Review
"...a shocking work of the horrific crimes committed by Herman Mudgett, whose list of victims reached more than 100." -- The Jacksonville University Navigator
"A chilling, riveting book...fine first effort [from The US Five]...very well done...an interesting experiment [in group writing]." -- CJAD 800 AM
"A read through the book reveals it's as grisly as advertised." -- Fernandina Beach News-Leader, April 5, 2000
"The Devil's Rood is a fast-paced novel that exposes the mind of serial killer Herman Mudgett..." -- The Gates-Chili, NY. News
"The book is an interesting collection of letters and dialogue that reveal a lot about a serial killer..." -- Gary Roen, Detective Cases Magazine
Ted Bundy, "Jack the Ripper," Charles Manson, and Jeffrey Dahmer were deadly [serial killers], but no match for Herman Mudgett. -- Associated Press, April 30, 2000
The Devil's Rood is not a mystery in the traditional "whodunnit" sense, for it's quite clear "whodunnit." If anything this story is a "howdunnit" and to some extent a "whydunnit," presenting some insight into the mind of a very disturbed individual. The Devil's Rood is not a story for the faint and prurient of heart, but an interesting tale for people who hold a fascination with such subjects. Here is a man who makes Charles Manson look like Gandhi, and the fact that this person actually lived is a horror in itself. -- Blether Book Reviews
The book is an all-nighter. As you read, you're anxious and tense, but you can't stop. -- JoAnne Young, About.com: Jacksonville, June 1, 2000
To accommodate the five different writing styles of the authors, the book was written in a unique first-person monologue style, with each author representing three or more central characters throughout the novel.
"A chilling, riveting book...fine first effort [from The US Five]...very well done...an interesting experiment [in group writing]." -- CJAD 800 AM
"A read through the book reveals it's as grisly as advertised." -- Fernandina Beach News-Leader, April 5, 2000
"The Devil's Rood is a fast-paced novel that exposes the mind of serial killer Herman Mudgett..." -- The Gates-Chili, NY. News
"The book is an interesting collection of letters and dialogue that reveal a lot about a serial killer..." -- Gary Roen, Detective Cases Magazine
Ted Bundy, "Jack the Ripper," Charles Manson, and Jeffrey Dahmer were deadly [serial killers], but no match for Herman Mudgett. -- Associated Press, April 30, 2000
The Devil's Rood is not a mystery in the traditional "whodunnit" sense, for it's quite clear "whodunnit." If anything this story is a "howdunnit" and to some extent a "whydunnit," presenting some insight into the mind of a very disturbed individual. The Devil's Rood is not a story for the faint and prurient of heart, but an interesting tale for people who hold a fascination with such subjects. Here is a man who makes Charles Manson look like Gandhi, and the fact that this person actually lived is a horror in itself. -- Blether Book Reviews
The book is an all-nighter. As you read, you're anxious and tense, but you can't stop. -- JoAnne Young, About.com: Jacksonville, June 1, 2000
To accommodate the five different writing styles of the authors, the book was written in a unique first-person monologue style, with each author representing three or more central characters throughout the novel.
The result of this unusual approach is that the reader soon senses the eerie feeling of eavesdropping at a forbidden keyhole or discovering a dusty trunk in the attic, full of shocking diary entries. -- The Beaches Leader, March 24, 2000
[the story] is told through many eyes, many voices -- through diaries, letters, reflections of each character. These scenes, some long, some brief, are arranged to tell the story, so that, in a sense, the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
Much of the material is horrific. The book is not suitable for the squeamish.
The Devil's Rood could make A Nightmare on Elm Street look like a sweet dream. -- Florida Times-Union, April 12, 2000
From the Inside Flap
These days, killers are a dime a dozen. Even a serial killer doesn't turn heads anymore. But no book has been written so dramatically about America's first serial killer, a man named Herman Mudgett. Until now. The Devil's Rood is a dramatic monologue about Mudgett, a man so evil it's hard to believe he really existed. Told through conversations, letters, and diary entries of spouses, employees, and victims, The Devil's Rood exposes the mind of a serial killer, and, along the way, reveals some surprises.
