Customer Reviews

Rites Of Burial

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I picked this book up in a bargain bin. As I started to read it, I was quite shocked by the graphic details and disturbing pictures in this book. Other reviewers have said this book is insensitive and biased. Although I understand this point, I disagree. If you truly want to examine the depravity of serial murderers, you have to know the details of their crimes to be able to understand the things of which these people are capable. In addition, other reviewers have charged the authors with being homophobic. I did not find this to be the case. Rather, the authors did expose how the homophobia of the KC police dept. affected their investigations and their handling of the victims and Berdella.

Unfortunately, the victims' families are undoubtedly hurt by the openly graphic nature of this book. However, the pictures in this book provide faces to these men IN pain and agony, which reinforces to the reader that they are PEOPLE, not just names. Of all the books I have read on serial killers, this one portrays serial killers as the TRULY sick, evil, emotionless, empty, disgusting, depraved, sub-human beings they are. It does not elavate them to the sensationalist, almost cult-hero iconistic status as do many books, movies, etc...

One of the most detailed true crime books I have ever read. In this case, the killer kept detailed logs of his torture and took photographs, some of which are included in this book. An in-depth look at the police investigation, the horrible crimes, the victims' lives, and the legal process. I could not put the book down. It is highly recommended for true-crime fans.

I read Mike Sheldon's review and was very touched. I just finished reading the book and I feel that the victims and their families have experienced unbelievable atrocities. I wish I could reach out to the families and offer my heartfelt sorrow for their loss. I would caution readers of the very graphic photographs and the horrific details described in the book. I felt physically ill while reading the accounts of each crime. I read many true crime novels but none were quite this grotesque.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The collaborative effort of the two authors--one a professional journalist and the other a seasoned police veteran--provides outstanding insight into the life and times of one of Kansas City's most infamous former residents. After living in K.C. during the news stories and investigations at the time of the murders, it is nice to be able to turn to this book as an authoritative source on the events. While not always a "pleasant" read, the book provides an accurate, hard-hitting account of the investigation.

I enjoyed the book very much, it was well written and very precise, I could not put it down until I was finished, I still wonder how many more young mens lives would have been taken if not for the escape of his last victim because it seems the police were not being made aware of the number of missing persons in the gay community.

The cover of this book caught my eye and the short description of what it was about enhanced my curiousity. Who was this awful man that had killed 6 people? I had never heard of him. The book reads like a police report mingled with a shoddy journalist's viewpoint. There are words that are improperly used such as "chickenhawk" and a general misgiving to the gay community as a whole. The book did not tell me anymore than what the cover told me.

As a student of criminal psychology, behavioral profiling, psychopathy, and sexually motivated homicide, I recently began taking a keen interest in sexual sadists and the behavioral patterns they share. That's how I came upon "Burial Rites," a book about a terrifyingly cruel sexual sadist and serial killer named Robert Berdella. Apparently, this case caused quite a stir when Berdella's crimes were discovered in the late 80's, and the local community still seems to harbor a deep sensitivity to it.

The book is an excellent read, albeit not for the faint of heart. The author typically does not shy away from the details of the torture Berdella made his victims endure before their eventual murder. Although I did occasionally get the feeling that some details weren't shared, it wasn't often. Berdella's interrogation and confession are well detailed and the author provides interesting insight into the psychological games investigators engage in to attempt to elicit confessions. The book moves at a quick pace and takes us through the crimes, Berdella's arrest, interrogation and confession, and the trial.

The other interesting thing about this book is that it details the case within the context of the time--the late 1980's--when the nation was in the grip of a "Satanic hysteria." Religious wackos were stridently assuring America's parents that the music their children were listening to contained Satanic messages (both forward and backwards), that advertisements in print and film were full of hidden images and words designed to control their innocent babes, and all sorts of conspiratorial crap like that. This national panic became a factor in this case as rumors of witchcraft, Satanism, human sacrifice, and cannibalism ran rampant. After embarrassing himself with two prime time television exposes on Satanism in America, even Geralso Rivera came scrambling like a hungry cockroach to the Berdella case and its supposed "Satanic" elements to report once again that Satanists surrounded us. Satanists were among us. They were everywhere. In fact, they could be your NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR!!! To quote Bugs Bunny, "What a maroon!" It's quite interesting to see how that particular zeitgeist played a role in this case.

BTW, if anybody knows of any book that details and explores the "Satanic hystera" that gripped the nation in the 1980's and into the early 90's, please, please, PLEASE recommend it to me in a comment!

An interesting side note: Practiacally every true crime book I've ever seen screams "Eight Pages of SHOCKING PHOTOS Inside!" and then proceeds to show us such "shocking" photos of the offender's home and baby pictures, the victims' high school photos or prior mug shots, and various photos of the investigators involved in the case. Yeah... "shocking." (Rolls eyes...) You should know that this book actually DOES have shocking photos that are not very pleasant. Berdella took hundreds of photos of his victims in the throes of torture and some of those photos are included in this book. If I'm not mistaken, the book was a bit controversial because of that.

The book is a great read for those readers interested in this subject matter and I highly recommend it. Kudos to the author! In another aside, the book was published before Berdella's death in 1992. Berdella had been corresponding with a preacher and complaining in his letters that the police were withholding his heart medication. Shortly thereafter, Bedella died in prison. Of a heart attack. The man was so reviled that despite the allegations, his death was never even investigated. Pretty funny in a dark sort of way!

Cheers!

Brent

My first review of this book was given 3 years ago and I would still have to say that the graphic photo's displayed in this book are incredible personal and hurtful to any of the loved one's involved. I just happened to be in a local drug store one day and came across this book. My brother was one of the victims. I have always been fascinated with true crime books and I don't in the least view myself as being naive, but as I was viewing the book, I came across some horrific photo's of my brother and the other victims. I've never seen a book quite like this. The author could've placed a warning on the cover and notified the families. The only good thing that came out of this tragedy are all the e-mails I've received from readers offering their condolences and prayers. I thank all of you for showing me that the world is full of caring people. Hopefully, as I finish my book of the life of my big brother Robert Sheldon, we will open the hearts of many and possibly prevent the young readers from getting involved in the evil lifestyle that surrounds people like R. Berdella.

While I enjoy true crime books, I found the pervasive homophobia of the authors detracted from the book as a whole. I never find true crime authors making disparaging remarks about the heterosexual community based on, say, the actions of Ted Bundy. Yet their book is rife with condemnation for the entire gay community though I suppose it did provide a service in showing just how homophobic the KCPD is as a rule.

I found the pictures in this book to be very distasteful. My brother's skull (Sheldon) shouldn't be viewed by anyone.