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  • Deviant

  • The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original "Psycho"
  • Written by: Harold Schechter
  • Narrated by: R.C. Bray
  • Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (146 ratings)

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Deviant cover art

Deviant

Written by: Harold Schechter
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
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Publisher's Summary

From "America's principal chronicler of its greatest psychopathic killers" (Boston Book Review) comes the definitive account of Ed Gein, a mild-mannered Wisconsin farmhand who stunned an unsuspecting nation - and redefined the meaning of the word psycho.

The year was 1957. The place was an ordinary farmhouse in America's heartland, filled with extraordinary evidence of unthinkable depravity. The man behind the massacre was a slight, unassuming Midwesterner with a strange smile - and an even stranger attachment to his domineering mother. After her death and a failed attempt to dig up his mother's body from the local cemetery, Gein turned to other grave robberies and, ultimately, multiple murders.

Driven to commit gruesome and bizarre acts beyond all imagination, Ed Gein remains one of the most deranged minds in the annals of American homicide. This is his story, recounted in fascinating and chilling detail by Harold Schechter, one of the most acclaimed true-crime storytellers of our time.

©1989 Harold Schechter (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Deviant

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

An Impressive- Albeit Sensationalist- Biography

I have to admit I was expecting more of a conventional True Crime chronicle when I purchased this audiobook - and it delivers on the promise of particulars of crimes, courtroom transcripts, and police reports -  but Harold Schechter provides a more all-encompassing book. He painstakingly researches the upbringing, habits, and obsessions of perhaps the most famous psychopath in American history. This book is less of a documentary and more of an immersive look into a disordered mind: 'Deviant' delves into Ed Gein's psychopathology, for example.. fortunately while avoiding becoming too-technical.
Schlechter is exceedingly well-read, his vocabulary is impressive, and he paints a vivid picture of life in Plainfield, Wisconsin during and after the shocking discoveries. Despite a few awkwardly-worded sentences, this treatise is eminently readable.. it's a well-written and insightful book.

R.C. Bray's talents are wasted somewhat on this project. He is best suited for fiction (and shines most where dialogue is involved). This book actually provides very little opportunity for Bray to exhibit his talents, but his narration is clear, easy to consume, and interested. He is undoubtedly one of the best readers in the business, but Bray's sombre performance here is perhaps best characterized as consummately "Professional".

Altogether, this is an excellent biography examining a fascinating real-life ghoul. The book is a little too focussed on the macabre aspects of the case, but Ed Gein is almost too creepy to believe - his pathology is jaw-dropping. 'Deviant' rates 8.5 stars out of 10 - it's easily worth your Credit.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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SCARY AS HELL!!!

Don't listen to this 'story' if you get nightmares easily! I can't stress that enough!!! This listen was tough...really tough, but the narrator was a big draw for me.....I really like listening to Mr. Bray.....but this story will stick to the front of my mind for sometime to come! To know that this is a TRUE story makes it that much harder to forget....very well written....very well read....NEVER to be forgotten!!

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    5 out of 5 stars

Don't listen in the dark!

This is one of my favourite audible books when I need something spooky. It's so well written and the narrator really adds to the scariness that is Ed Gein. Out of all the books I could review this is the one that I reread the most often. #Audible1

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Must read for horror fans

This was well written and the narration was great. Little dry in a few spots but it’s factual. I would recommend this for anyone who wants to know the real story of Ed Gein and the kind of person he was.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it so much

I learned alot if little things about Ed that u do t usually hear about. Schlecter did really well

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Well written and narrated.

Well written and narrated. . . . . . . . . . . * #

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  • GWO
  • 2022-01-19

All meat, no fat

A completely engrossing listen from start to finish. Bray’s deep tones are the perfect compliment to Schechter’s comprehensive peeling back of the layers into Gein’s dark underbelly. A must listen for anyone with an appetite for the creepy and disturbing.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Fascinating

This might be one of the single most fascinating audiobooks I have ever listened to. Besides the PERFECT narrator for this story, I just never expected to listen to a book on a notorious serial killer and come out of it with incredible empathy for him.

The deep dive into Ed Gein's childhood, adolescence and descent into madness is truly just a story about how he was a very, very mentally ill man who truly never stood a chance to live a normal life. I was completely addicted to this story and it is a MUST for true crime lovers.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Serious

this reading was both serious and respectful. It went into quite a bit of depth regarding Ed Gein’s early life, in fact, into his father’s life even. The part wherein the police enter his house was just chilling. If you like true crime but are a bit tired of the stereotyped series that are around, I’d suggest this story.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Trine crime starts here

if you are looking to get into true crime books then this is the best one, incredible well researched and unbiased. looking forward to listening to it again.

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