in love properly for the first time, and with a killer on the loose interested in her that could be a recipe for disaster.
Edward Lee and Elizabeth Steffen have blown me away with this novel. It's an incredibly violent and grotesque novel that's intelligently well-written, and sensitively well handled but not for the faint of heart. The atmosphere is impeccable, the characterization is incredible and the violence is both vomit-worthy and fascinating at the same time in typical Lee fashion. But this crime / psychological horror story is brilliantly pieced together and has you theorizing what is going to happen next in a satisfying manner.
Overall: This could potentially be my favorite novel of Edward Lee's and to my surprise, it's a collaboration! If it's not my favorite, it's definitely in my top 3 of his works at most. Elizabeth Steffen has also impressed me with this novel and I can't wait to read their other book 'Dahmer's Not Dead'. An outstanding novel that isn't for the faint of heart and has every single trigger warning imaginable, so beware! 10/10
Katherine Shade is a writer for 90's Woman magazine, answering questions and giving advice to women who need her help. However, when she's contacted by a cruel serial killer who's killing men across the city, her past is about to come back and haunt her. Not only does she have to bear with an overwhelming cop who pretends to dislike her and the tormenting memories of her r*pist, but she's about to fall in love properly for the first time, and with a killer on the loose interested in her that could be a recipe for disaster.
Edward Lee and Elizabeth Steffen have blown me away with this novel. It's an incredibly violent and grotesque novel that's intelligently well-written, and sensitively well handled but not for the faint of heart. The atmosphere is impeccable, the characterization is incredible and the violence is both vomit-worthy and fascinating at the same time in typical Lee fashion. But this crime / psychological horror story is brilliantly pieced together and has you theorizing what is going to happen next in a satisfying manner.
Overall: This could potentially be my favorite novel of Edward Lee's and to my surprise, it's a collaboration! If it's not my favorite, it's definitely in my top 3 of his works at most. Elizabeth Steffen has also impressed me with this novel and I can't wait to read their other book 'Dahmer's Not Dead'. An outstanding novel that isn't for the faint of heart and has every single trigger warning imaginable, so beware! 10/10
May 9, 2019
I wasn’t sure what to really expect with this one, as I’d heard some reliable sources mention that it was a “toned down Lee”. I’d never heard of such a thing, and had to see what it was all about for myself.
I’m glad I did.
A “toned down Lee” just happens to make the story/gore/horror even more real than usual. No Bighead, or Balls, or Micah, or Satan. Nothing like that. This tale is totally believable, and it hits like a ton of bricks.
I dug the use of the legal terminology and jargon/lingo that the author(s) used, the name brands of actual surgical implements and tools, it was a nice finishing touch to have everything “official”.
And of course, a few nods to other books/stories that Mr. Lee has blessed us with. I love finding the easter eggs, the more of his books I read, the more they interact with each other. It’s fucking awesome.
And of course, how can you go wrong with brutal psychopathic horror? You can’t!
4/5 Skulls
☠️☠️☠️☠️
I’m glad I did.
A “toned down Lee” just happens to make the story/gore/horror even more real than usual. No Bighead, or Balls, or Micah, or Satan. Nothing like that. This tale is totally believable, and it hits like a ton of bricks.
I dug the use of the legal terminology and jargon/lingo that the author(s) used, the name brands of actual surgical implements and tools, it was a nice finishing touch to have everything “official”.
And of course, a few nods to other books/stories that Mr. Lee has blessed us with. I love finding the easter eggs, the more of his books I read, the more they interact with each other. It’s fucking awesome.
And of course, how can you go wrong with brutal psychopathic horror? You can’t!
4/5 Skulls
☠️☠️☠️☠️
July 18, 2022
This is easily one of the darkest books I've read in a long time. The violence is incredibly graphic, but for some reason, I couldn't put it down. The people chosen to be murdered are portrayed as people who deserve it, and I hardly felt terrible at the gory ways they were being killed. Some of the sexual scenes and violence do feel as if they are there simply for the sake of violence, but my understanding is that this is just how E. Lee writes. If you're not up for the ride, I'd suggest not getting on it!
November 1, 2024
My chief piece of criticism is the amount of "smut" that was interwoven into this thriller. On one hand it was necessary for this kind of story, but on the other it could have been from a different perspective. The story was well paced, just the correct amount of detail, and the acts were artfully bridged. The multiple angles of narration were also a nice addition. The last act was a perfect end that wasn't some overly dramatic curtain call. Would definitely recommend this for those liking crime based thrillers.
October 21, 2023
Not Edward Lee's best but a good read, in typical splatterpunk style, so not for the squeamish. I enjoyed the "profiling" of the female psychopath and her idol journalist Kathleen, which I would imagine is the contribution of Elizabeth Steffen. The concept of a female psychopath is original. The characters of Spence, the detective in charge, and Maxwell, the poet and Kathleen's lover, were mundane.
May 12, 2017
All in all good read. Not as gruesome as I was expecting, but not lacking in attention-grabbing moments of torturous vile instances that make your skin crawl. I would recommend this book to everyone who is into this genre, especially newer fans of Ed Lee. This story is a good way to break 'em into reading one of the best hardcore horror authors around. Ed Lee's books are never a disappointment.
January 23, 2020
This was a good read for me. I liked the characters and the storyline. I love how the book makes you choose between feeling sorry for the killer at the same time torn between right and wrong. "Manburger" OMG!!!!
August 7, 2025
that was just brutal and heartbreaking and gross and engrossing. the most beautifully written splatterpunk (which is this? there’s so much substance compared to others i’ve read so far but i’ve only read a few)
August 25, 2025
I didn't expect much from this book, i find lee a reliable writer that uses erotic grotesqueries and ribald humor a lot and though it is missing from this book, I found it a thrilling, fantastic novel. He and Steffen have put together a story that is gruesome as it is entertaining
October 30, 2025
This book had an interesting premise.. but the dialogue between the FMC and the detective was so forced and just off that it kept taking me out of the book. I wanted to like it more, but it just fell a bit short.
August 22, 2022
imagery disgusted me but it was a good story
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