What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dating Game Killer: The True Story of a TV Dating Show, a Violent Sociopath, and a Series of Brutal Murders
In 1978, Rodney Alcala was a contestant on the "The Dating Game," one of America's most popular television shows at the time. Handsome, successful, and romantic, he was embraced by the audience—and chosen as the winner by the beautiful bachelorette. To viewers across the country, Rodney seemed like the answer to every woman's dreams. Until they learned the truth about his once and future crimes...
Ten years before his TV appearance, Rodney was charged with the sexual assault and attempted murder of an eight-year-old girl. In the decades that followed, he would be accused of seven murders—and, as new DNA evidence continues to be uncovered, the list may grow. The case is so disturbing that it's been documented in several news outlets, from People magazine and USA Today to 48 Hours Mystery and Dr. Phil. The Dating Game Killer is the shocking true story about the dark and twisted man.
Ten years before his TV appearance, Rodney was charged with the sexual assault and attempted murder of an eight-year-old girl. In the decades that followed, he would be accused of seven murders—and, as new DNA evidence continues to be uncovered, the list may grow. The case is so disturbing that it's been documented in several news outlets, from People magazine and USA Today to 48 Hours Mystery and Dr. Phil. The Dating Game Killer is the shocking true story about the dark and twisted man.
404 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2011
117 people are currently reading
1099 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
March 24, 2015
Disclaimer: I pretty much did not like this book, so I ranted in my review. There is also bad language. So you have been thoroughly warned. If you loved this book, great! I didn't.
Rating: 2.5 to 3 stars
What I liked:
-The chapters were short, but there were a ton of them. So if I needed to, I could (and I did) take a break between chapters. I dislike stopping mid-chapter, but if a chapter is super long, and I feel like stopping I do. There were some long chapters, but only during key points and trials.
-Erm, I'm sure I liked more things to give it a somewhat 3 star rating. Will come back to this later.
-I did like that she gave background info to not only the killer but the victims and their family as well, but this also turned into a dislike, which I will explain later.
-My favorite quote: "Asked whether or not she [Veronica Thomas, a psychologist hired by the prosecution to interview Alcala] felt that Alcala was evil, Thomas replied, 'Evil is not a psychological term and difficult to objectify. I believe that evil is a moral description, and if you think of people in terms of their ability to put themselves in the shoes of their brother or sister or feel the sadness or pain of hunger or torture, then Alcala is evil. He does not have the capacity to empathize with others. His degree of inhumanity, which was determined by his biology, psychology, and environment, reflects a constant predatory attitude.' "
-Pg 368
What I Disliked:
-This was an emotionally-draining read for me. I'm gonna be honest, I was reading true crime, I expect dark, tragic things, but this book affected me weird, and I'm not sure why either. I think one of the reasons I finished this was because I felt compelled to, because I paid a paperbackswap credit for this.
-When I read True Crime, I expect it to fall in more intellectual/academia than this was written. It felt like it relied to much on emotional manipulation that felt really heavy handed to me. I don't need to be hit over the head with emotions. I already feel a lot of empathy for the victims and their family, I don't need to be constantly hit in the face with it.
-This was written in what felt like to me in a more tabloid/exploitive fashion, which is fine with gossip and the like, but this book sometimes rubbed me the wrong way.
-Also trigger warning for graphic gore/murder scene/and rape, including child rape (though this one was more fade to black then the others).
-I really got annoyed with how the victims were written about. Don't get me wrong, those poor women/girls and their family, my heart goes out for them. I just got irritated with the emphasis put on their all-american looks. How BEAUTIFUL, PRETTY, and PURE and INNOCENT they were. Yes, those poor women/girls and they were pretty/beautiful, but there is more to them than that. There was so much emphasis on the PERFECT VICTIM, that it was just ugh, can you not?
-Near the end of the book, the author included a quote from a defense lawyer, who had to say this:
"It is a rarity in my job. Not all the victims are so nice. I deal with drug dealers. Some people put themselves in a position of vulnerability, but every one of these people [victims] was a really genuine good person."
-Pg 360-361
So much classism. Believe it or not, some people have to work night shift or have a valid reason to be out past what you deem an acceptable hour. Also nice subtle dig at prostitutes who are often victims of violence and popular serial killer victims. I'm sure there are other problematic things to mention in this quote (like race issues, subtly implied again), but I'm getting really angry right now. I bolded the above for emphasis. I guess you are only a good person if you are the PERFECT VICTIM. At least that's what I'm getting from what little context is in the book. EW.
My actual facial expression while reading this.
-There were a lot of random mentioning of other serial killers at that time. It felt random without any cohesion. It was a bit off-topic, imho.
I'm sure there is a lot more to comment on, but my brain is feeling angry at me, so I think that this is enough for now.
I'm 3000% done with everything about this book. BYE.
Rating: 2.5 to 3 stars
What I liked:
-The chapters were short, but there were a ton of them. So if I needed to, I could (and I did) take a break between chapters. I dislike stopping mid-chapter, but if a chapter is super long, and I feel like stopping I do. There were some long chapters, but only during key points and trials.
-Erm, I'm sure I liked more things to give it a somewhat 3 star rating. Will come back to this later.
-I did like that she gave background info to not only the killer but the victims and their family as well, but this also turned into a dislike, which I will explain later.
-My favorite quote: "Asked whether or not she [Veronica Thomas, a psychologist hired by the prosecution to interview Alcala] felt that Alcala was evil, Thomas replied, 'Evil is not a psychological term and difficult to objectify. I believe that evil is a moral description, and if you think of people in terms of their ability to put themselves in the shoes of their brother or sister or feel the sadness or pain of hunger or torture, then Alcala is evil. He does not have the capacity to empathize with others. His degree of inhumanity, which was determined by his biology, psychology, and environment, reflects a constant predatory attitude.' "
-Pg 368
What I Disliked:
-This was an emotionally-draining read for me. I'm gonna be honest, I was reading true crime, I expect dark, tragic things, but this book affected me weird, and I'm not sure why either. I think one of the reasons I finished this was because I felt compelled to, because I paid a paperbackswap credit for this.
-When I read True Crime, I expect it to fall in more intellectual/academia than this was written. It felt like it relied to much on emotional manipulation that felt really heavy handed to me. I don't need to be hit over the head with emotions. I already feel a lot of empathy for the victims and their family, I don't need to be constantly hit in the face with it.
-This was written in what felt like to me in a more tabloid/exploitive fashion, which is fine with gossip and the like, but this book sometimes rubbed me the wrong way.
-Also trigger warning for graphic gore/murder scene/and rape, including child rape (though this one was more fade to black then the others).
-I really got annoyed with how the victims were written about. Don't get me wrong, those poor women/girls and their family, my heart goes out for them. I just got irritated with the emphasis put on their all-american looks. How BEAUTIFUL, PRETTY, and PURE and INNOCENT they were. Yes, those poor women/girls and they were pretty/beautiful, but there is more to them than that. There was so much emphasis on the PERFECT VICTIM, that it was just ugh, can you not?
-Near the end of the book, the author included a quote from a defense lawyer, who had to say this:
"It is a rarity in my job. Not all the victims are so nice. I deal with drug dealers. Some people put themselves in a position of vulnerability, but every one of these people [victims] was a really genuine good person."
-Pg 360-361
So much classism. Believe it or not, some people have to work night shift or have a valid reason to be out past what you deem an acceptable hour. Also nice subtle dig at prostitutes who are often victims of violence and popular serial killer victims. I'm sure there are other problematic things to mention in this quote (like race issues, subtly implied again), but I'm getting really angry right now. I bolded the above for emphasis. I guess you are only a good person if you are the PERFECT VICTIM. At least that's what I'm getting from what little context is in the book. EW.
My actual facial expression while reading this.
-There were a lot of random mentioning of other serial killers at that time. It felt random without any cohesion. It was a bit off-topic, imho.
I'm sure there is a lot more to comment on, but my brain is feeling angry at me, so I think that this is enough for now.
I'm 3000% done with everything about this book. BYE.
April 4, 2014
Finished this book yesterday morning and I must say Stella Sands did a very good job. This book contains a lot of small chapters. For example one thing she did was write in bulleted form about the mayor news events that happened for example in 1977 and then she also added something Rodney Alcala was doing, or had done at that same time. Killed someone or was suspected of killing someone.
I also liked that she did start from the beginning. With his first victim. A lot of true crime authors think all readers know what happened so do think nothing of just telling us what happened and who did it on page 1. Anyway back to Stella Sands. She tells us more about the lives of all his victims, trying so that we get to know the girls that were murdered and their families. Only negative thing is that at the end it got just a little bit long-winded but all in all I do recommend this book.
I also liked that she did start from the beginning. With his first victim. A lot of true crime authors think all readers know what happened so do think nothing of just telling us what happened and who did it on page 1. Anyway back to Stella Sands. She tells us more about the lives of all his victims, trying so that we get to know the girls that were murdered and their families. Only negative thing is that at the end it got just a little bit long-winded but all in all I do recommend this book.
March 17, 2017
This was a grisly read, not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. The author spares no detail in telling us what the killer -- diagnosed over and over as a sexual sadist with a Narcissus complex the size of Alaska -- did to his unlucky victims, but she does spare us the deadly details of the never-ending legal proceedings this guy seems to generate, maybe continuing to this day. I like the way the story was broken down into small bites, because otherwise reading about this more-than-thirty-year-long story would have been very difficult to get through. I also like the way the author tells us so much about the known victims, making the tragedy of their loss far easier to grasp. I also like the way she leaves the door open for any new information that may arise -- because this guy may have done far more than kill a handful of women and girls. I look forward, grimly, to the sequel...
December 15, 2021
I was invested in this the whole way through. I’m surprised id never heard of Rodney Alcala before, after reading this I did some research and watched a documentary episode about him. Very sad story, serial killers were so mf rampant in so cal in the 70s. Apparently, per the internet, there’s gonna be a Netflix orig movie about him coming sometime in the latter half of 2022.
All the TW for this book, absolutely all of them.
All the TW for this book, absolutely all of them.
August 20, 2022
If you don’t know anything about Rodney Alcala, then this is a good place for you to start. It’s a fairly thorough telling of the “Dating Game Killer”, a moniker given to him after he appeared on a dating show in 1978. Fun fact; he was picked by the woman on the dating show although they never went on the date because she had felt he was “creepy”. Not half wrong! The author did a great job of gathering the info on this one, and I really loved her capture of the court dramas. I loved that she added transcipt from the sentencing phases from the victims loved ones as well, so heartbreaking. If you’ve seen my story today, you’ll see that he acted as his own lawyer in his third DP trial, big mistake my friend, but try telling that to a narcissist 😂🤦🏽♀️ My only complaint about this one, was I wasn’t a fan of the author talking about another serial killer case as i felt it detracted from this story. But then the 70’s and 80’s saw A LOT of serial killers in California, at that time. TRIGGER WARNING ⛔️ There is descriptive discussion about crimes scenes of both women and children in this one.
October 31, 2011
I haven't read anything by Stella Sands, but I will look for more of her work. So many true crime books are a listing of facts in a dry almost textbook manner, but Sands turns the facts into an interesting tale. Although I knew that the women she previews are going to die in the upcoming pages, it doesn't take away from the "oh no" factor. I kept hoping that one of them would get away; would turn up some place, safe.
The one word of warning I would add is that Rodney Alcala was a sadistic murderer and Sands doesn't hold back in the graphic descriptions of how his victims were tortured or found. It might be a bit upsetting to some.
I found the book hard to put down but I had to because life/work got in the way, but I highly recommend this book.
The one word of warning I would add is that Rodney Alcala was a sadistic murderer and Sands doesn't hold back in the graphic descriptions of how his victims were tortured or found. It might be a bit upsetting to some.
I found the book hard to put down but I had to because life/work got in the way, but I highly recommend this book.
September 2, 2013
Well-written, I did enjoy all the very small chapters. Story is sad because this predator's crimes were so gruesome. Now rotting in San Quentin, I would have NO problem pulling the plug on this guy.
December 18, 2023
Shitty writing, poorly organized.
February 8, 2016
I wasn't crazy about the writing style, but this book really fleshed out a case that I had seen in a documentary on TV. This vile man should have been stopped when he was caught raping his first 8 year old victim. If ever a man should have been taken care of and quietly dumped by police, Alcala is that man. There needs to be harsher penalties for violent rapists. So many other girls and young women suffered horrendously because this POS was not taken care of properly the first time. The details of these murders are more horrible than most.
August 24, 2019
Extremely thorough, but also a little dry. There's a lot of stories that I wish I knew more about -- the woman whose testimony kept changing, and the whole hypnotism situation ... any kind of explanation at all for the people who let this guy keep on getting away. Did Alcala's sister and mother ever quit stanning him? That's a really interesting question to me, but we never really hear the answer, despite the hints that his sister at least knew he had something to cover up, and that his mother knew he had mental problems.
February 19, 2022
Really well researched and comprehensive account, but sloppy in parts. For example, the author misspelled Aileen Wuornos’ name— shouldn’t be that hard to spellcheck the name of an infamous serial killer. Additionally, the organization was somewhat nonsensical to me. Why so many parts and short chapters? Despite that, it was a gripping and horrifying and well done account of Alcala and his horrifying life.
December 26, 2025
Horrific real story of a serial killer who got away with murdering for years
November 18, 2021
In 1978, The Dating Game introduced Bachelor No. 1. He was described as a successful photographer who enjoys skydiving and motorcycling....his name was Rodney Alcala.
But before his television debut as an eligible bachelor, Alcala spent time in prison after being charged with the sexual assault and attempted murder of an eight year old girl. Believe it or not, he lured her into his car with the promise of pretty pictures he had taken. Yet, somehow he was recruited for the game show which he shockingly won.
I didn't know much about Rodney Alcala, dubbed The Dating Game Killer for obvious reasons. So I was fully unprepared for the graphic rapes, assaults, torture, and murders of so many young women. It infuriated me that Alcala got not one, not two, but three separate trials for his last suspected murder. With two death sentence reversals, he somehow managed to keep his case in court for nearly 30 years. But the early 2000s had a new trick, DNA testing. After obtaining DNA from Alcala, investigators were able to tie him to four other women who had been brutally raped and murdered in California. After a third trial, Alcala was sentenced to death for his attacks on Jill Barcomb, Georgia Wixted, Charlotte Lamb, Jill Parenteau, and Robin Samsoe.
A few years later, the same DNA was tied to a case in New York on Cornelia "Michael" Crilley. He was also considered the prime suspect in Ellen Hover's murder. Since The Dating Game Killer was released in 2010, Alcala has been tied to several other murders in California, Washington, and Wyoming. After spending most of his adult life on Death Row, Rodney Alcala managed to avoid the death penalty and died of natural causes in July 2021.
This review and tons of other true crime reviews can be found on A Reader's Diary!
But before his television debut as an eligible bachelor, Alcala spent time in prison after being charged with the sexual assault and attempted murder of an eight year old girl. Believe it or not, he lured her into his car with the promise of pretty pictures he had taken. Yet, somehow he was recruited for the game show which he shockingly won.
I didn't know much about Rodney Alcala, dubbed The Dating Game Killer for obvious reasons. So I was fully unprepared for the graphic rapes, assaults, torture, and murders of so many young women. It infuriated me that Alcala got not one, not two, but three separate trials for his last suspected murder. With two death sentence reversals, he somehow managed to keep his case in court for nearly 30 years. But the early 2000s had a new trick, DNA testing. After obtaining DNA from Alcala, investigators were able to tie him to four other women who had been brutally raped and murdered in California. After a third trial, Alcala was sentenced to death for his attacks on Jill Barcomb, Georgia Wixted, Charlotte Lamb, Jill Parenteau, and Robin Samsoe.
A few years later, the same DNA was tied to a case in New York on Cornelia "Michael" Crilley. He was also considered the prime suspect in Ellen Hover's murder. Since The Dating Game Killer was released in 2010, Alcala has been tied to several other murders in California, Washington, and Wyoming. After spending most of his adult life on Death Row, Rodney Alcala managed to avoid the death penalty and died of natural causes in July 2021.
This review and tons of other true crime reviews can be found on A Reader's Diary!
April 6, 2013
This is one of the worst serial killers I have ever read about. Stella Sands does an excellent job telling the story and it is a sad one. California actually arrested this guy for a very sadistic crime and let him back out on the streets in two years time! Needless to say a lot of women are dead because of it. He got the death penalty for crimes he committed in the 70's and the son of a gun is still alive! I'm glad he didn't live in Texas, but if he had he would be dead by now. What is California's problem?
June 17, 2018
Stella Sands did a terrific job with this one. I really liked her writing style & bite sized chapters. I enjoyed the short chapters a lot, I felt as though I wasn’t being bombarded with information. I really learned about Rodney Alcala and I learned a lot about what was happening in the world while he was committing his crimes.
The ending was a little long winded but over all I enjoyed this book.
The ending was a little long winded but over all I enjoyed this book.
March 31, 2015
It is difficult to say that I really liked the book because the subject matter is somewhat disturbing.
I will say that "The Dating Game Killer" is a well written story about the life of Rodney Alcala and his unfortunate victims.
If you are in the mood to be frightened then traveling into the mind of this sadistic sociopath will definitely satisfy.
Not for the faint of heart.
I will say that "The Dating Game Killer" is a well written story about the life of Rodney Alcala and his unfortunate victims.
If you are in the mood to be frightened then traveling into the mind of this sadistic sociopath will definitely satisfy.
Not for the faint of heart.
November 13, 2011
Page turner. Shocking. Still cannot believe the man is still alive, where is true Justice? Also did not realize when I first read this that I saw a newscast about his trial in 2010 till I was reading this. Prayers for the victims families.
April 17, 2016
In a word: creepy.
April 13, 2017
An indepth view of an evil serial killer. Well written.
December 4, 2023
A grisly and horrific read. I am so glad that DNA has helped resolve so many cases committed by this one person. I am opposed to the death penalty but in this case, I would absolutely vote for it. He tortured so many women and our judicial system helped him by giving him such light sentences. He was caught and in jail at least twice for these terrible things and yet he was still let out. I am thankful we have changed some of those laws that enabled this killer.
December 9, 2024
I was vaguely aware of “The Dating Game Killer” but was unaware of the extent of his killing spree as well as the horrible abuse hr inflicted on his victims. The book is tough to get through in spots. However the author tries to put much of the focus back on the victims and their surviving family members. To me the book got repetitive when going through details of the multiple trials Rodney Acala had due to appeals.
October 22, 2024
Trigger warning. This book was hard to get through simply because what this man did to these poor women was more than just horrifying. It’s estimated that he brutalized, maimed, raped, & killed over 130 women and kids. How he was allowed to get away with it for so long is one of the worst parts. So many deaths could have been prevented.
I gave it 4 stars because of the amount of detail offered, not because I “enjoyed” what I was hearing. I had to take a few breaks.
I gave it 4 stars because of the amount of detail offered, not because I “enjoyed” what I was hearing. I had to take a few breaks.
June 22, 2022
This is truly a haunting story about the cruelty one man showed to many victims and how the justice system failed to adequately protect young girls and young women. Rodney Alcala used photography to lure his victims in and in the 1970s sexual assaults against women were still trivialized though it was the appeals system and parol boards that allowed this man out of prison to assault and murder five more victims and brutally rape another girl after he beat and raped an eight year old girl who was thought to be dead when first found. How he managed to get paroled so soon after that attack seems incredible. After that attack he was on a singularly inane game show called The Dating Game, I watched it maybe two times and do not recall if the show he was on was one I watched. There were three bachelors who were unseen by the female contestants who by asking silly sexualized question would finally chose one to go on a date with. Rodney Alcala was chosen but the young woman decided he was too *creepy* to date so turned the date down. His crime were horrific and one family had to go through three trials and ultimately he was not put to death but died in prison of natural causes. So much for death sentences. Death verdicts are extremely expensive because the convicted has so many trials and the tax payer Carrie’s the costs and in this case one young victim’s family, due to overturned convictions, had to endure the heartbreaking process three times. I used to be against the death penalty but after reading and hearing about so many ghastly crimes I am going to start rethinking my position. Canada doesn’t have the death penalty. I am not sure if we even have a true life sentence. I do not believe people convicted of serious sex crimes can ever be rehabilitated.
May 16, 2022
Overall: A decent, if not remarkable, work of true crime, focusing on a case I knew nothing about beforehand.
As a true crime nerd, I always enjoy reading about new cases I don’t know much about, and this book was both thorough and well-researched, including lots of interviews with the victims’ families. The victims themselves are centered in the narrative as much as they can be, and their family and friends featured very prominently, perhaps more-so than in any other true crime book I’ve read before. The book is really about them, more than it is about Rodney Alcala.
The case itself is interesting as well since it is really a saga of a 40-year-long court battle over death penalty reversals and nuances of permissible evidence in re-trial. If you aren’t into the legal nitty gritty about murder cases, then most of this book will not be up your alley since the legal trials comprise the bulk of its length, followed by the family interviews.
However, this book didn’t rise beyond a 3 star rating for me because of its short, choppy chapter structure and the fact that it veers a little maudlin and sensationalist at times (the narrative lamenting the loss of “beautiful, innocent girls” etc) while never pulling all those chapters into a concrete conclusion beyond a hint of an opinion that the legal system is too “soft” on sexual offenders.
Still, it’s definitely a decent read, especially if you’re new to the case.
As a true crime nerd, I always enjoy reading about new cases I don’t know much about, and this book was both thorough and well-researched, including lots of interviews with the victims’ families. The victims themselves are centered in the narrative as much as they can be, and their family and friends featured very prominently, perhaps more-so than in any other true crime book I’ve read before. The book is really about them, more than it is about Rodney Alcala.
The case itself is interesting as well since it is really a saga of a 40-year-long court battle over death penalty reversals and nuances of permissible evidence in re-trial. If you aren’t into the legal nitty gritty about murder cases, then most of this book will not be up your alley since the legal trials comprise the bulk of its length, followed by the family interviews.
However, this book didn’t rise beyond a 3 star rating for me because of its short, choppy chapter structure and the fact that it veers a little maudlin and sensationalist at times (the narrative lamenting the loss of “beautiful, innocent girls” etc) while never pulling all those chapters into a concrete conclusion beyond a hint of an opinion that the legal system is too “soft” on sexual offenders.
Still, it’s definitely a decent read, especially if you’re new to the case.
August 14, 2021
Excellent!
A well written, well researched, and excellent true crime book! Stella Sands wrote detailed accounts about each and every horrific crime committed by this serial murderer and in such a way that was interesting and easy to understand and follow. She included a great deal of detail about the family and friends of each victim, giving them a voice in the crimes committed against them and their loved ones. It was never boring or repetitious.
Ms Sands has done an excellent job writing about crimes that took place along time ago, never sparing the details of each and every case. A GREAT read for any true crime buff!! EXCELLENT!!
A well written, well researched, and excellent true crime book! Stella Sands wrote detailed accounts about each and every horrific crime committed by this serial murderer and in such a way that was interesting and easy to understand and follow. She included a great deal of detail about the family and friends of each victim, giving them a voice in the crimes committed against them and their loved ones. It was never boring or repetitious.
Ms Sands has done an excellent job writing about crimes that took place along time ago, never sparing the details of each and every case. A GREAT read for any true crime buff!! EXCELLENT!!
September 26, 2022
A bona fide serial killer once appeared on--and won--the cheesy '70s TV show "The Dating Game." Thankfully, the young woman who unknowingly was set to go on a blind date with this monster ended up backing out, saying that she found him too "creepy." This intuition may have saved her life.
The writing style was better and more organized than many books in the true crime genre. I thought the choice to include gruesome forensic details of the state of the victims' bodies was unnecessary. Such details are obviously things medical examiners, police, and jurors need to have, but is this really the sort of content we would want the victims' loved ones to see preserved in popular culture?
The writing style was better and more organized than many books in the true crime genre. I thought the choice to include gruesome forensic details of the state of the victims' bodies was unnecessary. Such details are obviously things medical examiners, police, and jurors need to have, but is this really the sort of content we would want the victims' loved ones to see preserved in popular culture?
February 20, 2022
I just finished The Dating Game Killer. It was a very well written book and I must say hard to read in most parts due to the fact this killer was going after young girls and women. He terrorized southern California in the late 70's and we realize while living in New York he also murdered several young women. He spent years in and out of prison do to some mistakes made in his trials. It finally took the third trial and DNA to get him back on death row. I believe New York went after him when DNA was finally found to be the answer to close old cold cases files.
May 9, 2022
I would say that this is probably the definitive book to read if you want to learn about Rodney Alcala. I knew of him and his crimes before reading this, but not to the extent that this book provided. I enjoyed that the author put a lot in from the perspective of the family members of the victims and really allowed readers to learn about them and who they were as individuals. This is very interesting for any true crime reader!
January 17, 2014
Rodney Alcala was a sick and twisted individual! Robin Samsoe's death was the catalyst that convicted him! He never should have been released from jail that first time. All of these precious girls would still be alive if the laws cared about the victims and not the perpetrator! Stella Sands writes an outstanding true crime book. All that needs to happen now is that Rodney Alcala be put to death!
August 19, 2016
Stella Sands weaves a horrifying tale of the true story of photographer Rodney Alcala, sociopath and sadistic murderer of girls and women across the country and who still sits in prison today. Terrifying and sad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews