Ed Kemper: The Shocking Crimes of the Co-Ed Killer

by Al Cimino

Standing at the towering height of 6 ft 9 in, Ed Kemper could make for an intimidating figure. He meticulously planned out his crimes, and for years went undetected.

This is the story of the so-called 'Co-Ed Killer', whose brutal murders shocked America. Over the course of a decade, he killed ten victims, including several young female students as well as his own mother. Offering rides to unsuspecting hitchhikers, he took them back to his place, raped them and then dismembered the bodies.

In this disturbing biography, crime writer and journalist Al Cimino delves into this terrifying tale, providing a detailed account of Kemper's twisted crimes and the compulsion that brought a man to commit such horrible deeds.

Genres: True Crime

256 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2024

Reviews

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Arcturis Publishing, Al Cimino and Netgalley.
Its kind of weird to me that I've never paid much attention to nor even heard much about Kemper. The man is one scary arsed mothereffer!
When I lived in Santa Cruz, back in the 1980's our biggest fear was Richard Ramerez. The Night Stalker scared the shit outta me! But, Kemper? Holy crap. He just looks so freaking normal! Ugh. If only the nut jobs had funky eyebrows, or red lips..."hey, why not?"
This was a well researched book, and scary in its own way.

[Sara Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

** “He honed this ability to present a public facade that people trusted, while his private world contained much darker ideas.” **

Al Cimino offers a deep dive into the infamous 1970s serial killer Ed Kemper in “Ed Kemper: The Shocking Crimes of the Co-Ed Killer.”

After a childhood filled with abuse and abandonment, Kemper killed his grandparents at the age of 15, and then killed six hitchhiking women, his mother and her friend between 1972-1973. Many believe the deaths all stemmed from his hatred toward his mother, Clarnell Elizabeth Strandberg, a domineering man-hater. His extremely large size also often ostracized him, leading him to always feel on the outskirts of society. (“A social misfit, he was already planning a horrific revenge on the society that had rejected him. What’s more, he was let loose in California in the midst of what could almost be described as a golden age of serial killing.”)

Filled extensively with quotes from Kemper himself, as well as involved police officials, witnesses, family members and those who knew Kemper in some other capacity, the story gives thorough and graphic descriptions of each of Kemper’s crimes and the psyche behind them. What makes the book even more interesting is the extensive availability of Kemper’s own words themselves, a first-hand telling of his horrific crimes.

Filled with a number of photos, “Ed Kemper” reveals a puzzling man who some considered a gentle giant, yet committed some of the most horrendous killings in history. A man with an extremely high IQ, he learned to fake it when needed to survive freely in society. Because it is so quote heavy, the book reads very conversationally.

“Ed Kemper: The Shocking Crimes of the Co-Ed Killer” is a truly intriguing read, but does contain violence and deviant acts. Fans of true crime will enjoy this book, which is due out Nov. 1.

Five stars out of five.

Arcturus and Sirius provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

[Karen Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A close and in-depth look at the rejected life of a young boy who became a sociopathic killer.
Edmund Kemper the third’s life was rife with a nagging, unhappy dominant mother who appeared to show little affection for her only son, yet praised her daughters. Finding him odd & “ weird” she forced him to sleep in the basement, locked in with the rats.
The author’s research shows Ed to have been innately shy, awkward and the lack of emotion, other than anger to be foretelling. Nowhere though does it say or I for the reader as to why he had a growing fascination with dissection, decapitation, or why at the time of his victim’s deaths, he decided necrophilia was the best way to dominate on an already dead corpse.
Questions arise throughout as to why medical professionals deemed him “clean/cured” after six years at a mental healthy facility, when knowing he was presenting an over the charts IQ-it should have been obvious that he was maneuvering around his original diagnosis.
Detailed crime scenes and the cruelty towards his victims is beyond macabre-heinous acts of unnecessary violence that all seems to have stemmed from Ed’s black hatred for his mother.
Life in prison seems to have been the best decision for all.

[Beatrice Tibaldini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with no small amount of difficulty. While the idea behind it may be interesting, it's important to consider that the structure of the book makes it quite challenging to read through the various pages. At times, it felt like I was re-reading the same passages because the same information is repeated many times, and not always for a clear reason.

However, there are some well-executed aspects: the inclusion of drawings by Kemper and his victims; and lastly, I find it fascinating to read some of the killer’s statements, which reveal his high IQ and, in some way, his self-perception.

Overall, the book is a good read for those who are interested in Ed Kemper's story, but it's important to keep in mind that the book's structure may not be easy to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ed Kemper was an absolute monster. This title gives a fascinating glimpse into Kemper’s mind, using interviews of him and people that were close to him. It also includes pictures of him and his victims (NOT crime scene or post mortem photos). While the topic was interesting, the organization of this book was kind of frustrating. It’s possible that the digital version of this book negatively affected the formatting…But more than once I found myself unsure if I had lost my place or been set back, because specific details/events were repeated multiple times throughout the book. I would have preferred a more linear account.

Thank you to NetGalley and Arcturus Publishing for the e-ARC!

[Lynn Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A summation of Ed’s crimes and some of his interviews/words. Author adds in a lot of splits in chapters with their own mini titles. Might be better when read, but in an audible format this interrupts the flow of the book. Overall a pretty quick read/listen. Went by quickly. There are some details, but nothing overly “gory”.

[Amber Lumpkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never really heard of Kemper. I remember hearing about the co-ed killing. Kemper was one messed up dude. The book explained that in depth. I really wish the author had done the dates different. Ex: 25 April 1974 really bothers me, but to each their own.

[Debora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too creepy, and disturbing.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book but be warned very disturbing.