Here’s one book to leave off your Christmas list this year: Amazon is reportedly selling a children’s book that was penned by convicted serial killer Charles Kembo.
The 372-page book, The Trinity of Superkidds Book One: Quest for Water, was released by Publish America on Jan. 20, 2010, a publish date that coincided with Kembo’s trial on four counts of first-degree murder, according to British Columbia publication The Province. The trial ended in June 2010, with the accused being found guilty on all counts and sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years.
The sale of the children’s book has sparked new discussions about the business practices of the online marketplace behemoth. In the past, Amazon has been blasted for selling The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure: A Child-Lover’s Code of Conduct along with other distasteful, if not illegal, books and videogames, including RapeLay, a video game centered on a male protagonist who rapes a mother and her two daughters.
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The author of the book is listed as J. D. Bauer, a pseudonym used by convicted serial killer Kembo, according to the Province. The British Columbia publication cites an interview Kembo had with journalist Julie Burtinshaw, in which he allegedly admitted penning the book about three fun-loving teens in a post-apocalyptic world without water. Kembo allegedly told Burtinshaw the book sold 14,000 copies in the first two weeks and had been optioned for a movie by an American studio, the Province reported. The killer also allegedly told Burtinshaw that he prefers “to write in semi-darkness, alone in the nude.”
The book sells on Amazon.com, for $15.95, but whether it is a good read is up for debate. Reviews give the book only two stars. By comparison, Mein Kampf, also written by a murderer, rated three and a half stars. Regardless, it is unlikely Santa will be including this book on his rounds come Christmas morning.