{Review} Houses of Death by Gordon Kerr

{May 22, 2012} {Review} Houses of Death by Gordon Kerr

From Goodreads: If the walls of 25 Cromwell Street had ears, what horrifying acts would they have overheard during the occupancy of serial killers Fred and Rose West? A house where brutal torture sessions and grisly murders were a regular occurrence, and young women and girls were routinely dismembered and buried in the cellar or under the garden patio. When the police investigation concluded that the Wests had between them murdered at least 12 females whilst living at the house and their killers were finally brought to justice, 25 Cromwell Street had to be torn down to stop souvenir hunters from collecting items from the grounds to sell or to keep as memorabilia.

Such buildings retain something of their previous lives. After the evidence has been removed and the perpetrators imprisoned or executed, an aura of horror, fear and disgust lingers on for decades, sometimes centuries. These places become ‘the haunted house’, or ‘the bogey man’s lair’ to generations of local school children, who stare at the pavement, or run quickly past in order to avoid whatever evil still lurks behind the darkened windows. Houses of Death explores these infamous buildings, the murderers and the victims who called them ‘home’, as well as the bizarre and bloody events which took place within their walls.

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One of my friends and I recently drove to Philadelphia to tour the ruins of Eastern State Penitentiary. I wouldn’t say that I love old ruins, or that I’m a history buff in the least, but places like old prisons, insane asylums, and battlegrounds have always held a kind of awe for me. Walking through the ruins, listening to a tour guide describe events in detail is amazing, especially when the place is supposed to be haunted. Now, while Eastern State Penitentiary is a ruin, I wouldn’t say it was scary to tour. I imagine going there at night or being the sole person on the premise would have been freaky, but since it’s only open during the day time and many people are all over the sight, I wasn’t scared in the least, but more so intrigued.

Seeing those cells, and the remnants of prisoners from long ago was exciting, and so I went to find a book about it. Interestingly enough, I was unable to find any books about Eastern State Penitentiary via Kindle. Yes, there are hard copies galore, but in my haste to learn as much as I could and be able to download it stat, I found nothing aside from Houses of Death, by Gordon Kerr. Being the instant gratification kind of person that I am, I purchased it (.99 cents) and read it in one sitting—it’s relatively short. Now, I was a little sad to find that the section of Eastern State Penitentiary was only a few pages long, but the book itself was great, focusing on 38 infamous houses and wielders of death throughout the world—from the Manson family, to Sing Sing, to Lizzie Bordon, to Alcatraz, the list goes on. Kerr digs deep down into history, giving the reader an overview of the people and places where atrocities took place, explaining the crimes (if any) and places in detail, yet not expounding upon the gruesomeness of the murders, which is a plus. I found this book to be a great buy, and if you’re interested in historical crime, then this book is for you. Four stars.