Love Me to Death: A Journalist's Memoir of the Hunt for Her Friend's Killer

by Linda Wolfe

In 1994, Ricardo Caputo, object of an international FBI manhunt, turned himself in, confessing to the brutal murders of four women. For more than two decades, he had moved with ease from one U.S. city to the next, and across the Mexican border, altering his identity, and killing with impunity. Now the deadly Don Juan, whom one detective called 'a beautiful snake', has been found. But for Linda Wolfe, the search had just begun.

Acclaimed for her incisive true-crime journalism, Linda Wolfe has explored some of the darkest aspects of human nature. But never before had she felt as visceral and disturbing a reaction as she did to Ricardo Caputo. Some ten years earlier, the author's friend, New York writer and activist, Jacqui Bernard, was murdered, and Wolfe had become convinced that Caputo was the killer. His arrest, in 1994, propelled her on a deeply affecting, personal odyssey. The result is a profoundly intimate and eloquent account of Linda Wolfe's confrontation with Caputo - and of the tragedy and terror he left in his wake.

Seeking closure in the death of her friend, Wolfe met with the families of both Caputo and his victims; she spoke with police investigators, psychiatrists who had treated Caputo, and lawyers on both sides of the case; and she pored over private letters, diaries, and photo albums. She also conducted three prison interviews with Caputo. What emerges is not only a frightening and unforgettable portrait of a serial killer, but a powerful and poignant evocation of the lives he touched, twisted, and destroyed.

Distrusting Caputo's expressions of remorse, seeking the true reason for his surrender, Wolfe strives to make sense of the seductive sociopath whose violence was rooted in his troubled chilhood in Argentina, and who spread his venomous charm from suburban Long Island to San Francisco's Pacific Heights. She pieces together profiles of the attractive, successful, sophisticated women he preyed upon. And she addresses some of the troubling legal issues facing a justice system that too often turns criminals into celebrities, shifts blame to the victims, and allows defendants to abuse the insanity defense.

Love Me To Death is more than a triumph of investigative journalism. It is a candid, compelling story of innocence and evil, crime and punishment - and Linda Wolfe's own determined quest to unmask and face the enemy.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Linda Wolfe is an award-winning journalist and novelist. Among her many books are the novel "Private Practices" and the nonfiction books "Wasted: The Preppie Murder," "The Professor and the Prostitute," and "The Murder of Dr. Chapman." A longtime contributing editor at New York magazine, Wolfe's articles and personal essays have also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Playboy, and many other publications. Her short fiction has appeared in the Southwest Review and other literary journals. Learn more at www.LindaWolfe.com.

Reviews

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I'm sorry I put this off so long. What a great read. The author spends years and travels to South America and Mexico investigating the murder of a friend, who appears to have been part of an international series of killings that is unusual for a number of reasons. She has the cooperation and input of the prosecutor's office, defense attorney, forensic specialists and the accused as well as that of his family. There is nothing ordinary about this case or his victims. There is even a pit bull in here named Truman Caputo.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the third book I've read recently that is more about the process of writing a true crime book than it is about the crimes themselves. This one is marginally better than the others (I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK and A MURDER IN MUSIC CITY), but it's still not a style that calls to me. Before interviewing a multiple murderer, the author contacts a detective and asks for advice; the exchange that follows is illustrative:

"...do you have any tips for me? Any suggestions about how to question him?”
“Just be friendly. Get him talking.”
“I did. And he told me some interesting things. But mostly, he was banal.”
“End of story,” [the inspector] said. “Most murderers are banal. It’s just their crimes that are interesting.”

That's the problem in a nutshell, and why most effective true crime books focus on the crimes.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting memoir about the authors investigation of a serial murderer who she feels also murder her friend.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel that the title is a bit misleading. The author knew Jacqui Bernard but calling her a “friend” seemed a bit of a stretch. In fact, I felt like Jacqui was ironically the victim I knew the least about in the end. I suppose “acquaintance” isn’t quite as catchy, though.

Most of the book is about how the author, Linda, struggles to put the pieces together not only about whether or not Ricardo Caputo killed her “friend” but also why he killed the women in his life and why he turned himself in eventually.

Linda’s writing style felt down to earth. I liked knowing the author’s feelings regarding everything related to Caputo and especially enjoyed seeing her disregard his many attempts to blame the victims and his past.

There’s some interesting psychology discussed regarding Caputo’s motives. Most surprising was Linda befriending Ricardo’s family and putting aside the disgust and fear she felt to get the deepest scoop of all.

I thought this book did a good job balancing the lives of the victims with the portrayal of the serial killer. My only complaint is that I wish there were more photos of the victims than of the killer.

This wasn’t as captivating as other true crime books I’ve read but interesting, nonetheless. The ending is a good reminder of how some mysteries are never truly solved.

3.5 stars!

[Bill reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ricardo Caputo is a serial killer with a different M.O. than most. Instead of killing strangers, Ricky murdered women he had seduced. Linda Wolfe managed to track down a few who had survived the psychopath and their stories are amazing. In Mexico, Caputo had hooked up with a wealthy young model named Laura Gomez and it did not end well for the entitled lass. After his first murder in 1971, he had escaped a minimum security nut house in NY City and killed the psychiatrist who befriended him. They had become lovers. A laundry list of women who were looking for Mr. Goodbar and found him is astonishing. The human race continues to fascinate and bewilder me. In between the murders, Ricardo had married a seventeen year-old Mexican beauty queen and lived a seemingly normal family life with their four children. Neighbors described him as a great guy. Wolfe put her heart and soul into this book, travelling to Argentina to interview Caputo's mother and to Westchester County Jail to meet her son. Love me to Death is a great read.

[Carol Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the 5 true crime books by this author that I've read, this is far and away the best in my opinion. Perhaps this was because she was a friend of one of the killer's possible victims. She seemed to have a personal interest in this case, which really brought life to the story. Good book.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book!!