Name: The Babysitter
ISBN: 9781643588650

Liza Rodman

Jennifer Jordan

Growing up on Cape Cod in the 1960s, Liza Rodman was a lonely little girl. During the summers, while her mother worked days in a local motel and danced most nights in the Provincetown bars, her babysitter — the kind, handsome handyman at the motel where her mother worked — took her and her sister on adventures in his truck. He bought them popsicles and together, they visited his "secret garden" in the Truro woods. To Liza, he was one of the few kind and understanding adults in her life. Everyone thought he was just a "great guy." But there was one thing she didn't know; their babysitter was a serial killer.

My Summers with a Serial Killer

The Babysitter

Named Most Anticipated Crime Book of the Year by CrimeReads ​​A chilling true story—part memoir, part crime investigation—reminiscent of Ann Rule’s classic The Stranger Beside Me, about a little girl longing for love and how she found friendship with her charismatic babysitter—who was also a vicious serial killer. Growing up on Cape Cod in the 1960s, Liza Rodman was a lonely little girl. During the summers, while her mother worked days in a local motel and danced most nights in the Provincetown bars, her babysitter—the kind, handsome handyman at the motel where her mother worked—took her and her sister on adventures in his truck. He bought them popsicles and together, they visited his “secret garden” in the Truro woods. To Liza, he was one of the few kind and understanding adults in her life. Everyone thought he was just a “great guy.” But there was one thing she didn’t know; their babysitter was a serial killer. Some of his victims were buried—in pieces—right there, in his garden in the woods. Though Tony Costa’s gruesome case made screaming headlines in 1969 and beyond, Liza never made the connection between her friendly babysitter and the infamous killer of numerous women, including four in Massachusetts, until decades later. Haunted by nightmares and horrified by what she learned, Liza became obsessed with the case. Now, she and cowriter Jennifer Jordan reveal the chilling and unforgettable true story of a charming but brutal psychopath through the eyes of a young girl who once called him her friend.

Lauren Attaway

I had never heard of Tony Costa, Liz Rodman, or Provincetown prior to starting this memoir. After finishing The Babysitter, I feel like I have a great understanding of all three. Liz Rodman really digs deep into the ugly side of her childhood, showing a mother who handed her and her sister off to anyone, and one of those people happened to be a murderer. Along with Jennifer Jordan, they created a really great sense of the sixties and the summers in Massachusetts that immediately pulled me in as a reader. I appreciated the care given to his victims and the people impacted by Tony Costa. The contrast between Liz’s childhood and Tony’s story was a good balance. This is such a well-researched/ well  told story of one woman’s traumatic childhood intercut with the origin story of a serial killer, and  a must read for true crime fans. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Lynn

I don’t know how I feel about this. I liked the fact that we got 2 different perspectives. I learned more about the area and the story itself was as horrific as promised. The last couple chapters spent time to shed a light on the victims, which was appreciated. And although I applaud the writer for her journey through therapy and I can see how this book would help her work through her childhood trauma. I just cannot help but feel like this was at times almost a humanification of Tony Costa. I think I have my friend Byron to thank for ruining the true crime genre for me forever.


Luna

this is an absolute banger as a thriller, but idk if i trust it as nonfiction because at least one aspect of this book was a straight-up lie, so idk if anything else was just made up and not researched. either way i absolutely love how this was written and i think the authors had some real talent not making this read like a textbook

The Babysitter My Summers with a Serial Killer

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