Katherine Ramsland

Yikes! I consider myself firmly in the company of the many who are curious about the minds of such abhorrent people. And if you are one of those that ever wondered what it would be like to pull back the veil and see inside such a mind, congratulations, you found your book. I worried about the rating b/c I felt guilty for rating such evil retellings favorable---but I settled on 4 stars b/c the book delivered what it promised----the mind of a serial killer. It's both fascinating and revolting. show more You want to read but you don't want to. It's a struggle to get through---and (at least for me) will certainly not be a repeat read. However, if it's true that curiosity killed the cat.......Meow. show less

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm huge on true crime. I like to take a killer's mind apart and try to figure out why they did what they did. I have a constant desire to try and understand just how someone could do such a thing. And I have boasted that I can stomach almost everything that comes my way. I was wrong here.

Where I expected a psychologist or criminologist to do their own dissection of the BTK killer and give their results, I instead got a memoir show more from BTK himself that was given to Ramsland and another individual through codes that they had to piece together in a long game.

Where I thought I understood the killer, seeing how he himself sees everything and him describing in vivid details his fantasies and his killings...it was more than I thought I could handle and proved I had a child's grasp of understanding of him. I use to say Ted Bundy was the only serial killer who truly scared me, but now I can easily add BTK to the list.

The book also features some of his own photographs and drawings which really has the entire thing sink in.

Incredibly well done and a definite recommendation for anyone with curiousities and a desire to understand/solve a crime like I do. show less

The author stated that she wanted to use Rader's own words with almost no editing to tell his story. She should have edited and she should have used more of her own words because this was an awful read. Between the man's bad grasp of the English language and his irritating code words one would think he's trying to use the written word to torture poor and unsuspecting readers.

Perhaps author Katherine Ramsland has a penchant for young men in their 20s. If that were all there was to it, I would say go for it. But the subject of interest of her latest work, "Ghost: A firsthand account into the world of paranormal activity," was perhaps also a self-proclaimed vampire guilty of violent murder and culminating in suicide. Or was he?

The coagulated blood binding this story together leads back to a previous expose she wrote regarding the prevalent vampire subculture in New show more Orleans, and the mysterious disappearance of reporter Susan Walsh in 1996. During her investigation, she meets an enigmatic and attractive young man whom she dubs "Wraith." He spins a tale of torture, murder, and mutual dependence between him and another young man called "Christian." He claims Christian eventually committed suicide to avoid repercussions for his acts, as well as to "bleed into" the spirit world, come back, and possess his former male lover. Wraith attests to seeing him in the seat next to him, in his bedroom, in his dreams. Ramsland takes the ring and begins the weird quest to contact Christian, causing her to seek out psychics, shamans, voodoo practitioners, and high-tech ghost hunters.

Ramsland holds degrees in forensic and clinical psychology, a PhD in philosophy, and claims to take the role of the open-minded skeptic. For the most part she achieves this, differentiating herself from the dismissive James Randi crowd, as well as the ghost hunter willing to believe that every mote of dust and every static electric charge is evidence of paranormal activity. Again, as with many highly entertaining paranormal books we have areas that hint of artistic license. Wraith's tale, while not impossible, smacks just a bit too much of Lestat and Armand (Ramsland has written books about Anne Rice), but could he be lying to her? Her trip takes her to some of the most reputedly haunted areas of the U.S., such as Gettysburg and the Lizzie Borden House. She delves into the extensive history of Electronic Voice Phenomenon, and conducts several very successful experiments herself. She captures both orbs and vortexes on film and video camera.

Through intelligent and engaging prose, as well as a willingness to do what some people never would regarding the supernatural, Ramsland has come up with an excellent first hand account of the subject I would highly recommend.

5 out of 5 skulls. show less