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Edward Gein: America's Most Bizarre Murderer
Tells the story of an insane Wisconsin murderer who butchered his victims, robbed graves, and committed a variety of psychotic attrocities
226 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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279 people want to read
About the author
Robert H. Gollmar
3 books2 followersJudge Gollmar is the jurist that presided over the Ed Gein trial.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 2, 2010
It's so tempting to add this to my cookbooks and crafts shelves, but alas, I shall refrain...
October 17, 2025
⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5 stars)
In honor of spooky season — and with Netflix’s Monster series Season 4: The Ed Gein Story (which was incredibly inaccurate and pulled many things from rumors, lore, and a storyteller's depictions) — I decided to revisit one of the most infamous true crime cases through Judge Robert H. Gollmar’s America’s Most Bizarre Murderer: Edward Gein.
This account stands apart from other Ed Gein books because it’s written by the very judge who oversaw the case. That alone makes it one of the most accurate depictions of Gein’s life and crimes, packed with firsthand insight from investigations, interviews, and court proceedings. It’s fascinating to reflect on how differently a crime like this would be handled today — the 1957 investigative scene feels like a completely different world.
A fair warning though: this book contains a lot of legalese. At times it reads more like a court transcript or a judge’s diary than a narrative true crime story. It’s heavy on the factual and procedural details, which makes sense given the author’s background, but it can feel dense.
My favorite parts were the judge’s visit with Ed Gein at Central State Hospital and the “Gein Humor” appendix — both eerie and oddly humanizing glimpses into a time (and man) that still fascinate the true crime community.
There are quite a few spelling errors throughout, but for die-hard true crime readers, this remains an important and authentic piece of the Gein story — an ode to one of America’s most bizarre murderers.
Gein humor:
They say Ed Gein was real popular with the girls? There were always a lot of women hanging around his place 😬🥴
In honor of spooky season — and with Netflix’s Monster series Season 4: The Ed Gein Story (which was incredibly inaccurate and pulled many things from rumors, lore, and a storyteller's depictions) — I decided to revisit one of the most infamous true crime cases through Judge Robert H. Gollmar’s America’s Most Bizarre Murderer: Edward Gein.
This account stands apart from other Ed Gein books because it’s written by the very judge who oversaw the case. That alone makes it one of the most accurate depictions of Gein’s life and crimes, packed with firsthand insight from investigations, interviews, and court proceedings. It’s fascinating to reflect on how differently a crime like this would be handled today — the 1957 investigative scene feels like a completely different world.
A fair warning though: this book contains a lot of legalese. At times it reads more like a court transcript or a judge’s diary than a narrative true crime story. It’s heavy on the factual and procedural details, which makes sense given the author’s background, but it can feel dense.
My favorite parts were the judge’s visit with Ed Gein at Central State Hospital and the “Gein Humor” appendix — both eerie and oddly humanizing glimpses into a time (and man) that still fascinate the true crime community.
There are quite a few spelling errors throughout, but for die-hard true crime readers, this remains an important and authentic piece of the Gein story — an ode to one of America’s most bizarre murderers.
Gein humor:
They say Ed Gein was real popular with the girls? There were always a lot of women hanging around his place 😬🥴
January 19, 2022
This book was written by the presiding judge of Ed Gein's court case. Many of the chapters were transcribed for the actual court proceedings. At a time or two they definitely lagged and were repetitive but overall it was facinating to hear what really went on verbatim. Definitely worth a read for true crime fans.
February 6, 2016
Written by one of the judges presiding in the case, but this one reads like a pull-no-punches instant paperback. Super grody photo section!!!
March 4, 2024
If you want a book about the trials of Ed Gein, this is absolutely the one for you. It has multiple transcripts from both of Ed Gein’s trials. A fabulous telling of his crimes.
May 30, 2019
Good in-depth look at Gein as a person, and, of course, the legal history of his case. I guess I mean 'case' in a double sense; as he's certainly a head-case as well as having the case that the judge/author relates. Definitely, as one of the presiding judges that Gein faced, the author has a unique perspective.
While thoroughly detailing (in photos as well as text) Gein's atrocities, Gollmar stays completely objective with the narration. And, far from milking the sensational power of this story, he can find a personality and humanity about Gein that is well-expressed without falling into sympathy. So, in what is obviously a grim subject, there is an unstated, but useful message or, at least, a warning.
Nothing shows the consequences of abuse more than the example that Ed Gein became. An extreme outcome, to be sure. Lethal, creepy, and out-and-out ghoulish. Another way to say this would be that untreated mental disabilities are festering disasters. It's kind of agonizing to read what psychologists/psychiatrists had to say about him--after he's done killing, grave-robbing, etc.
Although there's plenty of courtroom procedural stuff here, as you would expect, that's balanced by the author's comprehensive approach, giving a good picture of what went on in Gein's life, as well as in his community.
While thoroughly detailing (in photos as well as text) Gein's atrocities, Gollmar stays completely objective with the narration. And, far from milking the sensational power of this story, he can find a personality and humanity about Gein that is well-expressed without falling into sympathy. So, in what is obviously a grim subject, there is an unstated, but useful message or, at least, a warning.
Nothing shows the consequences of abuse more than the example that Ed Gein became. An extreme outcome, to be sure. Lethal, creepy, and out-and-out ghoulish. Another way to say this would be that untreated mental disabilities are festering disasters. It's kind of agonizing to read what psychologists/psychiatrists had to say about him--after he's done killing, grave-robbing, etc.
Although there's plenty of courtroom procedural stuff here, as you would expect, that's balanced by the author's comprehensive approach, giving a good picture of what went on in Gein's life, as well as in his community.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2025
In 1957, law enforcement in a small rural Wisconsin town were called to a local hardware store where a large puddle of blood, a missing truck and no sign of the female owner had raised alarm. The trail led to the farmhouse of local bachelor Ed Gein. The depravity they found inside remains unmatched and served as the progenitor for many of the horror movies of the next few decades; in fact, even the most exaggerated movie has not approached the full truth of the reality of Ed Gein.
Gein was raised in an abusive household with an alcoholic father and an ultra-religious mother and the trouble seems to have set in after the mother's death. Gein had only an 8th grade education, was a loner due to the way he was raised, and his only income was from odd jobs, with many locals apparently taking advantage of him, underpaying him or not paying him for his work. He soon was unable to keep the family farm operating and in fact there wasn't even electricity in his house.
Something snapped in Gein. At some point he began digging up freshly buried females in local cemeteries, which went undetected because the burials were shallow in sandy soil. He would exhume all or parts of the bodies and take them to his home where he flayed the flesh off and pickled it. He made facemasks from the heads, gloves made of human skin, and eventually progressed to an entire chest plate of a woman complete with the breasts still attached. He cut out the women's vulva and vaginas and literally stored them in a box. In some cases he preserved the entire heads. He also murdered at least 2 women and treated their bodies the same way; his final victim was found beheaded, eviscerated, and trussed up hanging by the feet like a gutted deer in the back room of his house. It is almost certain he killed others.
Gein made furniture of the bones of his victims and used their dried flesh to make seat covers and lampshades. When his bed was found, skulls were in place on the bedposts. Like a hoarder, the entire house was full of garbage and debris except for his late mother's room which had been sealed off.
When questioned Gein openly admitted to digging up the bodies and cutting them up. He stated he would often wear the dried human faces as masks, and sometimes dressed up in a full bodysuit including the woman's chest plate, the gloves made of human flesh, and placed the vulva over his penis, then danced outside in his yard in the dark. The murders he was evasive about and the motivation for doing all this remained unexplained. He would not admit being a cannibal, but the heart of his last victim was found literally cooking in a pot on his stove, and neighbors stated he had brought them venison although he stated vehemently he did not kill deer. It later became apparent the venison was made of human.
Gein was immediately ruled insane and institutionalized, and this book was written by the judge that presided over his bench trial a decade later when it was ruled he was competent enough to stand trial on one count of theft and one count of murder. He was found guilty of murder but not of theft but then returned to the institution as still insane until he died in 1984.
The reality though was the criminal case against Gein was badly defective even by the standards of rural justice in the late 1950s before the civil rights era and criminal rights came about. First of all the officers charged into Gein's home without a search warrant, even though a county judge came to be on scene. Even for its time that was a no no. One of the local sheriffs physically assaulted Gein in front of other officers who had to restrain him, and that led to Gein's "confession" which the judge later ruled inadmissible. Gein admitted digging up many graves but they checked only 3, stopping the investigation when those 3 ended up being exactly as Gein stated. Other regional murders Gein almost certainly committed were not followed up on. And as this judge reveals, it is also likely Gein had begun his spree even earlier because his younger brother had died in a field fire and it seems likely Gein killed him. This judge also points out that at least some of the motivation for Gein's murders may have been for the impoverished man to get money.
In part these investigative shortcomings were the result of the locals wanting to get this horror behind them. All the sheriffs were local elected officials. In the end townspeople even burned Gein's house to the ground. When Gein was ruled competent for trial, itself a questionable determination, he was tried on only 1 murder and a minor theft. He was never tried for desecration of graves and abuse of corpses even though those crimes were the ones he was more open to discussing. Because of the shortcomings, the true number of Gein's murders and exhumations will never be known.
This is not a traditional book in that much of the book is trial and investigative transcripts selected by the judge, but that is precisely why this book is an important contribution to the study of the monster that was Ed Gein. The judge was born about 1900 and the writing now is a bit out of date, but it is a vital account by a key actor in the case.
Gein served as the model for such horror films as Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Friday the 13th and the Blair Witch. Many movies including a recent one have been made on him though all included some made up exaggerations. But in reality the horror of what Ed Gein did and the monster he was pales in comparison to any movie about him or inspired by him.
Gein was raised in an abusive household with an alcoholic father and an ultra-religious mother and the trouble seems to have set in after the mother's death. Gein had only an 8th grade education, was a loner due to the way he was raised, and his only income was from odd jobs, with many locals apparently taking advantage of him, underpaying him or not paying him for his work. He soon was unable to keep the family farm operating and in fact there wasn't even electricity in his house.
Something snapped in Gein. At some point he began digging up freshly buried females in local cemeteries, which went undetected because the burials were shallow in sandy soil. He would exhume all or parts of the bodies and take them to his home where he flayed the flesh off and pickled it. He made facemasks from the heads, gloves made of human skin, and eventually progressed to an entire chest plate of a woman complete with the breasts still attached. He cut out the women's vulva and vaginas and literally stored them in a box. In some cases he preserved the entire heads. He also murdered at least 2 women and treated their bodies the same way; his final victim was found beheaded, eviscerated, and trussed up hanging by the feet like a gutted deer in the back room of his house. It is almost certain he killed others.
Gein made furniture of the bones of his victims and used their dried flesh to make seat covers and lampshades. When his bed was found, skulls were in place on the bedposts. Like a hoarder, the entire house was full of garbage and debris except for his late mother's room which had been sealed off.
When questioned Gein openly admitted to digging up the bodies and cutting them up. He stated he would often wear the dried human faces as masks, and sometimes dressed up in a full bodysuit including the woman's chest plate, the gloves made of human flesh, and placed the vulva over his penis, then danced outside in his yard in the dark. The murders he was evasive about and the motivation for doing all this remained unexplained. He would not admit being a cannibal, but the heart of his last victim was found literally cooking in a pot on his stove, and neighbors stated he had brought them venison although he stated vehemently he did not kill deer. It later became apparent the venison was made of human.
Gein was immediately ruled insane and institutionalized, and this book was written by the judge that presided over his bench trial a decade later when it was ruled he was competent enough to stand trial on one count of theft and one count of murder. He was found guilty of murder but not of theft but then returned to the institution as still insane until he died in 1984.
The reality though was the criminal case against Gein was badly defective even by the standards of rural justice in the late 1950s before the civil rights era and criminal rights came about. First of all the officers charged into Gein's home without a search warrant, even though a county judge came to be on scene. Even for its time that was a no no. One of the local sheriffs physically assaulted Gein in front of other officers who had to restrain him, and that led to Gein's "confession" which the judge later ruled inadmissible. Gein admitted digging up many graves but they checked only 3, stopping the investigation when those 3 ended up being exactly as Gein stated. Other regional murders Gein almost certainly committed were not followed up on. And as this judge reveals, it is also likely Gein had begun his spree even earlier because his younger brother had died in a field fire and it seems likely Gein killed him. This judge also points out that at least some of the motivation for Gein's murders may have been for the impoverished man to get money.
In part these investigative shortcomings were the result of the locals wanting to get this horror behind them. All the sheriffs were local elected officials. In the end townspeople even burned Gein's house to the ground. When Gein was ruled competent for trial, itself a questionable determination, he was tried on only 1 murder and a minor theft. He was never tried for desecration of graves and abuse of corpses even though those crimes were the ones he was more open to discussing. Because of the shortcomings, the true number of Gein's murders and exhumations will never be known.
This is not a traditional book in that much of the book is trial and investigative transcripts selected by the judge, but that is precisely why this book is an important contribution to the study of the monster that was Ed Gein. The judge was born about 1900 and the writing now is a bit out of date, but it is a vital account by a key actor in the case.
Gein served as the model for such horror films as Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Friday the 13th and the Blair Witch. Many movies including a recent one have been made on him though all included some made up exaggerations. But in reality the horror of what Ed Gein did and the monster he was pales in comparison to any movie about him or inspired by him.
May 3, 2014
Edward Gein has served as the inspiration for such movies as The Silence of the Lambs and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This book gives an overview of the facts of the case. It is followed by trial transcripts from Gein's 1968 trial as well as psychologists testimony. It is very informative.
July 2, 2023
The horrible story was fascinating! However, if you remove all the filler, this book should have been only 100 pages. It was quite boring to hear the ballistics testimony and some other testimony.
January 8, 2022
Wow! Pretty crazy! Not a book for the faint of heart, no pun intended. Well written and straight-forward, no biases included. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but not a book for everyone.
November 23, 2025
This book with "8 blood curdling photos", sums up the most bizarre murderer, grave robber and maker of exotic household items. You'll find yourself in Plainfield, read about Bernice Worden/Mary Hogan, have a look at what he made from human skin (in illustrations), Gein's confessions, the grave robbings, the reports, the hearing in 16958, the trial in 1968, the testimonies and the insane jokes that were popular back then. Absolutely liked the fact that this book is from 1981. We're very close to the time and original proceedings. Well compiled, terrifying, a non fiction book that leaves an impact. Highly recommended!
October 20, 2025
If you want to know more about Gein, this is a great starting point. the only issue is that it does rely way much on court transcripts- of which some are kind of boring. the photos and drawings are grisly - but, hey, if you chose to read this book, it's what you came for. Don't expect too much analysis as to motives.
September 6, 2019
3.50 stars
October 3, 2025
Book is perfect for what it is, a book about the trail of Ed Gein.
November 3, 2025
The book is primarily court transcripts and records of conversations.
March 21, 2016
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the school
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mule.
The teachers were hung from the ceiling with care
In hope that Ed Gein soon would be there.
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mule.
The teachers were hung from the ceiling with care
In hope that Ed Gein soon would be there.
July 30, 2019
I'm not sure what to write on this one yet.
October 24, 2025
Great information from actual court transcripts!
March 30, 2025
careful, might make you hungry - literally so sorry for this dark humor joke omg
May 1, 2018
Excellent!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews