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The Gainesville Ripper: A Summer's Madness, Five Young Victims- The Investigation, the Arrest and the Trial
Recounts the search for and trial of a serial killer who targeted on- and off-campus residents at the University of Florida, and describes in vivid detail how he tortured and mutilated his victims as a means of taunting the police. Reprint.
570 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 8, 2013
on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 I wrote...
Well I finished it. I agree with you kafka, it was a very detailed book although some times to detailed, especially in the beginning. I enjoyed the book more when we started to learn more about Danny Rolling and his family.
Also enjoyed reading the appendix which contained the testimonies for instance by the mother of rolling.
But I do think the writer could have shortened the book a bit. It felt like she was repeating herself, especially about the days of the murder.
Overall I think her writing style is good.
7.5
Well I finished it. I agree with you kafka, it was a very detailed book although some times to detailed, especially in the beginning. I enjoyed the book more when we started to learn more about Danny Rolling and his family.
Also enjoyed reading the appendix which contained the testimonies for instance by the mother of rolling.
But I do think the writer could have shortened the book a bit. It felt like she was repeating herself, especially about the days of the murder.
Overall I think her writing style is good.
7.5
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January 6, 2009I had to make myself stop reading this book one night and finish it during daylight hours, it creeped me out so much!!
March 15, 2023
My copy of this book was published in 1994 and I know I have read it at least once. However, I just found it again in a watertight tote in the back shed. Because I barely remembered reading it, I decided to read it again and review it. For a book published that many years ago, I would have thought that more information would have become available. However, the author has covered the serial killer and his victims pretty well. Not much more information (according to the internet and various documentaries) has become available.
I will say that I remembered as I read it the chapter about the murder of the young lady who worked in records at the police department. What a gruesome murder! All the murders were pretty gruesome but that one will stick with you, I think.
To prove that police work (especially murder investigation) is dependent on luck, the way they caught Danny Rollings was more luck than good crime work. NOT that law enforcement didn't do their job because they all did. But Danny left little or no evidence.
I love reading true crime but this book chilled me to the bone. In fact, it bothered me so much that I could not read it after dark. When I read this book before, I was much younger and believed I could get away from someone who was out to kill me. But I'm 66 years old now and disabled and I know I could not get away. That's scary in and of itself.
I highly recommend that those that love reading true crime with all its gruesomeness read this book.
I will say that I remembered as I read it the chapter about the murder of the young lady who worked in records at the police department. What a gruesome murder! All the murders were pretty gruesome but that one will stick with you, I think.
To prove that police work (especially murder investigation) is dependent on luck, the way they caught Danny Rollings was more luck than good crime work. NOT that law enforcement didn't do their job because they all did. But Danny left little or no evidence.
I love reading true crime but this book chilled me to the bone. In fact, it bothered me so much that I could not read it after dark. When I read this book before, I was much younger and believed I could get away from someone who was out to kill me. But I'm 66 years old now and disabled and I know I could not get away. That's scary in and of itself.
I highly recommend that those that love reading true crime with all its gruesomeness read this book.
June 20, 2023
Almost certainly the most thoroughly researched book about a serial killer I've ever read! It deserves 5 stars for that alone, in my opinion. If you're looking for an extremely detailed account of the Gainesville(and Shreveport) Ripper, look no further. The deep dive into Danny Rolling's childhood and accompanying heartbreak when looking at his relationship with his father was extremely revealing. He was definitely skewed more toward the "nurture" side of the age-old nature vs. nurture argument. Something another comment said that I felt was very accurate was the book's ability to really put you there at the university. You can really feel the terror that had to be crippling for such young people on campus. Ryzuk did an incredible job at making this as much about the victims as it was about Rolling. Something that's lacking in a lot of similar works.
September 4, 2023
A compelling account that charts the creation of a monster, from a dysfunctional abused childhood through a career of escalating criminality to horrendous serial murder. The author parallels the life of killer Danny Rolling with the lives of his innocent young victims, lives just starting out, full of hopes and aspirations. The contrast is stark, and fuelled anger in this reader.
The story contains very graphic accounts of violence and may not be for everyone, but the author relates the story in as dignified manner as possible, making it a tribute to the victims and the justice that was finally achieved.
The story contains very graphic accounts of violence and may not be for everyone, but the author relates the story in as dignified manner as possible, making it a tribute to the victims and the justice that was finally achieved.
May 1, 2022
A haunting and horrendous case captured in meticulous detail by author Mary Ryzuk. Probably a 4.5/5 it was just a tad too long due to repetitive details. You likely won’t find a more detailed version of events of this case than this book. It’s a stark reminder of the brutality of man and rekindles empathy for the often faceless victims of such crimes and “celebrity killers.” It’s emotionally heavy and graphic in detail.
April 20, 2021
A solid true crime book that delves into the monster, the victims, and the always useless cops. Danny Rollings is a lesser known serial/spree killer and this is an excellent analysis of his crimes and mental state.
March 19, 2022
The case itself is of interest, but the account is poorly written.
September 30, 2012
This true crime saga is quite well-written and unusually gripping.
The brutal murders of 5 University of Florida students occur over one weekend in the beginning of the school year in 1990. The killer has mutilated the bodies and there are no suspects. The city of Gainesville takes on a sinister feel. The students are justifiably terrified.
The writer deftly traces the movements of the killer and the victims that ultimately and tragically intercept. She crafts extensive portraits of the victims, and also of the killer, contrasting their lives.
She follows the law enforcement personnel as they go about their grim tasks and their efforts to identify and find the killer.
Few writers of true crime books do significant research into the killer-his background, upbringing, motives, mental status and so forth. Mary Ryzuk does an extensive study here, not to render him (Danny Rolling) unaccountable, but somewhat understandable. She does this very well, accessing information from family members and the killer himself. From a totally dysfunctional home with an unloving, unaccepting, brutal father and a meek mother who could not protect him, he grows up with no sense of self, few social skills, education or work history. He suffers beatings and rejection at every turn and eventually seeks to fulfill his father's prophecy that he would be dead or in jail by the time he is 15.
One of the best true crime books I have read.
The brutal murders of 5 University of Florida students occur over one weekend in the beginning of the school year in 1990. The killer has mutilated the bodies and there are no suspects. The city of Gainesville takes on a sinister feel. The students are justifiably terrified.
The writer deftly traces the movements of the killer and the victims that ultimately and tragically intercept. She crafts extensive portraits of the victims, and also of the killer, contrasting their lives.
She follows the law enforcement personnel as they go about their grim tasks and their efforts to identify and find the killer.
Few writers of true crime books do significant research into the killer-his background, upbringing, motives, mental status and so forth. Mary Ryzuk does an extensive study here, not to render him (Danny Rolling) unaccountable, but somewhat understandable. She does this very well, accessing information from family members and the killer himself. From a totally dysfunctional home with an unloving, unaccepting, brutal father and a meek mother who could not protect him, he grows up with no sense of self, few social skills, education or work history. He suffers beatings and rejection at every turn and eventually seeks to fulfill his father's prophecy that he would be dead or in jail by the time he is 15.
One of the best true crime books I have read.
January 23, 2016
Not as hard to put down as some -- in fact it really dragged in spots -- but it did answer all my questions about the Gainesville killings. Spent waaaaaay too much time on the sad life of the poor widdle killer.
June 18, 2007
Scared the crap outta me! Great book. Really dug deep into the killer's sad past and what got him where he was. I seriously sympathized with him. Riveting.
January 10, 2010
This one haunted me. Heartbreaking, and the first true crime book that spent as much time on the lives of the victims as on their killer.
April 6, 2016
Very thorough and well written. Some of the sections talking about the murders were a bit too graphic for me but overall an excellent well written book.
January 6, 2013
Well researched, tons of detail and background.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews