Rating: 
Summary: Insanely good!
Review: By Reason of Insanity is a powerful, gut-wrenching book. It's so completely unlike any other serial killer book, even the very very good ones. I'll finish one book and pick up another without a minute in between, but when I finished this I was reluctant to read anything else for quite a while, suspecting that any future crime books are just going to be a pale shadow of this one. So far, they all are. According to the back cover, this is considered 'One of the five greatest crime novels of the century,' and while tags like that are usually ridiculous, I agree with it.At over 500 pages, this book is a saga of far more than murder. It's fiction, but it's written like investigative journalism, and feels very real indeed. Starting with the gas chamber execution of a convicted rapist in 1960 the story swoops back to the post-war years and forward to the 70's as the execution resonates horribly into the next generation. It takes a lot to fill a book this size, and woven in with the evolution of a tragically tortured child into a terrifying and elusive killing machine are incredibly detailed stories of journalism, politics and policing, woven together by issues of mental health and capital punishment. Thomas Bishop is criminally insane - at least he is assumed to be, after an incident horrific enough to get him consigned to a institution at an early age. But Bishop is no raving 'nut case', as the mentally ill were popularly described at the time - his coolly planned escape and ability to use society's tools to escape detection indicate an extreme intelligence, while at the same time the shocking nature of his crimes lead some police to speculate they are up against something not even human. If they only knew, that there are even more terrifying demons inside his head... This is not a perfect book - there are a few quite major and very annoying implausabilities, which would give away too much of the story to describe. It's not for everyone - the sexual violence is relentless and extreme, and if you're a gentle mystery reader you'll have a heart attack. So bloody, graphic and unemotional are the author's descriptions of some of the victims - there are plenty - that when he restrains from describing others, it's even scarier. By Reason of Insanity was first published in 1979, well before the current 'popularity' of serial murder in fiction, and it probably wouldn't be written today, most crime authors seemingly being more concerned with producing endless airport bestsellers. It's bad that this book appears unavailable, it deserves a resurgence, and heaps of new readers, Shane Stevens really puts today's authors in the shade. This isn't light reading - there's no stock romance, no light relief, no predictable ending. But if gruesome doesn't bother you and you're bored with lookalike murder books, find this one and read it, I guarantee it'll shake you up.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Of Its Genre
Review: I just read this book for the first time and only one word can describe my reaction: WOW. If you enjoy serial killer stories or thrillers featuring truly evil villains, make sure you read "By Reason of Insanity" because it doesn't get any better than this. Have you ever read a book that was so scary and heinous it made you giddy? Then this is the book for you. BROI rivals the best by James Ellroy, Thomas Harris or Jim Thompson. You will go inside the killer's mind and while you will be genuinely repulsed, you will almost develop some sympathy for him. Almost. The nature of the crimes is so ghastly and the scope so grand that any such sympathy will ultimately be lost. But the details of the killer's brilliant sociopathic abilities and horrific childhood make for a fascinating study. Much like with Ellroy, all the characters are flawed and multi-dimensional. In fact, everyone is so busy watching out for himself, there are not many characters to root for, but this adds to the plausibility of the events. The many subplots, several of which tie together, provide depth and keep things from getting too grisly. I could go on about the novel's interesting takes on politics, the Nixon administration and the media, but that's all bonus. The point is you will not find a more insightful, disturbing or exciting book focusing on a serial killer. The phrase is thrown around too often but you truly will not be able to put down this book.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!!!
Review: I've read a lot of books in the last forty years, most of which have been pretty good. Not many have been worth remembering. This one, which I first read about twenty years ago, has grabbed on to some part of my brain and won't let go. If you have any interest in this type of story, which you apparently do, then by all means get this one. This is one of few books that hyperbole won't stick to. This one sets the standard.
Rating:
Summary: BEST PSYCHO-THRILLER I'VE READ
Review: Shane Stevens sure has a way of telling a story. This book weaves in and out of different sub-plots effortlessly. The way that some of them are linked to a serial killer is amusing within itself. Stevens offers a broad array of view points on a serial killer and the true evil that lurks in people just for their own personal gain. The book may seem to slow down at some points but just stick with it. When the different plots and characters start interacting you won't be able to put this one down. Truly a great psycho-thriller. Also recommended is "Blackburn: A novel" by Bradley Denton.
Rating:
Summary: I've read this book four times, it's my all time favorite!
Review: Since first reading this book, I've worn out two paperback copies and finally special ordered a hard back copy to "keep". The intracasies of plot and characters never get away from Mr. Stevens. He defined "serial killer". Thomas Bishop scared me to death. You will be facinated, appalled, and intertained beyond your expectations. After all these years, it's still the most tightly written, edge of your seat page turner I've ever had the pleasure to read!
Rating:
Summary: By Reason of Insanity
Review: This book is a super fast paced can't put it down book. It is a super book to read. Shane Stevens did a masterful job writing this one. I have read it several times and I am excited about it each time. I highly reccomend this book to anyone interested in a great read. It may be too intense for some so read with caution. leave the lights on and lock the doors. It's that good!!!
Rating:
Summary: Never read a better story
Review: This is a first-rate novel of a serial killer's bloody rampage and the efforts of a top reporter to bring him down. The psychology is rock solid and the broader social implications of the crime spree are interwoven nicely into the novel. What is remarkable is that this novel was written way before Thomas Harris' Lecter novels, yet still outclasses many others in the genre, even today. The Citizen Kane of serial killer novels.
Rating:
Summary: I read this when I was in the US Navy
Review: This is the only book I can remember ever reading twice. It was so good that Even after twenty years, I have just ordered it so that I can read it again. You know how you come across something from a LONG time ago and people aren't familiar with it? Back then, we didnt' have the internet so we couldn't just go to the web and search for things like this. I don't know what made me think of this book, but I decided to look it up online. When I found it, I bought it. AGAIN. Do yourself a favor. Read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Never read a better story
Review: This was a bargain book, i picked up for a dollar somewhere- was i gripped- I just finished rereading it & even knowing the ending- it is impossible to put down. The psychology of the lead characters in on target & the plot is intriguing enough to the last page. The ending still is frightening & you find yourself staring at the page in disbelief.
Highly recommended to anyone in search of a story about a reporter, detective & a serial killer, which eventually makes the reader almost nervous
Rating:
Summary: by reason of insanity
Review: this was the greatast serial killer book i have ever read.
the ending will blow your mind !!!!!
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