- Hardcover: 16 pages
- Publisher: Kensington Publishing; 1st Edition edition (31 Dec 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 157566030X
- ISBN-13: 978-1575660301
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 17 x 4.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,528,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Synopsis
Based on interviews with Ramirez, an account of his crimes follows his criminal odyssey from his first brush with the law, to his Los Angeles murder spree, to the investigation that brought him to justice.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Good book and highly informative. A huge amount of information and detail in there and it's a big one at 560 pages. Carlo has obviously really done his homework. The subject is covered thoroughly including the details of the crimes, Ramirez's personal life, the cops' details and his family. With the narrative narrative breaking down into 4 sections, Carlo starts by detailing the crimes and the movements of the Stalker and doesn't mention him by his real name until the police figure out who he is. Then then he details Ramirez's life and family up to his arrest. Then there is a lengthy section about the the trial and finally the aftermath. Interespersed into all of this are the details of the victims, cops, judges, lawyers, associated criminals, jurers etc.
On the whole this book full of information on every aspect of the story and very detailed, but there are arguably three minor criticisms that could levelled at it:
Firstly - the amount of detail given for the trial was a little bit overkilled - this took up 200+ pages which is more than 1/3 of the book. Having flicked through the book beforehand I was dreading trawling through all of that, but in fairness it did move along quickly enough I have to say, even if at times it felt like he was stopping just short of describing every lunch, bathroom or smoke break that the jurors, judge, lawyers and witnesses involved had along the way!! By eliminating a lot of the repetitive stuff like the Hernandez boys arguing with Halpin and the judge pulling them up and some other things like that, this could have been trimmed to 120 or less pages I would have thought.
Secondly - parts are badly edited and he seems to repeat himself on several occasions. This is particularly noticeable when uses the same metaphors/similes/symbols etc. at least twice in some cases. Also his written English is full of colloquialisms and bad (or maybe just American?!) grammer. Maybe he's primarily a researcher rather than a writer though. Not being an English scholar at all, this end of things has to be pretty poor for the likes of me to notice it.
Thirdly - he tries his best at times to present Ramirez as a person to feel some affiliation with. I've read of other readers who were taken into this, but certainly not this one. Whatever inconveniences Ramirez has now, he has brought entirely upon himself so I could not have anything more than zero sympathy for him. I refer to them as inconveniences rather than punishments because that's what they are when compared with his crimes. He has destroyed a lot of families and people, including his own.
On the whole, it's a horrific, sickening story. Equally sickening is the vast amount of attention that this evil entity receives from scores of women. They must be as messed up as he is. Basically they go for how he looks plus the fact he's dangerous and turn a complete blind eye to the depraved acts he did in the past and has shown no remorse whatsoever for either. Also conveniently forgotten is the fact that he is still a confirmed satanist who revels in the "celebrity" status he has been assigned by many folk. As regards the death penalty, I don't think it's right - he probably deserves it, but it still isn't right. Anyway this is a book review so that's a discussion for elsewhere.
Overall, Carlo has done a phenominal amount of research and done a very good job on this book. Well worth reading but not for those who are weak of stomach though - it's pretty grisly stuff to be honest. Buy it definitely if you're interested in the case.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is one of the few books I couldn't finish. The book starts off really strong for the first 100 pages or so. You get to read a detailed, journalistic account of Ramirez' crime spree, and some interesting information about his youth as well. But about halfway through, the novel transforms into one of the most boring courtroom "dramas" you will ever read. Carlo details all of the legal maneuvering, but Ramirez is so blatantly guilty that it is all rather pointless. And considering how the lawyers that strive to defend him are so shallow and fame-seeking, and the groupies that adore him so nasty and mindless, Ramirez almost seems like the most respectable person in the book. More detail about the crimes and less of the courtroom would have made this a far better book. Ramirez is only an interesting character because of his sociopathic tendencies. What happens after his capture can only be trivial and dull by comparison.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This book was definitely one of the better true crime books I have read. Truly horrifying and very well written. I however don't understand how readers can cry for this monster who deserved a punishment like what he inflicted on his helpless victims. I can't understand how readers cried for him. I have the feeling if he weren't an attractive man there would be no tears. A great, throught provoking book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Top notch
Fantastic book, it is a must read for anyone who is interested in this sort of thing
Carlo held nothing back and was frank with the details of Ramirez
Carlo held nothing back and was frank with the details of Ramirez
Published 2 months ago by Shugster
Pleasure doing business with!
I found that the item was dispatched very quickly and the communication was excellent, would recommend to anyone. hope to do business with again in the future.
Published 3 months ago by monkfish
Disturbing,horrific but true!
The Night Stalker accounts the life and crimes of sadistic
and brutal serial killer Richard Ramirez,who during the mid
1980's broke into,beat,molested and murdered many... Read more
and brutal serial killer Richard Ramirez,who during the mid
1980's broke into,beat,molested and murdered many... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. A. J. Ralph
Classic!
I was slightly apprehensive choosing this book as frequently in the past i had been bored rigid by authors of the true crime genre and their self serving egotistical attempts at... Read more
Published 16 months ago by vacantstatement
Informative and well researched
This is the first book I have read on the Night Stalker case so I am unable to compare it to others on this subject, but I am an avid true crime reader and this is one of the... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Stracs
Brilliant, considering the "War and Peace" courtroom section!
This is probably the best book on the case you're likely to encounter. Not only does Philip Carlo describe each individual murder, but he dedicates a large portion of the book to... Read more
Published on 6 April 2009 by Samuel Peers
Not quite a masterpiece but well worth reading
Richard Ramirez is currently (2008) awaiting execution on San Quentin's Death Row for murdering 13 people and leaving numerous others maimed in the mid-1980s. Read more
Published on 8 Dec 2008 by J. Richardson
killed at random
In a city the size and population of los angeles..one thing is for sure if he picked your house or apartment it seemed pure bad luck. Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2007 by F.Dawson
Average
This is probably one of the better true crime books I've read and believe me I've read a fair few. The main problem with this book is it's way too long. Read more
Published on 16 April 2006 by Ms. B. Williams
gripping !!!
As a true crime addict, this book was a true hit for me. Its well written, well researched and it gets 6 stars from me !!!.
If you like true crime this is a masterpiece.
If you like true crime this is a masterpiece.
Published on 11 Feb 2006 by "kelliemiddlemiss"
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