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Zebra
The true account of 179 days of terror in San Francisco by Clark Howard hair-raising terrifying true crime,in the tradition of cold blood ,about the murders that held San Francisco at mercy for 179 days.nothing challenges a writer more than probing of the criminal mind,particularly when that mind is closed ,concealing ,and motivated by an 'ideal' to zebra,well known crime writer Clark Howard has met that challenge with a kind of research and determination seldom encountered ......
405 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1979
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458 people want to read
About the author
Clark Howard
110 books29 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Born in Ripley, Tennessee in 1932, Clark Howard is one of the most honored mystery writers in America and has long been a favorite of readers of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, and numerous other publications.
A professional writer for over 40 years, he has written sixteen novels, six books of non-fiction, and has two published collections of short stories, in addition to more than 200 uncollected short stories. While versed in many genres, he is best known for his crime fiction and mystery stories which have won the prestigious Edgar Alan Poe Award, five Ellery Queen Readers Award, the Derringer Award, and have been nominated for the Anthony, Shamus and Spur Awards.
His stories have been adapted for film (The Big Town was based on his novel THE ARM) and television, which included the Alfred Hitchcock Presents series. His original screen play Last of the Good Guys was a featured Movie of the Week on CBS, and his non-fiction book SIX AGAINST THE ROCK was also a television movie.
His work has been translated into numerous languages and he has a large following of faithful readers in several countries, particularly in China and Japan where his writing appears regularly.
A ward of Cook County by age 12, Clark Howard grew up on the lower West Side of Chicago, living in a succession of foster homes, from which he habitually ran away. During this period, he was an amateur boxer for the Midwest Athletic Club on the West Side. But soon, in his mid teens, he became a confirmed juvenile delinquent and was eventually sent to a reformatory. Later he was allowed go live with his maternal grandmother in a small town near Memphis, Tennessee.
He discovered two new worlds in the South of the late 1940s — old time Negro jazz music and ‘heads up’ crap shooting, the latter of which later became the subject of THE ARM, his first novel.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17 and served as a rocket launcher gunner in the Punchbowl in Korea. He was one of eight survivors in a platoon that survived the battle of the high ground north of the Punchbowl. He was discharged from the marines at age 20.
He entered journalism school at Northwestern University in Chicago under the GI Bill, but left after one semester when his writing was judged by his professor as being “undisciplined and of no commercial value.” Unknown to the professor, he had already sold two short stories to New York magazines.
Clark Howard now makes his home in Palm Springs, California. He is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, the Author’s Guild, and Writers Guild of America.
He was awarded a Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in January 2011 in recognition for his contributions to literature, particularly the genre of American short stories.
Born in Ripley, Tennessee in 1932, Clark Howard is one of the most honored mystery writers in America and has long been a favorite of readers of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, and numerous other publications.
A professional writer for over 40 years, he has written sixteen novels, six books of non-fiction, and has two published collections of short stories, in addition to more than 200 uncollected short stories. While versed in many genres, he is best known for his crime fiction and mystery stories which have won the prestigious Edgar Alan Poe Award, five Ellery Queen Readers Award, the Derringer Award, and have been nominated for the Anthony, Shamus and Spur Awards.
His stories have been adapted for film (The Big Town was based on his novel THE ARM) and television, which included the Alfred Hitchcock Presents series. His original screen play Last of the Good Guys was a featured Movie of the Week on CBS, and his non-fiction book SIX AGAINST THE ROCK was also a television movie.
His work has been translated into numerous languages and he has a large following of faithful readers in several countries, particularly in China and Japan where his writing appears regularly.
A ward of Cook County by age 12, Clark Howard grew up on the lower West Side of Chicago, living in a succession of foster homes, from which he habitually ran away. During this period, he was an amateur boxer for the Midwest Athletic Club on the West Side. But soon, in his mid teens, he became a confirmed juvenile delinquent and was eventually sent to a reformatory. Later he was allowed go live with his maternal grandmother in a small town near Memphis, Tennessee.
He discovered two new worlds in the South of the late 1940s — old time Negro jazz music and ‘heads up’ crap shooting, the latter of which later became the subject of THE ARM, his first novel.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17 and served as a rocket launcher gunner in the Punchbowl in Korea. He was one of eight survivors in a platoon that survived the battle of the high ground north of the Punchbowl. He was discharged from the marines at age 20.
He entered journalism school at Northwestern University in Chicago under the GI Bill, but left after one semester when his writing was judged by his professor as being “undisciplined and of no commercial value.” Unknown to the professor, he had already sold two short stories to New York magazines.
Clark Howard now makes his home in Palm Springs, California. He is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, the Author’s Guild, and Writers Guild of America.
He was awarded a Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in January 2011 in recognition for his contributions to literature, particularly the genre of American short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 21, 2008
Eye-opening book about racist murders perpetrated by Black Muslims in the early 70's. Some of the crimes depicted are utterly beyond belief. Why have you very likely never heard of these murders? One might conclude that the media has buried the story. I could have lived without the use of the cute nicknames, like "skullcap" and "Judo", to protect the guilty, but that's a minor complaint. Still quite a revelation. Another book about the Zebra murders has recently been released, and apparently, Hollywood actually intends to make a movie of that one, with Jamie Foxx in the lead. Brace yourself for some major PC spin.
August 12, 2022
This book was an Edgar Award Nominee for Best Fact Crime back in 1980. Howard used a device I didn't care for, and found extremely annoying at first. Unlike most straight true crime books, Howard made up nicknames for the perpetrators and 'fictionalized' feelings, interactions, conversations, etc. based on the true events. I suppose that was necessary to keep from being sued by the 'guilty'. However, when writing about the facts he used the perpetrators real names.
Five radicalized members of the Nation of Islam Mosque 26 in San Francisco killed at least fifteen people, and wounded several others between October of 1973 and April 1974. Victims were chosen at random, but had to be white, for the killers to attain the ranks of the Death Angels. Finally, the group was brought to justice by the combination of one member testifying against the others for a promise of immunity, reward money and protection for his family. Combined with some stellar police work and luck, the four were sentenced to life in prison. The Nation of Islam provided defense attorneys for three of the convicted murders, the fourth plead guilty.
I was growing up as a junior high schooler in Southern California during this period. What is amazing to me, is that this is the same time frame as the Symbionese Liberation Army, and the Black Panthers. Neither one of these groups was responsible for as many deaths but still seem to generate historic interest. The Zebra Killings on the other hand seem to be lost to history even though the trial at the time was the longest in California history. According to Criminologist Anthony Walsh the larger group of Death Angels may have been responsible for killing as many as 73 people all over California since early 1970s. This would be more killings than all other serial killers combined during the time period. If you can get past Howard's writing technique, a scary look at San Francisco during the 70s.
Five radicalized members of the Nation of Islam Mosque 26 in San Francisco killed at least fifteen people, and wounded several others between October of 1973 and April 1974. Victims were chosen at random, but had to be white, for the killers to attain the ranks of the Death Angels. Finally, the group was brought to justice by the combination of one member testifying against the others for a promise of immunity, reward money and protection for his family. Combined with some stellar police work and luck, the four were sentenced to life in prison. The Nation of Islam provided defense attorneys for three of the convicted murders, the fourth plead guilty.
I was growing up as a junior high schooler in Southern California during this period. What is amazing to me, is that this is the same time frame as the Symbionese Liberation Army, and the Black Panthers. Neither one of these groups was responsible for as many deaths but still seem to generate historic interest. The Zebra Killings on the other hand seem to be lost to history even though the trial at the time was the longest in California history. According to Criminologist Anthony Walsh the larger group of Death Angels may have been responsible for killing as many as 73 people all over California since early 1970s. This would be more killings than all other serial killers combined during the time period. If you can get past Howard's writing technique, a scary look at San Francisco during the 70s.
August 2, 2022
In San Francisco during the 1970s, a group of Black Muslims prowled the streets, murdering white people at random. By the time they were caught, this group of Muslims, dubbed the "Zebra killers" by cops and journalists, had slaughtered at least 15 people—or 15 “white devils" as Elijah Muhammad called them.
These days, there's a lot of interest in American serial killers of the late-20th century. You can't look through movies on Netflix or podcasts on the Apple store without coming across some new production about Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, or Richard Ramirez. The Zebra killings, on the other hand, have been forgotten. Why?
After all, this case has everything a true-crime story needs: vicious brutality, psychopathology, sexual perversion, and, most importantly, a disturbing, unresolved mystery…
San Francisco was not the only city in California where Black Muslim suspects were gunning down and cutting apart white people at random.
In Emeryville, "just north of Oakland," a hitchhiker named Thomas Bates was waved over by two black men in a Cadillac. He thought they had pulled over to give him a ride. When Bates approached the car, the man in the passenger's seat rolled down his window and smiled. "Hello, devil," he said. Then he stuck a gun out the window and shot Bates three times.
They were never caught.
Point being, there is a lot in this case that hasn't been solved—and never will be.
The lead detective on the Zebra killings estimated that militant Black Muslims had attempted or committed 71 racially-motivated murders in California between the late 1960s and the early 1970s. But the perpetrators were apprehended in only one-third of those cases.
The reason why the Zebra killings have been forgotten despite their importance is, well, political correctness. To the extent that these killings are discussed at all today, they are excused as "backlash" to antiblack racism in America—which is exactly how the killers would have wanted to be perceived. It should go without saying that making excuses for ethno-fascist violence is wrong no matter if the fascists are white or black.
Although there are a few whiffs of anti-Muslim and antiblack bias in Clark Howard's Zebra, the author does a pretty good job of staying away from divisive rhetoric. Howard seems to think that one should not use America's history of racism to explain why a gang of religious fundamentalists kidnapped, raped, butchered, and gunned down innocent people. I am inclined to agree.
Zebra is as comprehensive and accurate a book as we will ever get about this case. Howard's writing is meticulously researched and surprisingly well-structured. At times, the book reads more like a novel than a work of nonfiction. The five killers—Harris, Green, Simon, Moore, and Cooks—have distinct personalities, and I really got the feeling that Howard nailed each of their psychological profiles. I also appreciate how Howard gives the reader a detailed glimpse into each victim's life instead of treating them like just another name in an indictment.
I have a couple of problems with the book. Howard's imitation of black English is silly at times. And the dozens of other murders of whites by Black Muslim suspects all fall by the wayside by the end of the book, as if Howard was exhausted by the project and didn't want to get into a bunch of cases that end without any arrests and without any answers. I suppose I can’t blame him.
These days, there's a lot of interest in American serial killers of the late-20th century. You can't look through movies on Netflix or podcasts on the Apple store without coming across some new production about Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, or Richard Ramirez. The Zebra killings, on the other hand, have been forgotten. Why?
After all, this case has everything a true-crime story needs: vicious brutality, psychopathology, sexual perversion, and, most importantly, a disturbing, unresolved mystery…
San Francisco was not the only city in California where Black Muslim suspects were gunning down and cutting apart white people at random.
In Emeryville, "just north of Oakland," a hitchhiker named Thomas Bates was waved over by two black men in a Cadillac. He thought they had pulled over to give him a ride. When Bates approached the car, the man in the passenger's seat rolled down his window and smiled. "Hello, devil," he said. Then he stuck a gun out the window and shot Bates three times.
They were never caught.
Point being, there is a lot in this case that hasn't been solved—and never will be.
The lead detective on the Zebra killings estimated that militant Black Muslims had attempted or committed 71 racially-motivated murders in California between the late 1960s and the early 1970s. But the perpetrators were apprehended in only one-third of those cases.
The reason why the Zebra killings have been forgotten despite their importance is, well, political correctness. To the extent that these killings are discussed at all today, they are excused as "backlash" to antiblack racism in America—which is exactly how the killers would have wanted to be perceived. It should go without saying that making excuses for ethno-fascist violence is wrong no matter if the fascists are white or black.
Although there are a few whiffs of anti-Muslim and antiblack bias in Clark Howard's Zebra, the author does a pretty good job of staying away from divisive rhetoric. Howard seems to think that one should not use America's history of racism to explain why a gang of religious fundamentalists kidnapped, raped, butchered, and gunned down innocent people. I am inclined to agree.
Zebra is as comprehensive and accurate a book as we will ever get about this case. Howard's writing is meticulously researched and surprisingly well-structured. At times, the book reads more like a novel than a work of nonfiction. The five killers—Harris, Green, Simon, Moore, and Cooks—have distinct personalities, and I really got the feeling that Howard nailed each of their psychological profiles. I also appreciate how Howard gives the reader a detailed glimpse into each victim's life instead of treating them like just another name in an indictment.
I have a couple of problems with the book. Howard's imitation of black English is silly at times. And the dozens of other murders of whites by Black Muslim suspects all fall by the wayside by the end of the book, as if Howard was exhausted by the project and didn't want to get into a bunch of cases that end without any arrests and without any answers. I suppose I can’t blame him.
May 29, 2012
in 1973 the city of san francisco was terrorized for 179 days by a group calling themselves death angels. the book covers day one until the verdict in the trial. i read a lot of crime books but these killers were new to me. i guess the papers decide what the public should and should not know.
June 11, 2018
Hair-raising, terrifying true crime, about the murders that held San Francisco at mercy for 179 days. Not since In Cold Blood or Helter Skelter has a true story been written with all the harrowing suspense and verve of a detective story. It is the true account of five Black men who held a city in a 179-day grip of terror Provoked and guided by their leaders, they randomly selected for kidnap, rape, robbery, mutilation and murder, 23 victims from the streets of San Francisco - any street, any time. Calling themselves Death Angels, they set a goal: to sacrifice nine "blue-eyed devils" each, for their God, Allah. Using every avenue open to the research journalist (and some known only to the author himself) - records, reports, witnesses, surviving victims, relations, even the convicted men themselves, and the informer who risked a nightmare death to stop the killings - Howard has probed as deeply into the minds of murderers as anyone is ever likely to go. He shows us frenzied men, killing in the name of a religion that is teaching them white hatred. And he takes us into the shadows of their deepest secrets: their insecurities about color, their desire for respect, their burning ambition to rise above their status: caught up in a clash between right and wrong, black and white, life and death. And finally, in crime writing at its finest, he details the exhaustive police work by Detectives Gus Coreris and John Fotinos as they struggle against time and odds to track down the killers and trace the gun that will lead to conviction. The pace of fiction, the chronology of truth is at the heart of this controversial, sensational story. As with all great crime stories, Zebra is also a work of profound meaning which reminds us not only what evil we are capable of but especially what we are capable of on behalf of a cause, a political or religious commitment larger than ourselves. Clark Howard is renowned for his writings on crime and its victims, on both sides of the law.
April 27, 2019
Pardon the cliche, but this book was indeed a page turner. That said, I am biased because the idea of a group of deluded, clearly self-hating blacks killing whites because they resent and envy them is fascinating to me. And I think the author, Clark Howard, handles this subject matter (and, more specifically, his own interpretation of this sensitive subject matter) admirably. I couldn't help feeling skeptical of his attempts to recreate the killers' dialogue (what's with all of this seemingly unlikely "he wouldn't be die.." and "the mosque don't be allow that..." nonsense that is attributed to the killers? I'd like to hear recordings or see transcripts that verify their egregious misuse of the word "be.") Nonetheless, his attempt to document them accurately reflects a sincere curiosity about theor reality and the deeper implications of why they were driven to commit their crimes in the first place. So, perhaps you have to read between the lines a little, but I'd say that Howard captures many of the realities of his era, and the sort of conditions, in many cases unique to the 70s, that allowed some insincere, crazed people to become brainwashed so easily.
December 15, 2019
A good, long look at the Zebra Murders. Very readable. The author uses an odd literary device to keep from passing judgement on the defendants in the case, using nicknames for shadow characters who (strangely) look and behave just like the accused. He also lists every victim at the end of each chapter, which is very helpful because of the large number of attacks -- it would be easy to forget the names otherwise. He also says he has no idea whether any of this story is true, an odd proviso to find in a book described on the front cover as a TRUE ACCOUNT.
Want to read
August 25, 2016Arrived today. A few days ago I decided I would spend most of my birthday money on books and by that I mean old fashioned out of print true crime books.
As I do not live in the UK or the US books are expensive especially true crime books like the ones i want because I have to order them through abebooks which means just the cost for one book is already 4 to 5 euros just for shipping. (5 to 6 dollars I think.) But I am still sure back then the books that were printed were mostly good unke now with all the ebooks. A lot of shitty badly written true crime has come out.
Thankfully I am that there are still exceptions.
So I've got this book today and am thrilled!
As I do not live in the UK or the US books are expensive especially true crime books like the ones i want because I have to order them through abebooks which means just the cost for one book is already 4 to 5 euros just for shipping. (5 to 6 dollars I think.) But I am still sure back then the books that were printed were mostly good unke now with all the ebooks. A lot of shitty badly written true crime has come out.
Thankfully I am that there are still exceptions.
So I've got this book today and am thrilled!
Read
January 26, 2013I have beedn looking for the title of this book for years, it made that much of an impact on me. (I was hampered I think because I knew it began with a Z but I kept running into the Zodiac killings which are obviously much better known.) I read it in my twenties and still remember the being shocked by the level of hatred and depravity. I want to find it again and reread. I might also check out the newer book on the subject.
March 25, 2012
Something my sister said today made me remember this book. I had taken it out from the library and spent an amazing summer day (wasted? NO!) reading this book cover to cover in one day. I was horrified, sad, and blown away by this book. Ultimately though, the read was phenomenal. I know it is very old, but it is well worth the read.
December 23, 2007
True account of racially motivated murders in San Francisco in the 70's. Hard to believe this story isn't more widely known. I had never heard the story until I stumbled across the book on Amazon one day. Fast and captivating read, but very disturbing.
March 26, 2021
This is a book that would be memory holed in today's political and racial witch hunt environment for it shows definitively racism is not confined to any one group. This nonfiction book is priceless.
March 22, 2017
An episode that has gone down the memory hole, but which should not be forgotten.
November 18, 2020
A highly detailed account of one of the most brutal but largely unknown murder sprees in American History
February 8, 2022
Absolutely EXCELLENT!!!!
October 14, 2022
Enthralling case study of one of the most horrific serial murder sprees in the U.S.
September 25, 2023
An eye-opening book with some significant writing problems. While cases like the Zodiac killer and Patty Hearst are endlessly rehashed, the Zebra murders don’t get mentioned much. I’ve lived for 30 years just a few blocks from some of the murder sites and never knew.
The obvious culprit would seem to be the racial dimensions of random black-on-white murders, particularly in a city as “progressive” as SF. I found I was repeatedly questioning my emotional reaction to the story. Why did this seem so much shocking than average KKK bloodshed?
But the writing. Howard concocts reams of dialogue and inner thoughts out of his (research-enhanced) imagination, then refers to the culprits by different names pre- and post-arrest, in some bizarre sense that this will make the presentation balanced. Nope, just confusing. More maddening/embarrassing than confusing is his relentless and comically executed use of jive talk to represent Black people’s thoughts and dialogue. Yes, this was written decades ago, but even by 1980s standards this has to count as cultural vandalism.
The obvious culprit would seem to be the racial dimensions of random black-on-white murders, particularly in a city as “progressive” as SF. I found I was repeatedly questioning my emotional reaction to the story. Why did this seem so much shocking than average KKK bloodshed?
But the writing. Howard concocts reams of dialogue and inner thoughts out of his (research-enhanced) imagination, then refers to the culprits by different names pre- and post-arrest, in some bizarre sense that this will make the presentation balanced. Nope, just confusing. More maddening/embarrassing than confusing is his relentless and comically executed use of jive talk to represent Black people’s thoughts and dialogue. Yes, this was written decades ago, but even by 1980s standards this has to count as cultural vandalism.
March 19, 2022
I had never heard about these killings growing up in Northern California, but I can see why they may have been buried. Mr Howard does a very good job of bringing this horrible crime spree to light. He lays at an accurate and concise timeline of the plot to murder whites, by a sect of violent black Muslims in the perverted quest to earn a badge of honor. It would have been nice if the author would have expanded the story to cover the greater plot that covered the entire state of California by this sect vs just the focus on the murder and attempted murder spree in San Francisco.
Having said that, Mr. Howard injects entirely too much side dialogue,jive, and other of his biases into the writing. I understand that this was written in the late 70's, but it starts to get pulpy with regards to the dialogue, especially with regards to the blatant disregard for constitutional protections being ignored by the police and city hall.
Overall I give it 3.5 stars.
Having said that, Mr. Howard injects entirely too much side dialogue,jive, and other of his biases into the writing. I understand that this was written in the late 70's, but it starts to get pulpy with regards to the dialogue, especially with regards to the blatant disregard for constitutional protections being ignored by the police and city hall.
Overall I give it 3.5 stars.
June 29, 2022
I found the descriptions of the violation of victims to be full of gratuitous language and detail, going so far as to speculate as to what they were feeling. The description of one of them as having good breasts was so beyond the pale and unnecessary.
March 10, 2020
A very interesting book. It gives a close up look at a series of murders in late '73 - early '74.
June 20, 2015
Because I almost exclusively read fiction, this is unlike anything I have ever read before because of the reality of it. When reading through the story it sounded almost like the script to an episode of Law & Order. Those scenes where the bad guys would go on a killing spree were mind boggling. To think that people actually were so brain-washed into believing the stuff they were taught and the glory of being a Death Angel. The number of people killed in this insane run is absolutely staggering. Normally, in fiction, in my mind I would consider murders as just part of the plot and never pay any serious thought to it. To know that these were real killings changed my entire perspective. Here's a small spoiler. To know that many of the bad guys were never prosecuted, but released, is a disappointment. The writer couldn't give it the proper wrap up because that's the way it was.
If I had any small complaint it was the summations at the end of each chapter. They became tedious and I learned to skip past them.
If I had any small complaint it was the summations at the end of each chapter. They became tedious and I learned to skip past them.
April 21, 2016
Somehow although I graduated from college in 1973, I didn't even remember this group of murders in the early 70's in California. The author did a great job of fleshing out the perpetrators, the victims, and to a lesser degree, the law enforcement officers involved.
Another reviewer mentioned that the list of victims at the end of chapters as the toll rises becomes somewhat tedious and I quit reading those fairly quickly but understand that the writer is using these lists as a tool to continually remind the reader of the mounting fear of the community.
Quite an amazing book and a reminder of how ludicrous it is for a purported religious group to hate an entire group of people based only on their race, color or religion...
Another reviewer mentioned that the list of victims at the end of chapters as the toll rises becomes somewhat tedious and I quit reading those fairly quickly but understand that the writer is using these lists as a tool to continually remind the reader of the mounting fear of the community.
Quite an amazing book and a reminder of how ludicrous it is for a purported religious group to hate an entire group of people based only on their race, color or religion...
June 25, 2015
Not really a fan of fictional written non-fiction. Also the author should not try to insert Jive into dialogue.
The story is intresting though about a black muslim offshoot that started killing with people ( and one arab ) as part of their black angel program. The story seems to simmer on the small fish and only a part of the story.
The story is intresting though about a black muslim offshoot that started killing with people ( and one arab ) as part of their black angel program. The story seems to simmer on the small fish and only a part of the story.
April 19, 2012
This book was written by Clark Howard, not Howard Clark.
This was the best true crime book I ever read.Helter Skelter is the second best.
This was the best true crime book I ever read.Helter Skelter is the second best.
August 18, 2012
A little hard to follow at times
January 18, 2013
Interesting take on a very interesting and often forgotten 60's crime spree.
June 30, 2013
I read this book a long time ago and what I do remember is that I couldn't put it down. Talk about a page turner! It's one I would read again.
April 19, 2010
Great, great book of the Muslim killings in California in the 70's. Love the non-fiction!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews