I’ve read previous books about the Wests but I don’t think you’re ever properly prepared for what you might read about them. This book is open, honest and brutally stark about what they did in a factual, yet gently sympathetic to the victims style. The information is presented in a chronological timeline style which is useful in seeing the escalating violence and the backdrops of Fred and Rosemary’s own childhoods. It’s really chilling reading about how they were both disasters waiting to happen and how the result of them meeting one another was a complete melting pot of evil.
I felt this was a very comprehensive account and it came across as thoroughly researched and inclusive of their children and the shock waves of the aftermath that rippled into their subsequent lives. My only minor criticism is that some pictures would’ve been useful for context and as a connection to the victims. Very immersive thought provoking read, thank you.

I have read a lot of true crime and also most of the books that have been published about the Wests' including the accounts by Mae their daughter. The book was well written and well researched. Not too much time was spent talking about the actual crimes, more time spent on the timeline of the victims and how they met the West's which is good as in other publications this has been the focus and is disrespectful to the victims. There was little information offered that I did not already know, however the book did include some information about Rose west after her incarceration which was new material. The authors offered a balanced account without offering personal opinions or showing any sympathy or vilification of Rose West which is good and makes for a better read. I would certainly recommend this to anyone interested in the background of Rose west and her crimes, even if they had read other publications.

Omg. What the hell is wrong with this woman. I don't get how anyone can be so evil. The books is such a deep dive into the chaos. Perfectly written.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the case, the chronology of the book made it very easy to read and know the timeline of what happened. I did find this hard to read finding myself having to take many breaks to digest what I had read about the crimes committed. You could almost picture exactly what was endured during some of the descriptions, especially to the West children. This book really made you think about the failings of various agencies and how if more questions had been asked, so much tragedy could have been prevented perhaps. However, at the same time, it did really well to contextualise 1970s England, and how we can retrospectively be too critical on these agencies as they didn't have access to the technology that we do now, which can prevent us ever seeing something like this happening again.

I was shocked by the content in this book even though i thought i had heard enough about rose and fred west at the time and trials of their crimes , a heart wrenching story .Their poor children my heart breaks for them .

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7072774095

https://x.com/GeBidwell/status/1869846270078267740

Fred and Rose patio specialists. Motorfred, Ace with Spades. Westlife. These phrases and the infamous wedding photo of Fredrick and Rosemary West adorn cheap mugs, t-shirts, pillows and other, unusable, paraphernalia sold primarily through Facebook pages for stag-do’s and novelty gifts. In fact, a cottage industry borne largely from poor puns and human atrocity exists and is populated by the least amusing people you can create in your head. Good work if you can stomach it.

Even now, thirty years on from their arrest, and over fifty years since Fred began to murder, The Wests remain a touchstone reference in the British imagination, appearing in popular culture in comedy as adored as Alan Partridge and as milque-toast as Gavin and Stacy. Now, burying somebody under the patio is a trope, a cliché, a comic reference and while documentaries, podcasts, and museums commemorate the horrors of Cromwell Street and the victims beneath the slabs, even they fail, mostly, to recognise the true darkness of these crimes. The Wests are among the most genuinely depraved individuals these isles have birthed: serial killers who specialised in paedophilia, sexual assault, dismemberment, and decades-long psychological abuses.

It is a shame, then, that this most recent recounting of events, written by Tanya Farber and Jeremy Daniels as part of the ‘In the Mind of’ series of true crime books for Gemini Adult Books, is little more than a souped-up Wikipedia page infested with cliché and seemingly devoid of curiosity or insight. “For a family with sordid secrets behind closed doors, but that looked ordinary to everyone else,” they write as so many people have written before, ignoring almost all psychological analysis, and leaving the finer dynamics of this psychotic love affair all but untouched.

In fact, for a book that bears her name alone and that promises to step into the psychology of this most maligned murderer, Rose plays second fiddle to Fred in terms of focus. The text is the story of Fred and Rose West, retold in simple prose and broad generalisations, a far cry from the psychoanalytical re-examination suggested by the title and marketing.

Admittedly, as a brief introduction to these crimes, the book is well-researched, aided no doubt by Farber’s extensive journalistic work, and not entirely without ambition. Farber and Daniels, in the intro to the text, posit their intention to do justice to the victims of this pair, most of whom were vulnerable teenage girls overlooked by the system in life and in death. In all fairness, the book does indeed spend a fair amount of time on each victim, but does so by compiling their stories into a single chapter and turning these individual tragedies into little more than an inventory.

Most unfortunately for Farber and Daniels is the fact that Happy Like Murderers exists. This text, written and researched by Gordon Burns, is potentially the most visceral and upsetting true crime book ever published. It tells the story of The Wests in such grisly, unrepentant detail that it renders most other writing on the subject null and void. Anne-Marie, a West daughter, also penned a biography recounting the events, and the Fred and Rose West Tapes podcast on Spotify does a pretty sufficient job of briefing an audience on the case using a fresh and chronologically distant perspective. Farber and Daniels themselves reference this podcast repeatedly.

Realistically, if this is your first encounter with The Wests and their lives of violence, it will serve just fine as a primer, however there are numerous other sources far more compelling than this.

Thanks to Gemini Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

This book was dark and horrible but really interesting. I knew the names and that they were true evil but these crimes took place before I was born and the court case was when I was only 1 so I didn’t know too much details about it. The victims stories deserve to be told and I hope rose west is living the most horrible life.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I received a free copy of, Inside the Mind of Rose West, by Jeremy Daniel; Tanya Farber, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is one of the sickest minds out there. Rose West and her husband are pure evil, even killing heir own children/step child. Her husband took the cowards way out, but Rose West, now Jennifer Jones, has been living in prison, thankfully, paying for her many crimes. This was a hard read, a lot of abuse, and crimes.

Holy COW what a book.

This just goes to show what kind of people live in this world. There are so many trigger warnings that people need to tread carefully with this one.

I love true crime so i loved this book. Thought it was well written and just really interesting to find out how this woman thought and what she was like.

I will recommend with trigger warnings!

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

This book was meticulously researched and well written but I don't think it managed to get 'inside the mind' of West. The dots should have been joined up long before the couple were remanded in custody, there were so many clues about the horrific abuse of their own children that schools and social work should have picked up on and investigated. I felt so sad for these poor children. The crimes the couple committed were almost beyond belief, they were absolute maniacs hiding behind the facade of mundanity. I don't think we find out anything new from this book, but it did bring together all the facts about the cases. I don't think anyone could ever get inside the mind of this couple.

I have seen, read and listened to a lot about Rose West and her husband Fred but this book still brought something new to the table. This case is one of the worst cases out there. This book is very well researched and the writing flows very nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book delves into the horrifying crimes of Rose West and her husband Fred, pulling back the curtain on one of the most infamous cases in British true crime history. It meticulously examines how the couple lured victims into their home at 25 Cromwell Street and subjected them to unspeakable cruelty before burying their remains in the garden or cellar. The inclusion of details about their victims, as well as Rose’s dual life as a mother and sadistic predator, makes for a chilling yet compelling read.

The book excels in its research and clarity, presenting the facts without sensationalism, though the graphic nature of the crimes may not be for the faint of heart. The discussion of the psychological dynamics between Rose and Fred, and the unanswered questions surrounding their partnership, adds a gripping layer of complexity.

While the narrative is thorough, it occasionally feels repetitive, and more insight into Rose’s early life and potential motivations could have enhanced the analysis. Nonetheless, this is a haunting and well-crafted account that will leave readers pondering the depths of human depravity.

Rose was sadistic as both a mother and killer, and all her victims as well as her own children were subjected to horrific sexual violence and torture. Rose did paid sex work in the family home with husband Fred peeping through the holes he had made in the wall and listening on an intercom. They modified the house to take in lodgers and then preyed on them, as well as other young women hitching a lift or waiting for a bus.
Two decades would pass before Rose’s dark secrets were discovered when nine of the victims’ bodies were dug up in the garden and beneath the cellar at the West’s home at 25 Cromwell Street. And now, three decades after this grim discovery, the workings of Rose West’s twisted mind remain as mysterious as who played what role in this husband-and-wife folie à deux.’
Not sure how much we learned about the workings of Rose’s sick, twisted & depraved mind, but this is definitely one you don’t wanna miss if you’re a TC junkie! Dig in!
Thank you NetGalley and Gemini Books Group for this arc in exchange for review.
Pub date: 2.18.2025.

This book tells you a lot more about what happened years ago.
It teaches you things you never knew before
I love these type of books.

I thought I knew everything but I still find myself leaving more about rose west this book was incredible full of information

Rose West is a monster. So is her husband. These people are pure evil.
This husband and wife duel abused their daughters sexually and physically, mentally and emotionally.
This book is about torture, murder, sadistic acts, incest and all things evil.
For years these two monsters got away with their horrible acts because the poor victims were so traumatized and lived in fear of the West's that they understandably could not bring themselves to testify in court.

I found the book and history of the case to be historically accurate and expertly written.

Rose and husband Fred West are undoubtedly two of the most disposable, disturbed and evil beings (can't call them humans) on earth.

This is not a book for the faint of heart.

The book is very well researched and written with accuracy. Unfortunately it is very much a true crime book that digs into the life of two horrible monsters.
And it is all true.

I was given Inside the Mind of Rose West from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This isn't the first time I've read about the troubling, frankly wicked life of the Wests but it has been a long time so I was pleased to see this book available.

I'm giving this book a 5 simply for pure readability. with 18 punchy chapters exploring Fred and Rose West's life and times. It's listed in the title as a book only about Rose West, however, several chapters feature Fred and his criminal lifestyle. In terms of shocking content, it is undoubtedly a story that never has moments of grey. Fred West may have coaxed Rose to become his partner from a young age, but Rose - not mentioned here as dozy Rosie like in other accounts - is fairly happy to never say no to Fred.

As we approach the crimes, the author(s) share a detached, clinical voice. There are times when this reads like an essay, not least because of the self-evident conclusions they reach - that if fate transpired differently, or that if they were stopped, the times when they could have been stopped these girls would now be alive. It goes without saying that although, it's still effective in a tragic, depressing way. Reading this, I felt anger, frustration and a lack of empathy with what both Fred and Rose were going through. In many ways, neither of the authors can understand it as they write in an almost bawdy way how the Wests lived, which is entirely related.

In some ways this could have been longer, perhaps more analytical, but the editing was pretty stellar, taking the reader through this morbid spectacle trying to find shards of logic or reason and realising that these were bad people. Fred, the country bumpkin, with a macabre sense of humour and delusional energy throughout his life (confiding to a police officer that "enjoyment turned to disaster" for the rape, torture and murder that he inflicted on his victims.) Rose who, on the face of it seemed to want to be a mother multiple times over before neglecting, abusing, and allowing her children no safety - you name it, she did it - while also having this fiery, very West Country temper.

Overall I was completely involved and immersed in the story. I was mollified as the author concluded that their luck was in a system that wasn't digitalised and allowed people to 'disappear' so easily. Naturally, the investigation was a complete disgrace and Fred being allowed to get away with suicide was outrageous. I wanted to know if the authors drew any conclusion about Rose being told that her husband had committed suicide but there was sparse commentary. Perhaps because this is so hard to explain just why she turned away from Fred. Likewise, her complete determination to imply that she wasn't involved (bringing about the superb, She Must Have Known title from the '90s). I wanted a slightly more complex description of her life in prison, however, I think she remains an enigma, someone who seems to have sadistic, very uncaring instincts. That's the mind of Rose West, deny, conceal, survive.

Absolutely worth the read and a fascinating profile of sheer wickedness from a most banal couple.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this e-arc! This one was a DNF for me, I just couldn’t keep with the story.

This book is an interesting look at Rose West, who along with her husband Fred committed numerous acts of sexual assault, torture, and murder against young women, including their own daughter Heather. The authors go into Rose's past in great detail, and it does a lot to explain how she became so twisted (and vulnerable to someone like Fred's "charms") but---and this is crucial---it does NOT excuse her. You can feel terrible for the traumas someone underwent without excusing the traumas they then inflicted upon others. A good addition to any true crime library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.