By Reason of Insanity [Hardcover]

Shane Stevens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 14, 1979

Thomas Bishop was twenty-five when he escaped from an institution for the criminally insane. Behind him was a grotesque history of pain, murder and rage. Ahead lay a path of horrifying vengeance that would trigger the most intense manhunt in history.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Back in the '70s, when the term "serial killer" wasn't yet popular, Shane Stevens wrote this long, exquisitely detailed novel about a psychopathic murderer. Thomas Bishop escapes from an insane asylum at age 25 and begins what he fully intends to be a historic career as a multiple murderer. He is meticulous, intelligent, conscious of what he is doing, and utterly amoral. And we are inside his head, every step of the way--a welcome approach compared to contemporary works that focus on a detective or reporter protagonist. The New York Times called it "violent realism . . . extremely effective." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“One of the finest novels ever written about perfect evil . . . I recommend it unreservedly.”  —Stephen King

“Compelling and genuinely frightening. You have to keep remembering it’s only a story. You won’t be able to put it down.”  —The Boston Globe

“Extremely effective.”  —The New York Times

“Irresistible, unrelenting suspense . . . Stevens creates a ‘monster’ for our time.”  —Chicago Tribune

“One of the five greatest crime novels of the century.”  —Mystery Scene

“Pure entertainment at its thrilling best.”  —United Press International

“A classic thriller, a gripping suspense story, a massive mystery.”  —San Diego Union-Tribune

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd; First edition (June 14, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0297776711
• ISBN-13: 978-0297776710
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insanely good!, September 14, 2001

By 

AnnaKarenina (St Petersburg, of course) - See all my reviews

This review is from: By Reason of Insanity (Tr, Reissue) (Paperback)

By Reason of Insanity is a powerful, gut-wrenching book. It's so completely unlike any other serial killer book, even the very very good ones. I'll finish one book and pick up another without a minute in between, but when I finished this I was reluctant to read anything else for quite a while, suspecting that any future crime books are just going to be a pale shadow of this one. So far, they all are. According to the back cover, this is considered 'One of the five greatest crime novels of the century,' and while tags like that are usually ridiculous, I agree with it.

At over 500 pages, this book is a saga of far more than murder. It's fiction, but it's written like investigative journalism, and feels very real indeed. Starting with the gas chamber execution of a convicted rapist in 1960 the story swoops back to the post-war years and forward to the 70's as the execution resonates horribly into the next generation. It takes a lot to fill a book this size, and woven in with the evolution of a tragically tortured child into a terrifying and elusive killing machine are incredibly detailed stories of journalism, politics and policing, woven together by issues of mental health and capital punishment.

Thomas Bishop is criminally insane - at least he is assumed to be, after an incident horrific enough to get him consigned to a institution at an early age. But Bishop is no raving 'nut case', as the mentally ill were popularly described at the time - his coolly planned escape and ability to use society's tools to escape detection indicate an extreme intelligence, while at the same time the shocking nature of his crimes lead some police to speculate they are up against something not even human. If they only knew, that there are even more terrifying demons inside his head...

This is not a perfect book - there are a few quite major and very annoying implausabilities, which would give away too much of the story to describe. It's not for everyone - the sexual violence is relentless and extreme, and if you're a gentle mystery reader you'll have a heart attack. So bloody, graphic and unemotional are the author's descriptions of some of the victims - there are plenty - that when he restrains from describing others, it's even scarier.

By Reason of Insanity was first published in 1979, well before the current 'popularity' of serial murder in fiction, and it probably wouldn't be written today, most crime authors seemingly being more concerned with producing endless airport bestsellers. It's bad that this book appears unavailable, it deserves a resurgence, and heaps of new readers, Shane Stevens really puts today's authors in the shade. This isn't light reading - there's no stock romance, no light relief, no predictable ending. But if gruesome doesn't bother you and you're bored with lookalike murder books, find this one and read it, I guarantee it'll shake you up.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST PSYCHO-THRILLER I'VE READ, January 29, 2000

By 

Kevin - See all my reviews

This review is from: By Reason of Insanity (Tr, Reissue) (Paperback)

Shane Stevens sure has a way of telling a story. This book weaves in and out of different sub-plots effortlessly. The way that some of them are linked to a serial killer is amusing within itself. Stevens offers a broad array of view points on a serial killer and the true evil that lurks in people just for their own personal gain. The book may seem to slow down at some points but just stick with it. When the different plots and characters start interacting you won't be able to put this one down. Truly a great psycho-thriller. Also recommended is "Blackburn: A novel" by Bradley Denton.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Of Its Genre, July 12, 2001

By 

Mark A. Schreiber "scribe23" (Birmingham, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: By Reason of Insanity (Tr, Reissue) (Paperback)

I just read this book for the first time and only one word can describe my reaction: WOW. If you enjoy serial killer stories or thrillers featuring truly evil villains, make sure you read "By Reason of Insanity" because it doesn't get any better than this. Have you ever read a book that was so scary and heinous it made you giddy? Then this is the book for you.

BROI rivals the best by James Ellroy, Thomas Harris or Jim Thompson. You will go inside the killer's mind and while you will be genuinely repulsed, you will almost develop some sympathy for him. Almost. The nature of the crimes is so ghastly and the scope so grand that any such sympathy will ultimately be lost. But the details of the killer's brilliant sociopathic abilities and horrific childhood make for a fascinating study.

Much like with Ellroy, all the characters are flawed and multi-dimensional. In fact, everyone is so busy watching out for himself, there are not many characters to root for, but this adds to the plausibility of the events. The many subplots, several of which tie together, provide depth and keep things from getting too grisly.

I could go on about the novel's interesting takes on politics, the Nixon administration and the media, but that's all bonus. The point is you will not find a more insightful, disturbing or exciting book focusing on a serial killer. The phrase is thrown around too often but you truly will not be able to put down this book.