The Night Stalker: The hunt for a serial killer

Night Stalker by Phillip Carlo is - hands down - the best true-crime novel ever written (with a respectful nod to Anne Rule). Detailed, concise, terrifyingly descriptive. The level of research Carlo has undertaken to compile this work is staggering. The writing is completely engrossing. The evolution from little Richard Ramirez to the monster known as the Night Stalker puts the reader on a ghastly path to a detailed and gruesome journey through his career as one of the most notorious and vicious serial killers in American history. The triumphant (and highly satisfying) mob capture of Ramirez allows the reader to relax the shoulders and breathe a sigh of relief. The intricate details of the frustrating and endless trial of Ramirez shakes (and then restores) the faith in the criminal justice system. The stomach turns and the heart sickens at the notion that such "groupies" exist for animals such as Ramirez. Richard Ramirez is the epitome of every woman' nightmare. Carlo manages to summarize the monster's psyche with horrifying accuracy. The reader feels as if he or she is actually witnessing the Night Stalker's crimes taking place. I would not recommend reading this book while alone in the house. I've purchased this particular title many times over the last six years. In every case, it has mysteriously disappeared, likely due to friends fascinated by the creepy face on the cover. Not one to be embittered by passive theft (at least the book is being read), I embrace the notion of re-purchasing Night Stalker for two reasons: Phillip Carlo will benefit financially and I will continue to reluctantly enjoy the amazing true crime novel which chills my soul and renders me frozen with addictive fascination.

I really enjoyed this book because I felt it struck a good balance between the actual crimes (written as though we are riding along with the killer in gripping detail), the personal life and background of the Killer (so many books seem to leave out that serial killers are somebody's brother, son etc.), and the difficult and incredibly complex trial that follows (this was one of the longest and most intricate trials in all of CA history). I couldn't put it down. I am impressed with the amount of work that went into writing this book and it certainly seems to have paid off. Just like "The Only Living Witness" is one of the best books written on Bundy, I feel this is its equal in terms of Ramirez. Excellent, won't dissapoint.

This book was of particular interest to me because I remember being genuinely afraid of the Night Stalker as a child. What could be scarier than a man randomly entering houses and killing those inside? I tore into this book devouring page after page... that is until I got toward the end of the recount of the trial. Although I'm not a fan of the author's writing style, the book was well done. Philip Carlo brought forth the details that may or may not have been gathered by the various media during the activity, capture and conviction of Richard Ramirez. But the book, just like the book Helter Skelter, hit a snag when recounting the trial. Carlo dedicated close to 200 pages to Richard Ramirez's trial. Whereas I believe coverage of the trial is important and many authors neglect it, Carlo gives too much time and attention to the trial proceedings. Eventually the reading becomes mundane, laborious and repetitive. The entire trial lasted 14 months and I felt like it took me that long to finally get through it all. It doesn't take very long to understand the defense and their strategy, the prosecution, the judge, the jury and other ancillary players, yet Carlo rehashes the same themes throughout his documentation of the trial: the defense was inadequate, the prosecution was frustrated, Richard was annoyed, the jury was bored, the witnesses were grief stricken, the groupies and the media were en masse, etc. A retelling of the trial and it's key components gives the reader a peak inside the justice system for better or for worse, but I got frustrated with it all after 150 pages of various trial happenings. In his detailed coverage of the trial Carlo illustrated one of the more peculiar things about Richard Ramirez, and that was his groupies. It wasn't a shock to me that he had groupies because Ted Bundy, Charles Manson and even Joseph Fritzl (imprisoned his daughter for 24 years and repeatedly raped her) had devotees that were in awe of them and their bad boy image. But the Night Stalker groupies were way beyond anything I'd imagined. Even one of the jurors fell in love with him!!?? I don't know if the groupies were an indication of the degradation of society or just the incredibly fickle minds and low self-esteems of those women. In any case, their antics quickly went from intriguing to aggravating to utterly annoying. After all my griping about the superfluous trial recount, the book is still well worth reading. Philip Carlo did an exceptional job with the book, he even presented pictures of some of the groupies. If you read the book, be ready for a roller coaster that flattens out towards the end.

I've read a lot true crime books, most of them you'll find in the recommendations amazon will offer you as soon as you've purchased this one. This book however will make you consider buying something for protection or at least make you a little more aware of the weak spots of your house. The nickname "Nightstalker" in my opinion is a bad choice. According to the book Ramirez never really stalked, he randomly(?) entered homes at night and terrorized/killed the people in them. The first part of the book discribes these crimes in detail. What shocked me the most was, how much bad police work enabled R. to repeat these vicious acts over and over again. One can only hope, that the authorities have read this book too and learned from it. As for Ramirez himself I admit he had a bad start in life (like many, many others), but to be honest I still want him wiped out. Something like this should not be alive. Not on the streets, not in the joint. His Groupies in my opinion are all sickos and should be under 24/7 surveillance. They must carry the potential within them otherwise they would not support this scumbag. The lovely Mrs. Ramirez included.

I absolutely loved this book. The details and feelings were described amazingly. I have lent it over and over again.

Ein tolles Buch, die Taten des Nightstalkers Richard Ramirez kompakt in dieser Form mit vielen Details zum Fall. Wer sich für wahre Mordfälle interessiert, kommt an diesem Buch nicht vorbei, es ist packend geschrieben und gruseliger als jeder Film, denn das ist wirklich passiert. Ein Mann der wahllos in Häuser einbricht und Menschen foltert und tötet, es ist kein wirkliches Muster erkennbar, es kann jeden treffen... was ist das für ein Mensch? Das Buch beleuchtet die Hintergründe und Psyche von Richard Ramirez und erlaubt einen kleinen Einblick in die Dunkelheit.

One of the best books I've read. Carlo was a genius and a huge loss to book writing. Terrifying and fascinating read. I'm just hoping the Monster TV show producers could do this one for Netflix.

Livre avec photos intéressantes, pas fan de Philip Carlo .

Muy bie investigado y de lectura que engancha desde el principio. Uno de los mejores libros de true cykme que he leído.