Ed Kemper: Conversations with a Killer: The Shocking True Story of the Co-Ed Butcher

by Dary Matera

The third title in our Conversations with a Killer series focuses on one of the most notorious serial killers of the 1970s, Ed Kemper, a key character in the hit Netflix series  Mindhunter .

If there ever was a human monster that walked this earth, it was the highly intelligent, psychotic, 6’9” killer Edward “Big Ed” Kemper. As a troubled 15-year-old, Kemper shot and killed his grandparents. Eight years later, he went on an 11-month reign of terror slaughtering and dismembering six college co-eds in California, brutally killing his mother with a hammer, and breaking her best friend’s neck. Kemper, 71, remains alive at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, more intimidating now than ever. Masterful crime writer Dary Matera tells Kemper’s full, shocking story, interweaving insights from the killer himself.
 

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime

288 pages, Paperback

Published July 20, 2021

Reviews

[Rebecca Morales · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps it's that my expectations were higher after reading the Ted Bundy book in this series, Conversations with a Killer, but it seems that if you're going to title a book this way, it's reasonable to expect that the author had said conversations with said killer.
This guy is a glorified fan fiction writer.
Sure, he does make decent use of his sources and actual conversations (that other people had) with Kemper, but like I said in my mid-point comment, this writing is BAD.
Peppered with random tangents about Charles Manson (some are relevant notes, most are not), inappropriate comments about how "exotic" and "pretty" the victims were, weird and repetitive, nonsensical comments about various tv shows, comics, movies, and characters, I can't go on...

The way this guy writes is just unprofessional, which is maybe where my expectations were skewed. I generally expect true crime to be written without blatantly obvious biased language. We KNOW that Kemper was a monster, was this or that, but to repeat that over and over, dropped into sarcastic commentary and jokes that aren't actually funny, and border on offensive and inappropriate considering the subject matter (while in the same breath criticizing Kemper, a sociopath, for doing the same), I dunno...it comes across as the author just completely lacking in any professionalism or respect for his work.
The guy clearly gets a kick out of himself, and it's a little weird and not what I enjoy in my true crime.

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars = Don't regret reading it.

This book is not really a "conversation" with Ed. The author's style leaves a lot to be desired. He goes off on side tangents, there are constant references to random scenes from TV shows/movies, many details were repeated over and over throughout the book, etc. And get this ... on the back cover ... he calls him EDWARD. His name is EDMUND. Duh.

As to Ed, his crimes are just as sickening to read about as they were in other books I've read. Just horrid.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having sex with a corpse is by far one of the most disturbing things I think an individual can do… or with its severed head.

Ed Kemper is a fucked up individual. As far as how this book was written it wasn’t my favorite true crime story BUT, the information that it covered was intriguing enough to keep me hooked.

Ed was disappointed that he was unable to live out his childhood fantasy of going to the electric chair. 😳

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

⚠️ Trigger warning ⚠️ Animal abuse

[Alexa Camacho-Baños ♡☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a true crime girly with a bachelor's degree in Psychology/Criminology, I was expecting more from this book. It wasn't terrible, but something about the writing wasn't enough to keep me hooked to learn more about this infamous killer. It still makes me sick to my stomach reading about all the atrocious things he did, but I just feel like this could have been better. This was just OK.

[Bri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Get it here:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

[Haley~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars because the writing in this book is trash. I’ll only include one quote, which I thought was absolutely disgusting and disrespectful, because I’m not going to waste my time combing back through this to pull more trash out for the review.

“She grabbed at his vulnerable testicles, but her small hand didn’t faze the erect beast.”

Just unacceptable.

The info in the book was interesting enough. I appreciated the amount of direct quotes of Kemper’s in it. But the author’s skills or lack-thereof really ruined the book for me.

[Horror Haus Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really drives home the nature vs. nurture debate. Kemper’s mother was an absolute monster in her own right, and the abuse he endured adds an unsettling layer of complexity to an already disturbing story. His crimes involved extreme violence (necrophilia, decapitation, and dismemberment) and the book does not shy away from the brutal reality of what he did.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This made my skin crawl. My main complaint is the filler in this book. The author went on side tangets.

[Courtenay Motley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, just had a few too many sarcastic quips by the author. They were probably meant to lighten the mood but they were a bit awkward.

[wendigo bandito · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the journalistic retelling of Eds life in and out of prison was very interesting and mostly what i wanted out of this book, what you get far too often are side stories about seemingly irrelevant tv shows and poor choice of words particularly when describing the victims and Ed himself. The book came across as an author who loves reading and discussing serial killers bordering on fan fiction.
I wanted the facts and a story to be told on Kempers' life and while i got all that, there was far too much other than takes away from this book.

[Jason Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 61 of 2025

This book is listed as “conversations with a killer”
Not so much.

That being said, this book was pretty good, and Ed Kemper was beyond F*CKED up!!!
Sex with a corpse, sex with a head, and some cannibalism to finish it off!!!
Worth checking out for any serial killer/true crime fan.

Netflix should do a series on him, IMO thru owe us after botching Ed Gein….

[Bill reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Ed is an NFL-size serial killer, who at six foot nine and two hundred eighty pounds was described as a "gentle giant" by most of those who thought that they knew him well. Kemper was well known at a bar frequented by police during the time of the "Coed Killer." They drank with him and the killings were discussed in a light hearted manner.
The lawmen were unaware that the big man had killed his grandma and grandpa at fifteen to see what it would feel like to murder them. After six years at a mental hospital he was declared "cured" and sent home to his alcoholic and domineering mother. Heated battles caused Eddie to transfer his anger to six unfortunate hitchhikers. After the murders he sliced and diced them and kept the heads for sexual gratification. He then offed mom with a claw hammer and for good measure removed her tongue and larynx. He threw darts at her head to complete his evening.
He has spent most of the past fifty years at the Vacaville Mental Hospital. Charles Manson was also housed there on occasion. Ed Kemper is a very entertaining read.

[Adreyanna Ricci · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is weird. It’s fine, but not really what I expected. The author went off on unrelated topics, (such as Star Trek and Charles Manson) repeated himself quite a bit, and didn’t really add anything unknown to anyone who likes true crime. I thought this author had spoken to Kemper and was telling his experience, (the title) but instead he just wrote the same book we’ve all read a thousand times. There’s nothing in this book that isn’t already in all the others. Save yourself the money, and skip this one.

[Will Duane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wont lie. This guy was one sick puppy dog.

[Alessio De Agostini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Titolo Libro: Ed Kemper- Conversation with a killer
Autore: Dary Matera
Casa Editrice: Sterling
Pagine: 222

Opinione Personale:
Se devo essere sincero c'è stato un momento ben preciso in cui ho iniziato a provare interesse verso le storie sui s****l k****r e quel momento è stato quando iniziai a guardare
la serie tv Mindhunter. Una serie tv ben fatta, ben realizzata, una serie tv che ripercorre la storia di due agenti dell' FBI intenzionati a capire i
comportamenti dei s****l k****r sfruttando quelli catturati tramite delle interviste nei vari carceri degli Stati Uniti. Ed è in quella serie tv che ho iniziato ad avere un certo interesse verso la figura di Ed Kemper. Nonostante la serie tv approfondisca la sua figura in varie puntate, avevo voglia di saperne ancora di più.
Quindi andai su Amazon per cercare se fosse uscito qualche libro su di lui (ovviamente in Italia non è ancora uscito niente, se non un libro che si basa soltanto sulla sua storia) quindi decisi di comprare l' unico libro che trovai su Amazon, ovvero questo.
Leggendo questo libro ho scoperto che in realtà è il primo di una serie- chiamata appunto- Conversation with a killer, il secondo libro parla di Charles Manson.
Passando a parlare del libro, posso dire che è stata una lettura davvero molto interessante e che approfondisce non solo la vita e la piscologia di Kemper, ma anche la società dell' epoca e sul perchè all' epoca era così facile trovare le vittime per Kemper.
Si parte dalla gioventù travagliata di Kemper, del suo pessimo rapporto con la madre che umiliava sia lui che il padre, per poi passare alla convivenza con i nonni paterni.
Convivenza che non andrà a finire bene.
Una volta internato in un carcere minorile, nel quale veniva tenuto sotto osservazione anche da psicologi per capire se avesse qualche disturbo mentale.
Nonostante durante i vari test, secondo gli psicologi Kemper era un ragazzo mentalmente stabile. Nei vari test, il Q.I di Kemper è arrivato ad un risultato pari a 140 e oltre, fino ad aumentare a 150 negli anni in cui era in carcere.
Nonostante i pareri degli psicologi ,Kemper sentiva di non essere pronto per tornare libero in un mondo che non riconosceva, un mondo che gli faceva paura dato che faceva fatica a socializzare con le persone e soprattutto con le ragazze.
Ma andiamo oltre, Matera approfondisce il lato psicologico di Kemper citando anche Peter Vronsky e i vari psicologi, dottori, giornalisti e agenti dell' FBI (Douglas,Ressler),che hanno avuto modo di incontrare e conoscere Kemper.
Ripercorrerà anche tutto lo svolgimento dell' indagine e della causa in tribunale.
Insomma, in appena 220 e passa pagine Matera riesce ad approfondire ogni aspetto della vicenda Kemper.
E' stato il primo libro letto in lingua originale e devo ammettere che all' inizio sono riuscito a leggerlo tranquillamente, ma più andavo avanti più diventava un pò tosto questo viaggio al di là dei dettagli spinti delle varie uccisioni. Più che altro per colpa della stanchezza serale (dato che lo leggevo prima di andare a dormire).
E' stato un mese di immersione totale in questo mondo macabro tra questo libro, la mostra sui serial killer a Lambrate e il rewatch di Mindhunter e penso che per un po' cercherò di legere altri generi.
Conoscevate il caso Kemper? conoscete e avete visto la serie Mindhunter? Avete anche letto i vari saggi di Douglas, Ressler e Vronsky?
Fatemelo sapere nei commenti.

[Susan Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kemper is probably my favorite, and this was my 3rd Kemper book this year. It was what was hoping for from the other two, as they were brief retellings of the case and this one started in Kemper’s youth and took us through his life and crimes. I will say that this is not for the faint of heart as it does go into a good bit of detail and gets a bit graphic. The author does get annoyingly repetitive with some quotes and facts throughout the book. It’s almost felt like they forgot they used that information or they were trying to meet a word count. I also did not like the tone the author sometimes used. This is a serious case with real people affected by the events, and the name calling and descriptions used at times were almost unprofessional. It made sense to use some of that type of verbiage when it was coming from a direct quote, but other than that, it seemed over the top and sensationalized. It was during those times it felt more like a tabloid headline story rather than a serious true crime novel. Trust me, I understand the type of person (if you can even consider him anything other than a monster) Kemper was, but in my opinion, the author could have kept things on a more professional level out of respect to the subject matter. With all that being said, I really did enjoy this book. I like the depth and detail the author goes into throughout the book. I like that the author acknowledges the type of manipulative person Kemper is in regards to the facts of his life and crimes. The author gives us a real look at this manipulation and makes us realize we may never know the real facts of the case, facts that only Kemper really knows and will take to his grave letting him maintain control of the situation and be the “smartest” one until the end. This book also provides a lot of good references and future reading suggestions from others involved in this case and others similar cases from the same time period.

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd and inappropriate at times

Kempers story has fascinated me for some time and I really looked forward to reading this book. I've read many true crime books and this has been the worst and just downright odd.

As many other people have also stated here, it's just written so weirdly. The author makes really sarcastic weird comments, making the content seem like a dramatic media report. He CONSTANTLY mentions Kempers height and weight and repeats facts so much it just got ridiculous. He also would just go off onto random topics and unrelated subjects like a plot from CSI or Law and Order TV shows or movies like Star Trek. Weird stuff also like because Kempers mother and father were tall he said "Eds towering parents were both avatar/wookie like creatures in an era of Americans who were shorter" and so on. And one chapter about Aiko Koo, a victim of Kempers spree who was a dancer is called 'The Tiny Dancer Can't Breathe'. I just found it inappropriate and strange. The text at times also read as a bit of a joke and it's just not funny and is just unprofessional.

If you ignore the author's stupidity, there are many factual and interesting bits in the book. But, it is hard to ignore because it really is bad

[Demeter Capsalis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was both badly written, and exploitative in a distasteful manner considering the subject matter. Concerning the prior: the language was taudry, exceeding in cheap adjectives and bad punctuation. Concerning the latter: exploitation must be done right; the subject of exploitation has to be in some way subversive, erotic, subliminal, or at least cogent. And if the subject is not fictional, the author has an increasingly finer line to walk. One missed step and they've comitted a serious moral faux pas. This, the author has accomplished instead of a well written book. It felt like a cash grab at best.

True crime authors have a responsibility to reverently cover their topics. They also are obligated to present novel information in the cases they cover; otherwise there is no need to produce a new book. This author has recycled common knowledge that an entry-level student of the Kemper case could recite. At that rate, it is best to leave the story to the ink that has already been spilled by previous authors.

[Marsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually enjoy true crime, and this was an ok read. However, the author interjected too many personal or subjective statements into the narrative. I don't expect an author to favor their subject, or anything like that. I do, however, prefer to have a more objective presentation because there are enough sensationalized tales on every serial killer that we don't need those that present to be objective yet end up with not-so-subtle titillating account snuck in throughout.

Overall, the book provided a passable account of Kemper's background, murders, trial, and subsequent life in prison. I would consider this more of an entry book if someone didn't know a lot about Kemper and what he did. Yet I would add a caveat that one should be careful reading this narrative as it does use language that blatantly sways a specific viewpoint if you are looking for something more objective and historical.

[Nellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a good recap of the Kemper case, although there were frequent spelling and grammatical mistakes. Furthermore, the narrator's continuous references to random episodes or scenes from TV shows or movies, in an attempt to point out similarities or create a sense of humour, along with the frequent sarcastic comments, felt disingenuous and detracted from the seriousness of the topic and the deaths of the women.

This book included details about the neglect and naivety of the law enforcement agents in handling this case but didn't criticise the agents for just that. Lastly, many details were repeated throughout the book, mostly regarding re-introductions to previously mentioned persons (and multiple times per person!), and without this repetition, I think it would have been a much shorter book.

[Christine Curry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book feels like a terribly executed cash grab. It didn’t present any new insights or information about Ed Kemper. It really was just a regurgitation of previously published information with the author’s shallow opinions sprinkled throughout. And the use of exclamation points, my god, the author must have set some sort of world record with his frequent usage of them.

The worst part of the book is the tone the author decided to use. The subject matter is and will always be a very serious thing. Many women were killed and mutilated by a sadistic man—making light of it and weaving in jokes and misogynistic comments about the victims is….pretty horrible. This is possibly one of the worst true crime books I’ve ever read. I cannot recommend.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of Ed Kemper until I watched Mindhunter on Netflix. I always found serial killers interesting, but the fact he turned himself in, his extremely high IQ and the fact that he assisted with the start of criminal profiling made me want to learn more. If you are curious, like I was, this book tells you all you want to know and more. It is also extremely well written and easy to read. In my opinion, he is one of the most interesting serial killers out there.

[corpsedrot · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favorite true crime case. By favorite I mean the one I find most fascinating. This book does a very good job at presenting the case of nurture vs. nature even if that had not been it’s intent. The only Kemper book to have the newest information on him including his life in prison and (semi) current state of being.

[Victoria Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I wish this was actually conversations with a killer like the Ted Bundy one was. I knew next to nothing about Kemper and his crimes before reading this and I can say I am definitely disturb which says a lot. I enjoyed the Ted Bundy one a lot more (had a different authored and interviewer) and found this authors writing to be a bit unprofessional, jokes and true crime really shouldn’t mix

[Mack · Rating 2 out of 5]

The language was a little conversation for the subject matter in my opinion. I also wish we would have gotten more actual quotes from Ed Kemper, given the title, but it was still an interesting read.

[Ocean · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was interesting because the subject was interesting but holy shit was this poorly written. the author inserted SO MUCH judgment and commentary. it literally ends with a suggestion to never take lyft or uber because your driver MIGHT be a serial killer just like ed kemper.

[James Kearney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ed Kemper, Conversations with a Killer: Dary Matera

Morbid fascination with serial killers in our society has always interested me. So I decided to give this a try. Very informative. Crazy to belive people like this exist.

⭐️⭐️⭐️— Recommend if you like True Crime

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing style is trash. It comes off as juvenile…we know Ed is a psychotic monster, it doesn’t need to be said every other sentence. While the book is filled with plenty of facts, I just can’t stand the way it is written lol.

[Courtney Skelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner. Loved this book from page one. Dary Matera’s book gives us a clear view into the real “Big Ed”. Spoiler alert. It’s not pretty and quite scary. A crime drama lovers book for sure. Recommend

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting dive into one of the most deadly minds in serial killer history