Thomas Quick
The Making of a Serial Killer
Published on 4. July 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
480 pages
978-1-78211-070-5 (ISBN)
Description
'I wonder what you'd think of me if you found out that I've done something really serious . . .'
So begin the confessions of Thomas Quick - Scandinavia's most notorious serial killer.
In 1992, behind the barbed wire fence of a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane, Thomas Quick confessed to the murder of an eleven-year-old boy who had been missing for twelve years. Over the next nine years, Quick confessed to more than thirty unsolved murders, revealing he had maimed, raped and eaten the remains of his victims.
In the years that followed, a fearless investigative journalist called Hannes Rastam became obsessed with Quick's case. He studied the investigations in forensic detail. He scrutinised every interrogation, read and re-read the verdicts, watched the police re-enactments and tracked down the medical records and personal police logs - until finally he was faced with a horrifying uncertainty.
In the spring of 2008, Rastam travelled to where Thomas Quick was serving a life sentence. He had one question for Sweden's most abominable serial killer. And the answer turned out to be far more terrifying than the man himself . . .
So begin the confessions of Thomas Quick - Scandinavia's most notorious serial killer.
In 1992, behind the barbed wire fence of a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane, Thomas Quick confessed to the murder of an eleven-year-old boy who had been missing for twelve years. Over the next nine years, Quick confessed to more than thirty unsolved murders, revealing he had maimed, raped and eaten the remains of his victims.
In the years that followed, a fearless investigative journalist called Hannes Rastam became obsessed with Quick's case. He studied the investigations in forensic detail. He scrutinised every interrogation, read and re-read the verdicts, watched the police re-enactments and tracked down the medical records and personal police logs - until finally he was faced with a horrifying uncertainty.
In the spring of 2008, Rastam travelled to where Thomas Quick was serving a life sentence. He had one question for Sweden's most abominable serial killer. And the answer turned out to be far more terrifying than the man himself . . .
Reviews / Votes
Reads like a real-life Scandinavian crime novel -- Elizabeth Day * * Observer * * It's appalling, it's true, and it's utterly phenomenal reading -- Leif GW Persson The case of convicted serial killer Thomas Quick is an absolutely amazing story, which if it weren't true, you would not believe. In his gripping account, Hannes Rastam reveals the most extraordinary series of failures and credulity on the part of the so-called criminal justice experts. Piece by piece, Rastam strips away the evidence against Quick until there is nothing left but the awful question of how he was ever convicted of murder, not just once but eight times -- Alex McBride * * author of Defending the Guilty * * Memorable -- Ed Caeser * * The Sunday Times * * The book is a superb work of journalism. Rastam sadly died last year from cancer, but he would no doubt be proud to have this as his legacy * * Killing Time Crime * * The book is at its best when the quick-witted Rastam is in charge, asking the right questions, cutting through the lies and getting to the bottom of things. In fact, our intrepid investigative sleuth, with his barely concealed excitement and curious reporter's glee is one of the most delightful things about this book * * We Love this Book * *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 213 mm
Width: 134 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
509 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78211-070-5 (9781782110705)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
01/2020
Canongate Books
€18.18
Available for download
Persons
Hannes Rastam was an investigative reporter for SVT (Swedish Public Broadcasting). He won a number of awards for his work, including the Golden Spade, the Great Journalist Award, the Prix Italia, the Golden Nymph and FIPA d'Or. After a battle with cancer, Rastam passed away while finishing this, his first book.