This book is not for everyone. The authors are very honest about what Kermit Gosnell, and what Gosnell did went far beyond abortion. He murdered and decimated. If you are uncomfortable with Ed Gein’s story, do not read this book, for Gosnell was the same type of hoarder.

This book was finely investigated, so I only deduct one star for these reasons:
* the unnecessary, in my opinion, long chapter lecturing the reader on proper journalistic practices. It’s near the end of the book, so by the time it is reached, I as the reader have the full picture of the bizarre news dodge of this story. I don’t need a mini journalism class to drive it home.
* the occasional use of “pro-abortion” in place of “pro-choice” in general (the only person I have run across who is truly pro-abortion is Dr. Gosnell, for pro- implies enthusiasm, gusto); and, in companion with this, the introduction written by a member of the Duck Dynasty family. This case is so vile, it didn’t need to be politicized at all, in any way. Just tell the reader what Gosnell, his wife, and his staff did. You’ll probably change a lot of minds on abortion. I think these leans of bias make the annoyance of the lesson of the unbiased Fourth Estate stronger. To truly make this point, the book should have carried absolutely no agenda—including no biased language (a no-no in basic journalism) and no biased celebrity endorsement.

I can’t say this enough: this is an important case, and, despite its above flaws, an important book. But I am going to type a phrase below that was in the crime scene report about Ed Gein, and please let it be your litmus test for whether or not you should read this book.

That phrase is: cup of noses

Hard to rate a book like this really.

I did a 14-page PsyCrim profile on Edward Gein for my Forensic psychology class in May 2014. A PsyCrim profile is basically a in depth report written after intense research into a criminal's personal and criminal history. This particular book was one of my primary source materials for my report.

The book itself seems to be very well researched and written much like a story. There are quotes, legal documents, medical reports and anecdotal stories sprinkled throughout, as well as a section of photographs. To be honest it was endlessly fascinating to me from a psychological standpoint. As a human I was horrified by Gein's crimes but as a clinician it was educational to see the correlation between things I had learned in class and how they impacted a person and their actions.

I'll give this book 4 stars, but please realize it's not from a personal sense of enjoyment but from both an academic and clinical standpoint. It truly helped me draw a picture in my head that I was able to translate into report form in both written words and for an oral presentation.

I ended up with a A+ on my report and a deep sense of respect for people who muck about in the brains of psychotic people for a living.