This book is aptly titled considering Ed Gein truly does come off as psycho. That description is probably too harsh because he also comes off as mentally disturbed, living in a world that others are not privy to. Ed's mother was an over bearing woman and he obviously suffered from from an Oedipus (sp) complex. This less than rosy childhood led Ed to try to recreate the perfect woman(?) / mother(?) by killing and, occasionally eating the flesh of women as well as perserving their skin for future wear. The book suggests that the Silence of the Lambs's Hannibel Lector may have been based on Ed Gein. ( )