Books: ‘Killer Stories’ digs deep into South Africa’s most notorious crimes

It’s as spine-chilling as the title suggests. Killer Stories offers readers a chilling glimpse into the minds of some of South Africa’s most notorious serial killers. The book is not the standard true crime kind of fare. Instead, it deep-dives into the psychological narratives that drive killers, exploring the justifications they create for their crimes.

The book was authored by Brin Hodgskiss and Nicole Engelbrecht, who both know the subject matter intimately.

UK-based Hodgskiss, originally from Johannesburg, has assisted both South African and UK police with complex cases covering burglary, terrorism, murder, and rape. His knowledge of serial murder has reached international audiences through journals, academic presentations, and media appearances.

Engelbrecht, meanwhile, is the creator of True Crime South Africa, one of the country’s leading podcasts, and the author of Samurai Sword Murder: The Morne Harmse Story and Sizzlers: The Hate Crime That Tore Sea Point Apart.

Unsettling realities: Serial killers’ mindsets explored

Jané Rossouw, a publicist from publisher Jonathan Ball Publishers, said that in her personal opinion, the book is scary. “It’s unnerving to see how we can identify with a serial killer’s mindset. Then realising that, at times, it’s simply the stories they tell themselves.”

The material has its genesis in some of Hodgskiss’s long-forgotten interviews with some of the world’s most notorious serial killers. It gathered dust for years until Engelbrecht stumbled upon his research online.

The two soon connected over their shared passion for storytelling. In the book, Hodgskiss draws on his expertise in narrative psychology. He then mines into the minds of the killers he interviewed, working on his journey as a psychologist and what he’s learned about the human psyche along the way. Together, they crafted a gripping account that layers the killers’ twisted stories. It’s unsettling. But incredible.

Unlike conventional true crime books, Killer Stories does not name the killers. Hodgskiss and Engelbrecht changed the killers’ names due to the book’s academic origins as a research paper.

“If you follow South African true crime, you’ll likely recognise the individuals described,” Rossouw said. “It’s fascinating and unsettling,” she said. “You get to see both sides. The dark justification of the killer and the lasting impact on the victims and their communities.”

Thin line between justice and vengeance: A killer’s justification

One of the book’s most disturbing insights is exactly that – how killers justified their actions. “Many of them claimed they were ‘entitled’ to seek revenge or act violently due to some perceived injustice they had suffered,” she said. “It’s chilling because you realise how quickly resentment or self-pity can warp someone’s behaviour.”

According to Rossouw, the book forces readers to confront the uncomfortable idea that ordinary people might have the potential for darker thoughts or justifications. “It shows how easy it is to start down a dangerous path when you allow yourself to believe you’re a victim of your circumstances,” she said.

Killer Stories also segues into how some serial killers engage with the media’s portrayal of them. Rossouw noted that some killers embraced the monster image crafted by journalists, while others protested and rejected it. “In some cases, they even started believing the media’s version of themselves,” she said, “while others would insist that the press had it all wrong.”

Rossouw added that the book offers a rare glimpse into how killers perceive their public image, with some feeling misunderstood while others seem to relish in their notoriety.

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