Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of BTK, the Serial Killer Next Door

BTK is one of those True Crime books about serial killers that spends more time on those involved in apprehending the killer (law enforcement and media, mainly) than on the motivations and personal life of the serial killer, and for those looking to dwell in the dark and murky details of the deviant murderer’s inner mind (not that that’s a bad thing, mind you), this can be somewhat of a disappointment. Those expecting to spend excessive time on BTK’s origins and double-life as a sex crime serial killer and beloved father and respected member of the community will find themselves instead delving deep into the lives and relationships of those members of the police force and news media that spent decades documenting his crimes and show more tracking him down. This is not a knock against the book, which is expertly researched and presented, but rather a warning for those looking to become more “intimate” with BTK.

The book follows the history of the BTK saga chronologically – with the occasional flashback – starting with his first kill, and to the book’s credit, the murders are described in full as they occurred, so the reader is not left to puzzle over the crime scenes along with the detectives and reporters. There are probably other books out there that focus more on the killer and his acts, but the attention to the law enforcement side offers greater detail to the extent of the manhunt, the obstacles it had to overcome, and most importantly, gives a greater appreciation as to why it took decades for them to finally track down a killer who turned out to be far less intelligent than most assumed. The book is detailed without dwelling masochistically on those details, and the occasional sidetracks the narrative takes lend a human depth to the perception of the side of the story that receives less of the spotlight. A great read that manages to be informative without descending into morbidity. Bonus points for a brief but rather unflattering behind-the-scenes cameo by John Walsh and his America’s Most Wanted sideshow. show less

I'm surprised by how much this book sucked me in, as I'm not the type who normally likes to read about serial killers or has much interest in them. But this book does a good job of making the people involved seem real, and I was anxious to see justice done by the end of the book.

BTK - short for Bind, Torture, Kill - somehow managed to elude capture for over thirty years. He left behind DNA at the scenes (although, at the time, that was pretty useless), and he communicated infrequently with the police through letters, poems, and clippings. And, for a long time, it seemed that BTK had gone dormant. Perhaps he had died, or gone to prison for another crime, or moved away. But after the local paper, the Wichita Eagle, ran a thirty-year memorial of the Otero murders, BTK's first, he resurfaced again, playing a cat and mouse game with the police officers who were desperate to capture him. In the end, two things got BTK captured: a computer disk, and his own ego.

This book was written by several authors, all of whom show more worked at the Wichita Eagle and were involved in reporting the crime for numerous years. The police officers involved in the manhunt gave the authors a great deal of insider information for the book, which makes this read differently than most true crime books. Not only do the authors paint a picture of Dennis Rader, but they give equal (if not more) time to Ken Landwehr and the numerous other detectives involved.

It's an interesting and compelling read, and it amazes me that Rader had seriously gotten away with murder, if he hadn't decided that he wanted the headlines and attention that he felt he "deserved" as a serial killer. show less

I really enjoyed this book. It goes beyond just the police notes or just the newspapers. It really delves into all the viewpoints including that of BTK himself using all the different historic files from the story. It puts together the pieces in chronological order with a chilling amount of detail. You feel invested in the outcome of the case, the news articles and the lives of those involved. It was honestly the best nonfiction, true crime stories I've read and I commend those involved, especially Wenzl.

I wanted to like this book a lot more. Unfortunately, it just didn't grab me like I thought it would. For me, I don't think the flow was very crisp. There were some points of interest, but the book fell short of being a real page turner. That being said, Dennis Rader is a sick bastard.

BTK ~ “bind, torture, kill”, is probably the most famous serial killer in Wichita, Kansas. Actually he might be the only serial killer in Wichita, Kansas. Like most serial killers, when not killing he was ‘normal’, husband, father, boy scout leader, and church leader. Like most serial killers though, he had these urges to kill. The reason it took 31 years to catch him was he was able to resist his urges for years at a time.

This book is written by the reporters who covered the BTK story for “The Wichita Eagle”, not only were they familiar with the story, they also knew which police officers were most involved and were able to interview them to get the inside story they couldn’t get before Dennis Rader was convicted.

Reading show more this book was almost like being there. The four reporters have put forth an excellent detailed account of the murders and the lives off all involved in this case. You could almost feel the frustration and disappointment of the officers who couldn’t solve this case.

This is the definitive book about BTK, if you only read one book about Dennis Rader, this is the book. show less

BTK ~ “bind, torture, kill”, is probably the most famous serial killer in Wichita, Kansas. Actually he might be the only serial killer in Wichita, Kansas. Like most serial killers, when not killing he was ‘normal’, husband, father, boy scout leader, and church leader. Like most serial killers though, he had these urges to kill. The reason it took 31 years to catch him was he was able to resist his urges for years at a time.

This book is written by the reporters who covered the BTK story for “The Wichita Eagle”, not only were they familiar with the story, they also knew which police officers were most involved and were able to interview them to get the inside story they couldn’t get before Dennis Rader was convicted.

Reading show more this book was almost like being there. The four reporters have put forth an excellent detailed account of the murders and the lives off all involved in this case. You could almost feel the frustration and disappointment of the officers who couldn’t solve this case.

This is the definitive book about BTK, if you only read one book about Dennis Rader, this is the book. show less