Children Who Kill: Profiles of Pre-Teen and Teenage Killers (A & B Crime) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Jesse was born to Ruth and Thomas Pomeroy on 29th November 1859..." (more)
Key Phrases: spree killers, handicapped boy, sex killer, Ron Sagar, Mary Anne, Bruce Lee (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

It is a rarely acknowledged fact that children are capable of crimes as heinous as those committed by adults. In this deeply disquieting book, the author profiles 13 killers between the ages of 10 and 17. The author begins with the story of Jesse Pomeroy, the Boston boy who, at the age of 12, began by torturing younger children and a couple of years later graduated to homicide. That was in 1873. Later, she writes about Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, the two 10-year-old Liverpool boys who achieved worldwide fame by luring toddler James Bulger from a shopping mall and murdering him. The subjects of this book are boys and girls who, for a variety of reasons, found the dark side of themselves far earlier than most people. The author keeps the editorializing to a minimum, preferring to let the plain facts speak for themselves. It's a good plan: the book is downright chilling. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Davis writes with verve" -- Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Allison & Busby LTD (April 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749006102
• ISBN-13: 978-0749006105
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,135,414 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but....., April 12, 2005

By	K. Fugate "voracious reader" (O'Fallon, MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Children Who Kill: Profiles of Pre-teen and Teenage Killers (2003) (Paperback)

There are few things as disturbing as accounts of children committing murder. Whenever one of these cases appears in the news, it touches a nerve in us all, and those of us who are parents can't help wondering "How could this have happened? Could my child be capable of something so hideous, or was the child who committed this crime some sort of unexplainable abberation?" "Children Who Kill" by Carol Anne Davis attempts to answer these questions, and it is a fascinating glimpse into the pathology of child murderers and a "must-read" for any true crime aficionado. However, having said that, I must mention that the writing style is so amateurish that, at times, I had trouble believing that I was reading the work of a published author. The book reads very much like a middle school research paper, sometimes to the point of being distracting. I took into consideration the fact that the author is British and I am an American, which would explain why some of the phrasing seemed odd to me, but do British schools not teach the use of commas or compound sentences? Fortunately for Ms. Davis, the subject matter is so compelling that one keeps reading despite the distractions. If you are a person who finds true crime fascinating, you will enjoy this book, but if poor writing bugs you, this book will drive you crazy.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Apologist for child murderers, July 23, 2007

By	Patricia A. Helvenston (Flagstaff, Arizona) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Children Who Kill: Profiles of Pre-teen and Teenage Killers (2003) (Paperback)

This author, a non-professional, has bought the abuse excuses of numerous childhood killers who claim they were abused. There is virtually no corroborative evidence and the author is soft in the head about the child killers who claim, with no evidence, that they were repetetively abused. Skip this offering it is not worth the price. The author never knew any of the murderers and falls victim to their most ridiculous claims of abuse. This is a case example which demonstrates why lay people should never write about such murders because they are completely stupid and unprepared to consider the actual evidence.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Children Who Kill, July 21, 2008

By	Anna L. Clark "missypq" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The tragic truth about what happens to children left to their own defenses. In a world of parents who are emotionally and/or physically absent we see too many children falling into this trap.