The Night Stalker (Pinnacle True Crime) by Philip Carlo
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Book Reviews of The Night Stalker (Pinnacle True Crime)
Book Review: insightful. impossible to put down.
Summary: 5 Stars
attention to detail. well written. one of the very best in the serial killer genre.
as far as the night stalker himself is concerned: here's what I think: they should have horsewhipped the pathetic punk.
Book Review: Very hard to improve, but it can be done, I guess.
Summary: 4 Stars
I just want to fill some gaps that I feel were not addressed by other reviewers, including some issues I faced during my own reading, which may be helpful to potential readers.
The book (2006 edition) is divided essentially in three main sections of more or less the same length, in the following order: (1) a narrative of the crime spree proper; (2) an account of Ramirez's life, starting from his grandparents, followed by his parents and siblings and their backgrounds, etc, all of which may help understand Ramirez's upbringing and psyche later on in life; this pre-crime-spree account of Ramirez's life ends right before his first murder in mid 1984; (3) a detailed account of the trial process and conviction.
Each of these three sections are very well written and thoroughly researched. Some reviewers complained about section 3 for being an overly detailed (and presumably boring) description of the trial. Actually, I found this section to be the most exciting of the three because the author takes the reader along the same path the prosecutors and defense team took the jury members during the trial. It describes aspects of the crimes as seen through the eyes of the forensic experts, the witnesses who discovered the bodies, first responders, police officers who collected the evidence, etc, not to mention the account of some of Ramirez's acquaintances who provided some behind-the-scenes, candid information about their relationships and interactions with Ramirez. All this, put together, provides a very complete and cohesive view of the entire Ramirez affair. If you found section 1 interesting because of the description of the crimes, in section 3 you can see in more detail Ramirez's handy work, for example, when removing Maxine Zazzara's eyes; or the exact physical nature of the hammer attack against Mabel Bell's skull, or the physical consequences of Ms. Bennett's injuries four years after the attack; etc. Nothing in these descriptions is gory but technical, and complements the story-telling of section 1; all this can only be described properly in the context of the trial (I believe it would be detrimental to the smooth development of the story to squeeze all this info in section 1). Not to mention that the legal maneuvering that some reviewers complained about are part of the annals of the American justice system, since the trial itself was unique at many levels. This is not just a cold description of a boring, standard legal process, but an account of the uniqueness of some aspects of this very unique process (take into account that Ramirez is still in San Quentin's death row appealing his sentence based on a number of issues that emerged during the trial; so if you want to understand, for example, the last review of his process in 2006, where Ramirez claimed that in the first trial he didn't have expert legal counsel, you will necessarily have to read this account to understand why).
I give this edition 4.5 stars. The main weakness in this book is the lack of time frame information. Simply, when such and such events occurred? Some of this info may not be known precisely, of course, particularly those related to crimes with no witnesses; but mentioning the approximate time and date of almost any other events discussed in the book should be possible (this is done in some cases but not to my complete satisfaction). Perhaps the author left this information out at the request of the publisher, just to avoid overwhelming the reader with "irrelevant" details. I think this should be reconsidered in a future edition because it may help some readers to better recreate the story in their minds. Another thing that I suspect is not the author's fault is the wrong names of streets and people in the story (e.g., Juror Haden is sometimes named Cindy and other times Cynthia; streets of LA are many times wrong, and I found it difficult to pinpoint the exact location in Google maps/earth; e.g., the corner of Arno and Lelino in Sierra Madre should be the corner of Arno Dr. and Liliano Dr.; with some efforts and perseverance, though, one can always figure things out).
It would also be nice if the author eventually addresses the issue of the multiple names given to some of the characters in different accounts (e.g., Ruth Ramirez is identified as Rosa Flores in the Los Angeles Times during the trial, probably to protect her identity; many victims are also misnamed, both in newspapers and in the different books written on the subject). A brief note at the beginning of this book clarifying this issue and discussing how such a mess came to be, would save a lot of time and effort from the reader; my own research suggests that Philip Carlo is actually using the real names, although I cannot be 100% sure in all cases. This problem with names may be very confusing for the interested reader who wants to research further some of the topics in the book (e.g., if you want to access the archives of the Los Angeles Times, you will never find anything about Ruth Ramirez), but it should not be a problem for most reader interested in the general development of the story.
Book Review: Get Thee in Front of Me, Satan
Summary: 4 Stars
In his true crimer, THE NIGHT STALKER, author Philip Carlo has accomplished a beautifully and intelligently written work about 1980s Los Angeles serial killer and enthusiastic Satanist, Richard Ramirez. Every time I think I've read about the absolute worst serial killer imaginable, along comes Richard Ramirez. The book is densely written in standard true crime format: a recounting of Ramirez' body of work, so to speak, followed by his capture, followed by his lengthy trial.
Carlo can really write. He is reportorial, never falling to the level of the lesser writers who feel compelled to insert their opinions, marginally witty remarks, and snide asides into their books. Carlo simply researches exhaustively and reports expertly. His research into Ramirez' childhood and family background is nothing short of outstanding, as is his extensive examination of the "Ramirez groupie" phenomenon.
In my mind, the only failing this book has is that part 3, the trial section, is perhaps 50 pages too long. For the most part, Carlo does fine work here as well, but there is sufficient repetition (he has cops testifying to their knowledge of specific crimes when he has provided identical information while describing the crimes in part 1) that portions of part 3 became somewhat tedious and skimmable. This is the reason I have rated the book 4 rather than 5 stars. But for the most part even part 3 is interesting and it is always professional.
THE NIGHT STALKER is excellent true crime. One of my own personal tests of well written true crime is that when I am through reading, I am pleased that I have read the book and then realize that I was not aware of the author as a personality; that the author was strong and confident enough that he let his writing stand on its own and didn't feel the need to insert his personality or opinions into the text. Carlo has accomplished this in spades. I highly recommend this book.
Book Review: Creepy True Crime
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Night Stalker" is the crawling tale of Richard Ramirez. RR was the serial killer/rapist/robber who terrorized several communities in and around Los Angeles in 1984-85. The horrid activities reported herein have been painstakingly researched and very directly presented by author Carlo. So much gruesome detail is included that Carlo must have had Ramirez' cooperation. The author certainly captures the mood and personality of the man. Carlo also takes pain to trace the killer's family background and El Paso, TX roots. His loyal family stood with RR throughout his prosecution and trial. Carlo certainly maintains a personal touch here- RR is allowed to tell his story. If NS has weakness, it lies in the excessive ink and space allotted to the prosecution and trial. This may be due to the stark fact that, killer though he was, RR's lawyers did not present a vigorous defense. Part of the blame for that lies with Ramirez himself. That point is made but still a stern editor could have blue penciled portions of the text. This reviewer has frequently mentioned the "Ann Rule" concerning centerfold photos. In NS, those are not of the typical true crime array: There are no pictures of any prosecutors, detectives or cops. Yet there are several of RR's family, defense team and female admirers. "The Night Stalker" is definitely recommended to true crime fans, especially those in LA land. A star is deducted for the aforementioned length. This reviewer read the 16th printing of NS. One suspects there may be moreto follow since RR is planning appeals based upon inadequacy of counsel. Imagine if there were a retrial with a different outcome! The tale of the Night Stalker may be with us for a while.Book Review: All You Want to Know and More
Summary: 4 Stars
This book will tell you all you want to know and more about "The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez." Vivid detail is provided regarding the individuals whose lives were abused and lost due to the twisted personality of Richard Ramirez. Richard's childhood is well explored, and one of his cousins named Mike provided Richard with a horrible role model to emulate. Mike was a Vietnam veteran who taught Richard the use of drugs and how to go about stealing and disabling those who may thwart your efforts. Once Richard's face was plastered in every newspaper it was just a matter of time before he was recognized somewhere on the street. He tried to steal one car too many, and this roused the neighborhood citizens to bring him down. The book goes into a lengthy detail on the trial and conviction of Richard. This part of the book can be both tedious and educational depending on your interest in courtroom drama. Richard continues to have several female admirers, some willing to dedicate their lives to him including one of the jurors who found him guilty. These women appear to have too much time on their hands. They obviously forget that had Richard invaded their home they would have been raped and probably murdered. Nevertheless, they find a morbid fascination with him, and refuse to recognize he is simply using their infatuation (they believe it is love) for him. If you enjoy true crime books I'm sure this one will hold your interest.