I first met Carol Anne Davis many years ago at The Crime & Mystery Conference, St Hilda's, Oxford, and I have always been impressed by her vast knowledge of real-life crime and even more impressed by her powerful crime fiction.
This non-fiction study of violent criminals high-lights the serious problem that when people have power and position and wear the mask of respectability, they can escape detection for a very long time and commit an unbelievable number of barbarous acts.
This
selection of true-crime studies outlines the cases of thirty-seven
criminals who committed violent crimes – in most cases murder –
and, at first, were shielded from suspicion by their social position
and respectable jobs, which often allowed them to offend again. The
chapters consist of a study of the perpetrators' childhoods, their
lives and the circumstances that moulded their personalities. Many of
these personalities were terrifyingly warped and ego-centric.
The
perpetrators ranged through several killers with positions in law
enforcement and education, there were also health workers, lawyers, a
vet and an airline pilot, and a large number of people with positions
in religious organisations. Indeed one of the most disturbing aspects
of the book as a whole was the number of violent offenders who had
religion – often in an extreme form – as part of their
upbringing. The chapters often conclude with comments from
psychologists and psychiatrists, analysing the nature of the crime
and perpetrators, and these are fascinating.
Although
the front cover includes the caption 'When good men and women turn
criminal,' I did not feel that the majority of the perpetrators were
'good,' they merely had the position and reputation to camouflage
their true natures. Because they were respectable people who could
hide behind a mask of authority, religion and good deeds, those
around them could not believe them capable of serious evil. Added to
which, official agencies (such as the Social Services in the case of
abusive foster mother Eunice Spry) are very wary of challenging the
outwardly respectable and unwilling to offend people whom they regard
as 'like themselves.'
Carol
Anne Davis is an outstanding authority on true crime, and Masking
Evil is a fascinating, although chilling, study of criminals who
shelter (and are sheltered by those around them) behind a mask of
respectability. A book that is well worth reading for those who are
interested in true crime and the psychology behind violent actions,
not to mention a good source of plots for crime writers. An
authoritative and very interesting book.
Published
by Summersdale Publishers
ISBN:
978-1-84953-883-1
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