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….

How intense it was to read this book because you know that you are not reading any fiction... it is all real, and it must have been much more raw and ruthless in reality, but here, at least that is what I felt, although they tell us the things that Many others have happened and they leave them aside. Out of respect, because it is not necessary to know the details, but one imagines it, and suffers.

I think these types of books are super necessary. Personally, I did not know the history of any of the people presented here. Neither from the ruthless couple who decided to play with the girls' lives nor from them. And that was and continues to be a story that resonates quite strongly.

I can't criticize a book of this style, I can only be grateful that they were written, wish that people like that didn't exist, and hope that none of this happens again. But women are increasingly vulnerable, even though they want us to believe otherwise.

We will continue fighting, we will continue telling our reality, the reality of women... and we will fight. For our freedom, for our peace. Because we are not free. And these books show us that.

Thank you Gemini Books Group for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had never heard of this case so it was all very fresh for me. It did take me a little longer to finish because the details were so horrendous I had to take breaks. I highlighted and made many notes while reading but the one that encompasses the case the best is “when you think it can’t get worse… it does”

“What remains one of the most baffling aspects of the gruesome story is the number of times anyone with half an eye or interest could have figured out what was happening and put a stop to it.”

The frustration I felt while reading this case is unlike any I’ve ever experienced before. The amount of times someone in a place of authority could have made a difference by simply asking more questions is enough to make you scream. I really appreciated the background on the victims (even if there wasn’t much.) I also think it was important to highlight the terrors the West children experienced at the hands of their parents as well.

I do recommend reading this book if you are interested in true crime or this case specifically. I’ve already recommended it to my sister.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Gemini Books Group for a copy of this ARC, in return for an honest review! ✝️🩵

My thanks to Gemini Books Group and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Inside the Mind of Rose West – Wife, Mother, Monster’ written by Jeremy Daniel and Tanya Farber in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Rosemary Pauline Letts is fifteen years old when she meets Fred West at a bus stop in Cheltenham and although she isn’t particularly attracted to him it isn’t long before they start living together, firstly in a cramped caravan, then a flat in Midland Road and finally at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester. It’s at this house where Fred alters the layout to make more rooms for enticing single female lodgers, and puts in a room used only by Rose for plying her ‘trade’ while he watches through peepholes.

‘Inside the Mind of Rose West’ is a well-researched and carefully written account of Rose and Fred’s horrific crimes that’s been accurately compiled without any sensationalising. It gives the history of Rose from childhood with her depressed mother and abusive father, through adolescence when she’ll sleep with men for money, to the fateful day she meets Fred West and their reign of abuse, terror and murder is set in motion.

This book is a harrowing read as it gives graphic details of the shocking treatment meted out to their children, and although the Wests committed crimes at various addresses 25 Cromwell Street, later known as the House of Horrors, will always be an address synonymous with pure evil. I’m pleased that the house was demolished following the search for bodies as the excavations made it unsafe. Throughout the book I was appalled at how these poor children were dismally failed not only by the police but by social services, educators, medical staff and the residential homes they were intermittently placed in; no one listened to them!

A good look into the mind of one of the most evil people to ever exist. This is a scary woman, the amount of stuff she did to her own children and other people and was still able to say she was innocent.

This was hard to read due to the subject matter. ( I had to break it up a bit and read some lighter stuff in between.) What the Wests did to their own children, and all those other females, was absolutely horrific. This book seemed to be really well researched—the authors gave us a lot of info without bogging down the story.

This was a harrowing read. It was very well written and informative, it didn't bog you down with information however I still learned a lot about both Rose & Fred West and their horrific crimes.

I love that the author went into detail about the victims and their lives, rather than the entire focus being on Rose/Fred. I consider myself well versed in true crime, and thought I already knew a lot about this case but there was a lot of information covered here that I wasn't aware of.

I'd recommend to anyone that enjoys true crime.

An absolutely vile and horrific subject but a compelling read none the less. The book is extremely well put together. It's concise and doesn't bog you down with too much detail. There's no avoiding how depraved and graphic the crimes were but it's done without glorifying it.

This book is very disturbing but I guess that's the point. It was a pretty quick read, I did want to finish it once I started it.

This was a well-researched and respectable account of two horrific people, their gruesome crimes, and the victims slain in their wake. Be prepared for this one because Rose and Fred held nothing back in their brutality. I'm A true crime Jimmy and I found some these accounts too hard to get through.

Where to begin with the most gruesome story the author has so nimbly captured in this book. My knowledge of Rose West and her husband, Fred, was only gleaned from their Wikipedia page. And, I left it there, never once wanting to know more about the woman and the man, always concerned more about the survivors — the children who had to witness against their wishes the dastardly acts of their parents. To be told in no uncertain terms that their siblings have left, knowing that they have gone the same way as the many innocents who disappeared from their home.
The authors have included their survival stories towards the end of the book, and for that I am grateful. While it is good to know that most of them have survived, they are doing their best to live and destroy within them perhaps the nightmares inflicted by their parents.
Their parents, after finishing this book, I wasn't sure anymore whether monsters are created, just like how evil can be nurtured. Some people are just born to shred the tapestry of humanity.
The book chronicles their (Fred and Rose) childhood, their adolescent, adulthood, and you see a pattern of reckless behaviour emboldened further by each other's company, the lack of formative action by all enforcers and parents.
The authors haven't resorted to sensationalism in their reportage, the facts are present in a clear manner, with just enough narration to not overburden it with facts and figures or an overt detailed of their torture and murder acts. To focus instead on their dreadfully evil personalities instead of focusing on their torturous methods is a wise choice. Often the latter overrides the former to sell more books but misses out on the nuance — why?
And, in most cases, we would never get the answers. Fred West committed suicide while awaiting trial, and Rose refuse to speak. But, with the peppered information that the authors have sprinkled throughout the book, their own reasoning, perhaps, one can at least look in the direction to the answer to why.
The book doesnt overwhelm, though I still would recommend to balance it out with something hopeful, and presents a mature outlook into the infamous minds and lives of Fred and Rose West.

I’ve read “Love As Always, Mum” by Mae West so was looking forward to reading this to delve more into the mind of the abhorrent Rose West.

This really focussed on Rose and Fred’s home life when they were children and how this could have come to shape who they eventually became.

It’s a heartbreaking read as you can imagine and I did like the focus on the victims giving more details about them, not what happened to them, but their life before and what hardships they faced.

For any true crime fan I would definitely recommend this for more insight into the twisted mind of Rose West.

Wow! This book is crazy, it had me shocked by what I was reading! This is a heart wrenching story, poor children! Such a thrilling book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gemini for the free eARC of this book.

I don’t even know where to start with this one. As an American, I had never heard of Rose and Fred West, and I almost wish I still hadn’t heard of them! There’s no happy ending or redemption in this story. Just a trail of trauma and death. The things that these two did were so deprived and disgusting that it’s hard to believe that it’s even real.

Rose met Fred when she was 15 and he was 27. He was already known as being a creep, and she had an extremely abusive childhood. Together they were just a powder keg of depravity.

This was a very good true crime read! Highly recommended, but this is some extremely disturbing content in it.

This book breaks your heart a few times from start to finish because trauma is on every page - feels like it’s every sentence sometimes. The crimes were abhorrent; the loss, monumental. The authors pay homage to the victims without glamorizing the serial killers whose depravity led to their demises. It’s not a book I’d ever read again because of the darkness of the content, but I’d definitely recommend it to someone interested in this genre. Gratitude to NetGalley for the ARC!

Inside the Mind of Rose West offers a chilling and thought-provoking exploration of one of Britain’s most infamous serial killers. The book delves deeply into Rose West’s psyche, uncovering her complex and disturbing personality. The writing is gripping, supported by extensive research and psychological analysis. While unsettling, it provides a compelling insight into the factors that may have shaped her actions. A must-read for true crime enthusiasts, but not for the faint of heart.

I think it’s crazy that they got away with what they did for so long and that if they would have gotten counseling as children or young adults all of this would have been avoided. Very sad but informative.

I’m not usually one for non-fiction, but serial killers are my guilty pleasure. As someone who thought they were well versed in the crimes of Fred and Rose West, this book was a harrowing, eye-opening experience to the details that have been brushed over in the past.

“Sadly, this is not a story of redemption. No heroes arrive at the darkest hour to save the day and right all of the wrongs of the past. There is no moral arc that bends towards justice, and certainly no apologies.”

This chronological retelling of the upbringing and crimes committed by two of the most infamous British serial killers provides an insight into the perspective of their children, victims and survivors from the start of Fred and Rose’s tumultuous relationship, all the way through to their incarceration.

It’s a page-turner, in the darkest of ways. Using multiple sources to give an up-to-date explanation of their crimes and illustrates Rose’s part in the murders. Having read numerous books on the couple, this was by far, the clearest representation of their story. Starting from the beginning, it provides an account of the experiences of both Fred and Rose, as well as each of their children and the other victims that unfortunately crossed their paths.

If you’re looking for a gut-wrenching read about the horrific crimes of Fred and Rose West, this is the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Gemini Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Rose was only 15 years old when she met 27 year old Fred West at a local bus station. Rose knew what kind of monster Fred was, but married him anyway because she was also an evil villain. Together they would pick up women, bring them home to abuse them both physically and sexually, then get rid of their bodies. The minds of both Fred and Rosemary were f*cked up which made this book hard to read at times.

Chapter seven and all the chapters that followed were incredibly hard to read. Not only were they sexually abusing the young women they had brought home, but their own young children as well. The chapters describing the forced abuse and the family members that were involved was so heartbreaking. I needed frequent breaks because I was sobbing uncontrollably for these poor children that couldn’t escape the vise of their own parents.

I know it was the 70’s, but why couldn’t police officers connect the dots when so many women went missing for decades and they were ALL last seen around 25 Cromwell Street. Rose and Fred killed 12 women in a reign of terror and nobody investigated their disappearances until 27 years later.

Fred West took the cowards way out of prison time, but Rose is still sitting in prison and rotting for all her disgusting crimes. She’s one of the most calculated and chilling female serial killers in the UK.

I did my own little bit of research and the home on 25 Cromwell Street, where all the horror had taken place has been demolished, but you can still see old photos of what the home used to look like and the monsters that lived there.

Inside the Mind of Rose West by Jeremy Daniel provides an unflinching and chilling exploration of one of Britain’s most notorious criminals. Rose West, a mother and wife living in semi-rural Gloucester, concealed an unimaginable darkness behind closed doors. Alongside her husband Fred, Rose was responsible for the brutal torture, sexual violence, and murder of at least a dozen women and girls, including her daughter and stepdaughter. Their home at 25 Cromwell Street became a house of horrors, where the Wests preyed on vulnerable women and girls, transforming what should have been a family home into a hellish nightmare.

This account goes beyond just the horrific murders; it examines Rose's complex and sadistic role as both a mother and killer. Her disturbing involvement in sex work carried out with Fred’s knowledge and participation, paints a horrifying picture of the couple's depraved existence. The couple's manipulation of their home to bring in lodgers, along with their predatory behaviour toward young women, reveals the depths of their twisted actions. The chilling details of Caroline Owens' escape, where she was drugged and assaulted but unable to testify, provide a glimpse into how close the Wests came to being brought to justice much earlier.

The true extent of their crimes wasn’t fully realized until two decades later when the bodies of nine victims were unearthed from the garden and cellar of the Wests’ home. The narrative chronicles the devastating impact of the West's actions on the victims, their families, and even their children. The aftermath of these crimes rippled through their lives, leaving a trail of destruction that continues to haunt those involved.

What sets this book apart is its careful balance of presenting the facts with compassion for the victims while maintaining the brutal honesty required to understand the horror of the West’s actions. The timeline structure helps readers track the escalation of violence, from the early days of the West’s relationship to their final, shocking crimes. The exploration of Fred and Rose’s troubled childhoods adds another layer of complexity to their dark partnership, helping to explain—though never justify—the roots of their monstrous behaviours.

Thoroughly researched and comprehensive, Inside the Mind of Rose West provides a chilling look at a couple whose evil actions seemed inevitable, given their backgrounds and the dark dynamics of their relationship. The book is a sobering reminder of the devastating impact such horrors have not only on the victims but on their families and communities. It’s a difficult but essential read for those seeking to understand the full scope of the West's crimes and the lasting trauma they caused.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.