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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.
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
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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 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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