​Christopher Wilder: The True Story of The Beauty Queen Killer: True Crime by Evil Killers Book 16

Audiobook review by Paul Fiander
​Written by: Jack Rosewood
Narrated by: Herschel J. Grangent, Jr.
Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins 
Publisher: Wiq Media
True crime can be a delicate subject to broach, Ancient History is easier as people involved in the events are no longer alive. However as non-fiction titles get closer to today the more chance you have of reaching people who were either directly involved or are related to those that were. With the advent of the Internet though these lines have become blurred as you can get instant information on crimes. So now in this day and age the true crime titles are not as controversial as they once were.

I had never heard of Christopher Wilder before listening to this Audiobook, the Beauty Queen killer was an unknown entity but the introduction of the book goes a fair way to outline his crimes and eventual death. This type of Intro feels reminiscent of the modern TV documentary that have proliferated many channels. The exposure of the story early on, diminishes the chance for a dramatised reveal of the facts later on within the text. This is a path author Jack Rosewood treds very well, at no point does he try to glorify the events but he does leave you with a sense of needing to know what happens next.
​​The events in questions took place mainly in The United States in 1984, where Wilder went on a cross country killing spree murdering at least  9 women though this number is thought to be higher. There is a certain level of Ambiguity in this case as Wilder eventually took his own life. Though the 1984 spree is the main focus we do get information of the early life of Wilder, he was born in Australia and that is also where his path to criminality began. 
With the events taking place in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s you do sometimes forget the lack of information transfer that we have in the modern world. This is something emphasised throughout the book. If there was one criticism is that this point is laid on pretty thick at points. It is an important facet of the case but by over referring to the point it felt like the author was challenging the listener's memory. Elsewhere we do not get detailed crime scene reports, this may be annoying to some but Rosewood’s descriptions are to the point and will make most listeners feel informed without ever being let in on the more visceral descriptions of the crimes.

Narrator Herschel J. Grangent, Jr. does a good job in keeping the pace of the book at a manageable level. His voice is clear and he does not over emphasise many of the more sinister aspect of the Killing Spree. This book is labelled at 2 hours and 22 minutes however there is a preview of another book at the end. This constitutes around 25 minutes so please be aware of this.

Overall this is an interesting way to delve into the world of True crimes. At a short running time and low price it’s accessible and should cause no problem for listeners. However if you are looking for a deep dive into the subject then you may to look elsewhere, as although the subject seems well researched it is by no means a deep academic look at the crimes of Christopher Wilder.