Killing For Company
Published on 17. September 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-78746-625-8 (ISBN)
Description
WINNER OF THE GOLD DAGGER AWARD FOR CRIME NON-FICTION
The definitive, Sunday Times bestselling true story of serial-killer Dennis Nilsen and the murders he committed, written with Nilsen's full cooperation.
'A seminal look into the criminal mind' Daily Mail
'An important book which screams to be read' New Statesman
Before his arrest in 1983, Dennis Nilsen admitted to killing at least 15 people. This ground-breaking criminal study of his killings was written with Nilsen's full cooperation, resulting in a fascinating - and horrifying - portrait of the man who worshipped death.
In February 1983, residents of Muswell Hill had been plagued by blocked drains. When a plumber was called to investigate, he discovered a large blockage of biological material. To his horror, it appeared to be formed of human flesh and bones.
The next day, local resident Dennis Nilsen was arrested.
'Are we talking about one body or two?' a detective asked. 'Fifteen or sixteen, since 1978,' Nilsen replied. 'I'll tell you everything.'
Within days he had confessed to fifteen gruesome murders over a period of four years. His victims, mostly young gay men at a time when society cared little for them, had been overlooked.
Killing for Company is a unique study of a murderer's mind, essential reading for true crime aficionados.
Praise for Killing for Company:
'You really have to read this extraordinary book to get a full flavour of the weirdness of Nilsen and his crimes' SUNDAY TIMES
'Probably the best thing of its kind since In Cold Blood . . . a classic study in criminal mentality' YORKSHIRE POST
'Without any doubt one of the most remarkable, complete and most humanely informative accounts of a murderer's mind ever achieved' NEW SOCIETY
'The book is a perceptive and at times coldly brutal assessment of Nilsen's psychology' MIRROR
'A comprehensive and compelling account' FINANCIAL TIMES
'One of the most remarkable and accurate accounts ever written of the singular relationship between a mass murderer and a society . . . a bloody masterpiece.' BERYL BAINBRIDGE, author of The Dressmaker
The definitive, Sunday Times bestselling true story of serial-killer Dennis Nilsen and the murders he committed, written with Nilsen's full cooperation.
'A seminal look into the criminal mind' Daily Mail
'An important book which screams to be read' New Statesman
Before his arrest in 1983, Dennis Nilsen admitted to killing at least 15 people. This ground-breaking criminal study of his killings was written with Nilsen's full cooperation, resulting in a fascinating - and horrifying - portrait of the man who worshipped death.
In February 1983, residents of Muswell Hill had been plagued by blocked drains. When a plumber was called to investigate, he discovered a large blockage of biological material. To his horror, it appeared to be formed of human flesh and bones.
The next day, local resident Dennis Nilsen was arrested.
'Are we talking about one body or two?' a detective asked. 'Fifteen or sixteen, since 1978,' Nilsen replied. 'I'll tell you everything.'
Within days he had confessed to fifteen gruesome murders over a period of four years. His victims, mostly young gay men at a time when society cared little for them, had been overlooked.
Killing for Company is a unique study of a murderer's mind, essential reading for true crime aficionados.
Praise for Killing for Company:
'You really have to read this extraordinary book to get a full flavour of the weirdness of Nilsen and his crimes' SUNDAY TIMES
'Probably the best thing of its kind since In Cold Blood . . . a classic study in criminal mentality' YORKSHIRE POST
'Without any doubt one of the most remarkable, complete and most humanely informative accounts of a murderer's mind ever achieved' NEW SOCIETY
'The book is a perceptive and at times coldly brutal assessment of Nilsen's psychology' MIRROR
'A comprehensive and compelling account' FINANCIAL TIMES
'One of the most remarkable and accurate accounts ever written of the singular relationship between a mass murderer and a society . . . a bloody masterpiece.' BERYL BAINBRIDGE, author of The Dressmaker
Reviews / Votes
Brian Masters has given us a full, well-ordered, dispassionate account of Nilsen's life and crimes * The Times * A comprehensive and compelling account * Financial Times * Brian Masters can rest assured that the job he undertook with such obvious doubts was one worth doing * Spectator * Probably the best thing of its kind since In Cold Blood...a classic study in criminal mentality * Yorkshire Post * Quite brilliant in its assimilation of the facts... Killing for Company is a book that needed to be written, and has been executed with extreme skill and good sense * Time Out * A seminal look into the criminal mind * Daily Mail * Simultaneously gripping and repellent... I feel confident that I will not read again in 1985 a more fascinating and repulsive tale, be it fact or fiction * Literary Review * The book is a perceptive and at times coldly brutal assessment of Nilsen's psychology * Daily Mirror * An important book which screams to be read * New Statesman * A compelling and remarkable book... through Masters' fine writing the reader suspends his nausea for the crimes, and concentrates with Nilsen on his motives and himself * The Listener *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Cornerstone
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 191 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
260 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78746-625-8 (9781787466258)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
01/2011
1st Edition
Cornerstone Digital
€9.99
Available for download
Person
Brian Masters has written over twenty books on subjects as diverse as French literature, the dukedoms in Great Britain, E.F. Benson and Marie Corelli. His groundbreaking study of mass murderer Dennis Nilsen, Killing for Company, won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction in 1985. He is also highly regarded for his journalism.