Deranged: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Fiendish Killer

Harold Schechter

Nov 2009 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

LURED FROM THE SAFETY OF HOME -- INTO THE JAWS OF HELL

"America's principal chronicler of its greatest psychopathic killers" (The Boston Book Review), Harold Schechter shatters the myth that violent crime is a modern phenomenon -- with this seamless true account of unvarnished horror from the early twentieth century. Journey inside the demented mind of Albert Fish -- pedophile, sadist, and cannibal killer -- and discover that bloodlust knows no time or place....

On a warm spring day in 1928, a kindly, white-haired man appeared at the Budd family home in New York City, and soon persuaded Mr. and Mrs. Budd to let him take their adorable little girl, Grace, on an outing. The Budds never guessed that they had entrusted their child to a monster. After a relentless six-year search and nationwide press coverage, the mystery of Grace Budd's disappearance was solved -- and a crime of unparalleled gore and revulsion was revealed to a stunned American public. What Albert Fish did to Grace Budd, and perhaps fifteen other young children, caused experts to pronounce him the most deranged human being they had ever seen.

Ratings and reviews

Reading brief online articles about the monster left me with more questions than answers. This book comprehensively answers 99% of those. It is truly a fascinating look into the past, from invesigation to forensics to psychology and law. Only a shame that it didnt delve more into the Mcdonnell and Gaffney cases. I fell that so much was left unknown about the fate of those poor souls, may they rest in peace in the kingdom of the lord.

I will never look at a stranger the same way again.

GREAT AUTHOR

About the author

Harold Schechter is a professor of American literature and culture. Renowned for his true-crime writing, he is the author of the nonfiction books Fatal, Fiend, Bestial, Deviant, Deranged, Depraved, and, with David Everitt, The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. He is also the author of Nevermore and The Hum Bug, the acclaimed historical novels featuring Edgar Allan Poe. He lives in New York State.