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Confessions of the Green River Killer: A True Story of Manipulation, Madness, and a Search for Justice
Not yet published
Expected 21 Jul 26A startling profile of one of the most prolific serial killers and the disturbing experience of the journalist who earned his trust for the sake of justice.
When crime journalist Maria DiLorenzo mailed a letter to Gary Ridgway, she never expected him to reply. He refused to speak to reporters and would send only religious materials back to anyone who contacted him in prison—if he replied at all. But instead of silence or a boilerplate letter, Maria’s phone rang–and it was the Green River Killer calling.
Over the next several years, Ridgway would call Maria hundreds of times, using all of his free time in prison to speak with her. Her goal: to pry the details of his dozens of unidentified and unsolved murders from him. His motivation in speaking to her: unknowable. Through these hundreds of hours of phone calls, Ridgway revealed new details about his life, his crimes, and his motives – and manipulated Maria much like he tormented his victims.
An insightful and deeply personal profile of a dangerous mind, Confessions of the Green River Killer is the closest depiction of Gary Ridgway ever seen and a disturbing glimpse into what it’s like to truly know a killer. Readers of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and The Stranger Beside Me will be enraptured to experience Gary Ridgway through the eyes and ears of a woman he came to deeply trust—and deeply covet.
When crime journalist Maria DiLorenzo mailed a letter to Gary Ridgway, she never expected him to reply. He refused to speak to reporters and would send only religious materials back to anyone who contacted him in prison—if he replied at all. But instead of silence or a boilerplate letter, Maria’s phone rang–and it was the Green River Killer calling.
Over the next several years, Ridgway would call Maria hundreds of times, using all of his free time in prison to speak with her. Her goal: to pry the details of his dozens of unidentified and unsolved murders from him. His motivation in speaking to her: unknowable. Through these hundreds of hours of phone calls, Ridgway revealed new details about his life, his crimes, and his motives – and manipulated Maria much like he tormented his victims.
An insightful and deeply personal profile of a dangerous mind, Confessions of the Green River Killer is the closest depiction of Gary Ridgway ever seen and a disturbing glimpse into what it’s like to truly know a killer. Readers of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and The Stranger Beside Me will be enraptured to experience Gary Ridgway through the eyes and ears of a woman he came to deeply trust—and deeply covet.
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 21, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC for review. To be published July 21, 2026.
2 stars
What did I just read? Ick.
I’m willing to believe, that at the beginning, DiLorenzo’s heart was in the right place. She is an NUC based teacher who also writes a true crime newsletter. She attempts to start a correspondence/conversation with Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer from Washington state who was convicted of forty nine murders of women, primarily prosititutes from the 1980s to the early 2000s (I think.). Ridgway normally did not cooperate with journalists so it was surprising that he agreed to correspond/speak on the phone with DiLorenzo over several years. She hoped to get information from him about other murders he is suspected of committing.
Spoiler alert: she really doesn’t. However she was, I guess, absolutely committed to the idea of writing a book about whatever she got from him, she she went ahead and published this, which is, in large part, Ridgway’s masturbatory fantasies about DiLorenzo where he told her, in great detail and over and over again, the ways in which he imagined her raped and murdered (she had even sent him photos of herself, ostensibly so he knew to whom he was speaking.) And she listened to this. For YEARS. Because, she says, she kept thinking there was a chance he would reveal more to her. And the book relates all this, again, in detail.
So, yeah, this is exactly what I imagine would be in a rapist/murderer/psychopath’s mind, and while I guess it might be of interest to an FBI profiler, I didn’t see the value to society in making this a book. The only reason I finished it was to see if he did cough up any info, and now you know so you won’t have to.
The only worthwhile part of the book is toward the end. It appears that after Ridgway was arrested and tied to four of the murders, eventually confessing to a lot more, the King County Sheriff’s Office (Seattle,) for whatever reason let the case go and stopped investigating, despite the fact that there are likely more victims out there. This must be incredibly frustrating to the families of potential victims and, sadly, it’s unlikely that a short mention in this book will do anything to rectify the situation.
To add to the gross factor Ridgway stopped contact with DiLorenzo once he was medically incapable of sexual gratification. As of this writing (12/27/25) he is still alive and lingering in prison. Skip this one.
2 stars
What did I just read? Ick.
I’m willing to believe, that at the beginning, DiLorenzo’s heart was in the right place. She is an NUC based teacher who also writes a true crime newsletter. She attempts to start a correspondence/conversation with Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer from Washington state who was convicted of forty nine murders of women, primarily prosititutes from the 1980s to the early 2000s (I think.). Ridgway normally did not cooperate with journalists so it was surprising that he agreed to correspond/speak on the phone with DiLorenzo over several years. She hoped to get information from him about other murders he is suspected of committing.
Spoiler alert: she really doesn’t. However she was, I guess, absolutely committed to the idea of writing a book about whatever she got from him, she she went ahead and published this, which is, in large part, Ridgway’s masturbatory fantasies about DiLorenzo where he told her, in great detail and over and over again, the ways in which he imagined her raped and murdered (she had even sent him photos of herself, ostensibly so he knew to whom he was speaking.) And she listened to this. For YEARS. Because, she says, she kept thinking there was a chance he would reveal more to her. And the book relates all this, again, in detail.
So, yeah, this is exactly what I imagine would be in a rapist/murderer/psychopath’s mind, and while I guess it might be of interest to an FBI profiler, I didn’t see the value to society in making this a book. The only reason I finished it was to see if he did cough up any info, and now you know so you won’t have to.
The only worthwhile part of the book is toward the end. It appears that after Ridgway was arrested and tied to four of the murders, eventually confessing to a lot more, the King County Sheriff’s Office (Seattle,) for whatever reason let the case go and stopped investigating, despite the fact that there are likely more victims out there. This must be incredibly frustrating to the families of potential victims and, sadly, it’s unlikely that a short mention in this book will do anything to rectify the situation.
To add to the gross factor Ridgway stopped contact with DiLorenzo once he was medically incapable of sexual gratification. As of this writing (12/27/25) he is still alive and lingering in prison. Skip this one.
January 19, 2026
Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC for review consideration.
The following is my personal perspective on the book.
I was not familiar with this serial killer prior to reading this book and this was a very disturbing and difficult read.
The book reads almost like a transcript of the conversations the author had with Gary Ridgway. I’m not sure how Ms. DiLorenzo managed to endure listening to the disassociated ramblings of this deviant.
I have read true crime novels written by journalists before but I found the writing style in this book to be crude and unpolished compared to what I would have expected but perhaps the goal of the author was to have an unedited representation of what the killer had to say.
Later in the book, she remarked that she felt as though she was experiencing some form of Stockholm Syndrome and given the nature of the conversation she continued to have, I have no doubt there is a sliver of truth to that statement.
Stating that his voice became familiar like freshly brewed coffee or sunlight filling a room suggests an enjoyable relationship despite her claiming she couldn’t cease communication when she felt uncomfortable or nervous.
As mentioned, this was a difficult read and not for the faint of heart. If you like diving into the inner thoughts of a serial killer, this book may be for you.
The following is my personal perspective on the book.
I was not familiar with this serial killer prior to reading this book and this was a very disturbing and difficult read.
The book reads almost like a transcript of the conversations the author had with Gary Ridgway. I’m not sure how Ms. DiLorenzo managed to endure listening to the disassociated ramblings of this deviant.
I have read true crime novels written by journalists before but I found the writing style in this book to be crude and unpolished compared to what I would have expected but perhaps the goal of the author was to have an unedited representation of what the killer had to say.
Later in the book, she remarked that she felt as though she was experiencing some form of Stockholm Syndrome and given the nature of the conversation she continued to have, I have no doubt there is a sliver of truth to that statement.
Stating that his voice became familiar like freshly brewed coffee or sunlight filling a room suggests an enjoyable relationship despite her claiming she couldn’t cease communication when she felt uncomfortable or nervous.
As mentioned, this was a difficult read and not for the faint of heart. If you like diving into the inner thoughts of a serial killer, this book may be for you.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was a very intriguing true crime book, different from what I’m used to. Maria actually takes us along in her shoes as she makes contact with Gary the serial killer, develops regular communication with him, and hopes that may be more information can come from him. There were times that I felt very uneasy as I read, matching how she felt. As someone who is very into true crime, this book was very satisfying for me because it felt as if I was the one looking into this and trying to get more information. There aren’t many books like this out there so it’s great Maria shared hers with the world. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 18, 2026
Fascinating and horrifying at the same time. The author’s communications with Gary Ridgeway were, at times, uncomfortable to read and grotesque in nature. His words, both spoken and written, leave no doubt that he is a true psychopath, and I don’t think anything would have stopped him becoming the monster he is.
Well written, recommend to true crime fans who are interested in the minds of serial killers.
Well written, recommend to true crime fans who are interested in the minds of serial killers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews