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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Such an interesting insight into the mind of a psychopath. Almost made me feel like what he was doing wasn't wrong, that he was born that way. Fascinating read!
3.5/5 stars. An entertaining, decent true crime book. Definitely interesting and worth a read for anyone who has a morbid curiosity for serial killers and suchlike.
After reading this book, I went straight on youtube to find the HBO documentaries which were mentioned and found myself irritated at some of the glaring contradictions (in the book it was written that he committed his first murder at the age of 13 with a piece of wood, in the documentary it was 18 in a bar with a pool cue for one).. I mean, it's hard to know which to believe really. The book is also a bit long for what it is and it could have probably been 200 pages shorter. But all that aside, they're fairly minor points. "The Iceman" is still a very intriguing and disturbing read and I would still definitely recommend it for anyone interested in true crime or serial murderers.
After reading this book, I went straight on youtube to find the HBO documentaries which were mentioned and found myself irritated at some of the glaring contradictions (in the book it was written that he committed his first murder at the age of 13 with a piece of wood, in the documentary it was 18 in a bar with a pool cue for one).. I mean, it's hard to know which to believe really. The book is also a bit long for what it is and it could have probably been 200 pages shorter. But all that aside, they're fairly minor points. "The Iceman" is still a very intriguing and disturbing read and I would still definitely recommend it for anyone interested in true crime or serial murderers.
For over forty years, Richard Kuklinski, aka The Ice Man, carried out contract killings for six different mob families in New York and New Jersey. To many, he was a normal guy with a wife and three children. To his colleagues, he was a brutal and reliable hitman. He has claimed responsibility for anywhere between thirty and two hundred murders throughout his career. At one point, he even claimed to be partially responsible for the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Phillip Carlo’s chilling account is the result of hundreds of hours of personal interviews. This in-depth look at the life of one of the most notorious guns for hire will have you looking over your shoulder and wondering just how well you know your own neighbors.
Fascinating story, but really terrible writing/editing. It seemed clear to me that the author didn't have a very good vocabulary, so he used words he didn't quite understand in a somewhat inappropriate context/structure.
This was without a doubt the best non-fiction book I've read in a long time, maybe ever. Although at times very chilling, it got me hooked instantly, and was very hard to put down. I can't wait to pick up another Philip Carlo book.
Interessante. Da una biografia diventa rapidamente fiction.
Grande il modo in cui Carlo entra nel cervello di Richard Kuklinski, fino a renderlo quasi simpatico
Grande il modo in cui Carlo entra nel cervello di Richard Kuklinski, fino a renderlo quasi simpatico
As a true crime fan, this one...wasn't good. It was more of a fluff piece than a reporting of events. There seems to have been little to no corroborating of Kuklinski's claims. It's extremely hard to believe the many, many claims of Richard just wandering through NYC killing homeless people or any of the people he killed during fits of road rage. I get these murders are (allegedly) taking place before cameras were everywhere and before forensic evidence, but still, the string of luck Richard claims to have is nearly impossible. The writing is also EXTREMELY repetitive to the point of being distracting. "Richard always had a knife strapped to his calf." "Richard was the devil himself". There are too many to list. But it was very off putting.
Don't get me wrong, there are parts of the book that are definitely believable and intriguing. But there are obviously dubious claims made that taint the entire story. Kuklinski was NOT the one who killed Jimmy Hoffa. He did NOT kill Carmine Galante. He was NOT involved in the Paul Castellano hit. At one point, and I'm not exaggerating, I was expecting Carlo to tell us Kuklinski was the second shooter on the grassy knoll.
Again, this comes off more as a fluff piece. Had I not been so interested in how he was eventually caught by police, I was considering not finishing it.
Don't get me wrong, there are parts of the book that are definitely believable and intriguing. But there are obviously dubious claims made that taint the entire story. Kuklinski was NOT the one who killed Jimmy Hoffa. He did NOT kill Carmine Galante. He was NOT involved in the Paul Castellano hit. At one point, and I'm not exaggerating, I was expecting Carlo to tell us Kuklinski was the second shooter on the grassy knoll.
Again, this comes off more as a fluff piece. Had I not been so interested in how he was eventually caught by police, I was considering not finishing it.
I will admit, I found this book extremely fascinating (and disturbing). Richard Kuklinski's 'rules' of morality were particularly interesting. While he was able to kill so many people with absolutely no remorse, he would never touch a child or rape a woman (these were unforgivable sins).
However, the author could have shortened the book considerably, and he did have a tendency to repeat himself.
However, the author could have shortened the book considerably, and he did have a tendency to repeat himself.
Very dark and disturbing yet incredibly fascinating. It is definitely hard to grasp how a person could become that cold and unspeakably violent, even as someone who has studied psychology and understand how abuse can dramatically effect a person.
I thought Carlo did a wonderful job at reliving into the intricacies of not only Kuklinski's life and crimes but also the workings of the Mafia itself. It's a world that I think still fascinates many people, as it did me.
The only reason I am giving this book 3 stars instead of 4 is because the writing seemed a bit scattered in terms of flow. He would talk about a certain topic and then jump to a random paragraph of something completely separate that he would not bring up again until later. There was also a fair bit of repetition when referring to Kuklinski's personality or his family's reactions to him.
All together, however, I found it to be a very good read and definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the mob, serial killers, or the macabre in general.
I thought Carlo did a wonderful job at reliving into the intricacies of not only Kuklinski's life and crimes but also the workings of the Mafia itself. It's a world that I think still fascinates many people, as it did me.
The only reason I am giving this book 3 stars instead of 4 is because the writing seemed a bit scattered in terms of flow. He would talk about a certain topic and then jump to a random paragraph of something completely separate that he would not bring up again until later. There was also a fair bit of repetition when referring to Kuklinski's personality or his family's reactions to him.
All together, however, I found it to be a very good read and definitely recommend it to anyone interested in the mob, serial killers, or the macabre in general.
The story itself is so interesting for people interested in true crime/serial killers/mafia killings. It was also an interesting look into the psyche of Richard Kuklinski, so in terms of just subject matter, I really enjoyed this book.
That being said, however, the author is just not a good writer. He is very repetitive and has a few key phrases that he must think sound really cool, because he uses them ad nauseum. He also gives the same descriptors of the characters (and random ones at that) again and again throughout the book...ok, we got it the first three times, and just has all these random facts added in in places that they just don't really make sense.
Overall, this book could have been a lot better (and a lot shorter), but plot-wise, I was very intrigued and that kept me motivated to finish the book.
That being said, however, the author is just not a good writer. He is very repetitive and has a few key phrases that he must think sound really cool, because he uses them ad nauseum. He also gives the same descriptors of the characters (and random ones at that) again and again throughout the book...ok, we got it the first three times, and just has all these random facts added in in places that they just don't really make sense.
Overall, this book could have been a lot better (and a lot shorter), but plot-wise, I was very intrigued and that kept me motivated to finish the book.