Customer Reviews
Informative but lacking - By: Mr. J. D. Brummer, 17 Jan 2008 
This is a good read, & disturbingly interesting, but it's also a little out dated & missing vital information, but it is well written & generally objective, neither condemming nor justifying, giving a different view than the one we all imagine on hearing that name 'Mary Bell.'
Excellent read for true crime and psychology fans - By: Stracs, 08 Nov 2004 
I grew upin Newcastle, the city where Mary Bell committed her crimes,in the 1980s & as such was always aware of this case & the "folklore" built up around itin a city that won't forget these awful crimes. As such I was very kean to read "The Case of Mary Bell" to understand more of the truth behind the case & perhaps gain some insight as to how on earth an 11 year old girl comes to murder two innocent little boys. The book has not disappointed me at all.
Sereny has produces a fascinating account of the case. She is an excellent writer & as a consequence the book is very readable & her theories clear & easy to follow. Sereny was present throughout Mary's trial & subsequently visited Maryin her detention centre. She has also talked to the the vast majority of the parties involvedin the case, from the police to the families of both perpetrator & victims. Her research was clearly very thorough, her presentation of events is clear & it would seem very accurate.
Sereny's examination of Mary's character & possible motivations is fascinating & she does not attempt to either condemn her as evil or diminish her responsibility for her crimes. Her opinions on Mary & her co-defendent Norma Bell (no relation to Mary) are interesting, well argued & fair. The examination of the relationship between Mary & Norma wasin my opinion particularly interesting as it was key to the case. It was fascinating to read how such a young child could so manipulate an older girl & indeed the adults around her for her own ends. At the time this book was originally written, the 1970s, not much was really known about Mary's background, but Sereny has gathered as much information as she could & produces some good reasoning on what made Mary kill as a result. Her family is looked intoin depth, at least as much as the family was willing to reveal at the time. The first hand information they provide is very valuablein understanding the whole case. Interviews with thosein the community as a whole also provide a fascinating insight into how these crimes affected a whole community for many years & still affects it, I believe, today.
Sereny also discusses the way the justice system treats children who kill & again produces some interesting thoughts on this. While it is clear Sereny has sympathy with Mary & Norma, & does not like the way the system treats such children, her analysis is both fair & constructive. Her examination of the trial process is thorough & I also found it fascinating to see how children are interviewed by the policein such matters.
The book, though written some time ago, is still highly relevant todayin our increasingly violent & disillusioned society. In this new edition Sereny has added a short but interesting & thought provoking section on the Bulger case from the 1990s which presents some interesting theories & also shows how little has changedin the years between the two cases, bothin society as a whole & the attitude towards such children, & alsoin the justice system. Indeed it seems little has changed even today & another such killer could well bein the making now. Overall this is an excellent & important textin our modern culture & a must for those interestedin true crime & psychology.
Eerily compelling and compassionate - By: , 15 Mar 2003 Gitta Sereny's study is split into two halves - a blow-by-blow account of the trial, & an analysis of the familial background & social circumstances of Mary Bell's life as well as her detention after her conviction of manslaughter on two counts, due to diminished responsiblity.
Essentially, Mary Bell murdered two small boys at the age of elevenin 1968, &in the second case the boy was evidently throttled, before having the initial "M" carved into his stomach after death with a razor blade, & his face sprinkled with flowers. What is most remarkable & distressing is the extent to which Mary sought attention & boasted of her crimesin notes she & her cohort, Norma Bell (no relation, acquitted of charges of murder & manslaughter), leftin a nursery which they broke into, & displayed aberrant & classically psychopathic behaviour after the incident.
What is essential is that this case study is approached with an open mind, for it is a liberal social study which lays much of the blame of society for the "cries unheard", the title of the follow-up to this study. It is fair & humane, as well as perceptive & informative. As Sereny herself would say, it is compassionate without being sentimental.
An essential read for those troubled or concerned by child psychopaths & the reform of the social security & welfare systemin the U.K..
slow paced yet interesting - By: , 06 Dec 2000 this is an informative account of the child murderer Mary Bell. The author investigates the potrayal of the child as evil, the role of her accomplice, & the media attention received. The book gives a general overview of the case & whilst it is interesting it is quite a slow read.
