Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster

Paperback , pages. Published February 24th by Pocket Star Books first published To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Bestial , please sign up. Lists with This Book. May 17, Juanita rated it it was amazing Shelves: Harold Schechter is quite a writer. His research is awe-inspiring and the way he can turn a tale told by an outside narrator while cuing the reader as to the times of the era that he's writing about is truly a gift.

He spends very little time on the setting up the scene and this makes the read more enjoyable while moving the story along. He can transform the view of the reader from the current times to a time most know very little about. Schechter makes the reader think about not just the serial Harold Schechter is quite a writer. Schechter makes the reader think about not just the serial killer, but about the people that the killer took away. You learn about the person who was killed in just a few introductory words and through the hurt of the deceased person's family.

Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster

It was a brilliant read and I look forward to reading the next in the series of Schechter books! May 06, Lizzie rated it liked it Recommends it for: A serial killer in the 20s who killed a lot of women, mostly landladies. Why did he kill? Who the hell knows. His MO was to go to houses displaying a "room to let" sign, strangle the landlady as she showed him the room, then rape her, and shove the body into a closet or under the bed.

He started in San Francisco and San Jose which was interesting for me b A serial killer in the 20s who killed a lot of women, mostly landladies. He started in San Francisco and San Jose which was interesting for me because the addresses of the houses are given and of course I had to look them up on Google street view , then he worked his way across the country and up into Canada.

Finally he was caught in Winnipeg and hanged. Schechter describes each murder as it occurs but after a while they're actually boring - the showing of the room, the murder, the discovery. He does a good job of describing what else is going on in the world, like Lucky Lindy's flight, which is kind of cool. It gets interesting once the Canadians realize they're got a killer in their midst and people start chasing him.

Anyway, this one is going in the get rid of bag. Sep 04, Xeburnout rated it really liked it. I really enjoyed Harold Schechter's writing style. The John Douglas books are just packed with facts and insights which no one seems to be able to equal and on the other end of the spectrum is Truman Capote's In Cold Blood which reads like a novel and could be the best True Crime book ever. Schechter is a very good mix of the two.

• The Blacksmith King?
• ?
• Gott ist anders! (Biographie) (German Edition).
• A Gentle Thunder: Hearing God Through the Storm.
• Ghosts of California: The Most Haunted Locations.

Considering, first, the time period it happened. It was long ago and being able to get together the facts and make it interesting for the reader is a gift. Secondly, N I really enjoyed Harold Schechter's writing style. That's a lot of newspapers, police reports and traveling to pull it all together. It certainly makes me want to read more of his books. One other thing I'd like to point out is that on the Amazon page for this book it compares this book to Ann Rules' books. The subject matter is similar but her books put me to sleep.

Bestial is much better written. Disappointing Read The blurb for this book was fascinating, compelling me to lay down 12 dollars, which is very rare for me. I have read Schechter, which was another reason for my purchase and disappointment. Unfortunately, this book reads like a series of newspaper articles, and as such gets quite repetitive- even through 22 murders. Earle Nelson would be a fascinating character to explore, but he is not explored in this book. We are presented with a shallow presentation of facts that becomes, m Disappointing Read The blurb for this book was fascinating, compelling me to lay down 12 dollars, which is very rare for me.

We are presented with a shallow presentation of facts that becomes, mindboggling so, boring. Sad to say, I cannot recommend it. Jul 11, Sarah Tregear rated it really liked it. Creepy unsettling look at one of the first American serial killers. Interesting background on how the different police forces started to share info. Mar 17, Lisa rated it really liked it.

I love how Schechter ties historical events into his stories. You can learn about history while enjoying a fascinating true crime tale. The writing was engaging. Still throughout the book the author would repeat facts so that it seemed to me that he was being paid by the word. It was distracting and more than a few times I wanted to stop reading. Why did I keep reading?

I thought the author would pleasantly surprise me with a good wrap up. I wasn't pleasantly surprised. Reading this book immerses you in the mindset of people in the s. That can be a good thing I suppose but for me I was looking for a commentary or contrast th The writing was engaging. That can be a good thing I suppose but for me I was looking for a commentary or contrast that told the readers the difference between how "insane" judgements would be handled today. To me this book was lazy in researching mental illness and killers and explaining how back in the 20s how mental illness was viewed and treated compared to how it is treated now as far as this serial killer.

I also was disappointed in the lack of understanding through the eyes of the killer that was presented here. It could be because this happened so long ago that no one thoroughly interviewed him. I am trying to be magnanimous here because I think this author is a pretty good writer yet he's written so many books about violent killers I would have thought he'd include more than just the manipulation of the written facts like some research into these killers and additions about the work that criminal psychologists and crime prevention workers woven into the stories.

It's frustrating to read the killers history with his family and schools and work etc. Basically this is violent crime for titillation. It took me longer to finish than it should have and was utterly forgettable. Sep 24, Dan Strauss rated it really liked it. A pretty straightforward and engaging narrative of Earle Leonard Nelson, whom I hadn't heard of before picking this book up. Like any good true crime nonfiction book, this one does a good job of characterizing the murderer as well.

Not that he's in any way innocent, but it's interesting to see how he was raised and how he views his own crimes. Really good read This isn't a trashy rehash.

It is a very well researched true crime book. The book is readable and really flows. It's a great weekend read, and an interesting insight into the s in the U. Sep 20, Steve Parcell rated it it was ok Shelves: The book was ok but a little too much detail on the other issues in the 's. Some were relevant but others felt out of place.

May 18, Jamie rated it liked it.

See a Problem?

Three stars only because I'm a weirdo and really wanted it to be more graphic. Aug 08, Alice Nuttall rated it really liked it. An interesting and thorough account. May 11, Theremin Poisoning rated it really liked it. He's like the Ted Bundy of Found this book very long winded. One wonders how possible it was to commit one murder let alone many and get away with those vile crimes. Jul 24, Mr. As one who seems to gravitate towards stories about serial killers, this story was well written and kept me interested.

Apr 05, Peggy rated it liked it Shelves: Gave up about half way. Very well researched and is full of details about this monster killer but sometimes that is overkill. Four years ago, if you had asked me whether or not I'd enjoy reading books about serial killers, I'd have said no. There's a big difference between reading horror, and knowing it's fiction, and reading about the suffering of a real person.

But it's really not very different from reading any other non-fiction story where someone suffers or dies. The 'Death Castle' of H. Holmes intrigued me, so I read Schechter's Deprave 3.

Holmes intrigued me, so I read Schechter's Depraved also about H. The thing that surprised me the most about these is that, so far at least, they're not explicit. Schechter describes the crimes in no more detail than you might hear on the news, or in a police report. One of the women pulled open the door, let out a shriek, and fainted. Others ran into the street, crying for the police. The sight that had sent them screaming from the church was Minnie Williams' mutilated corpse, sprawled on the floor of the storage room. The young woman had been subjected to a monstrous assault.

The condition of her body was vividly described in a contemporary account. Her clothing was torn and disheveled. She had been gagged, and that in a manner indicative of a fiend rather than a man. A portion of her underclothing had been thrust down her throat with a stick, her tongue being terribly lacerated by the operation. A cut across her wrist had severed both arteries and tendons. She had been stabbed in each breast, and directly over her heart was a deep cut in which a portion of a broken knife remained. This was an ordinary silver table-knife, one of those used in the church at entertainments where refreshments were served.

It was round at the end, and so dull that great force must have been used to inflict the fearful wounds; indeed, it appeared that the cold-blooded wretch had deliberately unfastened his victim's dress that the knife might penetrate her flesh. The little room was covered with blood. Later, after examining the young woman's remains, the coroner concluded that Minnie Williams had been raped after death. This time suspicion fell immediately on Theo Durrant. That suspicion was confirmed when, searching Durrant's bedroom, investigators discovered Minnie Williams' purse stuffed inside the pocket of the suit jacket he had worn to Dr.

Vogel's gathering the evening before. By Sunday morning, the San Francisco Chronicle was openly naming Durrant as the killer, not only of Minnie Williams but of Blanche Lamont as well -- even though there was no definitive proof that the latter had been murdered. But that situation was about to change. That same morning -- Easter Sunday, April 14, -- a party of police officers arrived at Emanuel Baptist Church to conduct a search.

Bestial | Book by Harold Schechter | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

They had little hope of success. After all, the Lamont girl had been missing for eleven days, and it seemed highly unlikely that a decomposing corpse could have been stashed on the premises without attracting any notice, particularly during the busy week preceding Easter. Still, they wanted to cover every possibility.

After making a thorough, fruitless search of the main part of the building, they ascended to the steeple. Overlooking Bartlett Street, the steeple had a strictly ornamental function, since it housed no bell. In fact, it was completely boarded up from inside. Few members of the church had ever entered it. As they pushed open the steeple door, however, the investigators were immediately assaulted by a putrid stench. One of the officers struck a match, and its flickering light revealed the source of the fetor.

A glance told the experienced searchers how the unfortunate young lady had met her death. About her neck were blue streaks, the marks of the strong, cruel fingers that had been imbedded in her tender flesh, choking out her young life. The face was fearfully distorted, the mouth being open, exposing the pearly teeth, and attesting the terrible death the poor girl had died.

Its head "had been raised by placing a piece of wood under it, or 'blocked,' in the parlance of medical students, who so arrange cadavers on the dissection table. News of the discovery quickly spread thoroughout the Bay Area. By noon on that glorious April day, it seemed, one contemporary has recorded, as though "the entire city had poured into the streets. Thousands crowded around the church, while the streets in front of the newspaper offices were packed with masses of humanity, all struggling to get a view of the bulletin boards.

He had tracked down and apprehended Durrant at a place called Walnut Creek, not far from Mount Diablo.

By the time Anthoney and his captive were headed back to San Francisco, the City was in an uproar. An enormous mob assembled at the ferryhouse to await their arrival from Oakland. Only the presence of a large police contingent prevented a lynching. Durrant's trial, which commenced in September , was a nationwide sensation. For the three weeks of its duration, the courtroom was packed to overflowing, mostly with young women who couldn't seem to get enough of the accused.

One pretty, blonde-haired fan -- dubbed "The Sweet-Pea Girl" by the press -- presented him daily with a bouquet of the flowers. Much to the dismay of his female admirers -- and the disappointment of his lawyers, who did their best to cast suspicion on the church's pastor, the Rev. John George Gibson -- it took the jury only five minutes to convict Durrant. He was sentenced to die without delay. His attorneys, however, managed to postpone his execution for three years. Finally, on January 7, , Durrant was led to the gallows.

He died insisting that he was "an innocent boy. Immediately after the hanging, the prisoner's corpse was placed in an open coffin and carried into a waiting room. Durrant's formerly handsome face was a ghastly sight -- skin blackened, eyes bulging, tongue jutting grotesquely from his gaping lips. When his parents arrived to claim the body, a prison official, as a gesture of courtesy, asked if they might not care for some tea. Durrant leapt at the offer whereupon a tray, loaded not only with tea but with a complete roast-beef-and-potato dinner, was brought into the room.

Then, with their dead child's body stretched out only a few feet away, Theo's parents sat down to enjoy their midday repast. Even the convict who had carried in the tray shook his head in disgust when he overheard Mrs. Durrant ask her husband for a second helping of beef. Fortified by their meal, Durrant's parents were now faced with a dilemma: Public detestation of Durrant was so intense that no cemetery would accept him.

Account Options

His parents were finally forced to transport the remains to Los Angeles for cremation. Nothing, not even his corpse, was suffered to remain. By refusing him even a burial plot, the citizenry of San Francisco were sending a message -- that creatures like Theo Durrant would never be allowed to defile their fair city. It's a grim irony then that, even before it had purged itself of one monster, San Francisco had already become the birthplace of another. He was born there on May 12, , while Durrant's lawyers were mounting a last, desperate effort to save their client from the gallows.

Like Durrant he would grow up to take a lively interest in religion though he would never be mistaken for a choirboy. Their sexual proclivities were similar, too, since they shared a taste for postmortem rape. There was, however, a major difference between the criminal lives of the two men. Appalling as it was, Durrant's violent career was mercifully brief. It lasted only nine days, the time between his first and final atrocities. Earle Leonard Nelson would also savage two women -- one in San Francisco, one in San Jose -- during a nine-day period. In his case, however, that was only the beginning.

Gallery Books September Length: The Boston Book Review America's foremost pop historian of serial murder.