More of the gory details from the former FBI profiler who coined the phrase ``serial killer.'' Among the other murderers he examines here, Ressler continues from Whoever Fights Monsters (1992) his discussion on John Wayne Gacy and includes new information on Jeffrey Dahmer. He reconstructs his interviews with the two; they're tough going, yet fascinating: Both men express having experienced real surprise when they—as they put it—``[woke] up next to a dead guy,'' and both insist that they don't remember what really happened. Gacy even asserts that his construction crew did most of the killings. But it's clear they do remember, and Ressler, a master of the interview, gets them to admit exactly what they did (for the tenacious, strong-stomached reader only) and, less clearly, why. Ressler is not so much interested in what made these men start killing as in the origins of the feelings of exuberance and omnipotence that wouldn't let them stop. He clearly and persuasively outlines the beginning of Dahmer's and Gacy's careers as killers, but does not provide an adequate explanation as to why these men, suffering deeply from anomie, killed others rather than commit suicide. Ressler's understanding of his subjects, however, is genuine, and he creates convincing portraits of them as evil, cruel, yet somehow pitiable. While the book also deals with some international cases (South Africa's ABC Murders, the Wimbledon Commons murder in England, the Aum cult in Japan), it's obvious that Ressler's heart—and massive ego—belongs to American killers, who started the whole serial-killer industry in the first place. A disturbing catalog of facts lacking a strong context but terribly jarring just the same. (Author tour)
Pub Date: June 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-312-15552-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A solid re-creation of the rape-murder of Karen Gregory in Gulfport, Florida, and of the resulting trial, by the reporter who first covered the case for the St. Petersburg Times. On May 22, 1984, 36-year-old Karen, white, a graphic artist, had just finished moving her things to the house of her black boyfriend, David Mackey, an administrator of a counseling program for Vietnam veterans—and out of town at a conference. In small, conservative Gulfport, the interracial couple ``stood out.'' That night, a woman's scream was heard by a number of people as far as several blocks away; one man said, ``I'll never forget it,'' But no one called the police. Thirty-one hours later, roused by Mackey, who was unable to reach Karen by telephone, the Gulfport police broke in and found her bloody body, stabbed to death many times. So began a long, tedious, often dead-ended investigation led by Sergeant Larry Tosi. French takes the reader through it step by step, revealing what Tosi learned just as he learned it, bit by bit, with a frustrating lack of evidence at first, false suspects, unexplained details, and confusing polygraph tests. Finally, a suspect—ironically, a friend of Tosi's and known for his good works as ``the neighborhood helper''—was arrested; though never confessing to the crime, he was convicted and is currently doing time. Crisp and clear, with vivid characterizations and with the intricacies and frustrations of the police investigation and subsequent trial well explained.
Pub Date: May 27, 1991
ISBN: 0-312-05526-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1991
An account of Randy Kraft, a serial killer responsible for perhaps 67 murders of young men between 1971 and 1983, with mini- biographies of many of his victims, by investigative reporter McDougal (The Los Angeles Times). Beginning in 1971, bodies of young men began to be found along the California freeways, as well as in Oregon and Michigan. The victims were often nude, had been strangled, and showed evidence of alcohol, drugs, rape, and torture. The evidence police collected could be linked to no one—until 1983, when a weaving car was stopped and its driver, Randy Kraft, was arrested for drunk driving. A dead body was in the passenger seat, Polaroid of nude men, stoned or dead, under the floor mat. Five years and four months later, after the longest—13 months—and most expensive—in excess of $10 million—trial in Orange County history, Kraft was sentenced to death. Curiously, his murderous side was totally unknown to his family and many friends (who appealed to the judge for leniency)—to them, he seemed simply an affectionate homosexual lover, skilled computer programmer, or dog-lover. A still-unanswered question is whether he had an assistant, as some of the evidence suggested. Today, despite that overwhelming evidence, Kraft, incarcerated in San Quentin, still maintains his innocence and is pursuing appeals. For the most part, McDougal, writing in appropriately matter-of-fact prose, juggles his mass of material well; but the huge cast and shifting points of view do confuse at times, and brief biographies of the lawyers and judges involved would have helped to anchor the narrative.
Pub Date: May 15, 1991
ISBN: 0-446-51538-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1991
IN THE NEWS
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
