Ted Bundy, by Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth

Ted Bundy, Conversations With A Killer

The inspiration for the most talked about Netflix series of 2019: The Ted Bundy Tapes.

Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer was born out of more than 150 hours of exclusive interview footage with Bundy himself, recorded on death row before his execution in a Florida electric chair.

Bundy’s shocking eleventh-hour confessions to journalists Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth provide a horrifying insight into the twisted mind of America’s most notorious serial killer.

He was a sadistic monster.

A master manipulator.

His grisly killing spree left at least 30 innocent young women dead.

This is Ted Bundy in his own words.

Amazon.com

My Review

I found it hard to write this review because this would be just the sort of attention that Ted Bundy craved. It also has to be said that there are hundreds of family and friends of around thirty victims whose life changed forever due to the actions of this man and their grief should be respected. However ( I feel guilty saying this but I have to be honest,) I found the book fascinating.

As it says in the blurb, Ted Bundy was a master manipulator so who knows if the words he spoke to Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth were actually true. However, it is a fascinating account from a notoriously high profile serial killer which in itself is totally unique. Police procedures have moved on so much from the 1970s, no criminal today would be able to outwit the system like Bundy did. Also, his words may give psychologists and police profilers a better understanding of how the brain of a psychopathic criminal actually works.

Bundy was clever, charismatic to women and craved attention. He spoke in the third person during most of the tapes. This way he could achieve the thrill of describing how he ‘thought’ the murders would have been done, without ever admitting his guilt. Not once in 150 hours of direct interviewing did he slip up.

Michaud and Aynesworth had a clever way of getting Bundy to reveal information but sometimes the conversations were a little difficult to follow. Bundy’s words were vague, even cryptic at times and I had to reread a few sentences to try and get a better understanding.

I had previously watched the Netflix documentary so I felt I had a little background knowledge of the crimes which helped when it came to reading the transcript of the tapes. However, there is far more content in the book and I would definitely recommend both.

All true crime lovers should read this book. It is harrowing and parts will shock you to the core. The writers have given a truly unique insight into the mind of a serial killer, something which may never happen again. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of the book, which I reviewed honestly.