What do you think?
Rate this book
Silent Rage: Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer
-Inside the mind of one of the nation's most feared thrill killers- "Silent Rage" is the shocking true history of serial killer Carroll Edward "Eddie" Cole. Raised by an abusive mother and weak father, Cole accomplished his first murder before he was ten years old. He went on to murder at least 14 women. Sexual attacks, necrophilia, and cannibalization peppered his wanderings. Backed by 32 weeks of exclusive interviews with Cole and years of exhaustive research, Michael Newton paints one of the most chilling true portraits of the development of a sociopathic personality ever made available to the public. Newton traces Cole's gruesome career across four decades, until Cole's execution by the state of Nevada. ***** They are law enforcement's most elusive prey. More dangerous than hitmen, gang assassins, and crowd snipers, the "recreational killer" is almost impossible to capture. Choosing their victims at random, drifting from town to town, their brutal crimes leave a smoking trail of bloodshed across the nation-and many of them are never apprehended until they decide to turn themselves in. This year, 3,500 "thrill killings" will go unsolved. Cole's story is a searing lesson in the horror of crimes like this-and the terrifying inability of our society to prevent them.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 1994
36 people are currently reading
280 people want to read
About the author
Michael Newton
469 books104 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
From Wikipedia:
"Michael Newton (born 1951) is an American author best known for his work on Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan series. Newton first began work on the Executioner series by co-writing "The Executioner's War Book" with Don Pendleton in 1977. Since then he has been a steady writer for the series with almost 90 entries to his credit, which triples the amount written by creator Don Pendleton. His skills and knowledge of the series have allowed him to be picked by the publishers to write the milestone novels such as #100, #200, and #300.
Writing under the pseudonym Lyle Brandt, Michael Newton has also become a popular writer of Western novels. He has written a number of successful non-fiction titles as well, including a book on genre writing (How to Write Action Adventure Novels). His book Invisible Empire: The Ku Klux Klan in Florida won the Florida Historical Society's 2002 Rembert Patrick Award for Best Book in Florida History. Newton's "Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology" won the American Library Association's award for Outstanding Reference Work in 2006."
Pen names: Lyle Brandt, Don Pendleton, Jack Buchanan
Bibiliography available here.
From Wikipedia:
"Michael Newton (born 1951) is an American author best known for his work on Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan series. Newton first began work on the Executioner series by co-writing "The Executioner's War Book" with Don Pendleton in 1977. Since then he has been a steady writer for the series with almost 90 entries to his credit, which triples the amount written by creator Don Pendleton. His skills and knowledge of the series have allowed him to be picked by the publishers to write the milestone novels such as #100, #200, and #300.
Writing under the pseudonym Lyle Brandt, Michael Newton has also become a popular writer of Western novels. He has written a number of successful non-fiction titles as well, including a book on genre writing (How to Write Action Adventure Novels). His book Invisible Empire: The Ku Klux Klan in Florida won the Florida Historical Society's 2002 Rembert Patrick Award for Best Book in Florida History. Newton's "Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology" won the American Library Association's award for Outstanding Reference Work in 2006."
Pen names: Lyle Brandt, Don Pendleton, Jack Buchanan
Bibiliography available here.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 18, 2023
Carroll Edward Cole had a genius level IQ but was raised by a bar hopping mother who picked up a parade of men for one night stands. Cole witnessed her behavior and developed a hatred for women.
Over the course of a criminal career, Carroll spent a lifetime in and out of prisons and mental institutions where he was repeatedly diagnosed with a personality disorder. In between his many murders, he married three times. One of his wives, Billie Whitworth, was a stripper and prostitute who had a fling with Jack Ruby in 1963, shortly before he shot Lee Harvey Oswald. She is listed on the Findagrave website as Cole's wife.
The serial killer confessed to a possible thirty five murders and, at his request, was executed by lethal injection. Most of the victims were picked up in bars and were intoxicated when killed. One woman had a blood alcohol level of 0.42 and her death was listed as caused by alcohol poisoning. He was absolved by a Catholic priest before his last breath. Silent Rage is an excellent read.
Over the course of a criminal career, Carroll spent a lifetime in and out of prisons and mental institutions where he was repeatedly diagnosed with a personality disorder. In between his many murders, he married three times. One of his wives, Billie Whitworth, was a stripper and prostitute who had a fling with Jack Ruby in 1963, shortly before he shot Lee Harvey Oswald. She is listed on the Findagrave website as Cole's wife.
The serial killer confessed to a possible thirty five murders and, at his request, was executed by lethal injection. Most of the victims were picked up in bars and were intoxicated when killed. One woman had a blood alcohol level of 0.42 and her death was listed as caused by alcohol poisoning. He was absolved by a Catholic priest before his last breath. Silent Rage is an excellent read.
September 8, 2013
My "review" on shelfari from years ago. (read this in Ocotber 2007):
SILENT RAGE is the shocking true history of serial killer Carroll Edward "Eddie" Cole. He accomplished his first murder before he was ten years old. Backed by months of exclusive interviews with Cole and years of exhaustive research, author Michael Newton paints one of the most chilling true portraits of the development of a sociopathic personality ever made availabel to the public-tracing Cole's gruesome career across four decades, until his execution by the state of Nevada in 1985.
I got this for free from a great US bookmoocher
Good book. I had heard about him although he is not that well known in serial killer world. Glad to find out more.
SILENT RAGE is the shocking true history of serial killer Carroll Edward "Eddie" Cole. He accomplished his first murder before he was ten years old. Backed by months of exclusive interviews with Cole and years of exhaustive research, author Michael Newton paints one of the most chilling true portraits of the development of a sociopathic personality ever made availabel to the public-tracing Cole's gruesome career across four decades, until his execution by the state of Nevada in 1985.
I got this for free from a great US bookmoocher
Good book. I had heard about him although he is not that well known in serial killer world. Glad to find out more.
May 19, 2023
Silent Rage is a fascinating and detailed account of the life, crimes and death of Carroll Edward Cole. The book is thorough and details the crimes of Eddie Cole who is a lesser known serial killer. The author, Michael Newton does an incredible job of chronicling the early life of Eddie Cole and shows the source (Eddie’s mother), development and progression of a sociopath and cold blooded killer. This is a must read for true crime fans and and also mental health workers who desire to delve into the psyche of a sociopath.
March 30, 2020
Difficult book to read. Lots of gory details that I found hard to get through. The writer does try to get into the mind of the serial killer which, with this killer, is pretty gruesome. Sounds like he was begging on several occasions to be caught but he could just never go far enough to admit his crimes when he was given chances to do so. I like true crime but this book was not for me.
October 14, 2014
Wellll, this isn't the type of book I enjoy reading, because it's so troubling and full of gratuitous sex and violence toward women. Ugh! It took many days to finish it, reading a little at a time, throwing it on the floor in disgust, and picking it up again. It's a very dark and detailed account of a cunning serial killer, based on thorough research of his life and interviews the author conducted with him. Maybe the real merit of the book is a not-to-subtle message: you never know who the stranger beside you really is.
July 19, 2014
Interesting but too much trivia
Interesting insight but too .such detail & a failure to connect Eddie's alleged cause of his killing rage to his disruptive childhood.. far too many such "monitors" tend to disprove Eddie's theory & Eddie's own "non-reaction to his mother's death seems to support the belief that mere nature is an inadequate response to the creation of a rage &/or serial killer.
Interesting insight but too .such detail & a failure to connect Eddie's alleged cause of his killing rage to his disruptive childhood.. far too many such "monitors" tend to disprove Eddie's theory & Eddie's own "non-reaction to his mother's death seems to support the belief that mere nature is an inadequate response to the creation of a rage &/or serial killer.
June 25, 2014
Serial killer
This book shows more than any other the failings of child abuse advocates,probation officers and psychiatrists in our jails.This man cried out for help almost his whole life and received little help. Confessed to all his crimes and requested death to stop the cycle. Hopefully he is at peace now as are his victims.
This book shows more than any other the failings of child abuse advocates,probation officers and psychiatrists in our jails.This man cried out for help almost his whole life and received little help. Confessed to all his crimes and requested death to stop the cycle. Hopefully he is at peace now as are his victims.
June 1, 2015
Extremely Detailed Depiction of a Killer
Michael Newton is a great storyteller, writing a well documented depiction of a brutal man who took his dissatisfaction with life to a horrible and deadly conclusion. Mr. Newton is a thorough and credible writer.
Michael Newton is a great storyteller, writing a well documented depiction of a brutal man who took his dissatisfaction with life to a horrible and deadly conclusion. Mr. Newton is a thorough and credible writer.
July 17, 2015
The author suggests that the current governmental system is unable to diagnose and respond to violent mentally ill criminals. He uses the focus of this book to demonstrate how law enforcement and health professionals repeatedly enabled Eddie Cole to prey on the unsuspecting public.
September 6, 2016
Killing madnress
When some one has so much rage that he cannot separate the rage from the sex then he is one sick son of son of a gun. I don't carre who made him that or it is in his DNA he must be stopped
When some one has so much rage that he cannot separate the rage from the sex then he is one sick son of son of a gun. I don't carre who made him that or it is in his DNA he must be stopped
July 17, 2021
I remember this as having read it shortly after the Clinton/Reno led attack on the Branch Davidians in Waco, TX. The subjects ability to get away with murder as an adolescence must have inspired a level of self confidence that is unimaginable for the layman.
January 23, 2016
Good biography of the life and crimes of Eddie Cole. Paints a clear picture of how this man didn't work on quieting his rage and pain -- he decided to spread it around instead.
February 7, 2016
Super report of an abused child who grew into an abusive, murdering g, raping adult. Put to death for his crimes in 1985, about 40 years too late.
November 26, 2017
This book, after you read a few chapters, has a very obvious message. The message really not having much to do with the very sad and utterly repetitive downward spiral of the protagonist (serial killer Carroll Edward Cole). The obvious message is a cry out for a system reform from coast to coast. Numerous examples are given by our main character of how he's admitted into institution after institution (both voluntarily and involuntarily) and how the so-called "experts" in these facilities constantly wrote him off and set him free which ended up costing more lives taken and destroyed. Granted, these examples all take place before the year 1980.
The book is very easy to read however extremely repetitive in story as Cole continues to go in & out of hospitals, prisons, and bars. No matter which state he's in the MO is always the same. In the end, the death penalty is his only way of escape. The beginning is extremely sad. It's hard to imagine the cruelty inflicted on a young, innocent boy (mostly issued from a mother who hates him) and of which he later blames for his violent acts. Just very sad to go through his tragic life with him. And the end gives no respite for either Cole or the reader.
The book is very easy to read however extremely repetitive in story as Cole continues to go in & out of hospitals, prisons, and bars. No matter which state he's in the MO is always the same. In the end, the death penalty is his only way of escape. The beginning is extremely sad. It's hard to imagine the cruelty inflicted on a young, innocent boy (mostly issued from a mother who hates him) and of which he later blames for his violent acts. Just very sad to go through his tragic life with him. And the end gives no respite for either Cole or the reader.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews