Savage Shadows: A True Story of Courage in the Face of Crime

by Eileen Ross

Early one summer morning, Eileen Ross lived through two-and-a-half hours of terror. Alone and blind, she was awakened by an intruder who bludgeoned her with a mallet. When she regained consciousness, her hair matted with blood, the man loomed over her. In the horrible nightmare that followed, she was savagely beaten, robbed and raped twice.
During the attack, while the man repeatedly threatened to kill her, Eileen evolved a plan, not only to save her life, but also to secure physical evidence that would trap the rapist once he was apprehended.
After the vicious crime, Ms. Ross had two options: to remain silent and perpetuate the myths about rape or to take action. She chose the latter sparking the police investigation, contributing vital clues about her attacker's identity. Her open stance with the media made her a front page story. Thousands of letters poured in praising her courage and candor.
Through Eileen Ross's determined efforts and acute police work, her attacker, known as "The Spider Man Rapist" was caught, convicted and sentenced to fifteen years to life in prison.
Savage Shadows is the story of one woman's night of terror, her twisted rapist, and the police who went the extra mile to catch the man. It is also the story of a courageous woman who refused to be victimized: a survivor who emerged from her ordeal to begin a national campaign to free other women from the stigma and myths about rape.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Memoir

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1991

Reviews

[Koren · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I admire the tenacity of the author and ability to keep calm while being attacked, I wondered why she wrote her book in the third person. I found it to be rather annoying. She was a strong woman who kept her cool and turned a horrific incident into a positive.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

on Thursday, January 03, 2008 I wrote....


Completed this book yesterday.
It was a good read but sometimes it just felt weird and the author started to annoy me.
It is weird knowing that the victim wrote this book. She does not use the I form, so when you read Eileen was beautiful. Eileen was the one that got the perpetrator to jail, it bugs me.
She did good but after reading this book I did feel she loved being the center of attention.

3.5 out of 5

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remarkable story of a blind woman's exceptional strategic thinking and the presence of mind that allowed her to escape a rapist alive and prosecute his sorry keester.

[Joan Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brutally honest, very open and descriptive...moving, inspiring...what an amazing woman!!