Killing for Company: The Story of a Man Addicted to Murder

In February 1983, the plumbing in a London home on Maswell Hill clogged up. The plumber who arrived discovered a terrible find in the basement—an awful mess of human flesh and bones. The next day, one of the residents named Dennis Nilsen was arrested on suspicion of murder.

“Are we talking about one body or two?” the policeman asked.

“Fifteen or sixteen—starting in 1978. I’ll tell you everything. You have no idea how great it is to talk to someone about it,” Nilsen replied. It’s extremely rare for a killer to speak so honestly and thoroughly about himself: his archive is an unprecedented document in the history of criminal killings—so detailed, full of grim fantasies and shocking specifics. The unique material behind the book—more than 50 volumes of personal diaries, poems, and drawings—reveals the maniac’s way of thinking, giving him a voice in the first person.

Incredibly psychologically intense and shocking, the book immerses you in the killer’s inner world, as he—alongside the writer—tries to understand what brought him to the point of no return. The most famous British serial killer, Dennis Nilsen, confessed to killing 15 people in 1983.

Suffering from loneliness, he dressed his guests, washed them, watched television with them, and held conversations… but only after their deaths. This groundbreaking criminal study of a maniac’s psychology was written with the full cooperation of Nilsen himself. The result is a gripping—and horrifying—portrait of a man in love with death.

Winner of the Gold Dagger Award for Best True Crime! Sunday Times bestseller! Adapted into the TV series “Des,” starring David Tennant.

“One of the most remarkable, complete, and humane descriptions of a killer’s mind… This book should serve as a model for all future books in this genre.” — New Society

“This book is a penetrating assessment that is also coldly impartial of Nilsen’s criminal psychology.” — Mirror

“A careful study of the grim intricacies of the human mind.” — The Bookbag

“A book that is captivating and frightening, and yet makes the reader understand: despite everything Nilsen did, he is still a human being. A sad, lonely man who simply wanted to be in someone’s company—and was ready to do anything to have it.” — Kirkus Review