I spared you the full title of this book in the blog post title, as it’s a mouthful. In truth, the full title also includes the tagline, “The True Story of How Houston’s Deadliest Murderer Turned a Kid into a Killing Machine.” As with any other GOOD true crime title, this one aims to set aside the prevailing pieces of misinformation that have permeated the narrative over the years and set the record straight as to the true and, often, much less black and white reality.

At one time, Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr., was seen as a monster, a cold-blooded killer who assisted the Candyman in luring young boys to their doom. He helped pick out the victims. He helped with the torture. And he helped with the grisly task of silencing the victims forever and making sure they were never found. Ramsland, the principal writer, and Ullman, the principal researcher, present Henley in a different light. They break down the relationship between Henley and Dean Corrll, the notorious Candyman who terrorized Houston from the years of 1971 to 1973. They examine in detail the extent of the grooming that the lonely and abused Henley underwent with Corll, a man who seemed to understand him and love him as no one else did. Despite being intelligent and talented, Henley didn’t stand a chance. He was from a poor family and all he’d ever known was misery. Dean offered him a way out. Psychologically, Dean Corll was a master of manipulation. Not only could he recognize pliability in his marks, his “mur-dar,” if you will, but he knew how to play to their weaknesses. Once he had them, he knew how to keep them by using whatever leverage he deemed necessary, no matter how extreme. What he failed to do, however, was to gauge where Henley’s lines were drawn, ultimately leading to his downfall.

This book superbly examines the psychology of both Corll and Henley. It lays out the timeline, and it spares absolutely nothing in the way of gory details. This book is intensely disturbing. Dean Corll WAS a monster. His crimes were brutal, horrific, and he preyed upon children. Screw trigger warnings. Consider this one as just having them all. I saw some reviewers on goodreads stating that they couldn’t even read this. I’d venture to say only true crime fans would even attempt to read this one, so that’s really saying something. That cover alone doesn’t really inspire warm fuzzies. I have a bit of an iron constitution when it comes to this kind of thing, so I handled it well. But it’s definitely not for the squeamish.

And then there’s the anger at the whole unfair situation. First there’s the anger at the Houston police not taking these numerous reports of missing boys seriously. There’s the anger of Henley not receiving even one ounce of compassion despite his finally breaking away from Dean’s iron grasp and taking down the monster who had victimized so many young boys, including himself. If it hadn’t been for Henley, the police would have never caught Corll and so many other boys would have disappeared. So many families would have never received the closure they so desperately needed. Henley was a child and a victim of grooming and abuse. Was he completely innocent? No. There’s absolutely no excuse for his actions that is adequate enough, and the now 68 year old Henley understands this. But he deserved psychological care and rehabilitation. I’d like to believe if this same case happened today we’d do a better job, but I’m not so sure. We still do a terrible job of recognizing when someone is slipping through the cracks. The whole thing is just so sad.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great book. It’s just not exactly a beach read.

Published April 16, 2024 by Crime Ink. ISBN 9781613164952. 336 pages. Hardcover.