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The Zodiac Revisited #2
The Zodiac Revisited, Volume 2: Analysis and Fact-Based Speculation
Understand History's Most Enigmatic Serial Killer
In December of 1968, a serial killer began orchestrating a campaign of terror in the San Francisco Bay Area. Not satisfied with the simple act of murder, he taunted law enforcement and the public by writing letters to local newspapers. Through often cryptic and bizarre content—including four ciphers, three of which have never been solved—the psychopath played a twisted game. Reporters dubbed the man the "Cipher Killer," but the murderer chose a different name for himself: the Zodiac. Eventually, he would claim to have murdered thirty-seven. Law enforcement, however, could only account for five.
In 1971, authenticated communications with the Zodiac ceased. The elusive fugitive resurfaced briefly three years later, sending a small number of communiqués, before disappearing for good. What started out with shocking abruptness slowly dissolved into mysterious uncertainty. To this day, the Zodiac's true identity remains one of the twentieth century's greatest mysteries...
Having established an analytical foundation in Volume 1, Michael uses Volume 2 to look across the entirety of the case and identify meaningful threads of commonality, exploring subjects such as the killer's methodology, persona, and ciphers.
In December of 1968, a serial killer began orchestrating a campaign of terror in the San Francisco Bay Area. Not satisfied with the simple act of murder, he taunted law enforcement and the public by writing letters to local newspapers. Through often cryptic and bizarre content—including four ciphers, three of which have never been solved—the psychopath played a twisted game. Reporters dubbed the man the "Cipher Killer," but the murderer chose a different name for himself: the Zodiac. Eventually, he would claim to have murdered thirty-seven. Law enforcement, however, could only account for five.
In 1971, authenticated communications with the Zodiac ceased. The elusive fugitive resurfaced briefly three years later, sending a small number of communiqués, before disappearing for good. What started out with shocking abruptness slowly dissolved into mysterious uncertainty. To this day, the Zodiac's true identity remains one of the twentieth century's greatest mysteries...
Having established an analytical foundation in Volume 1, Michael uses Volume 2 to look across the entirety of the case and identify meaningful threads of commonality, exploring subjects such as the killer's methodology, persona, and ciphers.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 17, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 26, 2024
Overall: 2.75 stars.
Yes, I'm being pedantic and splitting up my star rating so narrowly because I feel like giving this book 2 stars is an insult and 3 is too generous.
While I really enjoyed the first volume of Zodiac Revisited, this 2nd book is, well, even more pedantic than my rating of it. The first book is a no-nonsense, but very thorough and well-organized, recitation of the facts of the Zodiac Killer case. This book is a very thorough and well-organized exploration of the author's attempts to solve some of the ciphers and create, in essence, a psychological profile of the killer. The author insists that his theories are very probable because they're based on evidence and sound logic, but....there pretty much is no evidence in this case. Sure, his theory that the Zodiac was into maps and had a map methodology for offing people isn't as far-fetched as someone who claims the Unabomber or Charles Manson did it, but it still isn't really based on any more evidence than a couple letters the Zodiac sent to newspapers.
I honestly got kind of bored with the author's in-depth explanations of compass rose designs, radians, and the degrees in the astronomical zodiac.
If you're a huge Zodiac Killer nerd or really love puzzles and want to hear someone's well thought-out theories in-depth, then you'll probably have fun with this. If you're just a casual true crime nerd or just mildly curious about the case, I wouldn't recommend this book. It's a hardcore deep dive into minutiae and theories about the killer - none, of course - proven, and it just became a bit of a snoozefest after a while.
Still, I gotta give the author props for his thorough research, writing, and organization.
Yes, I'm being pedantic and splitting up my star rating so narrowly because I feel like giving this book 2 stars is an insult and 3 is too generous.
While I really enjoyed the first volume of Zodiac Revisited, this 2nd book is, well, even more pedantic than my rating of it. The first book is a no-nonsense, but very thorough and well-organized, recitation of the facts of the Zodiac Killer case. This book is a very thorough and well-organized exploration of the author's attempts to solve some of the ciphers and create, in essence, a psychological profile of the killer. The author insists that his theories are very probable because they're based on evidence and sound logic, but....there pretty much is no evidence in this case. Sure, his theory that the Zodiac was into maps and had a map methodology for offing people isn't as far-fetched as someone who claims the Unabomber or Charles Manson did it, but it still isn't really based on any more evidence than a couple letters the Zodiac sent to newspapers.
I honestly got kind of bored with the author's in-depth explanations of compass rose designs, radians, and the degrees in the astronomical zodiac.
If you're a huge Zodiac Killer nerd or really love puzzles and want to hear someone's well thought-out theories in-depth, then you'll probably have fun with this. If you're just a casual true crime nerd or just mildly curious about the case, I wouldn't recommend this book. It's a hardcore deep dive into minutiae and theories about the killer - none, of course - proven, and it just became a bit of a snoozefest after a while.
Still, I gotta give the author props for his thorough research, writing, and organization.
October 15, 2021
A good, solid analysis. As far as I can tell, this is mostly pulled from the author's own conjecture about the case, rather than a summation of many other analyses.
A lot of my opinions on the theories put forth here were swayed heavily by my own bias, created from Volume 1, on the killer's intelligence. I personally view the man to be far less the conniving genius than I suspect Cole does.
Contrary to this, some aspects of the theory are utterly convincing. I have no doubt in my mind that the entirety of the "Rotated Compass Rose" is accurate - it is completely clear that, if not perfect, the Zodiac intended for the compass rose to be aligned to magnetic north over Mt. Diablo and split into twelve sections. It is perfectly believable that the crimes were intended to happen along these radial lines. I'm not completely convinced that all of the proposed thought went into the "the Zodiac" moniker, but it is intriguing to speculate.
The quadrant theory feels to be a little more of a stretch. While spatial theory is certainly probable within the Zodiac's writings to my mind, the quadrant theory leaves a lot to be desired with regards to the remaining quadrants. While each quadrant should have a number of crimes associated with it, "by Fire" is covered only by the bus bomb, and, to my memory, "by Rope" is not touched on. This leaves this particular theory feeling unsubstantiated and half-completed. It's perfectly possible that circumstances within the killer's life prevented him from carrying these out, but I would expect Cole to touch on his beliefs in this regard. That being said, the explanation of the right-angle symbol that follows really felt like a satisfying "a-ha!" moment as a reader.
Cole is clearly educated and proficient in cryptology, which makes this section incredibly thorough. I am coming from a Layman's perspective, but feel that the necessary components are explained well and that I have come away with a decent rudimentary understanding of how the ciphers were constructed, and how the two of them were solved. While a little dry, I personally greatly appreciate the detail, and as is stated, sections can be skipped if necessary.
Overall an absorbing springboard into further reading about the theories of the more intricate details in the case. While I may have been too much of a sceptic to fully appreciate everything, nothing is proposed without a full consideration of the evidence, nor without a touch of acknowledgement in the leaps of faith the text is asking you to make. You cannot ask for more.
A lot of my opinions on the theories put forth here were swayed heavily by my own bias, created from Volume 1, on the killer's intelligence. I personally view the man to be far less the conniving genius than I suspect Cole does.
Contrary to this, some aspects of the theory are utterly convincing. I have no doubt in my mind that the entirety of the "Rotated Compass Rose" is accurate - it is completely clear that, if not perfect, the Zodiac intended for the compass rose to be aligned to magnetic north over Mt. Diablo and split into twelve sections. It is perfectly believable that the crimes were intended to happen along these radial lines. I'm not completely convinced that all of the proposed thought went into the "the Zodiac" moniker, but it is intriguing to speculate.
The quadrant theory feels to be a little more of a stretch. While spatial theory is certainly probable within the Zodiac's writings to my mind, the quadrant theory leaves a lot to be desired with regards to the remaining quadrants. While each quadrant should have a number of crimes associated with it, "by Fire" is covered only by the bus bomb, and, to my memory, "by Rope" is not touched on. This leaves this particular theory feeling unsubstantiated and half-completed. It's perfectly possible that circumstances within the killer's life prevented him from carrying these out, but I would expect Cole to touch on his beliefs in this regard. That being said, the explanation of the right-angle symbol that follows really felt like a satisfying "a-ha!" moment as a reader.
Cole is clearly educated and proficient in cryptology, which makes this section incredibly thorough. I am coming from a Layman's perspective, but feel that the necessary components are explained well and that I have come away with a decent rudimentary understanding of how the ciphers were constructed, and how the two of them were solved. While a little dry, I personally greatly appreciate the detail, and as is stated, sections can be skipped if necessary.
Overall an absorbing springboard into further reading about the theories of the more intricate details in the case. While I may have been too much of a sceptic to fully appreciate everything, nothing is proposed without a full consideration of the evidence, nor without a touch of acknowledgement in the leaps of faith the text is asking you to make. You cannot ask for more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2021
This continuation of the author's first book with the same lead title presents some intriguing analysis of the evidence surrounding the Zodiac killings. Probably the most intriguing discussion in the book for me was the segment on cryptography, given the unusual cryptograms delivered in messages the Zodiac sent to newspapers during the time he was active.
One can only speculate on the identity of the Zodiac killer, who has never been identified. But once again, as with the first of the author's three-part series on this case, I find myself sleuthing along and coming to some conclusions of my own regarding the potential identity of the killer. As such, I'm looking forward to reading the next and final book in this three-volume set!
One can only speculate on the identity of the Zodiac killer, who has never been identified. But once again, as with the first of the author's three-part series on this case, I find myself sleuthing along and coming to some conclusions of my own regarding the potential identity of the killer. As such, I'm looking forward to reading the next and final book in this three-volume set!
August 3, 2022
I’ve read NUMEROUS books regarding the Zodiac murders. All of them tend to have their own viewpoints, and come to various conclusions and theories. In all cases, while they may differ, they are generally based on facts that are universally accepted.
This book is the exception. The author, in MANY cases, twists the facts, or comes up with his own using “probable” theories that he develops. He then uses these loosely develops theories to make his arguments.
He even goes so far as to come up with what he calls “Probable” solutions to unsolved ciphers that have baffled experts for decades.
I found this book to be almost laughable in many of the theories developed, and a complete work of fiction created in one man’s mind. It was an epic waste of time.
This book is the exception. The author, in MANY cases, twists the facts, or comes up with his own using “probable” theories that he develops. He then uses these loosely develops theories to make his arguments.
He even goes so far as to come up with what he calls “Probable” solutions to unsolved ciphers that have baffled experts for decades.
I found this book to be almost laughable in many of the theories developed, and a complete work of fiction created in one man’s mind. It was an epic waste of time.
March 18, 2021
Having all the facts... Now we analyze. In depth and from all directions.
The author takes all the facts in hand and crawls inside the head of the Zodiac. How much is spot on and how much misses the mark is open to debate. However, the depth of thought behind why Zodiac did everything from location selection to victim profiles and ciphers to spelling errors is amazing.
If you want in depth and ground level on the case, this is required reading. I strongly recommend reading the trilogy in order...
The author takes all the facts in hand and crawls inside the head of the Zodiac. How much is spot on and how much misses the mark is open to debate. However, the depth of thought behind why Zodiac did everything from location selection to victim profiles and ciphers to spelling errors is amazing.
If you want in depth and ground level on the case, this is required reading. I strongly recommend reading the trilogy in order...
March 25, 2025
I read the first volume, and while it did a fine job of reviewing the case and suggesting a few previously uncredited Zodiac attacks, I hoped for something more with the second volume. Unfortunately, it’s probably the most pointless book I’ve read on Zodiac since Gary L. Stewart’s The Most Dangerous Animal of All. I say “probably” because the word appears regularly in this book. It’s full of unverifiable claims like the author’s solutions to the “My Name Is” and Z32 cipher. He guesses that the last three characters in the Z32 cipher stand for “out” because it’s a commonly used three-letter word. From here, he builds a solution based on supposition and more guesswork. This is what Stewart did when he claimed to have found his father’s name in a Zodiac code. Like Stewart, Cole seems to start with the answer and work backwards. The problem is you can find almost anything you want doing this. It’s like Michael Drosnin’s The Bible Code.
October 18, 2022
The zodiac revisited
I have not read the 1st 2 volumes of the zodiac revisited and I enjoyed both very much very informative very interesting and very hard to put down do you know anything I wish they would have had more illustrations pictures of a zodiac but I do highly recommend the book very much
I have not read the 1st 2 volumes of the zodiac revisited and I enjoyed both very much very informative very interesting and very hard to put down do you know anything I wish they would have had more illustrations pictures of a zodiac but I do highly recommend the book very much
March 18, 2025
This was a great book and probably would get 4 stars but it got 3 because it wasn’t the best book to listen to while driving.
There were too many references to diagrams that if you could see while listening would for sure enhance the experience.
There were too many references to diagrams that if you could see while listening would for sure enhance the experience.
February 27, 2021
Another solid effort. He attempts to solve the 2 shortest ciphers and his reasoning seems as solid as anything else I've ever read.
January 2, 2024
Beyond just the case facts
This second book in the three-part series about the Zodiac Killer, has a more analytic approach. Michael Cole in the first book laid out the facts about each of the attacks, but here we have his take on the events and a very deep look at the ciphers.
This second book in the three-part series about the Zodiac Killer, has a more analytic approach. Michael Cole in the first book laid out the facts about each of the attacks, but here we have his take on the events and a very deep look at the ciphers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews