Are you a big true crime junky? Or are you just fascinated with serial killers like I am? Hopefully, you don’t think that’s morbid. I’m always interested in why exactly they do what they do. What exactly makes their brain more rewired than the rest of us to have these impulses? That’s what always grabs my attention. Figuring out what makes their brain tick is always interesting even though what they want to do is always horrible. Because of this I always find myself interested in books about serial killers. I don’t care if they are fiction or nonfiction even though most of the ones I have been reading lately are actually fiction.
I know there are a lot of readers who will probably wonder why we like reading books with serial kills, but why does anyone like reading anything that they enjoy? For me, it’s because I like to know what to look out for. Granted it may not help if I ever come across someone who is a serial killer because I always try to see the best in people. But if it helps then it helps!
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What makes a good serial killer?
This will vary by person but for me, I love it when the author does their research on it. It’s awesome when they have depth and are believable. When there’s depth to that particular character is what makes them really scary. It makes the book truly stand out seeing how they really tick.
Books with serial killers
I have been wanting to do a post about books with serial killers for a while now. There are so many people who love watching documentaries about serial killers. I know a lot of us are morbid and get really interested in these sorts of things. It’s not that we want these sorts of things to happen we just want to know why it happens and how to avoid them.
I hope some of these books with serial killers catch your interest!
Daughter
I just got finished with Daughter not that long ago and really enjoyed it. The story follows a girl in high school who has a normal life. Her mom is overprotective, she has great friends, and her father was never around. She doesn’t know anything about him until the day the FBI shows up at her door and lets her know about her father being a serial killer. She’s gone all of her life without knowing anything about her father and now she’s learning about how he’s a terrible person.
I absolutely loved Daughter. A part of me was able to relate to the main character a lot. I have spent most of my life feeling like the main character. The only difference is that the main character grows and gets stronger. This story has always been a concept that has really interested me. I usually feel really bad for a killer’s family, especially the one in this story. Loads of people blamed the family in this book for something their family did. And I know people do this in real life. I wish it wasn’t that way.
Daughter is a good story and allows you to sympathize with the family.
Mind Hunter
Mind Hunter actually has a show on Netflix if you’re wanting to watch it. The story follows a very high-profile detective who has caught and interviewed very high-profile killers.
This story is very intriguing to me because sometimes you don’t really want the point of view of the killer but from those outside. It’s kind of cool to get the point of view of a detective who has seen it all and has been around them. It makes me wonder how these kinds of things affect people like the detective. It has got to be traumatizing at least a little bit.
Mind Hunter is the only story on this list that is actually based on true events. I’m sure it’s a little bit of a daunting read as well as a daunting show. I still can’t wait to get started on it though.
The Silence of the Lambs
I think just about everyone knows about the silence of the lambs. The story follows a detective who interviews a serial killer to get his statement. As she does the interviews he proceeds to tell her all of the things that he has done.
It has been so long since I have seen the movie The Silence of the Lambs and I haven’t read the book. So, I don’t really remember what I thought about it at the time. However, I do remember liking it. I remember thinking that Hannibal was a super creepy man. He’s supposed to be and I get that but I watched this movie at a pretty young age. I feel like this movie will give you insight into how detached killers really are.
My Sister the Serial Killer
My Sister the Serial Killer is one I have been meaning to get to for a while now. The story follows a woman who gets a phone call from her sister. This isn’t completely out of the ordinary except there are things that her sister wants her to bring that are a little bit weird. When she finds out that her sister killed her boyfriend in “self-defense” she tries to help her hide the body.
This is the type of story that makes you wonder what lengths you would go to in order to help your family. Would you try to help them hide the body?
I have heard nothing but amazing things about this story. So, if any of you want to do a buddy read on it just let me know.
Eight Perfect Murders
I just recently listened to the audiobook of Eight Perfect Murders and I’m glad that I did. The story follows a book owner who gets visited by a police officer. Bad things are happening miles away but they are using the book owner’s old blog post as inspiration on how they kill people. His blog post was about books that you could use to get away with murder. Now that someone is using it as a guide the police officer has come to him to see if he may know the person. But he has a secret that he hopes the officer doesn’t find out about.
Eight Perfect Murders is such a great book! If you love thrillers then I highly suggest reading this one. There are tons of twists and turns in the story that I wasn’t really expecting. The story is probably one of my favorites over the past year or two.
The Stowaway
If you don’t like books that have some graphic parts then I don’t recommend reading this book. I wouldn’t say it’s super graphic but I do want to warn you guys.
The Stowaway follows a woman who just a year ago was a part of a high-profile jury of a man who was being convicted of killing people. When the main character is the only one who doesn’t convict him he is set free. She just doesn’t think there was enough evidence. This doesn’t stop her from being scared of getting out of the house. The killer is free and she doesn’t want to risk her or her kids being around him. After nearly a year she calms down enough for her and her family to go on a cruise. After they are on the ship and leave bad things to start to happen. The main character knows that the killer is on the ship watching her, but nearly everyone thinks she’s paranoid.
I absolutely loved this story when I read it. It’s kind of a scary thought going on a cruise ship to realize something bad may happen. You are on a confined ship (somewhat) and you don’t really know the people that you are around. Who knows how crazy some of these people can be? I feel like this story does a really good job of making you aware of what lengths some people will go to. The Stowaway is definitely worth the read if you love thrillers.
The Diary of a Serial Killers Daughter
The Diary of a Serial Killers Daughter isn’t one of my favorite books that deal with serial killers but I know there are some who will. The story follows a girl that I think may have autism or something to that extent. During the night her father does the unthinkable. He thinks his daughter is asleep when in fact she sneaks down and watches him do the things he does. She loves it when he does it because she loves watching him and she knows that it makes him happy. She obviously wants him happy. It all changes when she tries to do the things that he does.
My issue with this book is that I really wasn’t a fan of reading from the perspective of the daughter. I get that this was done on purpose. It was just hard for me to get around her simplicity of her. Not that there’s anything wrong with someone having autism. To be honest I don’t even know if she has autism or anything of the sort. I don’t recall it being in the book and if that’s not the case I feel like that makes her character worse.
I’m probably too critical of the story though. I still recommend at least reading it and seeing what you think of the book. Who knows you may like it better than I did.
What are some of your favorite books with serial killers? Let me know if there are any that I may have missed!
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