Product Description

In his bestselling book DERANGED, Harold Schechter shatters the myth that violent crime is a modern phenomenon, with this seamless true account of unvarnished horror from the early twentieth century. Journey inside the demented mind of Albert Fish - paedophile, sadist and cannibal killer - and discover that bloodlust knows no time or place...On a warm spring day in 1928, a kindly, white-haired man appeared at the Budd family home in New York City, and soon persuaded Mr and Mrs Budd to let him take their adorable little girst, Grace, on an outing. The Budds never guessed that they had entrusted their child to a monster. After a relentless six year serach and nationwide press coverage, the mystery of Grace Budd's disappearance was solved - and a crime of unparalleled gore and revulsion was revealed to a stunned public. What Albert Fish did to Grace Budd, and perhaps fifteen other children, caused experts to pronounce him the most deranged human being they had ever seen.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #315213 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
Harold Schechter is Professor at Queen's College, The City University of New York. Renowned for his true-crime writing, he is the author of five non-fiction books: BESTIAL, DEVIANT, DERANGED, DEPRAVED and THE A TO Z ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SERIAL KILLERS.

Customer Reviews

Unbelievable, Shocking...... yet Boring (at times).
The story behind Albert Fish is unbelievable. He remains one of the most shocking serial killers of all time. The whole history surrounding his life is just incomprehensible. This book is definitely NOT for the weak hearted or anyone that may offend, not easily, but at all.

Schechter really sets the scene of the times throughout this book, maybe a little too much in my opinion. As the reader you do feel the aura surrounding this era but I felt that Schechter went into too much detail of the times and not enough on Fish. The subject material is extremely interesting and is the only thing that kept me reading to be honest. There are chapters that seem to neglect Fish and focus merely on the period and other events. The first half of the book is all about the police hunt over the years for the man. Don't get me wrong, the hunt is very compelling, it is just that by the half way point of the book I felt that Schechter wasn't telling the story of Fish, more the story of the surrounding events. When Fish is eventually caught I can remember looking at how many pages were left and thinking that I hope the Fish story wasn't going to be rushed. Unfortunately, it was. I have read some other accounts of Albert Fish which deal with the character himself, which is what I wanted out of the book. The passages above each chapter I have to say were very good though. They set the chapter off and there were some very interesting quotes.

If you want to read about as much of the time as of the man, then this is the book for you. If you want to learn about one of the most shocking killers of all time, and the analysis that should accompany that, well I would have to say that you should look for a different account.

Deranged: revealing but slightly unsatisfying.
Albert Fish was a compelling giant in the realm of perversion. In Schechter's book he is revealed as the complete nutjob, well-versed in every exhisting act of depravity and a pioneer in those previously unknown. However, Schechter spends too little time examining the family and personal history of the man/monster, and too much time dealing with the trivial details of his arrest. The few anecdotes revealed about Fish's family are informative and tantalizing, and I wish Schechter would have shared more information of this kind. Perhaps such revalations about his crazed clan would lead to a better understanding of Fish's proclivities. But Schechter's book is an easy read, not devoid of humor, and it plainly illustrates the depths to which a man can plummet.

Gripping and Thought Provoking
Schechter is magnificent!! The research and detail provided on this "psychiatric phenomenon" -- Albert Fish -- is outstanding. The book is exceptionally well written with fascinating detail of the pervert's capture and ultimate diagnosis. Having finished it weeks ago, the book is still keeping me awake trying to imagine that such a creature lived among, and took advantage of, families in NYC in the 1920s. Great read for any true crime fan.

Mr. Schechter: Please keep them coming!!!