The Gates of Janus: Serial Killing and its Analysis by the Moors Murderer Ian Brady

Ian Brady has never been someone I found fascinating. His crimes, while brutal, never seemed to stand like the crimes of Gein. Despite that, I was interested in this book and have been for quite some time. It was originally published in 2001 ... right before 9/11 ... and because of that quickly disappeared from the media's eye and then sold out. When this new addition became available, with a new piece by Peter Sotos and others, I snatched it up because I wasn't going to miss it a second time around.Brady examines the crimes of a few serial killers, and while his take on their motives and methods is just as interesting as his take on society, politicians and the will of the individual, it was the new additions that really caught my attention. It seems that Brady wasn't quite happy with Sotos' initial afterword and wanted to take legal action to remove it from the book due to what Sotos' take on Brady himself. Brady rightly took Sotos' words as an attack on his character and credibility, and in typical Brady fashion, threw a tantrum. What Sotos added to this edition in response is what really brings this work together.Brady's thoughts on the crimes of Henry Lee Lucas, Ted Bundy and company are worthy of note by those interested in serial killers and their motivations, but they also pave an rough path into the mind of Brady, and what he doesn't reveal is just as telling as what he does.Sotos writes that you don't have a child molester write a book because he will lie. The lie is where Sotos sees the truth, and the end result makes for a remarkable work that may change your view on Brady quite a bit.

I had high hopes for this book, but on the whole, I found it disappointing. Ian Brady's writing, while sometimes intriguing and insightful, gets tedious after a while... I found myself just skimming through it after a while. I was hoping for more. To me, the key to getting anything out of it is to be able to look at the text from a "meta" level -- understanding that Brady undoubtedly had his own agenda when writing it, and not viewing it as an objective look at the subject matter. A lot of reviews I've read (not just here, but around the web) attack the text as being self-serving and manipulative... but that's exactly the point. It _is_ self-serving and manipulative, and so what's interesting is seeing how Brady uses this opportunity to communicate with a wide audience that in many cases approaches the book with their own emotional agenda and baggage.I'd also read a lot about Peter Sotos' addendum to the book, and I was very curious to read it. And while it does deliver some of Sotos' characteristic blunt, graphic honesty, it really could have used a good editor. I found it over-long, rambling, sloppy, and -- like Brady -- a bit tedious after a while. Condensed by about 50%, I think it could have been a strong and provocative counterpoint to the main text.

If you ever wanted to experience the self-congratulatory wankings of a worthless POS, then this is the book for you, but really, it's a stupid tome and your life is no worse off for having given this one a serious miss.

What a concept -- a serial killer writes about serial killing and rates his contemporaries. (...) Brady is fond of quoting others, and among the usual suspects (DeSade, Nietzche)he mentions Henry Kissinger. Surprisingly, Brady doesn't go into details about his crimes but concentrates on others. He calls John Wayne Gacy "a perfect psychopath" and finds lots to laugh about poor Peter Sutcliffe (a nutter he met in captivity). Interestingly, he doesn't see any similarities with the Moors Murders and the crimes of Houston "candy man" Dean Corrl, which were both (...) homicide carried out with the assistance of unquestioning lovers.All in all a good book -- but the REAL volume to look out for would be his galpal's memoirs.(...)

To just put down Ian Brady as just another mindless criminal cashing in on his infamy would be a mistake. This is a serious tome that has Brady casting a critical eye on the crimes of people like Ted Bundy, John Gacy, The Hillside Stranglers, Richard Ramirez and more. He also spends time speculating on such topics as the debate between insanity, sociopathy and psychotic behaviour, motivations of crime and more.The forward by Colin Wilson and final chapter by Peter Sotos are also worth a look.In years to come this will be regarded as a truly thought-provoking book which raises many interesting points. It's just a shame that many people won't buy it becasue of the nefarious activities the author carried out prior to his incarceration. This is just the kind of narrow-mindedness that will deprive the same people of much food for thought.I doubt Brady's partner-in-crime Myra Hindley would ever be able to come up with such a literate and serious book. She was pliable and easily manipulated but as this book proves, it was Brady who was the brains behind the crimes.

I will ignore the debate "Should this book exist, or should people read it?" in favour of a different point. I've read all the main books on Brady and Hindley (the most definitive being "One Of Your Own" by Carol Anne Lee), but nowhere have I seen the secretive Brady expose his true motivations other than in this book. Brady it is well known, refused to talk about the Moors Murders, preferring his perverse: "I know, I know you want to know, and I'm not telling you.”Whether Brady gave his secret away wittingly or unwittingly in this book, my hope is that it was the latter. Reading the almost 30 reviews for this book confirms that people read this detailed moderately complex volume and yet somehow miss that where Brady mentions serial killers often having secret motivations for their killing, these motivations he talks about will doubtless also apply to Brady! In the first half of the book particularly, about serial killing in general, but also in the second half of the book dealing with specific serial killers, he lets slip the same thing a number of times. If you can read this book keeping the two things in mind, Brady's motives may dawn on you as they dawned on me, at my second reading.For others like me who care about this (we should care if Brady accidentally betrayed himself, ha,ha), you may wonder why I don’t just tell you what Brady's secret motivations were. But I don't want to write a long review quoting page numbers and contextuals in anticipation of disagreements. I've already seen that Brady gives away his motivations in this book and if I found it, others can too, if they read it thoughtfully bearing in mind Brady's refusal to say what his motives were for his killing. Further, of the motivations Brady assigns to serial killers - one is hair raising, he says that serial killers have their own specific, special, secret individual needs, sexual and/or psychosexual, which they are driven to act out in their killings. Brady further states they don't disclose these secret actions and motivations but they carry them out with their victim. And Brady's motives were known to be sexual and psychological. Also, you will find a trail of evidence that if he had respect for anything at all it was singularly for the Scots, and he hated English people. It's hard to imagine that did not play a part in his perverse enjoyment of killing because all his killing and torments were reserved for English victims.Buy this book if you are inclined to anyway, and if you can't see Brady betraying himself, well, shelve the book and read it again next year. At least, that's what I did. As long as you are moderately literate, sufficient to follow The Gates Of Janus, this book from the demonic and yet private and secretive killer is the ultimate serial killer accidental giveaway. I love the irony of it too, because Brady stated that he would be entirely absent from the book's pages - and he just couldn't manage it, of course!

What a massive pity Ian Brady went down the path that he did, because like it or not, the man could write. He is a brilliant author with this book. Intelligently written, informative and gives a huge insight into the minds of sociopaths, psychotics, etc. He would have made a lot of money lecturing and writing. Very intelligent man. Everybody seems to have an opinion on him and Myra Hindley without even knowing either of them. Yes they have both gone to meet their maker, and have probably taken untold secrets with them. Its a pity that Ian did not write about himself and Myra and do some self analysis on them both. Otherwise thoroughly enjoyed reading his writings. Until the Afterward. Who on earth is Peter Sotos - never heard of him and wouldn't want to again. Rambling rubbish full of expletives that are totally unnecessary and spoiled an otherwise good read.

It was illuminating and irritating in equal measure. The worst part of the book was an Afterword by someone called Peter Sotos (an American). This was long and rambling, incoherent and practically incomprehensible. I really didn't understand the point he was trying to make. He is an unskilled writer who can't write proper sentences. He will. Suddenly. For no reason. That I could fathom. Write. Like this. Dreadful! The book is far better without all that boring drivel. I had to skip line after line because I couldn't understand what Sotos was on about. Most odd.

misanthropist in outlook. It gives no real insight into Brady’s slaughter nor is there any trace of remorse or any serious reflections on his crimes. He saw himself as an oracle & had a big superior attitude to his fellow human beings. It offers little to student criminologists like my son who gave up on it after a few chapters.“Conversations with Ian Brady” is a far superior book if anybody wants a clearer insight into Brady’s world.

The actual book is a pretty good idea, however I thought it was going to be more about Brady talking about himself instead it’s just him psychoanalysing society. Bit boring