What happens when the system designed to protect you is the very thing keeping monsters alive?
From the author of the upcoming Monsters Among Us global true crime series, this chilling volume uncovers the real-life horrors of Russia's most ruthless serial killers — men and women who operated not in shadows, but in daylight, often under the watchful gaze of indifferent authorities.
Inside this book you'll find:
- Andrei Chikatilo, the infamous "Butcher of Rostov," who killed over 50 victims while hiding in plain sight.
- Serhiy Tkach, a former police investigator who used his badge to bury the truth — and over 100 victims.
- Tamara Ivanyutina, the cafeteria worker who poisoned her enemies — and students — with thallium-laced soup.
- Yevgeny Chuplinsky, a former KGB agent who left his victims marked with symbols, and the city of Novosibirsk in fear.
But this is more than a profile of killers — it's an autopsy of a system.
Edward Halcroft traces the tragic overlap of bureaucracy, corruption, and denial that allowed many of these predators to roam free for years, sometimes decades. While Western serial killers often seek headlines, Russia's monsters thrived in silence — protected by secrecy, missed by incompetence, and fed by cultural fear.
You'll never look at "normal" the same way again.
Based on court documents, psychological evaluations, official records, and journalistic investigations
Includes 12 full-length case profiles, plus a haunting epilogue
Part of the forthcoming Monsters Among Us international series
If evil hides best where no one dares to name it — this book names it.
