Emotionally difficult reading of little intellectual profundity yet a basely voyeuristic tour of the cold heart. Crime and torture by its nature is a drag on the spirit and not very uplifting, although gripping and compelling at times. Much true crime and crime literature is fantasy entertainment, it's a testament to the strength of the selected works in this anthology that the reader remains grounded in the reality of the senselessness of it all, and able to see a universal human nature across time and place. As always it's incredibly useful to read short experts of famous authors and works back to back to compare writing quality and style, a catalog of books and authors to read more. ( )