If you don't like true-crime books you can quit reading right now! I love mystery books but sometimes I like to read about the real cases which are often more bizarre than fiction. Erased is the story of a new type of killer. Actually the type isn't new, just the vocabulary. One of the earliest examples was Chester Gillette. When his factory-working girlfriend became pregnant he made plans to "erase" her. Taking her out on the water for a boat ride (she thought he was probably going to propose), he suddenly hit her with the oars and left her to drown with the boat upturned and his own straw hat floating, as if he too had drowned. (When the police eventually catch up with him he swears that she committed suicide by jumping overboard). His story became famous when it became the inspiration for An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser.
This century's poster boys for eraser killings are Scott Peterson and Mark Hacking. The insight into these men is fascinating. They carefully plan the killings and carry them out with no emotion. In many, many cases the victims are pregnant. Seems these men feel a child doesn't fit in with their own plans.
This is not a gory book - it focuses on the psychological make-up of these killers.
No comments:
Post a Comment