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Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'
The Babysitter: My Summers With a Serial Killer by Jennifer Jordan, Liza Rodman
17 reviews
saldre's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
sarahasyouwish's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
3.75
This was an interesting mix of half memoir and half true crime story. We learn of Liza’s rocky upbringing and her abusive mother who would frequently leave her children with any willing person she could find to babysit them. One of the strangers recruited to babysit is Tony Costa, whom Liza remembers fondly until learning years later he was convicted of multiple murders which took place around the time she knew him. The book flips back and forth between Liza’s story and Tony’s as she pieces together his past from the records available to her. It was sad to see how disposable young women were thought of in the 1960s and how the disappearance of several women was barely a blip on anyone’s radar. The book would have benefited from having first-hand information from Costa and his experience-wife, but given the circumstances, I felt like the author did a good job piecing together the story in a way that was intriguing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Drug use
elliecoggins1996's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
molsreads's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Part memoir, part serial killer true crime novel--The Babysitter: My Summers With a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman & Jennifer Jordan is told through Liza's first-person recollections of her summers spent in Provincetown often spending time with the local hotel handyman, Tony Costa, who, years later, she learns was a sadistic serial killer known as The Cape Cod Vampire.
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What's heartbreaking and shocking about this story is that Tony, despite his brutal crimes, is not portrayed as the only villain in this story. Liza's own mother is physically and emotionally abusive and deliberately cruel.
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It's heartbreaking when one of the few people from Liza's childhood that showed her the most kindness is revealed to be a serial killer-- who was likely grooming her to be a future victim.
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I had never heard of Tony Costa so his story and gruesome crimes were completely new to me. It's not the best true crime book I've ever read, that honor is still held by American Predator but it is definitely worth a read for any true crime fans.
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Thanks to @netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Since @jobis said true crime counts for the #50states50horrorbooks challenge; this is my choice for Massachusetts.
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What's heartbreaking and shocking about this story is that Tony, despite his brutal crimes, is not portrayed as the only villain in this story. Liza's own mother is physically and emotionally abusive and deliberately cruel.
.
It's heartbreaking when one of the few people from Liza's childhood that showed her the most kindness is revealed to be a serial killer-- who was likely grooming her to be a future victim.
.
I had never heard of Tony Costa so his story and gruesome crimes were completely new to me. It's not the best true crime book I've ever read, that honor is still held by American Predator but it is definitely worth a read for any true crime fans.
.
Thanks to @netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
.
Since @jobis said true crime counts for the #50states50horrorbooks challenge; this is my choice for Massachusetts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence
lilacsandliterature's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Thank you to Atria books for the advanced copy!
As a huge fan of true crime, I’ve heard of many cases but for some reason had never heard of Tony Costa, The Cape Cod “Casanova” or “Vampire.” This book was my first introduction to the serial killer, and now I’m scrambling to learn everything abut the case.
My two favorite genres are true crime and memoirs, and this book exceeded all expectations on both fronts. Told as a dual perspective between a young girl growing up on Cape Cod with a difficult mother and secrets of her own, but also following along with Tony, a young man newly married with many demons. I was enamored with this story from the very first pages and couldn’t put it down. It’s written so smartly, and keeps you engaged with every page as you clean motel rooms with Liza, jump in a truck with “Tony the handy man” to head to the dump, and dive deep into the life of a horrific serial killer.
If memoirs aren’t exactly your favorite genre but you devour true crime, you won’t be disappointed. The book tells of the graphic crimes of a seriously deranged man. This isn’t written for those who don’t want to know details, as every single one is described to the letter. There is also graphic sexual violence and drug use.
This will be a true crime novel I recommend to anyone interested in the subject. Informative but not written dry or like a text book in any capacity. I applaud both writers for diving deep into secrets and sharing so much with the audience.
As a huge fan of true crime, I’ve heard of many cases but for some reason had never heard of Tony Costa, The Cape Cod “Casanova” or “Vampire.” This book was my first introduction to the serial killer, and now I’m scrambling to learn everything abut the case.
My two favorite genres are true crime and memoirs, and this book exceeded all expectations on both fronts. Told as a dual perspective between a young girl growing up on Cape Cod with a difficult mother and secrets of her own, but also following along with Tony, a young man newly married with many demons. I was enamored with this story from the very first pages and couldn’t put it down. It’s written so smartly, and keeps you engaged with every page as you clean motel rooms with Liza, jump in a truck with “Tony the handy man” to head to the dump, and dive deep into the life of a horrific serial killer.
If memoirs aren’t exactly your favorite genre but you devour true crime, you won’t be disappointed. The book tells of the graphic crimes of a seriously deranged man. This isn’t written for those who don’t want to know details, as every single one is described to the letter. There is also graphic sexual violence and drug use.
This will be a true crime novel I recommend to anyone interested in the subject. Informative but not written dry or like a text book in any capacity. I applaud both writers for diving deep into secrets and sharing so much with the audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
bookmaddie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
This is a really great blend of memoir and investigative journalism, and quite the blast from the past. Rodman and Jordan recreate the late 1960s so perfectly on these pages and it was so interesting to see how much (and, in some cases, how little) society has changed since then. I also loved the inclusion of music from the summers Rodman spent in Provincetown—it really helped ground me in the story and time period.
I think what is most interesting in this book, besides Tony's bizarre and horrifying serial killing, is the contrast that Liza experienced in Tony—an adult who made her feel safe and valued, versus the evil person who brutally murdered multiple women. Rodman casts both an investigative, mature eye on this contrast and examines it from the perspective of her childhood. This duality served the story well and the moments of inconsistency between the two perspectives helped drive meaningful observations about human nature and family.
This made me think of the dichotomies in my own life, and how what we know and come to learn about someone can serve to either save or destroy your memories and opinion of someone. We see that in practice in Rodman's experience with Tony and her mother. It was powerful to read Rodman's memory of her "aha" moment with her mother, and how that helps her develop an understanding so that they could continue their relationship in adulthood. Meanwhile, what she learns about Tony rightfully fractures her memories of him and adds this dark specter over their time together. Unexpectedly, I found this book to offer a meditation on what it means to come to terms with the whole of a person, and what those consequences of that can be. This element really added to my reading experience and made this entire story more meaningful to me.
If you're interested in memoirs, true crime, and family relationships, then I'd definitely pick this one up. It explores so much besides a horrific series of crimes, and truly captures a time and place.
Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advanced digital copy!
I think what is most interesting in this book, besides Tony's bizarre and horrifying serial killing, is the contrast that Liza experienced in Tony—an adult who made her feel safe and valued, versus the evil person who brutally murdered multiple women. Rodman casts both an investigative, mature eye on this contrast and examines it from the perspective of her childhood. This duality served the story well and the moments of inconsistency between the two perspectives helped drive meaningful observations about human nature and family.
This made me think of the dichotomies in my own life, and how what we know and come to learn about someone can serve to either save or destroy your memories and opinion of someone. We see that in practice in Rodman's experience with Tony and her mother. It was powerful to read Rodman's memory of her "aha" moment with her mother, and how that helps her develop an understanding so that they could continue their relationship in adulthood. Meanwhile, what she learns about Tony rightfully fractures her memories of him and adds this dark specter over their time together. Unexpectedly, I found this book to offer a meditation on what it means to come to terms with the whole of a person, and what those consequences of that can be. This element really added to my reading experience and made this entire story more meaningful to me.
If you're interested in memoirs, true crime, and family relationships, then I'd definitely pick this one up. It explores so much besides a horrific series of crimes, and truly captures a time and place.
Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advanced digital copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, and Violence
charisma_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
While I am completely intrigued by true crime (books and tv aspects) this book wasn’t what I thought it would be entirely. Yes, the title is “the babysitter” in regards to the serial criminal being one of the authors babysitters it is a bit misleading. The book included the author (Liza) time growing up with her emotionally and physically abusive mother and how her mother found babysitters left and right so her mother can go out and find herself a husband. I truly disliked these parts because of course her mother was vial but it really had nothing to do with the true character of this book, the serial killer Tony Costa. If the chapters about Liza had nothing to do with Tony, but about her abuse w her mother at the end of the chapters she would say something along the lines of “I wondered what Tony was doing on nights like these” ...... which honestly had nothing to do with Tony or the premise of this book which was his crimes.
Reading about Tony’s chapters were very interesting, graphic and well written. He was truly a disturbed individual who seemed to have multiple personality disorders IMO while reading the book.
The book was interesting, well written and the research well done.
Obviously this is true crime so all of the TW: Rape, Drug Abuse, Sexual abuse and rape, Emotional, verbal and physical abuse, suicide and murder.
Thank you to the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Reading about Tony’s chapters were very interesting, graphic and well written. He was truly a disturbed individual who seemed to have multiple personality disorders IMO while reading the book.
The book was interesting, well written and the research well done.
Obviously this is true crime so all of the TW: Rape, Drug Abuse, Sexual abuse and rape, Emotional, verbal and physical abuse, suicide and murder.
Thank you to the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
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