I really enjoyed this book. It goes beyond just the police notes or just the newspapers. It really delves into all the viewpoints including that of BTK himself using all the different historic files from the story. It puts together the pieces in chronological order with a chilling amount of detail. You feel invested in the outcome of the case, the news articles and the lives of those involved. It was honestly the best nonfiction, true crime stories I've read and I commend those involved, especially Wenzl.

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This book blew me away. It is really amazing that the only reason he was ever caught was because he played with the police. He might never have been caught if he had just did the killings and never did anything with the news or police. He is an evil man. ( )

Not very interesting.
This book is the inside story of BTK the serial killer Dennis Rader who terrorized the residence of Wichita, Kansas for 31 years.
I don't really like the way this book is put together. it has good information in it but for me personally this book comes off as a cops and robbers book in the form of a true crime novel. but instead of being like a real true crime novel where there is plot and story interweaved into the facts, this one is put together with just plain fact telling. There really doesn't seem to be a story to be told. Every chapter is a different fact about the case.
The book revolves around the police and their case against BTK and their eventual capture of him. It seems to me like just a list of dry facts represented in chapters. Perhaps it was written this way because it was actually written by the four crime reporters who covered the story.
The photos add to the facts and to the horror of the facts themselves. it is just a pity that they are in black-and-white and so small that you can barely see things such as blood stains on the walls and items used in the murders. This book should really be in larger print then a mass-market paperback.
I wouldn't normally recommend a book like this but the reasons that I have listed I do not like the book are reasons that somebody else may indeed like it. So with that in mind, I would recommend this book to people who like cops and robbers, mystery, and true crime. ( )

BTK is one of those True Crime books about serial killers that spends more time on those involved in apprehending the killer (law enforcement and media, mainly) than on the motivations and personal life of the serial killer, and for those looking to dwell in the dark and murky details of the deviant murderer’s inner mind (not that that’s a bad thing, mind you), this can be somewhat of a disappointment. Those expecting to spend excessive time on BTK’s origins and double-life as a sex crime serial killer and beloved father and respected member of the community will find themselves instead delving deep into the lives and relationships of those members of the police force and news media that spent decades documenting his crimes and tracking him down. This is not a knock against the book, which is expertly researched and presented, but rather a warning for those looking to become more “intimate” with BTK.

The book follows the history of the BTK saga chronologically – with the occasional flashback – starting with his first kill, and to the book’s credit, the murders are described in full as they occurred, so the reader is not left to puzzle over the crime scenes along with the detectives and reporters. There are probably other books out there that focus more on the killer and his acts, but the attention to the law enforcement side offers greater detail to the extent of the manhunt, the obstacles it had to overcome, and most importantly, gives a greater appreciation as to why it took decades for them to finally track down a killer who turned out to be far less intelligent than most assumed. The book is detailed without dwelling masochistically on those details, and the occasional sidetracks the narrative takes lend a human depth to the perception of the side of the story that receives less of the spotlight. A great read that manages to be informative without descending into morbidity. Bonus points for a brief but rather unflattering behind-the-scenes cameo by John Walsh and his America’s Most Wanted sideshow. ( )

BTK ~ “bind, torture, kill”, is probably the most famous serial killer in Wichita, Kansas. Actually he might be the only serial killer in Wichita, Kansas. Like most serial killers, when not killing he was ‘normal’, husband, father, boy scout leader, and church leader. Like most serial killers though, he had these urges to kill. The reason it took 31 years to catch him was he was able to resist his urges for years at a time.

This book is written by the reporters who covered the BTK story for “The Wichita Eagle”, not only were they familiar with the story, they also knew which police officers were most involved and were able to interview them to get the inside story they couldn’t get before Dennis Rader was convicted.

Reading this book was almost like being there. The four reporters have put forth an excellent detailed account of the murders and the lives off all involved in this case. You could almost feel the frustration and disappointment of the officers who couldn’t solve this case.

This is the definitive book about BTK, if you only read one book about Dennis Rader, this is the book. ( )