Serial Killers Books

This book is exceptional. It is well written with characters that are true to life. The plot is absolutely engaging. I really like that there was a glossary of terms for those of us who are forensically challenged. I found it difficult to do anything until I knew 'who did it'.

Good job Mr. Deaver. You have a fan for life.

The Rhyme Killers would be a great book to read after the Bone Collector.
It too has the great suspense you love to find in a mystery.

Lincoln Rhyme has been retired, ever since a falling beam at a crime scene, left him a quadriplegic. Now, Lincoln is bed ridden, with his only human contact being a man named Thom. He dreams of killing him self, when some thing new, to occupy his time.

A serial killer, called the Bone Colector, is terrorizing the city of New York. With every person he kills, he leaves behind evidence that will lead to the next victim. Unfortunetly, this is only half the work, and Rhyme needs some one to do the crime scene for him.

Enter Amelia Sachs. Sachs is a model turned cop, who has several problems of her own. At first, she, like most people, is able to see past Rhyme's physical handicap, and be disgusted by his personality. But, Lincoln and Amelia will have to work together, to defeat a man who knows every one of Lincoln's tricks, and whose final victim, is Lincoln.

Notable Charecters Introduced: Lincoln Rhyme, Amelia Sachs, Thom Lastname, Lon Sellitto, The Bone Collector.

The character of the Bone Collector is extremely spooky. As already stated in numerous other reviews, this is an excellent story that keeps the reader turning pages as fast as possible. The characters, especially Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs, are developed enough that I have already begun to read another Deaver story starring Lincoln Rhyme: I want to know more about them. I won't give a synopsis as so many other reviewers have dutifully done. I just recommend this fast-paced, spine-chilling mystery/adventure novel to everyone!

Warning: Once you read this novel, you will be hooked. I devoured every other Lincoln Rhyme novel after reading the Bone Collector. The only problem I have discovered is that Mr. Deaver cannot write fast enough.

To anyone who enjoys a deliciously complicated character base along with amazing plot twists, you have found yourself a winner. I find myself wishing I could meet the people in this novel. You will too. I dare you to pick up a copy today, I promise you will be glad you did.

I initially read this book as a 14 year old and due to the recent publicity regarding Susan Atkins, decided to read it again.

The book chronicles the true story of the murders of the LaBianca's as well as the murders commonly referred to the "Tate" murders. It also touches on the murders of Gary Hinman and Shorty Shea, who are often forgotten victims of the Manson Family.

Essentially, the murders begin with Charles Manson, a career criminal with a poor childhood who was practically raised in youth homes and detention facilities, etc. Despite his poor upbringing and limited education, Charlie was a bright man who had the ability to spot and exploit weaknesses in other people.

Upon his latest release from prison, Manson begins to attract a group of followers, mainly comprised of young girls, and a few young men, whom all seem to have dropped out of society and are experimenting heavily and frequently with drugs. Manson sees their dissatisfaction with society and using that, as well as sex and drugs further breaks down their morals and values until ultimately they look at him as Jesus Christ and look to him to make their every decision for them.

Manson, disillusioned with his failure as a musician, begins to envision a new future for himself and his Family, in part guided by the Beatles musics, which he believes is full of secret messages. Manson believes that there will ultimately be a race war with the black man being victorious. In the meantime Manson and his family will retreat to the desert where they will find a hole leading to the bottomless pit where they will live until the black man realizes that he is incapable of ruling/running society as a whole. At that time, Manson will emerge and become leader of the country, if the world. Charlie calls this chain of events "Helter Skelter".

When Helter Skelter fails to come to fruition in a timely manner, he decides to incite it himself, by murdering rich or upper class white people. His theory is that white society will believe the murders were committed by the black man, and will turn on the black man, thereby getting the race war rolling.

The book further goes on the describe the investigation (or lack thereof on the part of some officers) and ultimate arrest and conviction, as well as an epilogue and afterward in the book with updates.

I have read some of the reviews, and have to agree that in some instances, Vincent Bugliosi was perhaps too wordy and a lot of stuff could have been cut out.

I also noticed that many of the reviews accuse Bugliosi of manufacturing the Helter Skelter motive for his own purposes. While I have not read the other Manson books, I am not inclined to believe this. First of all, he got the idea from many of the family members, many of whom got on the witness stand and testified to Manson's belief system as well as his many statements that "the time for Helter Skelter is now", etc. I also noted that many of those reviewers expressed support for Manson with the oft repeated phrase "he wasn't there", "he didn't kill them", blah blah blah. For the record, he was an active participant in the Hinman murders, slicing his ear off. He was present and aware of what was occurring and ultimately was the one who ordered the kill. He was also present at the Shorty Shea murder, for at least a portion of it. Again, it was at his behest that Shorty was murdered. Further, he is the one who sent the murderers to the Tate residence that night, he is the one who told them to get their knives, he is the one who told Tex to murder everyone and make it gruesome. As if that weren't enough, the next evening, it was he who entered the LaBianca home first and tied them up and left them there with full knowledge of what would happen to them. For anyone who is aware of the law, if someone is killed at your request, if you participate in a felony (i.e., cutting someone's ear off, or say breaking into their home and tying them up), and ultimately those people die in conjunction with those some events in which you particiated, you are responsible as if you killed them yourself.

If anyone is in doubt as to Manson's control over the female defendant's in this case, one only need to read the vast material available regarding the trial and how he conrolled them in court, and how he attempted to control the trial. If they were unable, while their freedom and very lives were on the line, to exercise their own free will and make their own decisions, it's not a stretch to imagine that he was able to control their day to day actions, as well as order them to kill with the expectation that it be carried out.

Additionally, the former Manson Family members who were involved, many of whom are still incarcerated, to this day state that was the motive/theory behind the killings. If it was not Manson's true motive, then he failed to share that with other family members.

Further, in an interview with Charles "Tex" Watson, a reporter asked him if he had read Helter Skelter, to which Watson replied that he had and it was pretty accurate.

Either way, it is a very informative book, and while on the wordy side, provides a detailed and inside look at the trial and what was going on behind the scenes. Whether the reader chooses to believe in the Helter Skelter theory or not is up to them.

Well written, great TRUE story, fascinatingly frightening. This book will chill you to the bone. It scared me worse than any other book I've ever read. It makes Blatty's "The Exorcist" seem like a Disney Book. Trust me, I do not mean to discredit Blatty because I loved his book, but "Helter Skelter" scared me to the very core.

I can relate to manson no I don't wanna kill anyone but yeah I heard the very same things in the beatles songs yes I can hear things in the music that vwery few people can manson had that foresight johnh lennion once said the beatles were bigger than jesus and yes beatlemania still exist to this day lennon himseldf denounced god and grew a beard thinking he weas christ and yes all the beatles were antichrist and worshipped foreign religions this was no secret and their fans are still pissed over their breakup 40 plus years later and yes lennon was shot by a crazed fan who wasd influenced by the white album. good thing manson was'nt jamming off hendrix, p funk, miles, sly, or sun ra you wanna hear subliminal messages. backmaskingm, voodoo check those out.

fact george clinton was involved in the process church a cult that worshipped both satan, and jesus.

jimi hendrix practiced voodoo

miles davis practicwed voodoo and was into foreign african religions

sun ra was into egyptology, and voodoo as well.

maurice white of earth wind and fire named his group after the calendar of osiris.

this book is intweresting for manson freaks enjoy and please try not to kill anyone enjoy.

The 3 stars if for the actual writing, NOT the contents of the book. If you want a fairly accurate account of the Manson murders, l strongly suggest reading 'Manson - in his own words', and even if you decide to read Helter Skelter, you should read the other book first so you will have much more detailed information than you will ever get out of the distortion and assumptions of Helter Skelter. It is written by the prosecutor and is so one sided. Bugliosi tries to push the "helter skelter" race war theory as a motive which is just ridiculous. Sure the family discussed far out ideas when they were all tripping, but for Bugliosi to push that as the motive was manipulative.
If you want a clear picture of the manson murders, you cant form an opinion based only on hearing a perspective from one side, let alone from an outsider.

Helter Skelter was the absolute best true crime book I have ever read. From the very beginning, the book captures you into the lives of the murderers, victims, and prosecutors. It does a remarkable job at building the story line so that you are not overwhelmed with information, but are still well informed with details and specifics. I also loved that the book went into the past of Charles Manson and the "family". Over all this was an EXCELLENT book, and it was very hard to put down!!

I am 28 and so was only a young girl when Bundy was executed. I had heard of him, but was not familiar with the extent of his crimes. Working in the forensic field, I am fascinated with the stories of true crime and serial killers. I am an avid reader but sometimes it is hard for me to find non-fiction books that really hold my attention. Not the case with this book. I received this book for my birthday and started it as soon as I finished the book I was reading at the time. I couldn't put it down!

The original book ended before Bundy was executed but there are several follow-ups at the end that really carry the story through to today. Because Rule knew Bundy, she is able to provide much insight and goes above and beyond just the facts.

I highly recommend this book if you are at all interesting in knowing more about one of the most notorious serial killers of all time.

Being friends with and trusting a man who is actually a serial killer is very creepy. It is also sad to know that Ted Bundy took the lives of so many young woman who were just starting live on their own. I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it to anyone interested in true crime.

Ann Rule has masterfully written about Ted Bundy, her friend who also lays claim to being one of the worst serial killers in history.

She elaborates on her background in law enforcement as a former police officer with family in law enforcement. Another aspect that sets her apart from most true crime authors is her training in crime scene investigations and her participation in crime expert seminars.

In a strange twist of irony the author had signed a contract to write a book about the murders with no hint that the killer was someone that she knew.

"The Stranger Beside Me" shows the contrasts in Ted Bundy- a very intelligent, politically connected seemingly charming man with a bright future and caring personality. Beneath all of that was a master conman and brutal murder fixated on a still unknown number of victims that fit a specific physical appearance. He was manipulative, thrived on media attention, and ultimately seemed to fear the end result that he meted out to his victims: death. He sure tried everything he could to avoid or postpone the death sentence he earned.

What makes this book a true crime classic is the personal connection and insight that Ann Rule had with Ted Bundy. She tells the story not just as a writer, but an author that knew members of both sides of the investigation; the killer and many of the law enforcement members that worked the cases. An excellent book!

The Stranger Beside Me is the best true crime book I have ever read. However, it is also the most disturbing, so much so that more than once, I vowed not to finish it. Of course, I did finish it, and the story will probably stick with me for a while.

The book is, for the most part, a chronological account of Ted Bundy's life. It's fascinating that the author was actually friends with Bundy before she knew he was a killer. The book is filled with devastating accounts of the crimes that he was accused and later convicted of. Rule also explores possibilities of how and when he became obsessed with murder. Interesting reading, but keep the lights on and the doors locked.

Not being an aficionado of the true crime genre, I picked this book up because I had read that Rule's version of the Bundy story was the best. There was the additional factor of her personal friendship with him. While Ms Rule claims to have known Ted Bundy well, those claims are based upon having shared a volunteer assignment with him for a short time, and I doubt that their sporadic contact when they went their separate ways truly deepened her familiarity with him and his personality. Nevertheless, there is something to be said for learning about a criminal from someone who was acquainted with him in happier times.

Ms Rule has taken a broad and difficult topic, and in spite of her own emotional ties to Bundy and disinclination to believe in his guilt, has presented an objective, factual account of his killing spree and subsequent processing through the legal system. I was particularly struck by her ability to describe so tellingly the characteristics of an antisocial personality. Her recounting of the murders is clear but avoids becoming gruesomely graphic. What is lacking here, although she tries, is a cogent explanation of how Bundy became that vicious murderer, as his early life was no worse than those of countless other children. In fairness, it must be said that no one has ever been able to truly explain the hows and whys of the development of a serial killer. But I think some of the creepy fascination these guys hold over the public has to do with the hows and whys. I'm not sure we'll ever have the answers, but can recommend The Stranger Beside Me as a fair account of the life of Ted Bundy and the vicious acts, those that we know about, that he committed.

Lock your doors and windows.

This book was a gift to my son. Instead of English, he was sent a Spanish version. That didn't do him any good.

The story is interesting, though I am not sure if it's truly original. A murder convict takes the blame of an unsolved crime...but is it what it seems to be. The characters are well-developed and can be easily imagined as real-life people. I also liked the plot and the pace of the story, with Echo Park at the center stage. I would love to see this story turned into a TV show or a movie. However, I have couple of issues grappling with the reason behind Mario Gesto's murder, the main murder case. Was she killed just because she looked like someone else? Also, why would such a random killing happen with the killer having no past history of killing? He intimidated kids at one point and had a volatile relationship with his girlfriend, but is it enough to kill someone? I don't think there was enough justification provided for murdering Mario Gesto. Secondly, the revelation of the Raynard Waits' true name came by fluke or chance. I would have liked a more detailed assessment of the key events that happened in the novel and not about the build-up.
Apart of that, I would still recommend this novel to any crime novel lover for creating a wonderful atmosphere and believable characters.

At this point I've probably read about 3/4 of the Harry Bosch books, albeit completely out of order. The series has always been somewhat borderline for me -- I really love the level of detail and authenticity Connelly brings from his years as a crime reporter for the LA Times. However, the storylines tend to be a little too over the top, and Harry Bosch has never been that interesting a protagonist to me. This twelfth entry in the series is a great example of these strengths and weaknesses.

At this point in his career, Bosch is working the Open/Unsolved Unit with his partner Kiz Ryder. One thing likes to do as part of his open-ended duties is revisit past failures, reviewing all the evidence, keeping tabs of key players, and looking for new leads (something he also did during his brief retirement). One of these cases is the 13-year-old disappearance and presumed murder of Marie Gesto (whose apartment is in the distinctive building seen in the Robert Altman film The Long Goodbye). The book rewinds in time so that we get to see Bosch and his then partner Jerry investigate her disappearance and get nowhere. Over the years, Bosch's infamous instinct has led him to suspect the son of a local oil tycoon as the killer. However, with no evidence, he has never come close to being able to make a case.

Returning to the present, a lucky traffic stop results in the capture of a serial killer who admits to killing a number of women, including Marie Gesto. The hitch is that he will only confirm this by revealing the locations of his victims' corpses if the city's prosecutor agrees to drop the death penalty. The prosecutor and an LAPD detective are soon in touch with Bosch, seeking his case notes and cooperation in trying to determine if the serial killer really knows where the bodies are. Thus Bosch gets entangled in this case, which has various political ramifications since the prosecutor is running for DA. The serial killer angle also causes Bosch to reconnect with his onetime flame, an FBI profiler who has appeared in previous books. References to previous cases and characters from the series also pop in and out, which may make readers new to Bosch feel somewhat adrift at times.

In any event, when the serial killer is introduced the book goes rather downhill for me. I'm not a fan of the serial killer subgenre, and watching Bosch and the killer play various head games with each other is boring -- we've seen/read it all before. It doesn't help that Connelly completely telegraphs a major incident in the book by suddenly shifting to an narrative mode in which every single step is detailed, tipping the reader off that Something Big Will Happen Any Minute. Fortunately, this is redeemed by the ensuing manhunt, which does a good job of showing how pursuing a paper trail can lead to a killer's lair. Unfortunately, Connelly then invokes the lame "we don't have time to call for backup" card, and allows Bosch to make a totally elementary (and implausible for him) mistake -- one most reader will spot coming.

As with most crime fiction, and the Bosch series in particular, the story is dominated by themes of moral corruption. At this point in the series, it's a well-trodden path, and it's somewhat tiresome to once again see all Bosch's instincts borne out, and arrive at the end to learn that those in high places are entirely disreputable. Once again, a decent ride-along with Bosch, but with enough flaws and thematic repetition to leave me feeling rather unenthusiastic about it.

OK, four stars should be 4.5 and the only slight demerit in Connelly's case is because the bar is set so high. This is another wonderful Harry Bosch book. At one point, Bosch mentions how he wants to take an idea and grind it into powder and examine it under a microscope. I thought that was a perfect description of exaclty how Connelly approaches his writing. Every step, thought, movement and moment in sure, steady hands. This takes the words 'police procedural' down to sub-atomic particles. You couldn't point to one sentence and say 'wow.' It's the accumulation of detail and how hard both Connelly (and Bosch) must work to get it right. The pleasure comes from riding along with Bosch and watching his mind work, analzying the details of the case and how he handles his own miscues, particularly with the politics of the cop world. "Echo Park" has a nifty series of layers to it and the peaks of action and plot keep rising in a natural way, one on top of the other. The only slight problem is the puppeteer behind the whole script is pretty easy to spot and for the scene in the swimming pool near the end just didn't quite ring true. Nonetheless, a model of clean, driven prose.

All the entries in the Harry Bosch series have been good, but Echo Park is the best yet. The first few chapters set up the mystery, and from there on out, the action and suspense ratchet up and never stop. Even the final wrap up is a page turner. An open and shut case turns into a first rate conundrum, and Bosch has never been in a tougher position, trying to separate fact from emotion, trying to follow his own compass. His partner's been taken down, the woman in his life has trouble reconciling her roles as lover and profiler, and Bosch himself has been taken for a ride. High jingo strikes again. But for Harry, it's always a question of making choices that will allow him to live with himself, and no case has ever made that more of a challenge.
First rate crime fiction, with outstanding characterization and plotting.

Due to the mystery and sensationalism surrounding her murder, Elizabeth Short has been much over-glamorized by both the media and crime buffs alike. In "Severed," John Gilmore does an amazing job of portraying Ms. Short as a real person...warts and all. I've read many works on this case (both fictional and non-fictional) and this is the first one that's left me feeling as if I could relate to Ms. Short as a human being.

I think what I admire most about this book, though, is the author appears to stick to the facts and ONLY the facts. I get the impression that if something wasn't documented and couldn't be verified, Mr. Gilmore elected not to include it.

Unlike some other readers, I feel that Gilmore's theory of who killed Beth Short is probably the most plausible of any I'm aware of. It may not be the sexy revelation we've all been wishing for, but as Freud said, "sometime a cigar is just a cigar."

I wholeheartedly agree...this is tense, good and written without an agenda. Much research has gone into this book..and the writer's style is flawless..

As a true crime book-lover,I say read this one first... then read all the other "Dahlia Theory' books next.. for fun...

Also... Ellroy.. if you like a good, raw novel with typical Ellroy style.

Severed is a truly great read. I was totally absorbed into this book. It's a brilliant, genre-breaking transcripted oral history noir, given by those involved, many of whom were still alive at the time, and are taken and crafted in the diffuse light of another less than promising LA Wednesday morning back in January, 1947, before the fog burned-off at about 10:30 AM. Then you could see her nude body, brutally tortured and completely severed at the midriff, drained of all fluids, carefully washed, and posed for the shutter bugs, who always got there first.

The horror over on Norton, north of 39th. Street, south of Coliseum. Formerly Elizabeth Short of Medford, Mass. The paperboys always know the way. You should believe him when he says he saw a car there at six. A black Ford. That's what the morning paperboys know. That's what the morning paperboys did; fold papers and ID cars.

Martin Lewis, the shoe salesman with a story to tell, to me, formed an interior ring of truth, around which Gilmore's other subjects have spun their true stories. That's how you know it's true. A slight return. It chords with something else, and it buzzes in your head...Gilmore has her there, for a moment, the Black Dahlia herself, and then is all but predictably knocked, skidding, off of her real killer's trail, just as his alkie protagonist and anti-hero, Lanky Jack Wilson is suddenly taken from him, and us, deus ex machina.

"A signature sex killing." Ellroy says. I call it the perfect crime. Did Jack Wilson do Elizabeth Short in? No way in Hell. But, no matter. I suspect the real killer is in there, somewhere. Down the list. Lucid, and at times transfixing, written in seemingly effortless prose, and annealed with the inclusion of some truly shocking crime scene photos, this is the best place to start your own search for the killer, who could still be alive and at large. There is no statute of limitiations on the truth when it comes to LA's darkest and most infamous and unsolved murder case.

Living in Southern California, I always love reading true crime books with So-Cal historical content. Loved it. The pictures inside are fantastic (some graphic). There are pictures of Elizabeth Short in death and in life. There's also a great map of the Los Angeles area that gives 48 places frequented by Short and mentioned in the book. Some are still in existence too. Map also points out the site of the body discovery.
The best pictures and illustrations I've seen in a true crime book.

It's an exciting read from start to finish. As compared to some other Dahlia books I've read, I think this one gives us a glimpse into Elizabeth Short - the person. It's obvious from reading this book that the author has done extensive research to create the most accurate picture of one of the most haunting unsolved murders in Los Angeles.

I think the author is right on the mark with his theory into the main suspect.

Read this one before the other Dahlia books.

I agree with the previous reader called Veronica T.

This book is by far the best book on the subject of the BLACK DAHLIA, (written thus far). It's the only book written to date, that makes any sense.

I've read other books on this same subject and most of them did not come close. Infact, some other books written on this same subject were down right un-imaginable & unbelievable (eg: some books proposed that the Black Dahlia serial killer was the "father of a known L.A. Police Officer",and this was stated in the other books... without showing many facts,other than a few photos that looked nothing like the Dahlia, etc...).

However, by contrast, the facts in this Gilmore book are very well presented by the author.
An easy book to read.
As I said, it's the best one out there on the subject.

PS: The photos in this Gilmore book are so shocking, so plz beware (gulp!).

This book was an intense read. It's definitely filled with everything you might expect from reading the Amazon description. The one flaw is its lack of credibility, but I guess if a killer is as good as this, he wouldn't leave a trail of evidence to prove his stories are true later on.

It's completely believable. (did someone say it isn't totally believable?) It was the first experience I'd had reading any first-hand telling by someone as he in his teens kills his worst bully. His cold disposing of that body and getting away with it. Horrific. But what was meaner than his own father? The ice-man was hit, bashed for reasons that weren't clear to him at the moments his father came down on him. Out of the blue. Bad enough, child battery, when daddy states his reasoning. The iceman even believes that this daddy beat over and over his older brother until that child died. Hello? Mom? where was Mom? Right there! The beatings and other humane neglects formed warm pulsating heart into permafrost in he who became Ice. Ok. Life tells us there are no sufficient provocations for violence. but there are things done to soft and cuddly humans while they are dependent and trusting of the big humans who are in charge of such tenderness that screw their wee minds and there you go. What the Iceman did to his victims is unreadable. You lay (throw?) the book down and gasp and take days to recover and reluctantly give it your time yet again. A horrific read or did I say that? Yet Mr Bruno, you did good. Why did you not have to stop over and over to vomit as you related what are facts of such vile magnitude I'll never figure. maybe you did. Utterly unforgettable, and I tentatively thank you for reporting/writing it.

i am no book reviewer but at first i thought this is one crazy dude.several times i stopped to try to find out how many people wererolled up into this one guy.the photos and discription of him didn't seem to jibe with the dates.it'sfun to read but itt can't all be fact.

Great book about one of the most notoriously unknown killers of all time!

Richard Kuklinski was a very interesting man to say the least, his family life, his secret life of murder and his long list of petty crimes and schemes!

When you finish "The Ice Man", you'll feel as if you know the guy. The book starts off talking about Richard's horrible childhood and how/when he committed his first murder and takes you through his early days of crime and his association with the Mafia!

"Big Rich" as he was known to his friends killed over 100 men, possibly as many as 200. He killed using almost every means possible. Kuklinski claims to have killed the infamous Jimmy Hoffa and ruthless mobster Roy DeMeo. He not only killed for money, he killed without a reason. Strangers, punks, thugs and the homeless all felt the wrath of the Ice Man, but never women or children according to Richard.

Many people, including Richard Kuklinski believe he was poisoned while in prison, which ulitmately led to his death. Richard was going to testify against Sammy (the Bull) Gravano, he died in prison days before!

You can buy the dvd's here at Amazon of Richard's HBO interviews, they can also be found on Youtube! The interviews are excellent, they give a real life perspective of Big Rich!

Great read, very interesting stuff, truly a natural born killer!

This is a reprint of the review I wrote for my book review website Letters On Pages (www.lettersonpages.com)
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Horrifying.

That is really the only good way to describe The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer by Philip Carlo. The book itself isn't horrifying...in fact it is fantastically written. What is horrifying is Richard Kuklinski and the things the did during his lifetime.

You see...Richard Kuklinski was a Mafia hitman. He killed people for money. He also killed people because they upset him in some manner, like flipping him the bird while driving. The middle finger was a particularly terrible affront to Kuklinski...one that would likely earn you the death penalty. But those killings aren't where he made his mark on the world. Richard "The Ice Man" Kuklinski is known as one of the most dangerous mob related people ever. I say mob related because he was Polish, and you can't officially join the Mafia unless you are Italian. You can still work as a hired killer though apparently.

Kuklinski was a giant (literally at 6'5" 280lbs) psychopathic, sociopathic, anti-social, paranoid person. He had the classic serial killer upbringing: hyper-abusive parents, picked on by local bullies, enjoyed torturing animals...etc. His home life was so abusive that his father actually killed Richard's brother by beating him. So obviously there was no love in his house, or anywhere throughout his childhood. This, combined with his genetic disposition for violence and personality flaws, turned him into one of the most prolific killers ever. Kuklinski killed over 200 people during his life, most of them mob/organized crime related. His lack of conscience and inability to feel remorse meant that he was a perfect killer. He could "go see somebody", torture (if that's what the client wanted), kill, and dispose of the body with no second thoughts.

In fact, he had a family and loved them dearly. Actually, I don't know that he had the capacity to love. But he cared for them quite a bit. His home life was like Jekyll & Hyde though: sometimes he would be the most caring, thoughtful person around. Other times he would go on a rampage, destroying furniture and beating his wife. He never harmed his children, however. In fact, he would kill people for abusing children. He was a regular vigilante.

This book is amazingly interesting and I couldn't put it down. To read the stories that this man told were shocking. Carlo does a pretty good job of not being too explicit though. There are a few stories that are especially bad...but otherwise it's OK.

I (like a lot of other people) am interested in serial killers and why they do what they do. For some reason they are really interesting to people. I'm sure there are plenty of psyche people who could explain why. Kuklinski is one of the ultimate serial killers, and therefore, garners a lot of attention. That he did all of this while leading a relatively normal family life only futhers the intrigue.

Three HBO documentaries of Kuklinski were filed while he was in prison. I have seen one of them and it's pretty riveting stuff. It's actually frightening to watch him cavalierly describe taking another man's life. Sometimes he gets mad and glares at the interviewer...which is a haunting view for that person I'm sure.

I very highly recommend this book to anyone interested in True Crime, serial killers, or the Mafia. Be prepared though.

Rating: 5 out of 5

I admit, the idea is very origonal, yet Dean Koontz (who I'm shocked had anything to do with this book) could have made this book so much better. I've read many of his novels and this is by far the worst.
The more I read the more outlandish the story got, and I found myself laughing at the end when Johnathon was running from the cops with a baby monster creature hanging half attached to the inside of his belly, as he was giving birth to it.
I did however think the storyline of the retarded boy who could only move through a series of imaginary crossword boxes was cool, but I will probably not be reading the next one. I dont even think he's going to finish the series anyway. It was scheduled to come out like 2 years ago.
Dean Koontz has always been one of my favorite authors. I just hope he's not losing his luster for writing.

This book is amazing on so many levels. It takes the traditional Frankenstein story and weaves a modern tale of secrets, deception, and corruption hidden under a thin veneer of high society. It is creepy how probable some of the things in this book are. It is a sad tale, but it pulls you in and won't let go. I would recommend this book for anyone with a healthily inquisitive mind and a bit of empathy.

I'm sure I am one of a select few that do not appreciate a story that develops great characters and great sub-plots and then ends abruptly. It's almost as though the author got bored and quit - Zero resolution on anything. It doesn't leave me wanting more because I know the same feeling of "What the Hell?" will be waiting for me in the next book.

I love Koontz' work. There it is, sorry if you don't, but put some nail-bitingly great writing together with a guy who loves dogs, and I am hooked.

This series is among his best works and I am eagerly awaiting the release of the third book in December 08 - I recently re-read the first two (on my new kindle ;) and it just made me want the third installment even more.

Great story telling, funny moments and totally believe-able repartee between the characters. Put that all together with an obvious working knowledge of the setting and you have all the makings of a superb series.

Bravo once again!

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Read this book and meet Randall 6.

This is a gripping tale of what happens when organizations don't do their jobs. I know the parents of one of this mass-murder's victims who was able to conceal his crime because of the once common arrogance of hospital's and their medical staffs. As a hospital administrator, I can report that much has changed in the physician credentialing process because of the death and mayhem wrecked by the murderer Jeff Swango!

Not only was this book a great read, it also displays the significant truth about the world of medicine. This type of behavior (ignoring what's in front of you) happens everyday in medicine. All credentialing personnel should be required to read this book.

I was given "Blind Eye" when I first began working at a physician monitoring program as a clinician. At the time, I was under the impression that because physicians have so much responsibility to "do no harm," they would automatically report themselves or fellow physicians if they believed they were impaired mentally, physically or emotionally. How wrong I was!

"Blind Eye" represents the epitome of how our medical system supports physicians, even when they are dangerous to themselves and others. Through a painstaking and exhaustive review of the life and career of Dr. Michael Swango, James B. Stewart illustrates how easy it was for a medical doctor to manipulate nurses, colleagues, administrators, patients, and even his own family into believing that he was a competent physician. Stewart further demonstrates how the "good old boy" system is alive and well in America, in which doctors look the other way when something seems wrong, even when evidence to the contrary is right in front of them.

If I had not read this book, knowing it is a true story, I probably would not have believed that a physician could truly get away with murder; now I am truly convinced that this is, unfortunatly, the case. "Blind Eye" should be required reading for every person who works with or sees a personal physician.

This is a fascinating story about how the medical establishment did not detect a psycopath in their midst. Even after detection, they allowed him to continue as a doctor.

Even more upsetting was the failure of the faculty of the college of medicine at Southern Illinois University to detect and fail incompetent students. These students, including Michael Swango, were allowed to continue; even after episodes of total incompetence. If these policies are common at other medical schools, it offers an explanation for the large number of substandard physicians.

Stewart's coverage of the l'affaire Swango is exemplary--one of the best true crime reads in the last ten years, this one....except...except for what I've found to be a common occurrence in books of this genre, namely, in this instance, that Michael Swango, not once, not twice, but probably 20 times, is described as "handsome": what's up with that? Swango looks like a cartoon horse, and in no sense of the word "handsome" is he, well, even slightly better than subpar in the looks department. Several b/w pix here document this guy's oversized choppers, narrow head, and so on. So why is this the case? Possibly to lure name actors into vying for the lead in a filming of this, and thus make the project more attractive in order to secure a better deal? That's the only thing I can think of and, as I say, this is a common problem in the true crime genre. SO: it's a five-star read, but docked a notch because, if the author continually overstates a major fact regarding the book's main character's appearance, the reader HAS to wonder, Hey, what other liberties are taken with the truth here? Be that as it may--a tip o' the hat to Stewart for his page-turning prose. Possibly the best book I've ever read about a poisoner, including the great works covering the infamous 19th and early 20th century cases, when poison was much in vogue.

CHILD 44 is based on the real-life Russian mass-murderer, Andrei Chikatilo, whose capture may have been hindered by the Soviet Union's portrayal of such crimes as being non-existent in the USSR.

The protagonist of the novel is Leo Demidov who is an investigator for the MGB (the heir to the NKVD). It is his job to ferret out the traitors rampant in Soviet society, whether they're guilty or not. He is an extremely idealistic man and is willing to use torture for the overall good. But when he discovers that a veterinarian he has been hunting is guilty of nothing more than treating the dog of an official at the American embassy, he begins to have second thoughts. Then he is asked to investigate his wife.

It takes a while for Smith to get to the child murders. He needs to show what conditions were like under Stalin, he needs to introduce the villain (not the serial killer), and he needs to show the murderer luring children into his spider web. Readers should pay close attention to the beginning as it will be important later in the book. You will need to read it over regardless but at least you'll know where to find the pertinent information.

Smith employs various twists and turns, but I especially liked how he transitioned Demidov from MGB operative to lowly member of the militia who begins to investigate the child murders. It looks like Demidov will never succeed as every clue seems to turn into a dead end. Meanwhile a former colleague (the villain) is tracking him and his wife down. If he is discovered, they both will be summarily shot. There is also a love story of sorts. Demidov's wife, Raisa, never did love him. She married him because he was a MGB operative; she was afraid not to. So, as they search for the killer, they gradually begin to know each other as people. At one point she argues that a truck driver who is taking them to Rostov, a town they think may be the killer's home territory, should be killed to cover their trail. But it's a test. Raisa wants to know if Leo really has changed.

Some may think the ending is a little bit convenient since it leaves room for a sequel, but if there is one, I'll be the first in line to buy it.

An astonising debut, as chilling as "Silence of the Lambs" or any other literary "horror" story I've ever read.
Its about 440 pages and I read it in 2 days since it kept pulling me along.
Brilliant, spine-tingling ...can't wait for his next-what a tough act to follow.

Riveting
5+ stars. One of the very best novels of 2008. Outstanding in all respects! After my wife read Child 44 in two nights, she gave it to me as a must read. Well, having spent some time visiting behind the Iron Curtain I wasn't too thrilled about reading a book about Stalinist Russia. My impressions of Russia centered on the color gray. From the people, to the environment, to daily life, everything was a dismal gray. In short depressing. Nonetheless, my wife is right 95% of the time so I picked up Child 44 and started to read. 2 days later I was stunned by how outstanding Mr. Smith's debut novel was. It is simply terrific.
Dark, brooding, mysterious, and yet filled with hope. It is Russian to the core, yet throughout it all there is a timeless since of "we will persevere, we will survive!" It is the story of one man's struggle to find his inner peace. Stolen from his biological family at an early age, Leo Demidov is raised by surrogate parents and eventually becomes a part of the post WW2 Stalin era as a member of USSR State Security Force. An ardent defender of the state system, Leo becomes transformed when he realizes that a serial killer of children is on the loose in Russia. He knows that this is not a recognized crime in Utopian Stalin Russia. As he pursues this killer, he himself is denounced as a state troublemaker and is exiled to a backwater town just west of the Ural Mountains. There he continues his quest for the serial killer despite being told to cease and desist by the State Police or face exile to the gulag or worse death. Through all this Leo comes to realize what is truly important in life, saves his strained marriage, and continues to persevere in his hunt for the killer. Child 44 is a wonderful story of the indomitable human spirit. It is both Kafkaesque and Zhivagoesque in its portrayal of Stalinist Russia after WW2. Don't be put off by the subject matter or period-it is simply too good a book not to read.
Character development was absolutely superb. Mr. Smith was able to do in 426 pages what some authors couldn't do in 4000 pages. He wove a tight story but developed the characters with ease and fluidity. An amazing feat for his debut novel.
Some graphic violence but very germane to the story. No gratuitous sex or language.
Must read. Gripping.

Child 44 is an amazing book. It has great characters and a suspenseful and tense plot. I especially enjoyed the historical setting of this book, Russia under Stalin's regime. Yes, Child 44 is fiction but the author tried to incorporate many factual events into his work, making it a well-rounded and complete novel. This is an impressive debut novel. I will be looking forward to Tom Rob Smith's next book.

I bought Child 44 because I am a big Martin Cruz Smith fan. Others like me--BE WARNED. We love Arkady Renko for his oh-so-Russian, no-good-deed-goes-unpunished black humor and his exhausted kindness. Neither of these qualities exists in this novel. The intellectual moebius strip of acceptable Stalinist thought, the utter devastation of emotional life and the reduction of every interaction to zero sum survivalism is the background, foreground and plot of Child 44. In that sense, this book is a direct descendant of Orwell's 1984. It is the bleakest book I have read since that classic novel--to the extent that I felt damaged by the time I got to the end.

In a sense, I am writing two reviews for Child 44. Smith succeeds to a truly astonishing degree in evoking a world that, as an American, I literally can hardly imagine and found almost unbearable. In this fictional account he has created a picture of the Stalinist USSR more vivid than any non-fictional account could ever be--even The Gulag Archipelago was never such a bludgeoning. This is reality in which the banality of evil has triumphed completely, in which the brutality of the State trumps the horror of a child-killer in every way.
If you find utter oppression difficult to read about, beware. It has seldom been depicted better.

Having said that, however, I must agree with previous reviewers who have found fault with the book as a murder mystery. The author spends so much energy creating Soviet Russia that the police procedural is kind of a literary hitchhiker--getting picked up and dropped off erratically until the last few chapters. I also felt that the carefully constructed non-relationship between Leo and his wife, Raisa, was treated very badly in order to get to the end of the book. Child 44 would be a much more cohesive book if it had just been an examination of the State and the marriage, without the sensational murders and the implausible (in several ways) ending.

If I could, I would give Child 44 5 stars for the recreation of the nightmare world of the USSR and 2 stars as a murder mystery.

Most popular fiction doesn't hold my interest anymore. All too often, the writing is too bland and unimaginative, the plots are standard fare, and the characters are one-dimensional. Tess Gerritsen is one of the few thriller writers whose work I've enjoyed in recent years. Her writing isn't that special, but she does have real storytelling skill, so that her books have always kept me reading.

The first two books featuring Jane Rizzoli, THE SURGEON and THE APPRENTICE, were truly suspenseful. Rizzoli is close to being a believable character, with the kind of problems that most of us can identify with. In the third novel, THE SINNER, Rizzoli moved to backup status, to make way for the pathologist Dr. Maura Isles. Unfortunately, Isles has yet to become a realistic character. She is more of a placeholder, an inert viewpoint character who exists simply as a device to hang the plot on.

And that's a real problem with BODY DOUBLE. The story has much of the gruesome fascination of THE SURGEON and THE APPRENTICE, and yet it lacks tension. It's fitfully suspenseful, but I got through 150 pages and felt like I was waiting for the story to get started. Over halfway through the book, I still felt that way, and came close to setting it aside for something more interesting.

I finally started skimming, and it finally got interesting again towards the end. However, most of the mystery is unraveled about 50 pages before the story finally concludes, so the rest of the book feels like a long epilogue.

For me, this was just a badly built plot, one that fails to build tension and only delivers sporadically. Far from being the kind of riveting read I was expecting, BODY DOUBLE was a book which thrilled me mostly when I was done with it, and could read something else.

I'll probably try the next book in the series (since I already bought it) but I'm surprised at how highly rated this one is. I hope VANISH sees a return to form.

This series of books by Tess Gerritsen is absolutely a page-turner. I couldn't read fast enough. This series was purchased by my niece who is stationed with the Army in Afghanistan. She loves to read mysteries, and I know this series will keep what little spare time she has occupied.

Body Double is Gerritsen's fourth novel in the Detective Jane Rizzoli series of medical thrillers. She interweaves her main plot, discovering the murderer of her main character's (Dr. Maura Isles) adopted twin sister, with several subplots, including locating her birth mother, the pain of a frustrating romance, the death of another lover, all intermingled with personal death threats. Her series hero Jane Rizzoli is in the last trimester of her pregnancy, which adds another layer of apprehension to the novel, in that the suspected murderer is involved in human trafficking, namely selling babies stolen from their mother's womb. The story has very little "down time," and Gerritsen does a first-rate job of building tension throughout the book.

This is the fourth book in the Patholigist Dr. Maura Isles/Detective Jane Rizzoli series, and stands up pretty well in comparision with the other three novels.

In this one, Dr. Maura Isles has to go deep into her past, and find hidden, shocking truths, about her family in order to solve a modern day crime.

As always, the characters of Maura Isles and Jane Rizzoli are engaging, and the plot in this book had quite a few twists in it, too. There was frequently something new being discovered, or an event happening, in the storyline, that would make you want to read on further.

The book starts with Dr. Maura Isles touring the Catacombs of Paris and contemplating her own mortality. That is just the beginning! She returns home to her house to find that her front yard is a crime scene, and the police and her coworkers are looking at her like she is a ghost. That is because they all thought the dead woman in the car in front of her house was Dr. Isles. The book is downright scary at times, and had me feeling really claustrophobic in parts the descriptions were so real. I won't give anything away, but pay close attention to the prologue in this one. I look forward to the next book in the series.