Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Mr. Schechter seems fixated on books about mad dog killers that begin with the letter D for example Deviant, Depraved and this offering Deranged. I have read all three books and this one is the best, they are all good by the way. The research done is impresive, Mr. Schechter must have gone through volumes of microfiche to find the newspaper stories that he has added to statements made by participants he has taken from trial records and other sources. The structure of the story is well written and easy to follow. The subject Mr. Albert Fish is so...Deranged that it is hard to find a place to start when describing his evil and perverse acts. From sending dirty letters to ladies at lonely hearts clubs to murdering and cannibilizing a little girl. Trust me, this guy makes Jeffery Dahmer look sane and mellow. I have loaned this book to buddies and it has never been gone for more than 3 days, it is a quick read, hard to put down. This book will make you walk around the house checking to make sure the doors and windows are locked. Good work Prof. Schechter.

It's kind of sad that hardly anybody knows (or cares) about Albert Fish anymore. In my opinion he's much more interesting than Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, etc. I agree with the jury's verdict: Albert Fish was insane but he deserved to die anyway. Harold Schechter's descriptions of not only Fish's crimes but also the things that he did to himself -- sticking needles up his groin, whipping himself etc -- turned my stomach. It was all so incongruous, as Fish looked like everybody's grandfather. Yet another insightful, entertaining book from Harold Schechter.

Mr. Schechter pens yet another true-crime story that is worthy of a reserved spot for any true-crime buff. As the late author Robert Bloch said: "People are only into Ed Gein because they haven't heard of Albert Fish."

So, here is Fish's book. It is unbelievable. One has to remind oneself that this is actually TRUE. This really did happen. I couldn't believe it. A person who indulged in a numerous variety of perversities, sexual fetishes (some way, way too bizarre to mention here!) the unspeakably ghastly aftermath of Grace Budd was reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale classic "Little Red Riding Hood". In my previous review of a Schechter novel I said had found myself sympathizing (in a very awkward way) to Gein and actually saw a motive for his madness. In Fish's case I could not sympathise with him whatsoever. He was possibly the most deranged man to ever walk on Earth (in my opinion)...but contrary to what others may think, he was aware of the fiendish nature of his crimes. He planned Grace Budd's abduction with a cool cunning, and killed her in the most outrageous way possible... This makes for possibly the sickest yet most compelling read in the genre ever.

Hats off to Mr. Schechter once more for providing impeccable research and a story with no boring moments in it whatsoever.

Calling Albert Fish bizarre or even deranged is almost an understatement. Fish is the strangest murderer [possibly serial murderer] that I have read about in eight plus years of reading true crime exclusively. Indeed, one of my crime references describes him wonderfully as a "polymorphous pervert." One of the defense's psychiatrists listed all of Fish's perversions as a exhibit for trial; the list contained 17 items. He was also a religious fanatic, very probably delusional, and looked like everyone's favorite elderly uncle. One example of Fish's perversions was his habit of inserting sewing needles into his groin and rectal areas. There is a photo of an X-ray of Fish's pelvic region in this book that is just stunning; you can count many of the needles and even discern the eye holes!

This is not a book for the squeamish or easily upset; it was hard for me, a long-time reader of true crime, to read some of these things. Regardless, it is an excellent, thorough work of true crime. Schechter discovered that Fish's attorney was still alive, secured his cooperation, and was given access to the lawyer's documents, which, he states, "proved invaluable in my reconstruction of the case." Schechter's reconstruction of the case is full, detailed, beautifully organized, and well written.

I was struck several times during my reading of this book how contemporary this case seems, even though the kidnapping and murder Fish was tried for happened in 1928 [he wasn't caught until 1935]. The media coverage was sensational and pervasive. Fish's trial hinged on the question of his sanity on insanity and there were elements that I see regularly on CourtTV: dueling expert witnesses; the "is he mad or just bad" question that surrounds an insanity plea; and the defense's attempt to shift blame to Bellevue Hospital, where Fish had been committed twice for short periods of time, and even an ill-advised attempt to place some blame on the parents of Grace Budd [the child he kidnapped and killed] for letting a stranger take their daughter on an alleged outing!

Fish was only tried for Grace Budd's murder and kidnapping, but Schechter found two cases, kidnappings in 1924 and 1927, that may well have been committed by Fish.

Schechter has done something that was not easy in this book: he has taken a horrible crime and an even more horrible criminal and made both understandable.

This is the true story of Albert Fish, who lured several children to painful deaths by torture and then cannibalized them in the early 1900's. He is one of the first truly degenerate killers in our history--a man who not only murdered the children, but was also a nut who tortured himself by inserting pins in his perineum and by self-whipping. His own family knew he was a little off, but did not suspect their father was a murderer.

The book is somewhat slow paced, focusing more on the victims and not as much on the crimes themselves and getting a little bogged down halfway through, but still is a chilling read.

Harold Schechter's books are great, and in my opinion Deranged is the best of them. 'True Crime' books tend to be overly-sensational or poorly written, this is neither. This is a very shocking book, I'm surprised that more people don't know about Albert Fish. After reading Deranged, I have looked for other books about Fish and have been unable to find a single one, yet his crimes are about the most brutal I've read about. The fact that he preyed on children makes this absolutely terrifying. As fascinating as it is horrific, this is a must-read for crime buffs.

Deranged is an amazing book in that it is well written and it reads like a novel. It is also a horrifyingly shocking book made all the more terrible because it is the truth!

Schecthter writes that he contacted Robert Bloch, author of Psycho (loosely based on the exploits of Ed Gein) and asked him why people were so fascinated by Ed Gein. Bloch told him that it was because they hadn't heard of Albert Fish. That was the seed planted in Schechter's brain that spawned his research into Albert Fish.

Albert Fish, until 1990 and the publication of this book, was relegated to the footnotes of modern killers. He was an old man! He was unexciting. It was too difficult to find out information on him since it was ancient history: 1920's 1930's.

Well, all that was wrong! And Schechter proves it in spades!

Frankly, I found the facts to be so very very bizarre. Albert Fish was quite possibly the most horrible and demonic of all killers to walk the streets of this country. He makes Bundy and a host of other far more infamous killers look like Mary Sunshine!

Albert Fish stalked and kidnapped children, torturing, mutilating, and eventually murdering them. But Albert Fish was far more than just a pedophilic child killer - he was one seriously screwed up human being! He had more sexual and social disorders than one can imagine.

Reading this book is like reading a novel by a demented and deranged author - but it isn't fiction!

Was Albert Fish insane? My thoughts are that he was beyond insane! Should he have been executed if he was insane? I'll let you be the judge.

Just thinking about what him LITERALLY gives me the chills.

Buy this book if you want to learn about a real life monster.

DERANGED profiles serial killer Albert Fish, who had an appetite - literally - for little children. Following his arrest in 1934 for the murder of Grace Budd, police investigators suspected Fish was responsible for luring many young children to isolated locations where they were assaulted, murdered, and in some instances, cannibalized. In addition, Albert Fish possessed some highly unusual and sickening sexual fetishes, including inserting needles into his groin and flogging himself with nail studded paddles while he masturbated.

If you are familiar with Harold Schechter's works, you know his style of writing is graphic. This book is no exception. As are all of Schechter's works, this tale of horror was impeccably researched and well written, but it is not for the faint of heart. I am a True Blue True Crime fan and have read many books of the genre, but this book literally sickened me. (I did not read another True Crime book for 6 months following this literary gem.) I do recommend this book without reservation for True Crime fans everywhere. However, if you are easily nauseated, you might find "non-Schechter" books more to your liking.

Albert Fish. I never heard of him, but after reading this book, I will never forget him. I bought this book mainly because it was written by Harold Schechter, one of the best true crime authors in the world. I never imagined I would have been this impressed. Depraved and Deviant were great, but Deranged is, if possible, even better.

After reading this book, I was surprised how it was possible that I had never heard of this man. Everybody knows Bundy, Dahmer and Gacy, but who knows what Fish has done? Maybe Fish didn't kill as many people as the three above, but he was probably crazier than all of them together.

Because of him, people in the 1920's and 30's for the first time heard about sexual acts like sadism, masochism, flagellation, castration, voyeurism, pedophilia, fellatio, anilingus, fetishism, coprophagia, undinism, hypererotism, cannibalism,... I wouldn't be surprised if the psychologists had to invent some terms because they themselves never knew it existed, until they met this kindly, white-haired man.

Be prepared to be shocked. 5 star +++

It's amazing that more people do not know who Albert Fish was. After reading this book, I'm convinced that the man (if one could call him that) had to be the most revolting serial killer in the history of America...it's hard to imagine someone much lower than he was. As far as gruesome reading goes, this book is worse than any work of fiction I've read ("American Psycho" is kind of close, but truth be told...)

Shock value aside, this book is an excellent read. Although written about events from long ago, its retelling is so vivid that the reader feels like (s)he is witnessing the past rather than simply reading about it. Everything from law enforcement's efforts to find him, to quotes from many involved (including many from Fish himself), to detailed accounts of his arrest and trial are thoroughly recollected.

If you like true crime, this book is a masterpiece. But if you consider pedophilia and cannibalism to be too extreme, don't say you haven't been properly warned.