Cannibal by Lois Jones

If you enjoy reading my reviews, please like my page on Facebook: Bella Foxx

The true story of the maneater of Rotenburg–and his willing victim

Format: eBook
Pub. Date: 1/4/2005
Publisher: Berkley
Type: Non-Fiction, True Crime ~ Library Book
Pages: 215
Read: 6/7/2013
Rating: Liked it ♥♡

This book was recommended to me by several people. I think all the hype is the reason I didn’t love it. It fell short of my expectations. I would still recommend it but there were some parts of it I definitely didn’t like. I’ll get to those later. First the summary.

Armin Meiwes is definitely deranged, but what some people find even more deranged is that his victim wanted to be eaten. He answered an ad and traveled from Berlin to Rotenburg to meet Meiwes for the purpose of ending his life and his body being destroyed. He wanted his body gone but didn’t want it to go to waste. Meiwes was eventually found out and brought to trial.

What I liked about this book was it covers the lives of both men, how they met and the reasons for their actions. I also liked that the procedures of the German justice system are explained to those who are not familiar with it. What I didn’t like was it read like a novel. The thoughts and motivations of the killer, victim, and even spectators of the trial are given but Jones doesn’t say how she got them, in other words there are facts but not much documentation.

However a search of the internet shows that the facts of the book are accurate and it was an interesting read, some have said the ‘butchery parts’ are a little hard to read. I didn’t find that to be so, but then ‘squeamish’ is not a word that has ever been used to describe me. The book ends with Meiwes serving 8-½ yrs for manslaughter.

Update: According to BBC NEWS (9 May 2006) a judge ruled the sentence too lenient and ordered a retrail. In this trial he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

A psychologist said Meiwes, who had admitted he still had fantasies about devouring the flesh of attractive young people, could reoffend.

A video which Meiwes filmed during the acts of cannibalism was central to the prosecution’s case.

It said the video proved that Meiwes killed his victim for his own sexual pleasure.

Meiwes’s lawyer admitted his client had a fetish for human flesh, but claimed he was no danger to society.

Considering Meiwes was caught when he started trolling for a new victim, I tend to agree with the psychologist.