If you are a fan (and I use the term loosely) of serial killers such as Edmund Kemper the you will love By Reason of Insanity. The story of mass insane killer Thomas Bishop and the fixation of a young hungry reporter Adam Kenton to find Bishop and bring him to justice. This is a brutal and at times graphic story travelling deep into the mind of a mass murderer as he conducts his war against the world in his attempt to explain and show his hatred of women as he butchers his way across America. If I was to level one small criticism I would question the constant introduction of new characters (some remaining for a very short time) which tends to make the storyline a little over complicated causing the reader to have to refresh his memory on occasions. For a big novel the storyline moves at a frantic pace and makes for a fantastic read with a little unexpected and well thought out "sting in the tail" on the very last page.....I actually rated the book 4.5 stars and have bumped up to 5 stars simply because By Reason of Insanity was first published in 1978 and still has the power to shock and frighten many years later. Some will say this is the book by which all other serial killer novels should be compared and judged and they are not wrong!
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