Multiple Murderers II

Hugh Oliver is the former editor-in-chief of the OISE Press.

Since the story of Cain and Abel was first told, murder has always
exerted a peculiar fascination. In this collection of anecdotes, Max
Haines, author of the Toronto Sun’s weekly column “Crime
Flashback,” outlines the crimes of more than 50 multiple murderers.
Most of the crimes took place in North America; a few, in Europe, the
United Kingdom, and Australia. Most occurred during the past 30 years; a
few (such as those committed by Jack the Ripper) date back to the last
century. Although these brief accounts do not provide scope for probing
the psychologies of the individual criminals, en masse they present a
bizarre group of weirdos and offer insight into the strange forces that
can motivate human (or subhuman) behavior.

Haines’s style of writing is gratingly hearty and cliché-ridden. No
one is ever born; instead, he or she “first sees the light of day.”
Or consider this: “To normal folk the practice of cannibalism is
downright disgusting. After all, the consumption of a fellow human is
not compatible with pleasant dining nor does it do anything for one’s
digestion.” But then, this has been his style for more than 20 years,
and such prose is perhaps to be anticipated.