- Hardcover
- Publisher: Random House Value Pub (26 Nov 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0517164396
- ISBN-13: 978-0517164396
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,679,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Killing For Company: Case of Dennis Nilsen
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Product Description
Product Description
On February 9th 1983 Dennis Nilsen was arrested at his Muswell Hill home, after human remains had been identified as the cause of blocked drains. Within days he had confessed to fifteen gruesome murders over a period of four years. His victims, all young homosexual men, had never been missed. Brian Masters, with Nilsen's full cooperation, has produced a study of a murderer's mind which is unique of its kind.
'KILLING FOR COMPANY must stand as one of the most remarkable and accurate accounts ever written of the singular relationship between a mass murderer and a society. Brian Masters, in the writing, has achieved the impossible. Though dealing with sensational and horrific matters he has managed to treat his material with such objectivity and restraint that what we have is not a penny dreadful from the Hammer House of Horror, but a bloody masterpiece' BERYL BAINBRIDGE Observer.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.From the Back Cover
'Probably the best thing of its kind since In Cold Blood...a classic study in criminal mentality' -Colin Wilson, Yorkshire Post
On February 9th 1983 Dennis Nilsen was arrested at his Muswell Hill home, after human remains had been identified as the cause of blocked drains. Within days he had confessed to fifteen gruesome murders over a period of four years. His victims, all young homosexual men, had never been missed. Brian Masters, with Nilsen's full cooperation, has produced a study of a murderer's mind which is unique of its kind.
'Killing For Company must stand as one of the most remarkable and accurate accounts ever written of the singular relationship between a mass murderer and a society. Brian Masters, in the writing, has achieved the impossible. Though dealing with sensational and horrific matters he has managed, God knows how, to treat his material with such objectivity and restraint that what we have is not a penny dreadful from the Hammer House of Horror, but a bloody masterpiece'. -Beryl Bainbridge, Observer
'A truly awesome tale, brilliantly told' -Literary Review
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Now this is what a true crime book is supposed to be. It's my unfortunate conclusion that the majority of true crime books are a re-hash of newspaper reporting with a bit of old-fashioned moralizing thrown in and facile, superficial conclusions regarding some of the most troubling issues that beset us to wrap things up. The books written by Mr. Masters are exceptions to this seemingly universal rule. Granted, Mr. Masters was given an unusual amount of access to Dennis Nilsen, but even when writing about an already-dead murderer like Fred West, the quality of writing and analysis never wavers or loses its inherent fascination. His style is alternately cogent, harrowing, and, despite the subject matter, scrupulously fair. Unlike most true crime books, there are no boring stretches; the book remains compelling throughout. Mr. Masters never denies the criminals he writes about their complex, warped humanity (which, in turn, makes them even more terrifying and repellent) but he also never minimizes the monstrousness of their acts. This is an exceedingly difficult accomplishment, to make such perversity even marginally explicable, but Mr. Masters handles it adroitly. Still, even in the hands of as skilled a biographer as Mr. Masters so obviously is, the sordid mystery of Dennis Nilsen remains intact, which may or may not be gratifying to the incarcerated serial killer but should unsettle the rest of us. How did such malignancy and evil evolve from so uneventful a life? How long would this bland civil servant with his rigid personality have been able to go on killing gay men undetected if he hadn't grown so self-destructively careless? How many others like him are there out in the world now and to what new levels of atrocity will their pathologies extend in the future? That such questions can't really be adequately answered by anyone is probably the most haunting element one will take with them after a reading of this or Mr. Masters' other biographies of psychically-crippled murderers such as Jeffrey Dahmer and Fred and Rosemary West.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At times, this book is hard going. I knew the story of Nilsen prior to reading, and so had an idea of what to expect in terms of the content of the murders. And to be honest, the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer make for even more unpleasant reading. That is not to diminish the evil of this man, just to say that it is not one long sqeam-fest.
I took issue with 2 points. Firstly, Nilsen is an egoistic man who delights in talking about himself. He enjoys the analysis, attention and 'fame', and events in recent years (demanding gay pornography, fight to publish his autobiography, letter to the Evening Standard detailing the first murder)have done nothing to change my mind on this point. Masters points out that Nilsen's work colleagues & few friends tired of his constant protesting & inability to know when to shut up. This very much shines through in the book. Essentially he came across as a tedius man, too locked in his own solice. Retrospectively he has manipulated the evidence to create his own 'version' of events, & this makes me disbelieve lots of what he has to say.
Secondly, Masters comes across, especially at the beginning of the book, as someone fixated on creating a 'setting'. Some of his narrative is tedius, the descriptions of a Scottish childhood especially kitch - I cannot imagine many Scots identifying with the romantic imagery he presents us. Neither did I go for the 'heartfelt' summaries of the lives of some of the victims - sometimes they are so embroiled in crime & drugs no amount of prose can presnt them as 'young boys with a potentially bright future ahead of them'. It is slow to start, & although the death of his grandfather must surely have had an impact, I got the feeling that visions of drowning at sea were no more than the fantasies of a pre-pubecent boy. Where he excels are his detailed and unbiased descriptions of the murders & trial. By this point, Masters had really gotten into his stride, & I couldn't put it down. Would have been even better to have more detail on the seedy underworld Nilsen had to enter in order to meet his victims.
In conclusion, a book which sways from deeply factual to highly emotive. As long as you can get through the shmaltz at the beginning, you will enjoy the meticulous analysis at the end.
I took issue with 2 points. Firstly, Nilsen is an egoistic man who delights in talking about himself. He enjoys the analysis, attention and 'fame', and events in recent years (demanding gay pornography, fight to publish his autobiography, letter to the Evening Standard detailing the first murder)have done nothing to change my mind on this point. Masters points out that Nilsen's work colleagues & few friends tired of his constant protesting & inability to know when to shut up. This very much shines through in the book. Essentially he came across as a tedius man, too locked in his own solice. Retrospectively he has manipulated the evidence to create his own 'version' of events, & this makes me disbelieve lots of what he has to say.
Secondly, Masters comes across, especially at the beginning of the book, as someone fixated on creating a 'setting'. Some of his narrative is tedius, the descriptions of a Scottish childhood especially kitch - I cannot imagine many Scots identifying with the romantic imagery he presents us. Neither did I go for the 'heartfelt' summaries of the lives of some of the victims - sometimes they are so embroiled in crime & drugs no amount of prose can presnt them as 'young boys with a potentially bright future ahead of them'. It is slow to start, & although the death of his grandfather must surely have had an impact, I got the feeling that visions of drowning at sea were no more than the fantasies of a pre-pubecent boy. Where he excels are his detailed and unbiased descriptions of the murders & trial. By this point, Masters had really gotten into his stride, & I couldn't put it down. Would have been even better to have more detail on the seedy underworld Nilsen had to enter in order to meet his victims.
In conclusion, a book which sways from deeply factual to highly emotive. As long as you can get through the shmaltz at the beginning, you will enjoy the meticulous analysis at the end.
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Brian Masters delivers a very interesting and detailed account of Dennis Andrew Nilsen, the almost alcoholic civil servant who could only find peace with the dead bodies of young, often vagrent, men. He details Nilsen's background and childhood very well and this provides a large insight into why he became what he is today.
I was constantly moved by Masters' portrayal of Nilsen's life, despite the crimes that he committed. Nilsen was someone who experienced no real love or affection in his life and because of this, he closed his emotions and became "cold". One can easily understand why he did what he did.
This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in the psychology of serial killers and it presents a warning to society of what might become of the unloved.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A real look inside...
A unique insight into the mind, life and times of Nilsen. The only limitation is the limitation of the killer's memory. Read more
Published 5 months ago by teepeegb
Good book
This is probably the nearest we are going to get as far as knowledge goes about Nilsen until the files are released by the Met in decades to come. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Junius
Loved it
I read this book on holiday and had to remind myself to put it down and get on with my holiday. I have read many true crime books and this is one of the best. Read more
Published 11 months ago by C. Martin
First victim, last to be identified
Recently (november 2009) Dennis Nilsen's first victim was finally identified as 14 year old Stephen Dean Holmes. Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2010 by S. F. J. Smeets
killing for company
this book is not only a masterpiece in the genre but spectacularly well written without any hint of the sensational. Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2009 by Mr. Tm O'riordan
Killing For Company
Killing For Company is a brilliantly written book but is a difficult read, due to it's subject matter. Read more
Published on 31 July 2009 by J. Henderson
STARTED WELL BUT WENT RAPIDLY DOWNHILL!
This book was initally quite interesting, as it described Nilsens early life and his slow descent towards eventually becoming a gruesome murderer. Read more
Published on 15 July 2009 by Ms. Priya Agheda
Classic and essential true crime reading
What can be said about this which is not obvious, it is possibly one of the best true crime books ever written and one of the few to actually employ the actual killer in the... Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2004 by "quacker20"
SICKENING
THIS BOOK IS WORTH THE READ. FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN TRUE CRIME OR FORENSICS THIS BOOK IS A MUST. IT IS SICKENING IN PARTS THOUGH, SO NOT FOR PEOPLE WITH WEAK STOMACHS!!!!!!!!!!!
Published on 18 Dec 2002
Brian Masters at his best
This truly is one of the best True Crime books ever written - the reader is drawn into the world of Nilsen and his crimes - I have read and re-read this book time and time again... Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2000
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