Twisted Minds by Anisha Dutta (Book Review: 3.5*/5) !!!

  

14^th Book of 2026

 

There are books that entertain, books that educate, and then there are books that test your emotional endurance. Twisted Minds by Anisha Dutta comfortably falls into the last category. It is not a book you "enjoy" reading. It is a book you survive.

 

The book opens with two of history's most infamous serial killers—Ed Kemper and Ted Bundy—and honestly, I struggled to continue after the very first chapter. Kemper's crimes, especially those involving his own mother, are narrated with such chilling detail that I genuinely felt nauseated. If the author's intention was to prepare readers for the darkness that follows, she certainly succeeds. Ironically, beginning with the most horrifying accounts makes the remaining chapters comparatively easier to digest.

 

Spread across twenty chapters, Twisted Minds takes readers across continents—from America and India to Colombia, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Brazil and beyond—introducing some of the world's most notorious serial killers. Each chapter attempts to reconstruct their lives, crimes, psychological patterns and the circumstances that may have shaped them. The result is a deeply researched compilation that raises an uncomfortable question throughout: Are monsters born, or are they created?

 

One recurring pattern becomes impossible to ignore. Whether it is emotional neglect, abusive parenting, traumatic childhoods, dysfunctional family environments or severe psychological disorders, many of these killers seem to have emerged from deeply fractured lives. While this certainly does not justify their actions, the book repeatedly suggests that the environment in which a child grows up often leaves scars that may manifest in unimaginable ways. Reading one account after another, I was left wondering how ordinary children gradually transformed into individuals who found satisfaction in killing not one or ten people, but in some cases hundreds.

 

Among all the chapters, Pedro Alonso López's story stood out as the finest piece of writing in the book. Instead of simply listing facts, Anisha Dutta adopts an almost fictional narrative style, recreating his background and psychological evolution in a way that keeps readers invested. It reads less like a case file and more like a tragic descent into darkness. Considering López confessed to murdering more than 300 young girls across multiple countries, the chapter carries an emotional weight that stays with you long after it ends.

 

Equally fascinating is the chapter on Ed Gein. Unlike many others in the book, Gein's notoriety wasn't solely built on murder but on his disturbing obsession with exhuming corpses and transforming human remains into household artefacts. The author's attempt to connect this behaviour with his unhealthy attachment to his deceased mother makes this one of the most psychologically intriguing cases in the collection.

 

Another memorable account is that of Pedro Rodrigues Filho, better known as "Killer Petey." What makes his story unusual is that he believed many of his murders were acts of justice against people he considered evil. Even more astonishing is his later transformation into a YouTube personality who educated people about crime and self-defence. It is one of those rare chapters that demonstrates how contradictory and layered a criminal mind can sometimes appear.

 

Javed Iqbal's story is perhaps among the most shocking. The sheer calculation behind maintaining a diary documenting his murders—and then handing it over to the police after his arrest—is disturbing enough. What makes it even more horrifying is learning how meticulously he ensured that even the physical remains of his victims would disappear. Some realities are stranger—and darker—than fiction.

 

Indian readers will also appreciate the inclusion of criminals closer to home. Raman Raghav, whose crimes even inspired a Bollywood film, Charles Sobhraj—the infamous "Bikini Killer" who operated across Asia—and Kampatimar Shankariya remind us that such stories are not confined to the West. The geographical diversity makes the book far more engaging than focusing solely on American serial killers.

 

However, the book is not without its shortcomings. While the early chapters are detailed and immersive, the final few feel noticeably shorter. Some killers receive only brief summaries, making it evident that either limited historical information was available or the narrative simply couldn't explore them in similar depth. After the richness of the earlier chapters, this inconsistency is difficult to overlook.

 

My larger concern, however, lies elsewhere. By the time I finished the book, I found myself asking a question I hadn't expected: What did I really gain from reading it? Unlike books on psychology, criminology or forensic science that leave readers with broader insights, Twisted Minds often circles back to similar explanations—broken childhoods, abusive parents, neglected emotional development and mental disorders. I had hoped every killer would represent a distinctly different psychological case study, offering new perspectives into criminal behaviour. Instead, many chapters eventually converge on familiar conclusions, making the psychological exploration feel somewhat repetitive.

 

More importantly, this is not a book everyone should pick up casually. Some incidents described here are deeply disturbing and can stay with readers for days. There were moments when turning each page itself felt like a challenge. It became one of the most emotionally exhausting books I have ever read.

 

That said, credit must be given where it is due. Anisha Dutta has clearly invested significant effort in researching these notorious figures and presenting their stories in an accessible narrative. The book succeeds in making readers think about the fragile intersection between psychology, upbringing and criminality, even if it occasionally stops short of providing deeper analytical interpretations.

 

If you are fascinated by true crime, criminal psychology and real-life investigations, Twisted Minds offers an informative journey through twenty of history's most infamous predators. Just be prepared—it is not a comfortable read, nor is it meant to be. My rating for this book would be 3.5* out of 5.

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WRITING BUDDHA