Saturday

Book review: Harold Shipman- The Doctor of Death

Harold Shipman: The Doctor of Death by Mel Plehov
I've mentioned before that I have a morbid interest in true crime, specifically serial killers. I know it's creepy but I've since found out I'm not alone so I feel a bit less weird about it! I saw this book on sale in Asda for a couple of pounds, along with one about the Moors Murders, and I couldn't resist adding them to my serial killer book collection. (Did I really just type those words?)

At first glance, this book doesn't seem to have an author although, buried deep inside the publishing information inside the book are the words "Written by Mel Plehov". If I were Plehov, I wouldn't want my name associated with this book either. Not because of the content (I've already made it quite clear that this subject matter doesn't bother me), but because of the terrible writing. 
Extract of Mel Plehov's Harold Shipman book
I don't know enough about the Shipman case to attest to the factual accuracies, but the use of English is terrible. Admittedly, it's not badly written in itself. The problem is just that it reads very much like a first draft, with irritating repetition, grammatical errors and rather eclectic use of commas, full stops and ellipses. As an example, "her parents took an instant dislike to him almost instantly" is a genuine sentence found in the book. I'm left with the impression that there was no proofreading at all.
Despite the pretty poor writing, it was interesting to gain more understanding of the life and crimes of Harold Shipman. It's certainly sparked my interesting, but I'll find a higher quality book to find out more.

Buy Harold Shipman: The Doctor of Death here (If you really want to, that is!)

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4 comments :

  1. I am definitely one of those people with a morbid interest in serial killers too...I think it's because I feel the need to try and understand what made them how they are! Such a shame about this book as I'm sure the story is an interesting one, but bad writing is such a put off for me. No way would I have finished it if it was bad throughout!

    Hopefully the Moors Murders one will be better!

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    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one! I agree- I want to know what drives them to commit their crimes. I'm terrible with books. I have to finish it, even if it's terrible!

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  2. WOW - I was just browsing through & stumbled upon your lovely blog - It looks gorgeous and it has interesting posts that I can relate to. I'm now following you via gfc, Hope you check out my? keep in touch love x

    Benish | Feminist Reflections

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