Heather Gadd's Reviews > Serial Killers: The World's Most Evil

Growing up, the Green River Killer was our bogeyman, he wasn't caught until I was in high school, by a man I knew as Officer Reichert, who would come to my elementary school and talk to us about stranger danger. In my adult years I would watch a movie about this man and the strides he took to capture one of the most evil men in the world. My stepbrother remembers seeing Ridgeway at lunch when he worked Boeing. As a pastor, my father once counseled a family of one of Rideway's victims. It's a game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, Serial Killer edition.

Maybe it's because I was born, raised, and continue to live in the murderous epicenter of the Pacific Northwest, but since I was old enough to Google, I guess, since the invention of Google, I've been fascinated with serial killers. So it was only natural that when I saw that this book was available to wish for, I was definitely interested, and it did not disappoint.

A very thorough and comprehensive rundown of some truly evil and horrific people, this book gives just enough detail to sate the curious mind, but not too much so as it's difficult to read. Some may still find it a bit graphic, as I've become mildly desensitized due to my own research, but I would warn off those that are more sensitive.

Even as familiar as I am with my state's sordid past, I was shocked to learn of yet another case that hit very close to home, specifically, the town most of my family lives, and where my husband graduated from high school. This isn't some sprawling city, either, this is a small, farming town at the base of Mt. Rainier. While this book is nonfiction, it is neither dry nor clinical. It was engaging and readable, and I would recommend it to anyone that is at all interested in a complete, yet compact, history of some of the most deplorable humans to grace mankind.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.