Robert Graysmith

Zodiac

A wonderful analysis of the case & including so much evidence was truly remarkable to see & gain a deeper understanding of the investigation process. Absolutely loved the psychological aspects about Zodiac as it was extremely informative & I learned so much! Highly recommend for fellow true crime lovers. Can’t imagine the frustrations detectives & the FBI felt that they never truly found the Zodiac Killer. To this day, it shocks me how he can still be wandering among us. 

ezmeralda 

Library Edition

Graysmith's authorial voice is astonishingly dry and level throughout. His technical writing doesn't always rise to the level of engrossing narrative, but it's certainly not formulaic prose either. Graysmith finds some genuinely hardcore motifs and edits them with the seriousness he clearly feels this story deserves.

Paige LeBook

"This is the Zodiac speaking. I like killing people because it is so much fun... the most thrilling experience..." This shocking true crime classic is now a major movie. A sexual sadist, the Zodiac?s pleasure was torture and murder. He taunted the authorities with mocking notes telling where he would strike next. The official tally of his victims was six. He claimed37 dead. He was never caught. Author Robert Graysmith tells the inside story of the hunt for the hooded killer, and finally reveals his possible true identity. The new movie Zodiac is based on this book. Directed by David Fincher (Fight Club),it stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Graysmith himself, Robert Downey Jr and Chloe Sevigny.

The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer

Sian Wadey

I'd seen the film before I read the book, which I think helped enormously. I love reading but I did struggle with this.
First of all, the good points. Graysmith writes in a way that is not dissimilar to a novel, he describes scenes well and there is frequent use of speech. It's not just 'he said, she said'. Also the detail is incredible. Many of the Zodiac Killer's letters are reproduced in the book and I found that really fascinating. 
However, in some cases, the detail was overwhelming. We are told names and dates of absolutely everybody and that's hard to keep track of. In some cases, the information can be delivered quite dryly, although perhaps this should be expected in a factual book. I do appreciate that Graysmith was actually involved in the case at the time and it is clear how passionate he is about the case and finding the criminal. Serial killers have always been a fascinating area of interest for me and this case will be in my thoughts for a long time.

Pat G.

A good analysis of the Zodiac case. Presents some strong suspects, though seems to be reaching for a lot of those unconfirmed killings just to be able add to Zodiac's tally. 

Would have liked a deeper analysis of the astrological side of Zodiac's MO, more explanation of the moon phases and the significance of the dates in relation to this. There were a lot of mentions of the killings occurring some days before a specific moon phase but no explanation to why that was specific, so it appeared that these were reaches for Zodiac's tally.

Zodiac

Reviews