Review: Lifeless, dull, and amateurish
Rating: 1 out of 5
Date: 01 9, 2013
It takes a lot to suck the life out of stories of serial murderesses. These stories are dull as dishwater, though. Wikipedia entries read with more excitement. The style is similar to a school book report (sixth grade, maybe?), with dry facts regurgitated without feeling. The most interesting aspects of the cases are glossed over in favor of biographical information, birth and death dates and places, etc.Sources aren't mentioned either, and they could have added something. For example, "It was found out later that Sophie had bought...a sizable amount of arsenic." Passive voice aside, who found out? Is this from a witness statement? A neighbor? A trial transcript?The photos are ripped from the net, often with the original site's captions or marks still on them, and with nothing to identify what they're from, which would be of interest. Were they originally printed in a newspaper account? Trial sketches? Are they modern renderings? Who knows.Worst of all, though, is the writing. The errors often betray a lack of basic command of the English language. Some sentences are mangled so as to be incomprehensible. Some examples:"Manette Bonheur, also widely referred to 'La Fille Bonheur', crimes were not political, she was a female serial killer.""Manette would invite whatever your man took her fancy (or maybe hatred) back to a hotel room..."Random commas, too:"He had life insurance, which Mary Anne, received on his death."Save your money. This book is VASTLY overpriced for its slapdash approach to both research and writing.