Rating: 
Summary: Nothing but below tabloid trash
Review: The quality of this book is the kind I normally find littering the fictional section of bookstores. I was truly appalled to discover the shoddy workmanship hidden behind the covers of "Ed Gein - Psycho!". I have seen better research and work in high school English Lit papers!The entirity of his "research" apparently comes exclusively from books written upon the subject by other authors who _did_ do their homework, magazine articles and movies which only use _pieces_ of the truth of Ed Gein. He also felt compelled to use language which would never pass muster in the average English class or editor's office. Language, which I might add, which did not add in any fashion to the book or the subject. As well, his cavilier attitude and joking fashion of writing left an extremely sour taste in my mouth. His attempts at expressing a form of "camraiderie" or connection between himself and Mr. Gein in the form of refering to him as "our boy" were truly disgusting. And the use of photos randomly throughout the book, apparently just to take up space as were the annoying movie reviews, was as unnessicary as they were out of any form of logical order or revelance to the progression of the book. Also, beware of the annoying southern dialect used by pretty much anyone who opens there mouth to say anything. Don't worry, you can't miss it. It's spelled out dialectially, i.e. poorly. Just as a random comment, I might call this nothing more than tabloid trash, but even tabloid trash has a level of compentancy which is never even touched by Mr. Woods. All in all, if you're looking for an example of how _not_ to write a true crime novel, or any other kind of novel for that matter, this is a book for you. Otherwise, don't waste your money, instead save it for a book like Deviant by Harold Schechter. This one is just a waste of time, money, paper and ink.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing but below tabloid trash
Review: The quality of this book is the kind I normally find littering the fictional section of bookstores. I was truly appalled to discover the shoddy workmanship hidden behind the covers of "Ed Gein - Psycho!". I have seen better research and work in high school English Lit papers! The entirity of his "research" apparently comes exclusively from books written upon the subject by other authors who _did_ do their homework, magazine articles and movies which only use _pieces_ of the truth of Ed Gein. He also felt compelled to use language which would never pass muster in the average English class or editor's office. Language, which I might add, which did not add in any fashion to the book or the subject. As well, his cavilier attitude and joking fashion of writing left an extremely sour taste in my mouth. His attempts at expressing a form of "camraiderie" or connection between himself and Mr. Gein in the form of refering to him as "our boy" were truly disgusting. And the use of photos randomly throughout the book, apparently just to take up space as were the annoying movie reviews, was as unnessicary as they were out of any form of logical order or revelance to the progression of the book. Also, beware of the annoying southern dialect used by pretty much anyone who opens there mouth to say anything. Don't worry, you can't miss it. It's spelled out dialectially, i.e. poorly. Just as a random comment, I might call this nothing more than tabloid trash, but even tabloid trash has a level of compentancy which is never even touched by Mr. Woods. All in all, if you're looking for an example of how _not_ to write a true crime novel, or any other kind of novel for that matter, this is a book for you. Otherwise, don't waste your money, instead save it for a book like Deviant by Harold Schechter. This one is just a waste of time, money, paper and ink.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost a Work of Fiction
Review: This book is entertaining, but almost completely void of fact. Woods doesn't even get how Gein was arrested correct. His imaginary dialogs between Gein, his mother and friends are written with a out of place southern drawl. If Woods did his research, he'd know that people from the upper Midwest (which includes myself) talk like in the movie Fargo. I credit Woods on writing about the pop culture phenomenon of Ed Gein, but that is about it. An almost complete waste of paper.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: This is without a doubt the worst book about Ed Gein yet written, comprised of 164 pages of pure rumor, speculation, and misinformation. Phony conversations and thoughts are scattered throuought, as though the author would like the reader to believe he was right there alongside "old Ed" while he lived and worked. Woods' use of what I can only assume is his take on the local vernacular is a transparent and pandering attempt to lend a feeling of authenticity - an attempt which in my opinion is both halfhearted and unsuccessful. This book reads more like it was written by an adoring teenage fan than a serious biographer, and relies purely on shock value in relating a story that needs little help in that area by any author. At best, it is a cursory and sensationalistic account of Gein's life and deeds, and I don't think I'm too far from the truth in suggesting that it's simply a paraphrasing of 2 longer, far better and much more complete, accurate and intelligent books on the subject: Schechter's "Deviant" and Gollmar's "Edward Gein." If you're interested in the Gein case, do yourself a favor - pick up a copy of Schechter's book (which is an excellent biography), or Gollmar's (which deals more with the trial as taken from court transcripts), and do your small part to allow this piece of junk to disappear into obscurity.
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