I read a lot of true crime reads and have read a few books on this case but this one is one of the most interesting I have read. This case is absolutely shocking and horrific and it a very tough read. If you read a lot of true crime add this one to your reading list.

Inside the Mind of Rose West by Tanya Farber and Jeremy Daniel is a true crime novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Gemini Books, and the authors, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.



My Opinions:
This was a horrific tale of sexual abuse, torture, and murder.  Fred committed suicide in prison in 1995, and that in itself was tragic, because he left behind so many unanswered questions.  He had said there were more bodies, and those poor families may never know what happened to their children.  Rose continues to serve her life sentences, and will never get out of jail, but she never admitted any guilt or remorse, even for her own children's tragic lives.

This book really looked at the victim of these terrible crimes, including the children of Rose and Fred West.  For even the surviving children struggled with the crimes of their parents, and those still alive still struggle.  The author really brought the victims to life, which made the book a little more bearable.

There were so many people that could have changed the situation, could have saved innocent lives.  The education system, the police, friends, neighbours....they all could have stepped up, but didn't.  Some of the children blamed themselves, but I did not.  They were victims.

Overall, this was a very sad, brutal tale.  It was very hard to read, as the authors spared no details as to the crimes.   We learned a lot about the childhood of Fred and Rose, but personally, no amount of childhood abuse or lack of wealth could ever justify the horrendous acts which this couple perpetrated.

This book had me going down the rabbit hole of reddit after reading it!
Rose in my eyes was born evil so at 15 when she met and then married 27 years old Fred, Rose knew what kind of monster he was.
Fred and Rose would pick up women, take them home, abuse them physically and sexually and then rid of them after killing them. The farther in the book I got the harder it was at times because Rose and Fred started also abusing their own children. Reading about the horror that the young children were forced into and all the family members involved, disgusted me.
How they got away with it for some long kinda blows my mind, it wasn’t that hard to put 2 and 2 together but, I understand that this was back in the 70s and things were different.

To this day while Fred took his life in prison, Rose is still there, sitting and rotting. In total her and Fred kill 12 women. Also, why and I mean why did it take 27 years for someone to look into this??!!!

As a true crime lover, I thought I truly had heard and read it all. I had never heard of this case and could barely get through this book. It was so disturbing on so many levels that I honestly, in good conscious, can't rate it, nor do I recommend it.

Thank you, NetGalley, the authors, and Gemini Books Group for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read quite a few books about the Wests over the years, so I went into Inside the Mind of Rose West wondering if it could offer anything fresh. Sadly, it didn’t really give me anything new or different from what I’d already come across. That said, it was still an insightful read and undeniably well written.

What stood out was the depth of research. The authors packed in plenty of detail, and you can tell they put in the work to piece together Rose’s complex and disturbing psyche. It’s thorough and carefully structured, offering a clear view into how she became the person she did.

I suppose I don’t know exactly what I was hoping for — having read so much on the subject, I knew there wouldn’t be groundbreaking revelations. But I still wanted a bit more, maybe a different angle or something unexpected to keep me fully engaged. It felt familiar, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

Overall, it’s a solid, well-researched book. If you’re new to reading about the Wests, it would be a great starting point. But for someone like me, who’s already deep-dived into this case, it just didn’t quite hit the mark.

This is a great book for anyone looking for an interesting look into the case or any true crime fans.
#netgalley #cromwellstreetmurders #rosewest

The crimes of Fred and Rose West were ones that I heard a lot of during my teens, it shocked me then as it does today and this wasn't an easy read but it gave lots of information on Rose that I hadn't previously heard.

Rose West, Fred West, 25 Cromwell street, the house of horrors. Murders of children and young women spanning two decades. If you tell me you don't know what im talking about then I wont believe you.

This book is a must read for all true crime fans. I literally could not put it down. We are talked through Rose and Fred's childhoods, how they met, how they brutally murdered their victims ( and yes there are gory details), we get to know more about the victims lives, we also hear about the conviction, trial and incarceration which includes a brief friendship with Mira Hindley, reading that just gave me chills. I have so many emotions reading this book, I felt sick, angry and terribly sad, just the fact that they should have been stopped many times over by authorities and the very people and institutions who have a duty of care for these victims and the West children. They were let down terribly and it just breaks my heart.

There are non stop facts here, I thought I knew most of what there was to learn about these evil people and their victims but I was wrong.

It's a very captivating book on life and crimes of the monstrous Rose West. It wasn't an easy read based on the content. The book is well- researched and detailed - a must read for true crime fans.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. I loved the writing and the describing of everything, I was able to follow along the whole time. Sometimes in true crime that is not the case. What a messed up story! It's hard to believe there are people like this. Scary

The most messed up but interesting story I’ve read in awhile. It’s hard to believe that some people live such crazy lives- the life of monsters but do.

Definitely check the trigger warnings but if you have a love for true crime this will be for you.. and you won’t regret it!

After human remains were found at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, husband and wife Fred and Rose West were arrested on suspicion of the murder of their daughter. Little did the police know what they were about to discover. What followed was one of the most horrific murder cases Britain has ever seen with the murders of at least 12 girls and women (two of them their own daughters) being attributed to the couple. Inside the Mind of Rose West looks at the case as a whole, posing the question whether Fred was, indeed, the driving force or whether Rose played a much more key role in everything that happened.

Over the years, I have read many books on Fred and Rose West but this brings a new perspective on what actually happened. By telling the life stories of Fred and Rose chronologically, the authors really help to build up a clear picture of their lives before they met and how depravity followed them both through life from an early age. With Rose West never speaking about her crimes, it is difficult to actually get inside her mind as the title of the book suggests, but we do certainly get more of an insight into the serial killer.

One of the things I liked most about this book is that the victims are treated more than just names in the life story of the Wests. Here, we discover more about the women and girls, their families and the lives they would have led if they had never met Rose and Fred. It is important to give the victims of crime a voice and the authors certainly do this here – I really felt I developed a clearer picture of the victims, something I have never felt after reading other books on the subject.

If this is the sort of topic that interests you, I have no hesitation in recommending Inside the Mind of Rose West.

I found this to be a fascinating read.
I feel like this is a case not wildly discussed in America. I only heard about it for the first time on the podcast MORBID.
The podcast did a great job at introducing me to the absolute depravity of the case.
My interest has been peaked in this case ever sense.
This book did a great job of laying out who Rose and Fred were and how they came to be the scum they ended up.
I really think this book was able to really honor the victims well.
These books that look into the minds of some of the most depraved humans are important, but please check your trigger warnings first to see if this book will be right for you.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm not really sure how best to summarise this book since there's not really much I could say that people wouldn't already know! And if you don't know the story of Fred and Rose West, have you been living under a rock?

That said, it was interesting to read a book focused on Rose instead of her and Fred, or her as an afterthought to Fred. It is very clear that she was just as evil as Fred, if not more so! I found this an easy read, so it was quick and easy to get through whilst giving you plenty of important and interesting information about the case.

I’ve read a number of books about the Wests and this is one of the best. I’m interested in true crime; not the gore, but trying to get some insight into what motivates people to commit such appalling crimes. Are they mad or bad? In the rare case of partnership killers, is there a leader? How do they feed off one another. In the mid 1980s, I had a trade stand at a traction engine rally in a field near Ledbury. It was a fine afternoon and I remember an odd family coming to look over my tables. I assumed it was mother, father and a ragbag of kids; he was swarthy, grubby and short. She was wearing an incongruous mix of plaid skirt, short grubby white socks and sandals and large glasses. The kids were all over the place and I was sure they were pilfering whilst the adults tried to engage me small talk. They left but their presence in my memory remained. It wasn’t until years later I realised it was the West family and in a strange way, it’s remained a rather haunting memory.

This book brings the whole family to life. It’s difficult to imagine what it was like to live in a home with psychopathic parents. Their idea of ‘normal’ was one with no moral compass and the surviving children must be badly scarred. That said, as far as I’m aware, they haven’t displayed similar characteristics. Fred was an inveterate liar. Rose was and is a manipulator and by no means a subjugated follower. Their paths crossed and the rest is history.

This is a detailed account of the when and how. The crimes are appalling. Rose West was a victim from an early age, but it’s still difficult to understand how that enabled her to normalise her later approach to life. Some things are beyond understanding but learning about them gives valuable
insight into the human psyche. There’s an extensive bibliography as source reference and ideal for further reading. This is a comprehensive account of the life and times of the West family and those they murdered and abused. It’s uncomfortable reading at times, but it’s not gratuitous. There are new insights and this will interest anyone who likes true crime.

I love true crime and I have always been fascinated with serial killers especially ones from the UK. The Wests have held a long fascination for me as my great grandparents lived on Cromwell Street.
This provided a good knowledge base some of which wasn't new to me but a lot that was and I like that it concentrated on just Rose as I have always found her so interesting but so chilling

Inside the mind of Rose West: Wife, Mother, Monster by Tanya Farber and Jeremy Daniel is a well written, shocking and heartbreaking book. The author's managed to strike a delicate balance of informing us about Rose and Fred West's lives as well as honoring the victims and their lives. It was fascinating to read how both Fred and Rose West came from really screwed up home lives yet they were the only known ones to turn to this level of depravity and murder. It is shocking and heartbreaking to learn how many of the murders could have been prevented if people just paid attention and did their jobs. If you are a fan of reading true crime or just interested to know more about this infamous case then this is the read for you.

Thank you to Tanya Farber and Jeremy Daniel along with Gemini books for providing NetGalley with an Advanced Reader Copy. I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I found this a good read. Lots of detail specifically about Rose which was interesting. I think hands off to her children who survived an awful horrific childhood. I sometimes feel these kind of books are written with too much gratuitous violence

Really interesting and helpfully concise, but incredibly sickening at points. I wouldn't say this is focused on her mindset though, but it is informative as to what happened

The entire dark saga of Fred West and his serial killing, began on his own but ended with his partner in crime, Rose West.

Rosemary West found a very bad man, made him worse, and discovered in herself the darkest of capabilities.

Inside the Mind of Rose West by Tanya Farber and Jeremy Daniel, takes you inside the House of Horrors, letting the walls of 25 Cromwell Street do the talking.

I still vividly remember the first time I read about this case, it has stuck with me to this day and it has been a while since I have read anything on Fred and Rose that was not written by their own children, in their books they have released over the years.

I really liked the layout of this book. The story was well told. The facts were given but not sensationalised. I will definitely be purchasing a physical hard copy of this book for my own collection.

The crimes committed by both Fred and Rosemary West were beyond horrific, however IMO this is an important case to talk about. Especially when it comes to child abuse. How many people could have saved these children from the horrors then endured, how many lives could have been spared if those who came in and out of Cromwell street said something….