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Book Report on “Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster” Book Report on “Bestial: The Savage Trail ofa True American Monster” The book “Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster” by Harold Schechter is a true crime tale about Earl Leonard Nelson, one of America’s most popular serial killer in the 1920s (Schechter, 2004). Dubbed as the “Gorilla Man” and also “The Dark Strangler”, Nelson’s string of murders began in the winter of 1926 and spanned throughout the US and Canada.

He was notoriously tagged as such due to the gruesome manner by which he strangled and savagely mutilated the twenty two victims, almost all women, except one; and tried to hide them in unscrupulously tiny spaces. Further, the age of his victims were widely sparse starting from only eight months old to the mature age of sixty six. Schechter introduced the killer in the first chapter through creatively comparing him to another killer, Theodore Durrant. The analogies, though similarly violent, were different in terms of the time element for the criminal atrocities.

Durrant’s rampaged killings lasted only nine days; while Nelson’s killing spree lasted sixteen months. Nelson was described by Schechter as having a bizarre childhood. Raised by his grandmother, he was reported to have exhibited eccentric behavior, including being classified as a compulsive masturbator and possessing a voracious sexual appetite. Schechter likewise revealed that Nelson had a strange way of wanting to change clothes: from immaculately neat and clean, to indescribably horrible and dirty.

Also, Nelson was also described as refusing to take bathes; have incorrigible table manners; manifested criminal behavior early in his teens. The criminal acts that Nelson committed and that had made him known was the way he strangled the victims using his bare hands and raping the victims after they have been killed. Also the bizarre way of concealing them were likewise strange, exemplifying the perpetrator’s unstable mental condition. The first sets of victims were middle to old-aged owners of boarding houses, who unsuspectingly allowed him to come in, as guised guests to rent a vacant room.

His killing-spree continued until he reached Canada, where Nelson allegedly made a series of mistakes. His being seen as a stranger in a small city at Winnipeg made his a conspicuous suspect. A $1,500 reward was offered for his capture and he was accosted by Canadian lawmen almost five miles from the U.S. boarder. His trial was one of the most sensational and publicized trials of his time. Establishing his lunatic behavior from his wife, Mary and his Aunt Lillian, in conjunction with a psychiatrist, Nelson was found guilty and was sentenced to be hanged.

His death, by strangulation, paralleled the deaths of the twenty two victims he mercilessly and brutally suffocated, violated, and defiled. This book can be considered as one of the top true crime books. Schechter obviously did an extensive research about Nelson and the crimes that he committed. He was able to present the graphic details of the murders. Aside from the details of the crimes, the author gave an account of the difficulties encountered by the police in solving the serial killings.

Bestial is a finely-written book about one of history’s gruesome that one enjoyed reading. ReferenceSchechter, H. (2004). Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster. Pocket Star.