Synopses & Reviews
The truth behind the twisted crimes that inspired the films
Psycho,
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and
The Silence of the Lambs...
From "America's principal chronicler of its greatest psychopathic killers" (The Boston Book Review) comes the definitive account of Ed Gein, a mild-mannered Wisconsin farmhand who stunned an unsuspecting nation -- and redefined the meaning of the word "psycho." The year was 1957. The place was an ordinary farmhouse in America's heartland, filled with extraordinary evidence of unthinkable depravity. The man behind the massacre was a slight, unassuming Midwesterner with a strange smile -- and even stranger attachment to his domineering mother. After her death and a failed attempt to dig up his mother's body from the local cemetery, Gein turned to other grave robberies and, ultimately, multiple murders. Driven to commit gruesome and bizarre acts beyond all imagining, Ed Gein remains one of the most deranged minds in the annals of American homicide. This is his story -- recounted in fascinating and chilling detail by Harold Schechter, one of the most acclaimed true-crime storytellers of our time.
Review
"Top-drawer true crime."
-- Booklist
Synopsis
In chilling detail, Schechter explores the incredible career of Ed Gein, one of the most twisted madmen in the annals of American crime -- and how he tamed a small Wisconsin farmhouse into his own private playground of ghoulishness and blood.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Harold Schechterandlt;/Bandgt; is a professor of American literature and culture. Renowned for his true-crime writing, he is the author of the nonfiction books andlt;Iandgt;Fatal, Fiend, Bestial, Deviant, Deranged, Depraved,andlt;/Iandgt; and, with David Everitt, andlt;Iandgt;The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killersandlt;/Iandgt;. He is also the author of andlt;Iandgt;Nevermoreandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;The Hum Bugandlt;/Iandgt;, the acclaimed historical novels featuring Edgar Allan Poe. He lives in New York State.