Rites of Burial

by Tom Jackman, Troy Cole

Book by JACKMAN, TOM /COLE, Jackman, Tom, , Cole

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

About the author

Investigative journalist active in the Kansas City area.

Reviews

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book years ago and then I released it to a bookcrosser or sold it, no idea and I wish I had not done that now.
It is out of print and if there is one book shocking with shocking pictures it is this one.
I collect books about serial killers and Berdella was one of the nastiest most sadistic vile creatures I have ever read about.

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart.
If someone has a copy for me I'd love one and of course would pay for shipping. thanks

Update: I managed to buy a copy or did someone sent it to me?.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life and crimes of Kansas City serial killer Bob Berdella as told by a local reporter and one of the police investigators. It's a solid account but be forewarned that the gruesome details are often hard to read.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe the fact that I haven't been reading much t.c. in the past few years has something to do with my feelings but this was a very hard book for me to read. This man, Robert or Bob Berdella, has to be one of the sickest fucks to have ever lived.
I don't remember t.c.'s ever really affecting me like this just did. There are those that were "worse" than others. There were some that I've remembered through the years. But I always processed them, stuck them somewhere in my brain and moved on. Rites of Burial isn't letting me do that.
The writing itself is average, maybe slightly above average. There are a few editing issues but nothing big. There are pictures included that really give you nightmares. There are the regular "shocking" photos of the killer's high school and home, the cop(s) or prosecutor(s) but there are also some that really make you sick. The photos alone are the stuff of nightmares. One shows a human skull sitting on a shelf in a closet. Another shows a head, covered in dirt, in the palm of a hand after being dug out of Berdella's backyard. There are a few photos, taken by Berdella himself and confiscated by police, that show young men actually being tortured. The pictures show them lying, bound and gagged, some with hypodermic needles hanging out of various places, some getting jolts of electricity. (7,700 volts.) I don't know much about that but the man's eyes are literally bulging and he's jerking up and off the surface of the bed. It's beyond anything I've ever seen. How Berdella concocted these torture sessions I'll never understand.
What is shown in the photos is just a small part of the hell these men went through. All in all it's believed Berdella kidnapped, tortured, and killed 6 young men. Most, if not all, were "hustlers" (this is the authors word - a "hustler" to me is someone who sells drugs. A "hustler" to the author(s) is a male prostitute.)
What I can't get out of my mind isn't the torture photos. It's the regular photos of the victims. The last man, the one who got away and survived, Chris Bryson I think his name was, looks a lot like an ex of mine in the face. (Totally weird.) The others, in portraits or photos taken in happier times, are enough to bring tears to your eyes. One young man in particular is stuck in my mind, Jerry Howell. His smiling face and bright eyes just really show a good kid. One who made mistakes but who the hell hasn't? They're regular people who started messing up for a time. None look like they couldn't have gotten themselves together eventually. And none ever got the chance. Because of the sadistic fuck they happened to encounter. I should note that all but one of the men had previously encountered Berdella before. My point here is they felt safe. That may be the scariest thing of all.
I'm not going to go into some of the things Berdella did to these men. I'm worried a younger child may stumble across the review. Let's just say it's beyond anything my mind could ever come up with. Berdella himself is fascinating in a way. He blames the police for not catching him sooner and thereby saving lives. It was interesting to read his views on his life and the lives of his victims.
If you have a weak stomach you should seriously pass this one up. This is by far one of the hardest true crime books I've ever read.
Being that one of the authors of this book was one of the detectives, I'm curious to know where the proceeds from this book went. I didn't buy this so my money is in my pocket but from my understanding of what I read here, Berdella can't make a penny off of the crime in any way. I think something was set up so that no one could. Berdella set up trusts for the family's of his victims and for his mother (and a so-called "small" amount for himself) to be paid out of the money from the sale of his house and belongings. Did the proceeds from this book go to the families? A charity perhaps? I wouldn't mind knowing.

[DAISY READS HORROR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Berdella is one of the sickest serial killers I have ever read about. Known to some by "The Kansas City Butcher", he really did live u to that sick name sadly. I had never heard of him before reading this book which to be honest surprised me because his crimes were up there with the ranks of Dahmer & Gacy. The crimes were actually very similar to Dahmer in that the victims of choice were young, white homosexual males. Berdella inflicted a longer period of pain on his victims. Where Dahmer usually killed his within a few hours or a day, Berdella would spread his twisted pleasure on his for weeks at a time. His confessions were interesting and his mind set was just so perverse and sick. I think that it was surprising that he pled guilty and that he actually spoke about his crimes. The interviews I have seen of him, he seems very un-remorseful and doesn't seem to really comprehend why society sees him as a a sick individual.

After I finished reading this book, i looked at a documentary on him and was surprised to see that he died of a heart attack about 4 years after he was convicted.

I recommend this book to fellow true crime readers. Just be prepared for a lot of gory details on how these poor men died it is so sad.

[Coral · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times, a hard read, both because of the subject matter and because of the writing. Maybe it was a conscious decision on the authors' part to cut some of the tension, but parts of this went into little details about the detectives lives that I really found so goddamn boring. I mean, good for them, they gathered evidence to convict the dude, but I could not care less about what baseball teams they liked.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly horrifying. I vowed to read this again someday but I have never been able to bring myself to do it. That was over 20 years ago now. I can't bring myself to give the book away, either. This story is THAT bad.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a somewhat rare true-crime book. It's rare in that it is set in my hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, during a timeframe that I was alive and can vaguely remember. It's also rare in that it covers a serial killer from the time that he is caught through the end of his life. The serial killer in this book is Bob Berdella, a man who preyed on young, gay men in downtown Kansas City in the late 1980's. The author does not waste any time in establishing setting or characterization, a trait that other true-crime authors (like Ann Rule) do. Still it's a good story and it's focus is heavily on the detectives and crime-scene processors.

[Katelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have only read a few true crime books. This was well written but a few complaints. The book was rather long I’m not sure what made it so long or what made it feel long, or maybe it was just not as engaging and I simply kept putting it down. I found the trial section to be redundant of his confession section, especially being back to back. I found how the author kept making petty remarks about the defense lawyer on a personal basis to be unprofessional. (No one gives a shit you didn’t like the defense lawyer grow up it’s not about you). I also found the ending comparison to John Wayne Gacey unneeded.

That being said this is by far the most graphic true crime book I’ve read. At times it is an uncomfortable read. I just kept thinking about the murdered men’s family, I would personally be upset if I were them and read this book. I thought the authors were not only unsympathetic to the victims but had little taste in how they presented their tournament. I felt like they sensationalized what was done to them. Secondly they failed to tell us anything positive about the victims they didn’t do their to duty in humanizing them…. Shameful. Detectives back then didn’t care about prostitutes or drug addicts that got hurt or killed and I feel like that mentality was reflected in how this book presented the victims.

Otherwise the case itself was very in-depth given that the killer gave a full detailed confession which was presented in this book. Unfortunately you do feel as though your missing a lot of the killers back story analyze or an in-depth look of him. I assume that is because he died relatively soon after his incarceration and seems there were not many interviews or clinical evaluations done on him. But you can’t help wonder if something happened in his childhood. You end the book feeling as if the killer revealed so much about what he did but little about himself, seemingly that was his intention.

[Rosemary Krystofolski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about sadistic serial killer

Wonderful account of the grisly crimes of Kansas City, Missouri serial killer Robert Berdella. Caught in 1988 after a young man he had captured and tortured managed to escape, by jumping nude out a second story window, a police investigation investigation revealed that Berdella had killed 6 other young men between 1983 and 1987. In a confession made to avoid capital punishment Berdella gave law enforcement all of the details and pled guilty to 2 counts of first degree murder and 4 counts of second degree murder

[JameReads2012 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow read

I wanted the description of the murders to be more spread throughout the investigation process. I spent most of the first half of the book bored with the procedure and the searches, etc. I understand that the author included this to pay respect for law enforcement and to portray how difficult it was to gather the evidence. The details of the torture and crimes were shocking. His lack of emotion makes it that much more terrifying.

[Maddie Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and maybe overly detailed. This book describes the crimes, capture, and trial of serial killer Robert Berdella. It depicts the horrific captivity, sexual torture, and murder Berdella inflicted upon 6 young men in the 1980s. The book is well written but provides many unsavory details about the crimes. The pictures in the book show some of the young men as they were being tortured and it seems somewhat disrespectful to the victims to show such images.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Visted The Haunted Musuem In Las Vegas Because I Am A Huge Ghost Adventures Fan And They Have Robert's Log And Actually Torture Chambers Down To The Sheets With Fecal Matter. I Was Immediately Fascinated And Haven't Read A True Crime In Ages Boy This Was A Hard One To Stomach Well Written Book Delivers The Story Beautifully I Just Sometimes Found Myself Zoning Out At Times In Some Of The Scenes I Think Because Of Information Overload.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Crime at it's Best

Warning: this is GRAPHIC in the EXTREME, so if you can't handle that, this read is not for you... As a native Kansas Citian and having lived at 42nd and Charlotte (1 block from the scene of the crimes), this book was of extraordinary interest to me. That aside, I highly recommend this book to “real" true crime readers- just be prepared for the graphic details!!

[theredsister · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very well researched and contained an abundant amount of information. However, I found it very difficult to stay engaged after the first half. I found myself skimming most of the second half.

From my perspective as a lover of true crime:

Four stars for wealth of information.

One star for readability.

[Taylor Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely worth a read if you’re interested in serial killers. Warning: This book is EXTREMELY graphic at points.
The second half of the book was fantastic. The middle was a bit hard to get through. A few too many unnecessary details about the detectives working on the case. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book!

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable yet true!!!

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the Kansas City Butcher. But the details of his horrific tortures will make you stomach sick!!! Not for the faint of heart.

[Kip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing look into the crimes if Bob Berdella. Lots of detail, scary, graphic pictures and everything you love in a true crime book about a serial killer. Will leave the reader feeling a bit dark inside. This guy did some nasty things.

[Samantha Sutherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gut wrenching, horrific story. Written extremely well, but holy crap there were times I didn’t think I could finish it! Completely heart breaking for the victims and victims families involved.

[Theremin Poisoning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grisly and disturbing. I did find it fascinating due to it being a local case. This man so clearly inspired Jeffrey Dahmer and yet has been practically forgotten in the "pantheon" of serial killers.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book about a mass murderer in Kansas City in the 80's. Gets off to a slow start because the police have such a hard time finding evidence, but eventually fairly juicy. Not a favorite true crime book but a solid 4 stars.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how to rate this one. The last 1/4 when they went through the interviews with Berdella about this crimes were stomach turning. I know he’s often compared to Dahmer and Gacy in the true crime world, but it’s odd he’s relatively unknown outside of the Midwest.

[Ashimadayal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

A detailed and well researched book. Lists all facts and doesn't delve into opinions and rumours. The actions of Berdella are a bit hard to read about at times.

[Mich Delgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob's Bizarre Bizarre Is More than Bizarre!! This serial killer is one of the worst and a horrible human being if he even deserves that title..

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Horrifying Case

Good book for it's time. So much additional information has been unearthed about Berdella since 1992. Needs an update. Good thorough read.

[Lee Paris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a far better read than I had been led to expect. It nicely balances the various elements of the case - the police investigation, the legal (and political) ramifications, and , not to be discounted for those of us interested in such matters, the grisly details of each of Mr. Berdella's "captures" and the various sadistic treatments he imposed pre-mortem. The famous polaroids of the victims taken by their captor have been much reproduced on the internet and will not be a shock, but you will appreciate knowing the context of each image. I don't agree with those reviewers who accuse the authors of homophobia. It was published 22 years ago and reflects the attitudes of the time. Of course - there were frequent jokes by the law enforcement personnel about cucumbers and carrots. I would have welcomed some discussion about the sodomy law in Missouri; at one point it was suggested that incredibly Bob might be given a life term for that charge alone. Also, we are told that Bob was a talented artist and won scholarships, and that some of his performance art involved the killing of animals. I have read the blog of Shane Levene, whose father was killed and dismembered by Dennis Nilsen, where he describes Dennis as an "artist". And of course we have Jeffrey Dahmer and his concept for an elaborate shrine composed entirely from the skulls and skeletons of his victims. Maybe this is something worth exploring i.e. where the imagination of the artist and the murderer intersects. Kudos to Jackman and Cole for a
book well written, and a second edition may be warranted now that popular culture has become interested. Berdella has since died, and there has been at least two movies made since the book was published. The curious 2004 documentary by Troma now on Youtube alternates between outrage and jocular commentaries with a bouncy sound track and musical interludes. Youtube's Kiefer89 should be commended as well for his brief but informative video on Bob.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what it was about this book but I found it very difficult to get through. It wasn't the subject matter, I can guarantee you that much. I guess the author's style of writing isn't the best for me personally- I'm not sure. The story itself is gruesome. Shocking? For some, sure. I, however, read mostly true crime and I've pretty much read it all or heard it all in documentaries and such. I suppose you can say I'm a bit desensitized.
I did find myself cringing at some of the details, but nothing made me queasy or feel the need to step away from the book, and nothing actually shocked me. Story itself is, fascinating for lack of a better word. Writing style itself made me give the book an overall 4 stars.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a true account of the history of Bob Berdella, a serial killer who lived in the Westport area of Kansas City, MO. I love true crime tv shows, so I wasn't surprised that I found this book fascinating. Horrible, but fascinating. It's graphic, don't read it if you don't think you can handle it.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of the murders committed by Robert Berdella. Living a homosexual lifestyle, he started capturing his victims by drugging them. He would then torture and abuse them until they died or he killed them. He killed six young men in the 1980s. Berdella was sentenced to life in prison w/o the possibility of parole. He died in prison of a heart attack shortly after his incarceration.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book stays interesting, which I not always think of true crime books. The only time it's a bit of slumping is during the confessions of the serial killer. Normally that's the most interesting part. The book doesn't needlessly attack its subject and sticks with the facts.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't a typical true crime book in that it isn't sensationalized. It gives you the cold, hard facts, and not much more. But those facts are pretty awful, and don't really need much sensationalization. I would recommend this to anyone doing research in this genre.