This was at time a tough read as many of the killers contained within this book are the worst of the worst in terms of depravity. It was such a fascinating read and mind-blowing to hear from the killers in their own words.

I really enjoyed this book. I don’t tend to go for books on serial killers as I mainly read at night. But I made an exception for this one and I’m glad I did. It was exciting. Very well written. The plot was great. Highly recommend

Nope....I have tried multiple books by this author and this one will have to be my last. His ego is out of control. I'm sorry Mr Berry-Dee it seems you are unable to reign in the self important twaddle you inject into every one of your books. It makes for infuriating reading and gets in the way of the topic that I actually want to learn about.

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

I actually put down the book the first time around because I could not get into it. I decided to try it again and I still didn't really enjoy it. I skipped a lot of it because I wanted the stories from the serial killers, and I found too much of the writing was about the author's personal feelings and there was not enough focus on the killers and their victims. When I read books about serial killers, it's usually more about them and less about the author.

The synopsis of the book did not match what I actually read.

Second book by this author that I've and I've got one other to read and review, his become one of my all time true crime authors, not only does he bring the cases to life but the victims as well and the serial killers themselves. As for his writing its captivating in a way that he makes the cases not just a case but a story that needs to be told so that the victims will never be forgotten.

Christopher Berry-Dee. The ultimate true crime writer. He has written many books capturing his interviews with many of the most profound and immoral criminals in such an accessible and casual way. This book is no different. The premise of this account is for the author to give his own opinion on the ten worst serial killers in the world who in his words, 'deserve a special place in hell'.

I have read a number of of Christopher Berry-Dee's work and have been extremely fascinated with each book. I am never not intrigued by the way the author interacts with the criminals that he interviews. As the contents of this book is extremely hard hitting for a lot of people, I like how the author throws in a little sprinkling of humour and informal chat, it gives the reader just that little bit of time to regroup themselves before they carry on reading.

As always, I look forward to Christopher's next instalment of his true crime books! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ad Lib Publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Christopher again has written another good book. Kept me reading and all true crime enthusiasts should read. Christopher has a unique style of writing and it’s so so interesting and captivating

A Special Place in Hell: The World's Most Depraved Serial Killers is the first book that I have read by Christopher Berry-Dee. As an avid true crime reader, this author’s writing style was somewhat surprising to me in his bold opinions but it did make for an interesting take for this genre. #ASpecialPlaceinHell #NetGalley

A Special Place in Hell details some of the most horrid humans to have existed. I read and listen to a LOT of true crime, but there were times I had to put this book down and walk away. The horrors that one human will do to another is unimaginable, but even more so when its case after case of it. As I have said before, Berry-Dee is a great writer and he really knows his stuff when it comes to true crime. He also approaches each case with some unique bit to keep it from being "just another true crime story". I can't say I enjoyed the book (because it was filled with horrors) I am so engrossed in true crime and the people who do such horrors to others that this book really appealed. I'm still not sure what that says about me....

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Serial killers. They disgust us, enrage us, and yet enrapture us. We want to know what goes on in their minds and what forces drive them to act out such heinous desires. A Special Place in Hell doesn't offer these answers, rather delve deep into the main reasons killers do what they claim they can't control. He uses psychological works from doctors who studied some of these killers and leads the reader to draw their own conclusions on what their true motives were. He give pushes here and there, and even offers up his own theories on what he believes based on actual physical encounters he has had with these men.

I appreciate this book so much, because a lot of the times I read books about killers, multiple or single ones, it can feel like the author is trying to humanize or even romanticize them by the end of their segment. Not Christopher; he states plain and simple how many of these men had siblings that went through the same if not worse abuse and didn't end up killers

I really enjoyed this collection of the ninth level of hell residents. I recommend it for anyone 18+(he spares no details!) looking for something different than their normal read or people who love true crime. Thank you for your list, Christopher. I 100% agree with you in that these people deserve that special place in hell.

I've loved all of Christopher Berry-Dee's books and this is no different. I love the detail and research he puts into each book and it is truly fascinating.

While the information about the killer's featured is interesting, I hated the writing style. The author injects way too many personal opinions and it's full of tacky jokes. Not to mention all the political and religious junk the author throws in. I was really looking forward to reading this one and was sorely disappointed.

Like lots of people, I have always had a fascination in true crime and what makes people commit some of these heinous acts against other human beings, usually those weaker than themselves. This book gives an insight into how they became killers and as the title suggests most definitely deserve a special place in hell.

I believe from reading reviews of this book that the author Christopher Berry-Dee is the man who talks to serial killers and well renowned in the world of true crime for meeting face to face with many of them. It is actually the first book I have read by the author. He definitely does not hold back in his opinions of the crimes committed or the people committing them.

Lets start with the things I liked about the book, there were some people in there I had never heard of like Peter Kürten dubbed the "Vampire of Düsseldorf" and others from European countries. His factual material is great and plentiful and he has obviously done a lot of research on the cases before his meetings with them in some cases or studying the case histories for those that happed in the 1800 and 1900's. What I didn't enjoy is that his personal opinion, for me was just a little too often told and repetitive in places. Throughout the book I was hit by the phrase "in my opinion" and "if I say so myself" whilst I appreciate the author has a vast knowledge in this subject I wanted to know about the killers and their backgrounds or his meetings with them, not what he thought about every act they committed. That being said I did enjoy the book and would read other books by him.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ad Lib Publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected UK publication: June 1st 2021.

My rating scale
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Absolutely loved it! Gave me a warm fuzzy feeling or made me cry. And took me on an emotional rollercoaster.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Really liked it. Will read more by the author and other books in the series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - It was just okay, didn’t move me, but don’t feel like I wasted me time reading it either.
⭐️⭐️ - Didn’t like this book and probably won’t read other in the series.
⭐️ - I did not care for this book at all and feel like I wasted my time reading it

I didn't feel this book gave any new information, which disappointed me a bit. It is a great book for those just starting true crime.

I  am a true crime junkie, and this was the first book that I have read by this author. It was a different experience and this author did not not hold back at all! The author is very detailed and talks about all the different serial killers in different prisons that he was able to speak with. This author did give very detailed interactions with the killers and he has a little bit of quirkiness to his conversations, which added a different vibe to his book. This did help the book a lot IMO.
I enjoyed that this author did not try to justify the actions of the killers by their past or anything that could have been to blame like on upbringing or anything like that. He literally tells it how it is and he does not sugar coat anything for the reader. I really enjoyed this a lot and I think this book would be amazing for any true crime reader!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: June 1, 2021 (US), March 4, 2021 (UK)
Christopher Berry- Dee is the ultimate “serial killer” writer in the U.K, having written many books about his face-to-face conversations with some of the most immoral souls on the planet. In his newest novel, “A Special Place in Hell: The World’s Most Depraved Serial Killers”, Berry-Dee identifies, in his opinion, the ten worst serial killers on the planet.
Berry-Dee writes in a very casual way, splicing his story with his acerbic wit and laid-back slang. He does this with the intention of lightening the subject matter, and it definitely has the intended effect. I have read only one other novel by Berry-Dee, “Serial Killers at the Movies”, and his writing style was consistent with that work as well. To be honest, the only reason I haven’t read any of his others is merely because they are difficult to find here in the Great White North!
“Hell” details ten of the vilest souls on the planet, stemming back from the early 20th century to modern day. Many of the evil murderers have already died, yet their deeds live on in infamy (unfortunately). Berry-Dee covers the well-known players such as Bundy and Jim Jones, but he also introduces lesser known (and equally monstrous) serial killers that certainly deserve their special place next to Satan himself.
In a book about serial killers, I did not expect to read so much about Berry-Dee’s hatred of Donald Trump. A biting comment or retort about the ex-President existed in almost every chapter, and it did not seem to fit into the flow of the plot. I’m not sure if Berry-Dee was trying to form allegiances with his readers but any political propaganda of any kind (from either side!) automatically loses points with me. I read to avoid political drama and nonsense, and I am always put off when it hits me square in the face page after page (especially when the book has nothing to do with politics). I would’ve loved this book much more if Berry- Dee had stuck to the subject matter.
Berry-Dee is the kind of serial killer writer that provides me with what I love most about this genre- the who and why of what they are. His interviews with these sadistic monsters certainly bring an element of realism to the plot, and I appreciate his attempts at levity throughout. If I can get my hands on more of his novels, I will definitely be reading each and every one.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Writing : 4*
Information : 3*
Uniqueness : 3*
Concept : 3*

So having read quite a few of this style of book it’s inevitable I was to come across the path of murderers and stories we’ve all heard before (Dahmer, Sutcliffe, Bundy) but I am always pleasantly surprised when I come across the more obscure ones. I really like Berry-Dees writing style, he throws in some humour and informal chat throughout and pretty much says exactly what what were all thinking. I have another of his talking with serial killer book’s on my shelf which I will now read pretty soon.

This is a very interesting book. The author delves into the top ten serial killers that should be in Hell.
He goes thru case by case, and tells a bit about the killers life, behaviors and relationships. He then describes what crimes the killer committed and when he has had access, he tells of the interviews he had with the killer.
Then tells us what happened to the killer...are they in prison or dead and how they departed...in prison or old age .
Most interesting is when the author veers off to give his own opinion.

Okay, so I'm not going to lie. This book took me MUCH longer to get through than most books do because I just could NOT get into the writer's style, and that's putting it nicely. To put it not so nicely, I HATED his style. It was awful.

The book itself contained a lot of great information that was worth reading. I'm a serial killer buff. I read/watch/research everything I can get my hands on concerning serial killers, and even so, there was one individual in here whom I'd never heard of before, and that is SUPER shocking to me.

So yes, there was definitely some great info to be found in this book, but his writing style is absolutely NOT for me. I really hated it. He made far too many jokes - most of them super corny and not worth reading - and he inserted himself into the book WAAAAAAYYYYY too often. I know there are some authors that do that, and while I never love it, it doesn't ALWAYS bug me so badly, but this time, it REALLY did.

Let me give you a few examples:

"At this point in Haarmann's narrative, I begin to smell a rat and that rat is, of course, young Fritz"

Okay, so this is mildly irritating, but it doesn't bother me so much, and if he had kept his self-insertions along this scale, it would have been fine. He didn't do that, however. Here's another example:

"Well, we humans are all descended from apes - my late mother-in-law certainly was."

Seriously? First of all, ew. Secondly, this totally takes away from the flow of the narrative.

This one was the one that probably bothered me the most. It wasn't just that he inserted himself into the story; it was also the awful stereotypical ridiculousness of what he did here. His claim was that "this sort of stuff goes on every day in courtrooms throughout the US of A with Mr (no period here) Attorney waving his arms around and smiling sympathetically to the jury:"

Then he goes on to present an "invented scenario" (his words). The scenario he "invented" to describe American courtrooms was absolutely, disgustingly ridiculous. Here goes (and I'm only going to quote part of it because it is LONG!):

"'Ya'll hear now, ya good folk when I tell ya'll that Willien Bean here is accused of multiple murders. An' guess what folks? He says he done 'em all. Yes, folks he dun raped an' he dun kilt twenty-six of your neighbourly young gals. An' as God is my witness, Willie is a hardworking man. [.......] But he dun never kilt anyone until he was overtaken by what we call, 'them sudden bouts of temporary insanity'. (Reaching for a Holy Bible and holding it aloft) Willie is a churchgoer. He loves Our Lord. An' ya'll hear that immediately prior to each of his killings he was nice and neighbourly... [......] He raped and bludgeoned Miss Phillips to death with a tyre iron, dug a shallow grave, changed the number plates on his veehickle an' he just dun drove home and cleaned up his yard, burned his clothes and shoes, an' then he, um, read the Bible to his wife in bed.'"

Seriously? I almost stopped reading right there. In fact, if I hadn't agreed to read this and review it for Netgalley, I would have deleted it off my Kindle immediately.

He also had this bad habit of quoting himself, and he would actually point out that he was doing so: (Also note the lack of proper grammar/capitalization/punctuation here)

"But to quote from the cover of Talking with Psychopaths and Savages: A journey into the evil mind, one of my other international bestsellers: '...the author had the chance to interview his subjects' psychiatrists and, in doing so, uncovered a terrible truth: a monster can be hidden behind a friendly face.'

Why did he have to say all that? He didn't. He could have made his point without all that fluff.

That kind of stuff really bothered me.

Furthermore, this book could have seriously benefited from some SERIOUS editing/proofreading/copywriting. It was RIDDLED with errors - punctuation, grammatical, etc. I'm assuming the spelling errors I noticed were simply a matter of UK English versus US English, so those didn't bother me, but the serious lack of commas and overflowing wealth of run-on sentences in this book drove me to want to pull out my hair!

I stopped making note of these errors pretty early on, but suffice it to say, it was BAD.

Finally, not all of his "factual" information was factual, and some of it didn't even make sense.

For example, he claimed that Black Lives Matter started in 2020 after the death of George Floyd. Anyone who knows anything about BLM knows that it started MUCH earlier than that and had nothing to do with George Floyd. Yes, BLM did organize numerous protests and rallies after his death, but they'd been an organization for years before that.

Anyway, I think that's enough to prove my point.

While the information in this book was interesting to read (although I have to wonder how factual it is after seeing so many errors) the style was awful.

I will NOT be checking out anything else by this author again. I'm sorry, but it just was NOT my cup of tea.

dnf.

the first true crime book i ever read was by this author. so i’m saddened that i didn’t enjoy this piece of his work.

i just found this piece filled with bad writing, jokes on religion that i didn’t get nor care too, and it just felt like the book was forced out of him.

here’s a contact i’ve signed to write this. i’ve got to write the next 75,000 words. like yeah??? that’s your job. calm down.