Depraved Obsession

The Gripping True Story of Law Enforcement’s Hunt for a Sadistic Serial Killer

By: Rodney Sadler

Narrated by: James Matthews Vannoy

What drove the inconspicuous sociopath to become a ruthless killer?

During his nearly fifteen-year reign of terror, Ronald Lloyd Bailey’s depraved obsession with sexual sadism held communities across southeast Michigan in a shroud of fear. From the early 1970’s to the mid-1980’s, the former patient at one of Michigan’s foremost psychiatric hospitals, abducted as many as fifteen teens and over time became a sadistic serial killer.

In this shocking, fast-paced account, retired police officer and true crime author Rod Sadler examines law enforcement's dedicated efforts in connecting the dots to stop an unknown killer, and he poignantly chronicles the determination of the victims' families to triumph over tragedy.

Sadler also examines Bailey’s insanity defense that centered on the alleged abuse he endured at the hands of his psychiatrist. In doing so, the bestselling author of KILLING WOMEN asks and answers the question: What drove the inconspicuous sociopath to become a ruthless killer?

©2025 Rod Sadler (P)2025 WildBlue Press

The story is fantastic. I’m a true crime buff and this listen is fantastic.

What I disliked are the many mispronunciations of Michigan Cities such as Novi (NOT Novee) and Mackinaw (Not Mackinack) . The last names of Judges and others.

Good story

Seemed a little repetitious at times. But the story was compelling and interesting. I would recommend it to true crime fans.

The case was interesting. I’m from Ohio/Michigan and lived in NW Ohio when this was going on. Yet never heard about it.

The recording was… odd. The narrator read well enough except for just a few mispronunciations, but the recording itself! Sounded like he was recording into an iPhone from his kitchen table. I swear I faintly heard dogs, passing vehicles, and movement in the recording. Also, could hear the reader swallow and wet his lips. Not his fault, we all have to do this when reading aloud. But, clearly there was no audio editing. So strange. Not a criticism
of the narrator, though.

Poor editing

Run on sentences and detail. The description of all the counties, nearby cities, and minutia just slowed everything. If you could briefly bring forth what’s relevant it might support the story. The hap hazard run into the groundwork was confusing and written with impossibly long sentences. I think there’s a story here but am wondering if the writer thought his brilliance in detail superseded the objective view of editors. Honestly I couldn’t waste my time to finish it. I applaud the writers attention to details but remember what fits and fills out a story. Very disappointing in the light of a great opportunity to tell a story that should be told.

Audiobook Narrator and Book Itself Were A Miss

The book itself had a lot of detail, more detail than necessary. Every person who was involved in some fashion with the investigation, arrest, and trial was identified. And their names would be mentioned again several minutes later, and it was difficult to remember who was who. It made you lose the point of the story being told.

The audiobook narrator was not good. I could hear this person licking their lips after every sentence, It truly felt like a 5th grader having to read a paragraph aloud to the class. There were several times where the narrator messed up and these errors were left in the final product. The narrator emphasized names like "Tombo" with no rhyme or reason.