Deranged: The Chilling True Story of Harold Schechter, America's Most Notorious Killer

Dustin W.: It's tells his life well. Not for the squeamish

United States on Dec 08, 2023

Rich Kinman: I'm a huge fan of books on serial killers, because it's part of the reality of our world. I like reading about stuff like this because it's not something that you hear about everyday.......it takes me away from a lot of the sugar-coated bologna of this world, but anyway.

United States on Aug 05, 2023

rosekrystofolski: In 1928 Albert Fish convinced Mr and Mrs Budd to allow him to take their 10 year old daughter, Grace Budd to his niece's birthday party at a fictitious address and then totally disappeared. Until six years later when Fish wrote a disgusting letter to Mrs. Budd, informing her that he had kidnapped, murdered and cannibalized their ten year old daughter. Thankfully, because Mrs. Budd was functionally illiterate she didn't get to read the despicable letter and her son Edward immediately brought it to Detective William King who had been tirelessly searching for Grace Budd since her disappearance and for the man who called himself Frank Howard, who had kidnapped her. Detective King traced the envelope to a rooming house where Fish had been living and, upon learning that he was expected back to pick up some mail, immediately moved in to wait for his quarry and eventually captured the old man who immediately confessed to kidnapping Grace Budd and murdering her in an old abandoned house in Westchester known as Wisteria Cottage and immediately led the police officers to Grace Budd's skeletal remains. Fish was tried in White Plains and was convicted and sentenced to die in the electric...

United States on Jun 29, 2023

RWM: Das Buch war ein Wunsch und traff auf große Zufriedenheit des Beschenkten. Ich freue mich auch solche Bücher im Original bei Amazon zu bekommen!

Germany on Feb 28, 2022

MGH: An excellent and encompassing account of the crime that led to Albert Fish’s capture and the sensational trial that followed. I particularly enjoyed the author’s occasional switch between timelines within Fish’s lifetime to give further context to his eventual depraved actions. I also appreciate that this was not a book intent on painting Fish in a sympathetic light; we are given a look into the lives of every person involved, from his own children, to the investigators, to the court, to the Budds, and every other person somehow embroiled in the tragedy Fish weaved throughout his life.

Canada on Dec 13, 2020

Ms A J Bendall: Though Schecter occasionally goes off on tangents, they give full flavour to his writing and in a case as gross as Albert Fish's, serve as a bit of a palette cleanser.

His research is flawless, not in the slight bit sensationalist but neither does it shrink from horrifying detail.

United Kingdom on Sep 03, 2019

soundstudio: You know what you're getting into here. Deranged presents the reader with Albert Fish, perhaps one of the sickest and yet lesser known serial killers in American history. He was once referred to as a "psychiatric phenomenon." I've known of Fish for awhile now and I'm happy to finally own this book detailing his case. There's quite a few disturbing parts and obviously some very gruesome and perverse details, but when you add all of these parts up you're going to get around a dozen pages. Most of the book is actually spent going into the details of Fish's life, the hunt for Fish, and the trial that ensued. What I really appreciate about the true story here is that Fish is presented as a complex human being. If most people heard about Fish they would probably read the details of the murders, all of his perversions, and how he was executed, etc. but they probably wouldn't care much to see him presented as such. The book impressed me on that level because it doesn't tell you how much of a monster he was, but instead it shows you how he was a real and complex person.

The actual book itself appears to be in need of an editor, although bear in mind I'm strictly speaking of the...

United States on Jun 05, 2016

Scott E. High: Harold Schechter hits another crooked nail square on the head with DERANGED, a 'true crime' novel dealing with one of the most heinous killers of the 20th century, Albert Fish. The author was extremely fair in presenting the conundrum of whether Albert was "insane" or not. Some would (rightly) say that Mr. Fish proved himself insane simply from the depravity and multiplicity of his strange acts. Others would simply regard him as a monster who knew the difference between right and wrong and therefore should be punished to the full extent of the law.

Once again Mr. Schechter did an incredible amount of research in putting together this narrative of a series of crimes committed some 85 years ago, going so far as to interview the relatives of witnesses/participants who had predeceased the writing of this book. I found the observations made by Fish's family members extremely interesting considering the crimes that their father had allegedly committed. They paralleled the recollections by family members of other mentally ill individuals that I have either read about or investigated on my own. "Johnny was always a little different." "I always felt a little sorry for Johnny."...

United States on Aug 15, 2014

Lynsey Porter: This book arrived promptly and was well packaged.

I hadnt heard about this serial killer before so didnt know what to expect from this text. I can't begin to describe the horrors this book unfolds, I was completley enthralled, disgusted, horrified and shocked throughout - but it is a fantastic read!
The author writes extremely well and manages to present the facts of the case alongside relevant historical information of that time which adds to the story. He also maintains a dignified prose that does not slide into the outlandish....although the crimes committed are certainly difficult not to become impassioned about.
I will be reading more of Harold Schelchier's work, very impressed indeed - good luck not having nightmares from this!

United Kingdom on Sep 13, 2013

Kram: Harold Schechters "Deranged" erzählt die Geschichte von Albert H. Fish, einem Kindermörder und Kannibalen, der Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts lebte.
Das Buch ist wirklich super! Das erste Drittel handelt von den mysteriösen Entführungen von Francis McDonnell, Billy Gaffney und Grace Budd. Später schildert Schechter wie man Albert Fish auf die Schliche kam und wie seine gesamte Gerichtsverhandlung abgelaufen ist.
Es wird beschrieben wie die Polizei arbeitete, was für falsche Verdächtige es gab, wie Fish's Familienleben war, was er für Perversionen auslebte, usw. Obwohl das Ganze im Grunde ein Tatsachenbericht ist, ist es dennoch unglaublich spannend.
Der Autor hat viele der ominösen Briefe von Fish in voller Länge in das Buch aufgenommen (natürlich auch seinen Brief an die Eltern von Grace Budd) wodurch man einen interessanten und wirklich schockierenden Einblick in den Kopf dieses Mannes bekommt. Es gibt original Interviews mit Albert Fish, sowie mit seinen Kindern, einigen Zeugen und Psychiatern.
Außerdem gibt es in der Mitte des Buchs einige Photos, u.a. von Albert Fish nach seiner Verhaftung, von Grace Budd und dem Fundort ihrer Knochen und natürlich von...

Germany on Jul 22, 2008