Invisible Killer: The Monster Behind the Mask

Wow! Where to begin... I bought this book after viewing the 48 Hours program entitled Deadly Obsession. I’ve been around the block several times as a psych nurse turned trial lawyer. I can say pretty honestly that I have heard it all at least once so very little shocks me. But Charlie Brandt keeps me awake at night.

I decided I would like to know more, a lot more. The murders of his wife Teri and his niece Michelle suggested this guy had developed a real taste for it. I was skeptical that there weren’t other victims out there.

If you also wanted to know what crimes investigators have attributed to Brandt, DO NOT waste your time and money reading this. If you have been spoiled by Ann Rule or forensic psychologists with actual experience with psychopaths, this book will make very little sense.

Here are some of the glaring flaws. First, the writing is about as poor as it can be. Other reviewers have complained about the repetition and the disjointed time line and I concur. Do publishers save funds these days by skipping the editing process altogether? When I say the mistakes are legion, I am not exaggerating! Authors: Charlie Brandt “hanged” himself - the correct term is NOT hung! Again: editing matters!

What bothered me most, though, was the lack of EVIDENCE. The authors threw together any murders that might or might not have been connected to Brandt that occurred in the vicinity at the time. Even though the investigators never formally connected Brandt.

When they trotted out nonsense concocted by psychics, I had had enough. If it isn’t about science and demonstrable facts, save it for your next NOVEL. True crime is called non-fiction for a reason.

I am fascinated with this case, and even though reviews were poor, I decided to get it anyway. Probably the worse published work I have ever seen when it comes to telling a story. Things were repeated over and over, sometimes just a page or so later, the exact same facts would be presented, just worded slightly different. I gave the book three stars because I did learn new information and the personalized styling in meeting the victim and her family was something I think all true crime should do more of. If you didn't already know the story, I would imagine it would be very hard to read this book. I personally found the format so disorganized, that at times I wanted to re-write the book myself (and I am not a writer).... There is good reason to read this book, in that it exposes a long known problem of how to deal with the criminal history of a minor, whille ensuring that society gives the offender a second chance and still provides insight to protect innocent people.

This book was disjointed and poorly edited. A story which could have been interesting written about the mind of a serial killer offered little insight to the man. He was barely mentioned as anything but " glazed" looking. The was no empathy felt for the alleged victims, alleged as the account did not include any proof Charlie committed all the crimes. Had this been a fictional account, I would say poor character development and no tool pulling the reader into the story.

Living where some of the events took place, and as a fan of true crime, i was looking forward to reading this " book"

Without a doubt this is the worst book, i can recall ever reading. Numerous grammar errors, i can forgive the authors for and attribute to an editor who was drinking at the time.

My main vision as I read this was, someone took the manuscript, tossed in the air, picked up the pages in random order, and published it just like that.

Perhaps, an " Ann Rule" can make this story readable.
Don't waste your money. If you must read this story get a library copy and waste only your time .

There are many positive reviews posted from friends of the authors. If you really are a fan of True Crime, you will find this one barely readable. Certainly not worth the time or money. I hope someone else will write about the case, because I am interested, but this book is a fail. My advice? Don't waste your money.

"Invisible Killer: The monster behind the mask", co-written by Diana Montane and newcomer Sean Robbins, is a gripping account of serial killer Carl "Charlie" Brandt. A seemingly easy-going, innocuous South Florida resident, Brandt's brutality wasn't discovered until he murdered his wife and his niece, then hung himself. The book contains some very amateurish writing: "Charlie Brandt has been twenty-one years old at the time of her murder" is one example. In the very next sentence, the authors assure us that serial killers never stop killing, apparently forgetting about the well known case of Dennis Rader, aka BTK, who didn't kill between 1991 and his arrest in 2005.
Despite some questionable determinations and occasional mangled syntax, "Invisible Killer" is a page-turner. Brandt, a monster very few people seem to have heard about, committed some of the most atrocious murders of the last century. This one will stay with you for a long time.

Very poorly written! Did anyone proofread or edit this book? Same wording and quotes written over and over throughout the book. Reads like both authors wrote their stories, and they were just put together in every chapter. I have read true crime stories for many years, and this was the worst one of them all! I am seriously thinking about asking for a refund. Can tell it was Sean Robbins first book. Hopefully, he does better next time. Very disappointed!

I always am interested in reading true crime. The time line was a little hard for me to follow in this, but a very interesting story of a troubled young man who in his early youth kills his mother, is not convicted and goes on to be a serial murder of women

Monsters Behind the Mask is a chilling look into relatively unknown serial killer Charlie Brandt. Provides a shocking unsettling glimpse into the darkness that dwelled inside his broken brain. After reading Monsters Behind the Mask began locking doors and watching neighbors more closely. Well done.

Very poorly written book. I was surprised that a book that was so confusing and obviously written by aspiring writers would be published by Dr. Phil's son's publishing company and touted on his show. The story itself is very worth telling. I was disappointed.

The storyline was very disjointed and hard to follow. Too much extraneous detail that was not relevant to the actual events and made it seem like a poorly written fiction rather than an actual series of events over many years.