Customer Reviews

The dark fountain: A novel of horror

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

 

 

This is a book about Earle Leonard Nelson, a serial killer who terrorized two countries with a string of murders of women in the 20's. His nickname was the Gorilla Killer due to the way he was able to overpower grown women and handle the bodies after death. A better book about this unusual man is Harold Schechter's Bestial.

The reason that this book is even as high as an average read is because there has been very little at all written by Nelson in the past few decades. A cause celebre at the time of the crimes, his reputation has been overwhelmed by more recent killers.

The book itself, though, clearly lacks indepth research. It also has what I consider a major flaw-- making up extended conversations as well as taking us into the mind of the characters. This gives the book a novelistic feel but fails to make it seem more credible.

If you have already read Bestial I would suggest giving this book a look to see how another author handles the same material. I would definitely not suggest that the reader think this to be definitive book about the crimes of Earl Leonard Nelson.