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HAPPY LIKE MURDERERS: The True Story of Fred and Rosemary West
 
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HAPPY LIKE MURDERERS: The True Story of Fred and Rosemary West (Paperback)

by Gordon Burn (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Faber & Faber; New Ed edition (1 Jan 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0571197574
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571197576
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.6 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 141,116 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #69 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Law & Disorder > Issues > Serial Killers

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Product Description

Synopsis

An account of two people - Fred and Rose West - who lived together, raised (and killed) children, provided sexual services for anyone interested, and pretended to provide social services for single women.

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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Truly horrific, 17 Jan 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Happy Like Murderers (Paperback)
This is a remarkable account of the worlds of Fred and Rose West and it pulls no punches.

I have read of life in Auschwitz and other concentration camps, as well as detailed biographies of the killers Ed Gein and Dennis Nielsen, and I can say without hesitation that I have not before encountered such a detailed account of pure evil.

The news media have concentrated, for the most part, on the women and girls that died at the hands of Fred and Rose West. This book does not speculate on the details of those killings since only one living person knows what actually happened, and she isn't saying.

Detailed and graphic accounts of the child abuse suffered by the West's young family are included and I found these to be truly sickening. Including such details may sound voyeuristic but there is no titilation here, just horror.

It is a well crafted read and Gordon Burn should be commended on handling such a subject with sensitivity.

People will read this book and cry.

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Grotesquely Fascinating, 21 Oct 2001
By Kali "bengaligirl" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Happy Like Murderers (Paperback)
This is a grotesquely fascinating book about a grotesque man and his equally grotesque wife. Fred and Rosemary West will be remembered for their systematic abuse of their own children (and others) and how for many years they evaded being discovered because of the indifferent society they lived in. Gordon Burn takes his readers into a modern day Heart of Darkness in which there is no happy ending, only survivors who will never be the same again. This is not an easy book to read, it starts in a peculiar way, far removed from the West family. Instead it looks at the lives of people who at first seem to have nothing to do with the storyline, but then the threads are carefully draws in, showing the connections to Fred and Rosemary and how evil can spread its tentacles in the most unlikely of places. This is horror story that turns your stomach because it is true horror, of how a man and a woman could get away with murder for years. This book is not for the faint hearted or squeamish, it is brutal, and explicit in its search for the truth. However it is well written, savagely analytical and totally mesmerising. It is book that I can recommend but only if you have the stomach to read it...
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking, gripping, desperately sad., 19 Jun 2001
This review is from: Happy Like Murderers (Paperback)
A well researched and highly detailed account of the lives of Fred and Rosemary West and of the desperate lives of their children. I couldn't put it down. The detail of Fred and Rosemary's own childhood experiences was surprising and insightful. If you want a book that goes towards trying to understand why and how they could do what they did then read this, there are also some valuable perspectives from their surviving children. Brace yourself though, it can be difficult reading.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Very rarely.....
Very rarely does a book disturb your soul - I was jumpy for days whilst I was reading this, the writing style is almost soft and hypnotic yet the subject matter is totally at odds... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Pedro the Llama

5.0 out of 5 stars An ironic review...
This book is one of the best books I has ever ever read and I thinks that the style of the book is a style that perfectly suits the book, as the style is stylish as well as... Read more
Published 7 months ago by BadaBingBadaBoom

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic
I read this book over 400 pages in 2 nights. Although it doesn't really suggest real motives of terrible things fred and rose did to others,it gives a detailed account of the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by L. Fellows

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Wests
I've read every book available out there about the horrific West case and this one is by far my favourite and always the one I recommend to a newcomer interested in true crime... Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2007 by R. Wooldridge

1.0 out of 5 stars Oh for a decent editor....
I bought this book because I really enjoyed "Somebody's Husband, Somebody's Son" by the same author. Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2007 by Ms. A. M. M. Mcgookin

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy Like Murderers
This is not a book for everyone. Harrowing, it details the lives of Fred and Rose West. Extremely difficult to read, I did almost give up half-way as it was upsetting but I kept... Read more
Published on 24 Nov 2005 by Rich

5.0 out of 5 stars harrowing but compelling
This book gave a fascinating insight into the lives of the poor victims of the Wests. I found it a compelling read and even cried as i was reading about the abuse they had... Read more
Published on 25 Oct 2005

4.0 out of 5 stars Depravity in Middle England
How did a boy born into a farming family find his perfect partner - a young, impressionable schoolgirl - and kill so many people over such a long period? Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2004 by robertf999

4.0 out of 5 stars Sickening
I found the author's style of writing difficult; it can be repetitive and doesn't always flow. My assumption is that this is deliberate. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2002 by G. M. Ranson

5.0 out of 5 stars grusum account of how evil lives amoungst us
on apperance this couple looked like an every day married couple with children, underneath was a sinistar appitate for sex,incest,murder,prostitution and controll. Read more
Published on 12 Oct 2001 by cparkin7@aol.com

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