Serial Killer Trivia by Michelle Kaminsky

Author : Michelle Kaminsky
Title : Serial Killer Trivia
Published : 2019
Publisher : Ulysses Press
Pages : 280
Genre : True Crime

     This bloody and completely true trivia collection will horrify and intrigue readers, with answers to questions like “What was John Wayne Gacy’s last meal?”, “Which serial killer was captured because of a bloody footprint left on his victim?", “Who was the FBI agent credited with coining the term 'serial killer'?” and “How was one mass murderer able to get away with selling his victim’s skeletons to medical students?”

     Over the years I have tackled a fair few books on serial killer. For each, they have focused on a very specific person detailing the lives and crimes. These books are always a challenge to read, dealing with such a subject it is hardly surprising. But for me I also find them to be very interesting learning the details I suppose helps to give context to headlines that try there best to go for the most gruesome aspect in an attempt to sell papers. No matter your view these kinds of books remain best sellers the world over flying off the shelf for those who like to peek into the darkest side of life.

     In the Serial Killer Trivia book, Kamisinky chooses to tackle the subject in a different way to most authors in this genre. Rather than giving us a book that follows complete stories delving into each aspect of these horrific crimes. Instead, she dips into little bit of there lives to give us information that we may not know. Some are absurd others disturbing but each brings to light some curious facts about such people. She also gives us some insight into killers that were never caught or are currently at large today. Because of the way in which this book is present it means that should you come across parts you already know it is easy to skip across to something new.  

     I felt there was a good mix here of both killers that a greatly known and others that I had ever known about.  It is a funny thing that we assume that all serial killers reside most in America and a few across the pond here in England. But as I have now learned this is a problem that is encountered all over the world. In part, this book serves as an intro to this dark and macabre. You can use the text found here to go in search of more information on anyone that is mentioned within these pages. As I said before she never settles for too long on any one of them. Even with what I have learned from other books I can't say at any point I was left feeling not interested in what I was learning.  Maybe this is due to the quick speed at which the book chugs along. And in doing so it did not take me long before I was turning the last page. 

     If you are a die-hard true crime reader then this book will probably offer little you have not already read about in great detail. But for me at least it gave me a good couple of entertaining hours. It managed to raise a good few questions of me and also realize that there a probably a great deal of these killers that spent a whole life killing and where never known about. It is a starting point and a place to start if you are looking to start getting into this genre.