73pctGeek reviewed Murderland by Caroline Fraser
Interesting theory about PNW serial killers
3 stars
Why did a hotspot of horrific, and oddly specific crimes spill across part of the US, during certain decades?
Though Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers is well-written and interesting, I’m not sure I’d have made it through the chapters where Fraser lays out the crimes against humanity and nature wrought by industry. While informative, had I been unaware of the lead theory, I would have found it strangely off-topic, and possibly moved on to a different book. I’m still not sure there wasn’t more going on than just poison warping a generation of men, but I certainly don’t know enough to opine.
This book really does read like a True Crime novel, but though the author deftly manages to keep tension constantly mounting throughout, there is no final revelation to release it. And while the catalogue of horrors inflicted throughout the decades is …
Why did a hotspot of horrific, and oddly specific crimes spill across part of the US, during certain decades?
Though Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers is well-written and interesting, I’m not sure I’d have made it through the chapters where Fraser lays out the crimes against humanity and nature wrought by industry. While informative, had I been unaware of the lead theory, I would have found it strangely off-topic, and possibly moved on to a different book. I’m still not sure there wasn’t more going on than just poison warping a generation of men, but I certainly don’t know enough to opine.
This book really does read like a True Crime novel, but though the author deftly manages to keep tension constantly mounting throughout, there is no final revelation to release it. And while the catalogue of horrors inflicted throughout the decades is unflinchingly, and graphically recorded, Fraser is never lurid, and always shows empathy towards the victims.
As a history of serial killers, this is an astounding book. As a history of the poisoning of the Pacific Northwest, this is an interesting book. For me, the weakest part was the interweaving of the author’s own life. It felt superfluous, and I found it distracting. Taken as a whole? A cracking read.
