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hananhn's review against another edition
3.0
It was a great read until the jurisdiction part (boring and dragged too long).
cegleston's review against another edition
4.0
Having grown up in The San Fernando Valley at the time this was going on, but too young to know what it all meant, this book was very good to read as an adult. Very fast read and as creepy as Richard Ramirez is he was very intriguing!!
sleeepykitty's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.75
caseyandthebooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
5.0
As a true crime fan i loved this book! I flew through it within a day , having seen the night stalker documentary in Netflix I was incredibly intrigued by this case & went on to find this book to further my understanding. Very informative. We’re talked through Richards crimes in details so if you’re of the faint hearted I’d avoid this one. We’re given an understanding of Richards childhood leading to adolescence & adulthood & really given an insight into how he ended up on death row & the situations that led him to become one of the most notorious serial killers of all time. If you’re a true crime lover & not phased by the details I would recommend this all day every day!
kristy_k's review against another edition
4.0
Gruesome, tragic and disturbing. I was born in So Cal right after the Night Stalkers reign so of course I had heard of him, but the specifics of the case were always vague. He is a unique serial killer in that he did not have a specific signature nor type of victim. It amazes me how quickly the detectives (Det. Carillo in particular) were able to put together that all of these cases were linked when from the outside they appeared to be separate from each other.
The crimes committed in these cases were gruesome and gory. They were violent (and often described graphically in the book). They were remorseless. They were a combination of what everyone fears most: the loss of security in your home; loved ones murdered in front of you; your children subjected to unthinkable acts.
Ramirez's home life growing up was also a part of the tragedy here, and although I in no way think it excuses him for what he did, it makes it no surprise that he turned to a life of crime. His cousin Mike was a truly horrendous person, and if the account of his life in here is true, I am appalled and sadden by the acts an American soldier can do (while in Vietnam).
Perhaps one of the more disturbing things was the mass of women who flocked to the jail and courthouse for a glimpse of Ramirez. This crazed insta-love fueled by lust for the "bad boy" is unfathomable. Most of these women didn't even question his guilt (or care for that matter); they simply saw an attractive man who walked on the dark side and it revved their libido. It's disgusting that they were willing to ignore the countless victims and crimes committed all for a pretty face. If he had been ugly or plain, would this have happened? How sad is it that we put physical appearance so high on a pedestal we willingly ignore everything else. It also makes me wonder if they (the women) themselves do not suffer from some sort of mental disorder (especially when you read some of the direct quotes from their letters to the author).
Overall, I found Carlo's telling of Ramirez's life and crimes informative and interesting. It is definitely not for the faint of heart, but true crime readers looking for an in-depth account of what happened will find that here.
The crimes committed in these cases were gruesome and gory. They were violent (and often described graphically in the book). They were remorseless. They were a combination of what everyone fears most: the loss of security in your home; loved ones murdered in front of you; your children subjected to unthinkable acts.
Ramirez's home life growing up was also a part of the tragedy here, and although I in no way think it excuses him for what he did, it makes it no surprise that he turned to a life of crime. His cousin Mike was a truly horrendous person, and if the account of his life in here is true, I am appalled and sadden by the acts an American soldier can do (while in Vietnam).
Perhaps one of the more disturbing things was the mass of women who flocked to the jail and courthouse for a glimpse of Ramirez. This crazed insta-love fueled by lust for the "bad boy" is unfathomable. Most of these women didn't even question his guilt (or care for that matter); they simply saw an attractive man who walked on the dark side and it revved their libido. It's disgusting that they were willing to ignore the countless victims and crimes committed all for a pretty face. If he had been ugly or plain, would this have happened? How sad is it that we put physical appearance so high on a pedestal we willingly ignore everything else. It also makes me wonder if they (the women) themselves do not suffer from some sort of mental disorder (especially when you read some of the direct quotes from their letters to the author).
Overall, I found Carlo's telling of Ramirez's life and crimes informative and interesting. It is definitely not for the faint of heart, but true crime readers looking for an in-depth account of what happened will find that here.
serenereadssally's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
A spellbinding descent into the very heart of human evil. Thirteen left dead, others tortured and brutalised at the hands of one of history’s most infamous serial killers.
I must begin this review by saying this is a book of two halves and my review really is for the first half of the book. As a true crime fan I usually limit myself to watching TV series and listening to podcasts and prefer to read fiction so wasn’t sure if I’d like the book. I did. I found it as unnerving and disturbing as I thought it would be and the story of the killers childhood and his crimes kept me enthralled right up to his capture.
Unfortunately from then on I literally couldn’t read it. The trial was lengthy and the entire second half of the book was focused on this. Real trials aren’t like TV trials and it was full of technicalities and back and forth and how a trial works and it didn’t hold my interest at all, so I skimmed to the interview with Ramirez at the end and also with his numerous ‘groupies’.
I was astounded to read of the women that were obsessed with this evil psychopath even including a jury member, and how they were in love with him! That was as uncomfortable to process as his heinous crimes.
My 4 stars are for the first half of the book and the interviews. The trial I felt could have been condensed and we didn’t need the minutiae at all, then I might have read that part. A great insight into a sick mind.