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Research is the strong suit of this book about darkly handsome Richard Ramirez, who terrorized Los Angeles for 14 months in 1984-85 with his penchant for breaking into homes dressed all in black, where he fiercely assaulted, sodomized, robbed, and (in 13 cases) murdered his victims. Carlo spent more than 100 hours interviewing Ramirez on death row, more than a month in El Paso, Texas, talking to Ramirez's family and friends, and another month hanging out with the two detectives who solved the case. He made visits to all 19 crime scenes in the middle of the night. His narrative maintains a steady focus on Ramirez, drawing no conclusions about his Satanism or his mental pathology and simply letting his appalling deeds and words speak for themselves. The trial and post-trial sections are long but interesting, covering Ramirez's rage attacks and his many "groupies" (one of them a juror!), especially Doreen Lloyd, whom he married in September 1996. (This reviewer found Philip Carlo's book much better than Clifford L. Linedecker'sNight Stalker.)
Extensive, exhaustive, excruciating. Richard Ramirez was different in a lot of ways from 'normal' serial killers in that his victims were not stalked (despite his nickname), not obsessed over, and they did not fit one profile or gender. They were random innocents who never dreamed they'd be so unlucky. Philip Carlo effectively makes us care about the victims instead of treating them as arbitrarily as Ramirez did, although I have to confess I started to lose track of them as the murders piled up. But that serves well to remind the reader of the enormous amount of life that was taken by the Night Stalker. If Ramirez's crimes were a freak show, his trial was a circus. Carlo's work on the trial is as thorough as I've seen such a thing presented, for better or worse. Fully half of the near-600 page book is steeped in court proceedings, so you've been warned. Through no fault of the author's, it slows to a crawl in places. Every motion, hearing, and decision is slavishly detailed. During the trial, Ramirez gained a legion of faithful admirers (mostly women) who followed his every move. Carlo lets them explain why they are so drawn to him, without making value judgments. Do they realize he could have raped or killed them? Of course, some wish he had... I would like to read a book on why so many women are attracted to famous killers; there's probably at least a few out there. Richard Ramirez is an example of a life gone wrong. The book based on his life makes him all the more unforgettable.
A Very Detailed Account of the Night Stalker! Philip Carlo's book is well-researched and very thorough. We know more about the Night Stalker also known as Richard Ramirez who terrorized Los Angeles area and San Francisco in 1985 and 1984. He is a self-admitted Satanist who got his kicks and highs from terrorizing even the most vulnerable of victims. He raped, sodomized, tortured, and terrorized not only women but the entire Southern California area lived in fear--changing their locks, getting guns, dogs, etc. anything to make themselves feel safer. They hadn't seen a crime like this since Manson but Ramirez was a one man crime spree who worshipped Satan. His family history provides a better understanding of the man's background and the incidents as well provides some insight into why he became such a terror. To this day, what surprises me is the most is that women fell for him as if he was a desirable catch. One fan even married him in prison while he is on death row which means life in California. The proceedings because Ramirez refused anybody but a Hispanic lawyer to represent him may have hurt his chances. I don't care what race or ethnicity or religion regarding an attorney. The best defense attorneys cost money and they do defend regardless of whether they are Jewish like Robert Shapiro or African American like Johnnie Cochrane. His lawyers were inept to handle the magnitude of such an enormous case and they didn't have the expertise or experience to know how to handle Ramirez's defense. Of course, Ramirez' crimes are just unthinkable and unforgivable especially how he went after mature women in their sixties and eighties. Even though he's on death row, he still gets to get married to one of his fans. He's not that attractive and he's not that nice. There is a diabolical side to him. I think the Satanism, the crimes, and the brutality is enough to disuade any women from being attractive to a man like that knowing what he has done without much remorse or apologies to his family, friends, and others.author does his homework this book sets of at a terrific pace...the first 100 pages just go like a blink of the eye.the author pulls no punches when describing the horrific and sadistic crimes of ramirez.driven by satanic messages while listening to AC/DC and other heavy rock bands,ramirez steals cars to scour streets in the dead of night...made worse by the fact LOS ANGELES was in the grip of an heatwave,people were told to lock all doors and windows...ramirez managed to get inside the homes of the unlucky ones...real crime lovers will really like this..
