Deranged - by Harold Schechter (Paperback)

About the Book

"First Pocket Books trade paperback printing October 1998"--Title page verso.

Book Synopsis

From Simon & Schuster and Harold Schechter comes Deranged, the shocking true story of America's most fiendish killer. Schechter brings his expertise to the shocking true story of a murderer in the early 20th century.

Deranged reveals the true story behind the life and crimes of Albert Fish, a grandfatherly type who, in the 1930s, kidnapped and murdered countless children.

From the Back Cover

In May, 1928, a kindly old man came to the door of the Budd family home in New York City. A few days later, he persuaded Mr. and Mrs. Budd to let him take their adorable little girl, Grace, on an outing. Albert Fish appeared to be a harmless, white-haired grandfather. The Budds never guessed that they had entrusted their child to a monster.

About the Author

Harold Schechter is Professor Emeritus at Queens College, where he taught classes in American literature and myth criticism for forty-two years. His essays have appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and many more. An esteemed true crime historian, he has written the definitive accounts of some of America's most infamous murderers, including the nonfiction books Fatal, Fiend, Bestial, Deviant, Deranged, Depraved, and The Serial Killers File. He is the editor of the Library of America volume, True Crime: An American Anthology. He has twice been a finalist for an Edgar Award. His most recent books include Butcher's Work: True Crime Tales of American Murder and Madness and Murderabilia: A History of Crime in 100 Objects. In addition to his work in narrative nonfiction, Schechter is the author of an acclaimed series of detective novels based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. He lives with his family in New York.