Back when I was a ridiculously young-adult and was considering being an author I did a good deal of reading about toxins and murderers. Long after I abandoned that most inappropriate career option I found myself still interested in the subject, not so much from a morbid curiosity in the grisly details, but because I could not for one second put myself in their place. I couldn't grasp how anyone could become so ghoulish, and as I'm eternally fascinated by the spectrum of human conditions, books in the serial killer vain still catch my attention.

Now I haven't read a book about serial killers in some time, but the title of this book caught my eye and piqued my interest. What did the authors mean by 'supernatural'. Were they referring to something like possession? Did they find that serial killers believed in the supernatural? What in the world did the 'other realm' have to do with unbalanced individuals?

The truth is that the Supernatural aspect of the material is almost superfluous. It doesn't have to do with the motivation of the perps as much as it gives the reader a historical framework for how the general populace perceives the actions of these rare individuals. For in the place of any understanding of such heinous crimes people throughout history have resorted to Vampire and Werewolf tales to explain away the aberration that is the serial killer. Even into modern times.

Samantha Lyon's and Dr Daphne Tan's book is well researched. And one of the aspects of the book that I enjoyed was their attempt to locate ancient evidence of the existence of serial killers. And so the 16 chapters, each dedicated to an individual, begins in the mid-1500s with the 'Werewolves of Poligny', and proceeds throughout the centuries until Jack Spillman III, the 'Werewolf Butcher', circa 1995.

*note that those with squeamish tummies should probably resist this book.

Those who are curious about serial killers will get a solid overview of the subject. Lyon's and Tan's book isn't just a salacious effort. They make the attempt to explain and understand some of the common factors that can be found in the backgrounds of this type of criminal. [Did you know that head injuries are a common factor?] And they examine each individual using that categorization/typology of Holmes and DeBurger.

It's this latter that I think is a little weak. The discussion was lighter than I would have wanted, but probably appropriate for most readers. I can't help it, I tend to lean a little to the academic.

If this topic is within your reading categories you might certainly want to pick up SUPERNATURAL SERIAL KILLERS. It was an entertaining and informative read.

~review copy
~book #4 for 2016

I have always been interested in true crime and what makes serial killers tick so as a result I am a huge fan of Ann Rule because she wrote about true crime cases clinically but with compassion and without a trace of sensationalism (unlike a book I ended up putting down because the crimes were described with such glee and enjoyment). Supernatural Serial Killers by Samantha Lyon is definitely not like the book I put down in disgust. This book discusses in detail selected cases of serial killers who in some way have a connection with the supernatural. Each killer is examined in detail (as much as possible with available information). There is a focus on their childhoods with particular emphasis on abusive childhoods and head injuries. At the end of each chapter, the author examines the psychology of each killer and what "class" of killer they are. There are comparisons concerning the childhoods, early psychology, and the effect head injuries possibly had with the serial killers examined. The cases are discussed quite graphically sometimes but in such a way that it adds to the understanding of the killers character and is not sensational in any way. In short, I found this book to be well written and well researched and was quite informative. I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Being someone who is interested in true crime, I really enjoyed this book. The focus of the book is on serial killers whose acts are considered so depraved that they have been labeled supernatural in some way. There is a wealth of information provided regarding each serial killer mentioned. I learned something new about Elizabeth Bathory, Jeffrey Dahmer & Andrei Chikatilo. I also learned about serial killers I hadn't previously heard of, such as Tsutomu Miyazaki and Jack Spillman. One issue I had with the book is that the term "mass murderer" was used interchangeably with "serial killer" when those terms actually mean different things. However that did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. If you are interested in true crime, I highly recommend this book.

Note: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )