New York Times Bestseller: From the journalists who covered the story, the shocking crimes of Gary Ridgway, America’s most prolific serial murderer. In the 1980s and 1990s, forty-nine women in the Seattle area were brutally murdered, their bodies dumped along the Green River and Pacific Highway South in Washington State. Despite an exhaustive investigation–even serial killer Ted Bundy was … investigation–even serial killer Ted Bundy was consulted to assist with psychological profiling–the sadistic killer continued to elude authorities for nearly twenty years.
Then, in 2001, after mounting suspicion and with DNA evidence finally in hand, King County police charged a fifty-two-year-old truck painter, Gary Ridgway, with the murders. His confession and the horrific details of his crimes only added fuel to the notoriety of the Green River Killer.
Journalists Carlton Smith and Tomas Guillen covered the murders for the Seattle Times from day one, receiving a Pulitzer Prize nomination for their work. They wrote the first edition of this book before the police had their man. Revised after Ridgway’s conviction and featuring chilling photographs from the case, The Search for the Green River Killer is the ultimate authoritative account of the Pacific Northwest killing spree that held a nation spellbound–and continues to horrify and fascinate, spawning dramatizations and documentaries of a demented killer who seemed unstoppable for decades.
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An insightful examination of this case that absorbed years of police and FBI investigative work. Quite informative for fans of the television show Criminal Minds.
Real life story of America’s most prolific serial killer, and the many police failures that allowed him to become our most prolific.
I loved this book. It is very well written, and it kept me engrossed from page to page.
I thought this was well researched and I liked that the story followed the investigation as it happened so that the reader didn’t know the outcome before the end of the book.
Very good story keeping many victims and findings in a long timeline for these crimes.
A very suspenseful tale of a serial killer that almost got away with the murder of no telling how many women!!
Disturbing tale. Lots of detail and description.
This story would be unbelievable even if it were fiction. The fact that it is a true story is stunning. Kudos to the author for keeping the facts straight and for maintaining the reader’s interest. Wow.
The killer was devious, frightening, and right out there all the time. Unbelievable how many lives he ruined before he was caught. Scary.
As a forensic psychologist I have had the opportunity to actually delve into these cases with a kind of hind sight, which we all know is 20/20. If not for the tenacity of Dave Reichert, these murders could have gone on even longer than they did. While working towards my degree I had a class in which we learned why it took so long to apprehend Gary Ridgeway. The term that law enforcement use when describing runaways and prostitutes is “the less dead”. They make less of a contribution to society, and so when they disappear or are found deceased they are considered “less dead”. This author has given these girls back their humanity. For that I am grateful.
Boring!
If you want the COMPLETE Green River Killer, this is it. However, I personally would have enjoyed the Readers Digest Abridged version better. THIS IS NOT A HIT, merely my personal preference. There was just too much information for my preference on this subject. IF nore is what you want, I would highly recommend it.
This true crime book gives you an in depth look at how the investigation effects the lives of those living it.
I love true crime so this book kept me hooked. I highly recommend this book!
I really liked this book. It doesn’t focus on the Green River killings as much as the politics behind the investigation; which is something we don’t know a lot about. The perspective is different than the typical formulaic crime genre: who killed who with a somewhat immediate suspect and arrest. This book, gets into the nitty-gritty of the politics that drive a decades long murder investigation. It ain’t always pretty, but, it felt authentic. I liked the unique point of view.
A great piece of work!
A story that reminds us that the media can have a negative influence when interfering with an investigation.
I thought the book was informative about why it took the Green River Task Force so long to catch the monster Gary Ridgeway.
I did not like the ending and all the politics
LOTS of factual detail, too much for me! Consequently, I did not enjoy this book as much as I expected. Plus, it ended before they even captured the Green River Killer. I wouldn’t have purchased the book if I’d known. The epilogue wasn’t very satisfactory. I would not recommend this book.