Death by Cannibal - by Peter Davidson (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

They violated one of civilized society's most sacred taboos, and they're anathema even in the twisted world of serial murder. Most frighteningly, the cannibal killer hides behind a mask of normalcy, as documented in the vivid profiles of American murderers who ate their victims. Drawn from revealing interviews with family members, authorities, and the killers themselves, Death by Cannibal exposes the secrets behind the most fiendish compulsion of them all.

Gary Heidnik, the financial wizard whose Philadelphia home was a dungeon of sexual slavery, torture, and diabolical feasts.

Albert Fentress, a mild-mannered schoolteacher who lured a teenage boy into the inescapable darkness of his secret obsessions.

John Weber, a country boy who found an outlet for his sick fantasies when he ate his teenage sister-in-law for dinner.

Nathaniel Bar-Jonah, a gourmand and aspiring chef who allegedly shared the remains of his prey with unsuspecting friends.

Marc Sappington, a high school dropout who aimed to outdo his idol, Jeffrey Dahmer, by embarking on a three-day feeding frenzy.

But where does gruesome desire end and true crime begin? The book includes new details on the unprecedented case of "Cannibal Cop" Gilberto Valle, the former NYPD officer who used online forums to describe his fantasies of kidnapping up to a hundred women and of eating "girl meat."

Includes photographs.

Review Quotes

"A first-rate true crime book necessarily requires two elements--a powerful and intriguing story, and a writer who can capture its soul. Homicide Miami has both. I highly recommend this story of murder and greed at their worst."--Vincent Bugliosi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Helter Skelter and Divinity of Doubt

"Torture murder for sex has, unfortunately, become yesterday's news. It is what serial killers are all about. Torture murder for money is rare. This is what gives Peter Davidson's new book its punch. The two main characters in this sordid drama of predatory psychopaths are the embodiment of what we mean by 'evil.' Lugo and especially Dorbal are poster children for the death penalty. But they are as fantastical for stupidity as they are for depravity. First a bungled murder, then a bungled theft and a bungled dismemberment, foiled when a woman's hair jams the killers' electric saw . . . Davidson said his book is not for the squeamish. True. But once you start it you can't put it down."--Dr. Michael H. Stone, professor of clinical psychiatry, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and host of Most Evil on Investigation Discovery

About the Author