The best book I’ve read in a long time and in a way connected to places like post-industrial Scotland

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser, just out in paperback, is about far more than serial killers. It’s about the violence of war-damaged fathers, the violence of treatment of unwed mothers and their babies, the violence of geology in some places, the violence of civil engineering and transport systems and the inherent violence of unfettered capitalism.

Fraser, a Pulitzer winner, writes so well, so well, her fascinating content becomes a page-turner.

I’m not exactly a typical guy, so I leave you to judge just how much this review influences you.

If you do get it and read it, I’d love to hear what you think.

John (Not a Doctor of Literature).

Try it out at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0349127514?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&asin=B0DD42TPHK&revisionId=d0275bd1&format=3&depth=1

Discover more from Talking-up Scotland

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

2 thoughts on “The best book I’ve read in a long time and in a way connected to places like post-industrial Scotland”

  1. I just finished listening to it on Audible. You’re right, it is beautifully written and also horrifying as she calmly describes the details of a catalogue of grisly murders perpetrated by a small number of men in the Tacoma area.

    How many victims? Nobody knows. Certainly in the thousands. Mostly women but also some boys and young men depending on the obsessions of the perpetrator.

    She intersperses this grim account with reports of thousands of tons of lead and arsenic pumped out daily from the local smelter. How many ppm of toxic metal should be allowed in children’s blood? Nobody seems to know. But when the toxic load falls after the smelter closes, the serial killer rate drops.

    Coincidence? Nobody knows.

    Well, some people did research which was quietly suppressed by the smelter bosses. Because it was an audio book I don’t remember who did the research. But eventually a Clean Air Act was grudgingly introduced and the Environment Protection Agency set up. Industrialists lobbied to prevent this. But then they just moved their polluting plants to Africa and Asia.

    It’s a grim read but worth it. If it explains the behaviour of violent predators then it is worth paying attention.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.