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In the Shadow of Mt.Diablo: The Shocking True Identity of the Zodiac Killer'
In June 1999, Mike Rodelli had an idea that had never occurred to a generation of detectives in the San Francisco Bay Area. This led him to a new suspect in the Zodiac case and began a twenty-year odyssey to prove that this man was the Zodiac Killer. In the Shadow of Mt. Diablo: The Shocking True Identity of the Zodiac Killer is filled with original information about the mystery, including DNA and behavioral profiling that resulted directly from his twenty years of intensive research. Rodelli provides the reader with an objectively researched, fully documented book that is meticulously footnoted, and which shows that, against all odds, he has solved a case many said would never yield its dark secrets.
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
496 pages, Paperback
Published May 11, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 12, 2021
Having read books about the Zodiac Killer, and watched various things on TV as well, I’ve wondered who this elusive killer is during the years. , So I was eager to dive into this newest, possibly revealing, book on Zodiac with a new suspect. I recently read how some of the Zodiac’s impossibly difficult codes from his letters had recently been cracked after all these years. So is it possible that his identity has been figured out as well? That is why I read the book. You will have to decide for yourself if you think Rodelli got it correct or not. Its certainly well-researched, with about 20 years spent chasing an answer. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Mike Rodelli, and the publisher.
July 20, 2021
"How did I know I was right even with such little evidence? Because I had spent forty-three years of my life knowing what wrong felt like and this felt completely different"
This start strong. Reading it felt like having a conversation in a living room with an eccentric friend. I was ready to hear him out, but I was a bit skeptical. But as I started to read, I was really pulled in to the story. The author gives the story, the details, the crimes and really spells it all out. By 50%, I was rooting him on and shaking my head at the police that wouldn't listen.
But around 50% I was wondering how we still had so many pages. Even at half way, I felt like we'd rehashed things a few times and there were definitely some repeated areas. The story picked back up again around 75 or 80% with new information and I loved reading about the meeting. I just wish this had been skimmed down a bit and wasn't quite so long. But I found this fascinating and I'm glad I read it.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
This start strong. Reading it felt like having a conversation in a living room with an eccentric friend. I was ready to hear him out, but I was a bit skeptical. But as I started to read, I was really pulled in to the story. The author gives the story, the details, the crimes and really spells it all out. By 50%, I was rooting him on and shaking my head at the police that wouldn't listen.
But around 50% I was wondering how we still had so many pages. Even at half way, I felt like we'd rehashed things a few times and there were definitely some repeated areas. The story picked back up again around 75 or 80% with new information and I loved reading about the meeting. I just wish this had been skimmed down a bit and wasn't quite so long. But I found this fascinating and I'm glad I read it.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
July 27, 2022
Growing up in the 70's, I of course heard about the Zodiac Killer. Mostly from aunts and uncles talking about when they thought all the kids were outside.
As I'm trying to read more True Crime books, I was excited to receive this ARC from Indigo River Publishing (all opinions expressed are my own). I've watched at least one move on this subject but haven't ever read any books on it.
In the Shadow of Mt Diablo was well researched and presents an opinion by the author of who the real killer is. The book is presented in a way to allow you to come to your own conclusions at the end as of course, no one has ever been proven to be the killer.
The book itself was really long. I really wish it would have been more condensed as it was repetitive in several areas and included some details that really weren't necessary.
Overall, if you enjoy True Crime, this is a good book to have in your library.
As I'm trying to read more True Crime books, I was excited to receive this ARC from Indigo River Publishing (all opinions expressed are my own). I've watched at least one move on this subject but haven't ever read any books on it.
In the Shadow of Mt Diablo was well researched and presents an opinion by the author of who the real killer is. The book is presented in a way to allow you to come to your own conclusions at the end as of course, no one has ever been proven to be the killer.
The book itself was really long. I really wish it would have been more condensed as it was repetitive in several areas and included some details that really weren't necessary.
Overall, if you enjoy True Crime, this is a good book to have in your library.
June 5, 2021
Anyone who lived in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s probably has an opinion or at least some curiosity about the Zodiac killer. Never definitively identified, this serial killer was known for targeting young couples and following up his grisly crimes with letters and cards sent to various media outlets in the Bay Area with taunting messages, including several cryptograms.
I lived very near both Lake Berryessa and Lake Herman Road, two locations of Zodiac attacks on couples in parked cars. I also was a college student, and I had a very weird professor who taught computer science at night and supervised an IT department by day. I was completely freaked out by the idea that he was the Zodiac because one night after class, he took me for a drive that included Lake Herman Road, and showed me the giant flashlight on the floor of the back seat, which had clear red plastic wrap covering the lens, which he said looked just like a police officer in the rear view mirror if he came up behind a car. EEEK!
Anyway, about the book In The Shadow of Mt. Diablo by Mike Rodelli, which I received from Indigo River Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for this review. Mr. Rodelli states that he knows without doubt who the murderer was, and he has spent years researching and documenting the case (and no, it isn’t my former professor). In his book, subtitled “The Shocking True Identity of the Zodiac Killer, Rodelli provides an exhaustively researched, fully documented book. There are a ton of footnotes to support his claim, and it differs completely from Robert Graysmith’s book Zodiac, in which he identified Zodiac as Arthur Leigh Allen…but a partial DNA match from the saliva on the stamps used by the Zodiac Killer to send the letters and cards didn’t match him. Attempts to use the method of DNA matching using genealogy databases (the technique used to identify the Golden State Killer) have not been successful as of May, 2021, and the case remains open in San Francisco, Vallejo, and both Napa and Solano Counties.
Yes, the book is heavy on detail. Yes, Mr. Rodelli has done a ton of research. But I’m not convinced the Zodiac is the person identified in Rodelli’s book — although many people seem to believe that he was, or at least that the man identified hid the actual Zodiac Killer in his San Francisco apartment after one of the crimes. I think the book definitely needed an editor to make the presentation of the results of Rodelli’s hard work more coherent and readable. It’s a story that still fascinates many people, and this book will only add to the interest. And, TBH, since Arthur Leigh Allen and all the other named suspects have been ruled out, I still think my professor is a possibility — especially since he also looks as much like the sketch of Zodiac as the man named in this book. Two stars.
I lived very near both Lake Berryessa and Lake Herman Road, two locations of Zodiac attacks on couples in parked cars. I also was a college student, and I had a very weird professor who taught computer science at night and supervised an IT department by day. I was completely freaked out by the idea that he was the Zodiac because one night after class, he took me for a drive that included Lake Herman Road, and showed me the giant flashlight on the floor of the back seat, which had clear red plastic wrap covering the lens, which he said looked just like a police officer in the rear view mirror if he came up behind a car. EEEK!
Anyway, about the book In The Shadow of Mt. Diablo by Mike Rodelli, which I received from Indigo River Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for this review. Mr. Rodelli states that he knows without doubt who the murderer was, and he has spent years researching and documenting the case (and no, it isn’t my former professor). In his book, subtitled “The Shocking True Identity of the Zodiac Killer, Rodelli provides an exhaustively researched, fully documented book. There are a ton of footnotes to support his claim, and it differs completely from Robert Graysmith’s book Zodiac, in which he identified Zodiac as Arthur Leigh Allen…but a partial DNA match from the saliva on the stamps used by the Zodiac Killer to send the letters and cards didn’t match him. Attempts to use the method of DNA matching using genealogy databases (the technique used to identify the Golden State Killer) have not been successful as of May, 2021, and the case remains open in San Francisco, Vallejo, and both Napa and Solano Counties.
Yes, the book is heavy on detail. Yes, Mr. Rodelli has done a ton of research. But I’m not convinced the Zodiac is the person identified in Rodelli’s book — although many people seem to believe that he was, or at least that the man identified hid the actual Zodiac Killer in his San Francisco apartment after one of the crimes. I think the book definitely needed an editor to make the presentation of the results of Rodelli’s hard work more coherent and readable. It’s a story that still fascinates many people, and this book will only add to the interest. And, TBH, since Arthur Leigh Allen and all the other named suspects have been ruled out, I still think my professor is a possibility — especially since he also looks as much like the sketch of Zodiac as the man named in this book. Two stars.
July 12, 2021
Some traits displayed by what behaviorist Richard Walter calls “Power Assertive” (P-A) personalities and some quotes from the author throughout the book. Usually about his favorite topic, himself.
-Arrogance
“For many years, I lived the life of a professional student. I had been told by my friends that I was given a mind that was like a high-powered sports car. When I was in school I got lots of As, sat in the ‘smart row’ in fourth grade, skipped a year in junior high school, and earned a 3.9 GPA in college”
-An unlimited need for stimulation
“My continued involvement in higher education was essentially an effort to ‘test drive’ various fields to see if I could find a career that interested me. Despite the almost infinite range of possible career paths from which one can choose in life, I never did find one that truly held my attention.”
-Narcissism
“…was a potential clue that nobody had noticed before. Such being the case, it bolstered my confidence that, even though this evidence was old and had been picked over for a generation by thousands of people, including members of Mensa, the high-IQ society, there were still new discoveries to be made.”
“Had the police taken me more seriously and been less fearful of Qvale and his political and financial power in 1999 and 2000, maybe the case would have been solved when I first came along. And by 2006, I had even set a baseline for police interviewers by meeting with Qvale and having him give me untrue answers to my simple questions.”
(this one incidentally is one of my favorites next to the claim that his story is bigger than the Kennedy assassination for just its sheer hubris)
-Condescension
“This was unfortunate, because, despite having been to the attack site many times, Graysmith not only got the map wrong, he also had the details of the crime wrong.”
“I believe that Graysmith avoided these witnesses so as not to undermine the narrative he was creating about Allen being the Zodiac.”
“Anyone who has read Robert Graysmith’s Zodiac is assured in the introduction that Zodiac was a ‘sexual sadist’. This is a completely laughable notion…In an interview some years after his book came out, Graysmith corrected himself and said that Zodiac was a ‘sexual killer without the sex’ Unfortunately for him, that is not accurate either. The irony of a political cartoonist getting in over his head and using profiling terms he didn’t understand is that Zodiac was about as nonsexual a killer as you can ever find!”
-A need for glory and recognition
“He passed along my information to a senior producer named Pete Noyes. Noyes shocked me by saying that mine was the ‘best research’ and the ‘biggest investigative story’ he had ever seen in his entire career. And what a career it had been to that point! I learned that he had been in the news business since the early 1960s and had actually teamed up with reporter Dan Rather on November 22, 1963. They both were at CBS and were trying to secure the rights to the world-famous Zapruder film after the assassination of President Kennedy. Here was a grizzled veteran of the news business who had seen untold thousands of stories come and go over the course of forty years essentially saying that my story was even bigger than the Kennedy assassination!”
“Finally, because I know there will be an onslaught of detractors who will accuse me of gratuitously trying to besmirch Mr. Qvale’s good name, let me provide a partial list of the people who have read over and been impressed with and/or supported my research since 1999…”
I would argue that if someone is looking to build a circumstantial case (and while interesting, that’s what this book is despite the author’s claim of being ‘a slave to my facts’) based on personality traits of a man you have met once in your life, perhaps one needs to look in the mirror first and some of your own statements as cited above.
I’m not saying Rodelli is the Zodiac, but maybe I’m not not saying it either…
In all seriousness though, besides badly needing an editor, it’s mainly a lot of conjecture and repetition of the same points he makes throughout the book. Often within the same page. That’s fine I suppose. Nobody can really claim to know who the Zodiac is at this point and as difficult as it is for anyone with a sense of justice to admit to themselves, it is more than likely he will never be discovered.
What is not ok is the endless bragging by the author about how smart he is. Nor how the San Francisco police have tried to stonewall him and not release all of their evidence to him as an amateur investigator (the nerve of those professional cops!), or how their forensic lab tried to publicly embarrass him by finding things that contradicted his research. Embarrass him! Talk about narcissism!
Nor is his constant putting down and belittling of anyone who disagrees with his theory. When detractors are mentioned, he quickly rebuts it by citing some expert who claims his research is the most thorough they’ve ever seen! Yeah ok. Overcompensation isn’t a good look for anyone.
This was a slog to read, and minus all the self aggrandizing, might have actually been an interesting one. Sadly it was close to 500 pages my eyeballs could’ve done without.
-Arrogance
“For many years, I lived the life of a professional student. I had been told by my friends that I was given a mind that was like a high-powered sports car. When I was in school I got lots of As, sat in the ‘smart row’ in fourth grade, skipped a year in junior high school, and earned a 3.9 GPA in college”
-An unlimited need for stimulation
“My continued involvement in higher education was essentially an effort to ‘test drive’ various fields to see if I could find a career that interested me. Despite the almost infinite range of possible career paths from which one can choose in life, I never did find one that truly held my attention.”
-Narcissism
“…was a potential clue that nobody had noticed before. Such being the case, it bolstered my confidence that, even though this evidence was old and had been picked over for a generation by thousands of people, including members of Mensa, the high-IQ society, there were still new discoveries to be made.”
“Had the police taken me more seriously and been less fearful of Qvale and his political and financial power in 1999 and 2000, maybe the case would have been solved when I first came along. And by 2006, I had even set a baseline for police interviewers by meeting with Qvale and having him give me untrue answers to my simple questions.”
(this one incidentally is one of my favorites next to the claim that his story is bigger than the Kennedy assassination for just its sheer hubris)
-Condescension
“This was unfortunate, because, despite having been to the attack site many times, Graysmith not only got the map wrong, he also had the details of the crime wrong.”
“I believe that Graysmith avoided these witnesses so as not to undermine the narrative he was creating about Allen being the Zodiac.”
“Anyone who has read Robert Graysmith’s Zodiac is assured in the introduction that Zodiac was a ‘sexual sadist’. This is a completely laughable notion…In an interview some years after his book came out, Graysmith corrected himself and said that Zodiac was a ‘sexual killer without the sex’ Unfortunately for him, that is not accurate either. The irony of a political cartoonist getting in over his head and using profiling terms he didn’t understand is that Zodiac was about as nonsexual a killer as you can ever find!”
-A need for glory and recognition
“He passed along my information to a senior producer named Pete Noyes. Noyes shocked me by saying that mine was the ‘best research’ and the ‘biggest investigative story’ he had ever seen in his entire career. And what a career it had been to that point! I learned that he had been in the news business since the early 1960s and had actually teamed up with reporter Dan Rather on November 22, 1963. They both were at CBS and were trying to secure the rights to the world-famous Zapruder film after the assassination of President Kennedy. Here was a grizzled veteran of the news business who had seen untold thousands of stories come and go over the course of forty years essentially saying that my story was even bigger than the Kennedy assassination!”
“Finally, because I know there will be an onslaught of detractors who will accuse me of gratuitously trying to besmirch Mr. Qvale’s good name, let me provide a partial list of the people who have read over and been impressed with and/or supported my research since 1999…”
I would argue that if someone is looking to build a circumstantial case (and while interesting, that’s what this book is despite the author’s claim of being ‘a slave to my facts’) based on personality traits of a man you have met once in your life, perhaps one needs to look in the mirror first and some of your own statements as cited above.
I’m not saying Rodelli is the Zodiac, but maybe I’m not not saying it either…
In all seriousness though, besides badly needing an editor, it’s mainly a lot of conjecture and repetition of the same points he makes throughout the book. Often within the same page. That’s fine I suppose. Nobody can really claim to know who the Zodiac is at this point and as difficult as it is for anyone with a sense of justice to admit to themselves, it is more than likely he will never be discovered.
What is not ok is the endless bragging by the author about how smart he is. Nor how the San Francisco police have tried to stonewall him and not release all of their evidence to him as an amateur investigator (the nerve of those professional cops!), or how their forensic lab tried to publicly embarrass him by finding things that contradicted his research. Embarrass him! Talk about narcissism!
Nor is his constant putting down and belittling of anyone who disagrees with his theory. When detractors are mentioned, he quickly rebuts it by citing some expert who claims his research is the most thorough they’ve ever seen! Yeah ok. Overcompensation isn’t a good look for anyone.
This was a slog to read, and minus all the self aggrandizing, might have actually been an interesting one. Sadly it was close to 500 pages my eyeballs could’ve done without.
May 12, 2021
As a child of the 70s, I recall seeing a list of amazing coincidences between the JFK and Lincoln assassinations such as ages they married, years they were each first elected to Senate and then White House, Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wilkes Booth each had three part names, etc. The list was perhaps 15-20 items long.
However, you can apparently also find similar amazing coincidences between Kennedy and former Mexican President Álvaro Obregón. So, is this something extraordinary, or is it "data dredging" which Wikipedia says is: "the misuse of data analysis to find patterns in data that can be presented as statistically significant, thus dramatically increasing and understating the risk of false positives."
Reading Mike Rodelli's work also brought up the same sort of questions for me. Has he truly cracked the criminal case of the century, or is he just finding strands of vaguely similar coincidences and using that to weave together the supposed identity of the Zodiac Killer? Well ... in some instances I think Rodelli has brought up some startling evidence, such as his belief that the SFPD determined right away that the Zodiac was a loner, low-economic class psycho, rather than even entertaining the idea that he might have been wealthy, well-read, crazy smart and twisted.
He also points out that the SFPD did not really question the two true eyewitnesses to the Paul Stine murder, nor follow up with other clues or evidence that clearly appeared to be new avenues of investigation. Their DNA handling is also very suspect.
If you are at all interested in the Zodiac, I would definitely recommend you read this book and decide for yourself if Rodelli is correct. I'm still pretty much on the fence, but I appreciate his dedication and the level of his research. 3.5 stars.
I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
However, you can apparently also find similar amazing coincidences between Kennedy and former Mexican President Álvaro Obregón. So, is this something extraordinary, or is it "data dredging" which Wikipedia says is: "the misuse of data analysis to find patterns in data that can be presented as statistically significant, thus dramatically increasing and understating the risk of false positives."
Reading Mike Rodelli's work also brought up the same sort of questions for me. Has he truly cracked the criminal case of the century, or is he just finding strands of vaguely similar coincidences and using that to weave together the supposed identity of the Zodiac Killer? Well ... in some instances I think Rodelli has brought up some startling evidence, such as his belief that the SFPD determined right away that the Zodiac was a loner, low-economic class psycho, rather than even entertaining the idea that he might have been wealthy, well-read, crazy smart and twisted.
He also points out that the SFPD did not really question the two true eyewitnesses to the Paul Stine murder, nor follow up with other clues or evidence that clearly appeared to be new avenues of investigation. Their DNA handling is also very suspect.
If you are at all interested in the Zodiac, I would definitely recommend you read this book and decide for yourself if Rodelli is correct. I'm still pretty much on the fence, but I appreciate his dedication and the level of his research. 3.5 stars.
I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
May 20, 2021
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
At almost 500 pages Mike Rodelli provides a detailed scalpel-like analysis of his own 20 year search (some would unfairly say obsession) to try and confirm the belief that his KQ suspect was the elusive Zodiac.
As a fellow author who has searched for the truth for over 30 years in my own brother’s unsolved murder, I commend him for his dogged determination and a very concise analysis of his findings and theories. Whether he has managed to reveal the real Zodiac identity can easily be questioned by others who prefer to ridicule rather than have an open mind.
His story is credible and he has attempted to provide as much factual analysis (evidence?) rather than simple conjecture. Although his findings aremore of a detailed profile analysis and as such circumstantial as opposed to hard evidence such as DNA, fingerprints etc.. But he has carefully joined up some intriguing dots in his lengthy research.
After reading about his KQ suspect I was prompted to use the Internet to try and satisfy myself if there was any merit in Mike Rodelli’s assertion that his suspect KQ was indeed Zodiac. I appreciate it is not a proper investigative technique searching for bits to fit a particular individual. I accept that.
My internet searches were done in the hope that I could easily debunk Mike Rodelli’s perceptions about his KQ suspect. So I did so just for my own curious satisfaction and an attempt to rubbish his findings.
My own additional observations which Mike Rodelli has not included in his book are as follows:
Zodiac sent the famous Skeleton Halloween card. It is accepted that Zodiac personally pasted down the skeleton on the inside of the card. He could have pasted it down in any shape he wished. But to my eye the leg bones of the skeleton are in the distinctive shape of a letter K – the first letter of the first name of Mike Rodelli’s KQ suspect.
Around the Knot Hole in the tree on the inside of the Halloween Card Zodiac wrote the words PEEK-A-BOO YOU ARE DOOMED. Is it simply coincidence that Zodiac wrote these words around the tree knot hole in the distinctive shape of the letter Q – the first letter of the surname of Mike Rodelli’s KQ suspect?
Was Mike Rodelli’s KQ Zodiac suspect actually cleverly hiding his identity – his initials – in plain sight on the inside of that Halloween Card but no-one could see them? Even going to the trouble of drawing numerous eyes on the inside of the card – taunting people and suggesting that his pursuers couldn’t SEE him because they were stupid and he was cleverer than them.
Zodiac addressed an envelope to journalist Paul AVERY but he spelled the journalists surname as AVERLY on the envelope and underlined the L of the name PauL and the AV of the name AVERLY.
Again was Zodiac playing with the journalist and police and the newspaper’s readers? What possible reason would Zodiac have in underlining certain letters and emphasising the importance of including the letter L? Could it be that Mike Rodelli’s KQ suspect was playing games and actually hiding the majority of his surname VALE in the PAUL AVERLY name on the envelope? But again no-one could see it.
There is reference to Zodiac having some sort of vague interest in the Mikado. Mike Rodelli was able to confirm that his suspect KQ owned a famous race horse called Silky Sullivan. Is it just coincidence that the Mikado was written by Gilbert & SULLIVAN? Again was Mike Rodelli’s KQ suspect suggesting a more subtle Mikado connection that no-one could see?
Staying with the racehorse owned by Mike Rodelli’s KQ Zodiac suspect. Old black and white photographs on the Internet show the horse Silky Sullivan wearing a horse blanket with a distinctive black and white squares logo professionally stitched onto the blanket. Almost like a Norse Odin’s Cross symbol. An ordinary person could simply cut away parts of that stitched on fabric logo to create Zodiac’s circle and cross hairs signature symbol left still intact and still stitched onto the horse blanket. And it would be easy to then cut the blanket to create the Executioner’s Cape that Zodiac draped over himself at Lake Berryessa with the stitched logo on the breast panel.
Do my casual observations help prove that Mike Rodelli’s KQ suspect was Zodiac? Absolutely not. They are just my ‘say what I see’ impressions that seem to connect further dots to Rodelli’s KQ suspect. And any defence lawyer would have no problem destroying such casual unscientific comparisons. But they do add to the intrigue and mystic surrounding the whole Zodiac mythology and perhaps Mike Rodelli’s bizarre KQ potential Zodiac suspect is a better fit than all the other named suspects. So rather than me finding things that debunk Rodelli’s theory, the name of his suspect seemed to be there in what I was looking at online. Of course others will say I am just seeing what I want to see. Again I accept that. I am not here to endorse Mike Rodelli. I have never met him.
Was Zodiac a very intelligent person so clever that he was able to play games with the police and the Bay area inhabitants who couldn’t see that he was taunting the police with complex cyphers to distract them while all along he was hiding in plain sight and revealing his identity (his initials) in the cards and envelopes.
But as the saying goes – and as per the other piece of correspondence that had the wording ‘PEEKING THROUGH THE PINES’ – his pursuers couldn’t ‘SEE THE WOOD FOR THE TREES’. Was Zodiac laughing at such incompetence and loving the chase his meaningless cyphers were causing?
A fascinating read for anyone with an interest in true crime. Read it with an open mind. If nothing else it will make you think and it is an easy read because of his concise and readable style. He does deserve credit for finding pieces of a very complex jigsaw that do seem to fit.
George Larmour (Author of ‘They Killed the Ice Cream Man’)
At almost 500 pages Mike Rodelli provides a detailed scalpel-like analysis of his own 20 year search (some would unfairly say obsession) to try and confirm the belief that his KQ suspect was the elusive Zodiac.
As a fellow author who has searched for the truth for over 30 years in my own brother’s unsolved murder, I commend him for his dogged determination and a very concise analysis of his findings and theories. Whether he has managed to reveal the real Zodiac identity can easily be questioned by others who prefer to ridicule rather than have an open mind.
His story is credible and he has attempted to provide as much factual analysis (evidence?) rather than simple conjecture. Although his findings aremore of a detailed profile analysis and as such circumstantial as opposed to hard evidence such as DNA, fingerprints etc.. But he has carefully joined up some intriguing dots in his lengthy research.
After reading about his KQ suspect I was prompted to use the Internet to try and satisfy myself if there was any merit in Mike Rodelli’s assertion that his suspect KQ was indeed Zodiac. I appreciate it is not a proper investigative technique searching for bits to fit a particular individual. I accept that.
My internet searches were done in the hope that I could easily debunk Mike Rodelli’s perceptions about his KQ suspect. So I did so just for my own curious satisfaction and an attempt to rubbish his findings.
My own additional observations which Mike Rodelli has not included in his book are as follows:
Zodiac sent the famous Skeleton Halloween card. It is accepted that Zodiac personally pasted down the skeleton on the inside of the card. He could have pasted it down in any shape he wished. But to my eye the leg bones of the skeleton are in the distinctive shape of a letter K – the first letter of the first name of Mike Rodelli’s KQ suspect.
Around the Knot Hole in the tree on the inside of the Halloween Card Zodiac wrote the words PEEK-A-BOO YOU ARE DOOMED. Is it simply coincidence that Zodiac wrote these words around the tree knot hole in the distinctive shape of the letter Q – the first letter of the surname of Mike Rodelli’s KQ suspect?
Was Mike Rodelli’s KQ Zodiac suspect actually cleverly hiding his identity – his initials – in plain sight on the inside of that Halloween Card but no-one could see them? Even going to the trouble of drawing numerous eyes on the inside of the card – taunting people and suggesting that his pursuers couldn’t SEE him because they were stupid and he was cleverer than them.
Zodiac addressed an envelope to journalist Paul AVERY but he spelled the journalists surname as AVERLY on the envelope and underlined the L of the name PauL and the AV of the name AVERLY.
Again was Zodiac playing with the journalist and police and the newspaper’s readers? What possible reason would Zodiac have in underlining certain letters and emphasising the importance of including the letter L? Could it be that Mike Rodelli’s KQ suspect was playing games and actually hiding the majority of his surname VALE in the PAUL AVERLY name on the envelope? But again no-one could see it.
There is reference to Zodiac having some sort of vague interest in the Mikado. Mike Rodelli was able to confirm that his suspect KQ owned a famous race horse called Silky Sullivan. Is it just coincidence that the Mikado was written by Gilbert & SULLIVAN? Again was Mike Rodelli’s KQ suspect suggesting a more subtle Mikado connection that no-one could see?
Staying with the racehorse owned by Mike Rodelli’s KQ Zodiac suspect. Old black and white photographs on the Internet show the horse Silky Sullivan wearing a horse blanket with a distinctive black and white squares logo professionally stitched onto the blanket. Almost like a Norse Odin’s Cross symbol. An ordinary person could simply cut away parts of that stitched on fabric logo to create Zodiac’s circle and cross hairs signature symbol left still intact and still stitched onto the horse blanket. And it would be easy to then cut the blanket to create the Executioner’s Cape that Zodiac draped over himself at Lake Berryessa with the stitched logo on the breast panel.
Do my casual observations help prove that Mike Rodelli’s KQ suspect was Zodiac? Absolutely not. They are just my ‘say what I see’ impressions that seem to connect further dots to Rodelli’s KQ suspect. And any defence lawyer would have no problem destroying such casual unscientific comparisons. But they do add to the intrigue and mystic surrounding the whole Zodiac mythology and perhaps Mike Rodelli’s bizarre KQ potential Zodiac suspect is a better fit than all the other named suspects. So rather than me finding things that debunk Rodelli’s theory, the name of his suspect seemed to be there in what I was looking at online. Of course others will say I am just seeing what I want to see. Again I accept that. I am not here to endorse Mike Rodelli. I have never met him.
Was Zodiac a very intelligent person so clever that he was able to play games with the police and the Bay area inhabitants who couldn’t see that he was taunting the police with complex cyphers to distract them while all along he was hiding in plain sight and revealing his identity (his initials) in the cards and envelopes.
But as the saying goes – and as per the other piece of correspondence that had the wording ‘PEEKING THROUGH THE PINES’ – his pursuers couldn’t ‘SEE THE WOOD FOR THE TREES’. Was Zodiac laughing at such incompetence and loving the chase his meaningless cyphers were causing?
A fascinating read for anyone with an interest in true crime. Read it with an open mind. If nothing else it will make you think and it is an easy read because of his concise and readable style. He does deserve credit for finding pieces of a very complex jigsaw that do seem to fit.
George Larmour (Author of ‘They Killed the Ice Cream Man’)
April 15, 2021
I don't know anyone who hasn't heard of the Zodiac Killer, me included. I was surprised to see a book about this subject mistakenly believing the case of solved decades ago and the killer brought to justice. Unfortunately the solution seems to have occurred but the justice part never will. The author painstakingly researched this case after a serendipitous discovery as to who the suspect might be. Twenty years later he presented his case with supporting data. I believe this is an updated version of his prior book published in 2017. I really enjoyed the author's forensic look into the personality of the killer via Richard Walter, a world renown forensic psychologist in crime scene analysis.
Thank you to NetGalley and Indigo River Publishing for providing me with an advance copy to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Indigo River Publishing for providing me with an advance copy to read.
August 11, 2021
Thank you for Netgalley to provide for exchange with honest review.
Aku mungkin salah satu pembaca yang gak familiar dengan kasus serial killer bernama Zodiak sekitar tahun 1960 an. Kasus beku ini mengundang banyak kontrovesi dan teori-teori karena penyelidikan yang tersendat-sendat.
Penulis buku ini merupakan salah satu peneliti independen yang berusaha menyelesaikan kasus ini. Meriset kembali semua data dan saksi, bahkan melakukan banyak kerjasama dengan para analis perilaku kriminal yang bikin aku inget serial fave Criminal Minds . Proses penelitiannya lumayan terperinci tapi dijelaskan dengan bahasa yang menarik. Fakta dan data jadi terasa lebih mudah dipahami.
Hal yang menarik di sini adalah penulis mengajukan nama tersangka yang sangat bertolakbelakang belakang dengan tersangka versi kepolisian. Bahkan dia gigih mengajukan hipotesis dan bukti-buktinya walau response pihak kepolisian sangat mencurigakan. Buku ini kuanggap permohonan SOS penulis agar pihak berwajib berani bertindak sehingga kasus tua ini bisa segera di tutup.
Aku mungkin salah satu pembaca yang gak familiar dengan kasus serial killer bernama Zodiak sekitar tahun 1960 an. Kasus beku ini mengundang banyak kontrovesi dan teori-teori karena penyelidikan yang tersendat-sendat.
Penulis buku ini merupakan salah satu peneliti independen yang berusaha menyelesaikan kasus ini. Meriset kembali semua data dan saksi, bahkan melakukan banyak kerjasama dengan para analis perilaku kriminal yang bikin aku inget serial fave Criminal Minds . Proses penelitiannya lumayan terperinci tapi dijelaskan dengan bahasa yang menarik. Fakta dan data jadi terasa lebih mudah dipahami.
Hal yang menarik di sini adalah penulis mengajukan nama tersangka yang sangat bertolakbelakang belakang dengan tersangka versi kepolisian. Bahkan dia gigih mengajukan hipotesis dan bukti-buktinya walau response pihak kepolisian sangat mencurigakan. Buku ini kuanggap permohonan SOS penulis agar pihak berwajib berani bertindak sehingga kasus tua ini bisa segera di tutup.
June 16, 2021
Well-written, I devoured it in a couple of sittings. I love true crime books and this one was no exception.
It's taken him 20 years but Mike Rodelli finally thinks he knows who the Zodiac Killer actually is... I won't give any spoilers in this review but it's a must read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Indigo River Publishing for providing me with an advance copy to read.
It's taken him 20 years but Mike Rodelli finally thinks he knows who the Zodiac Killer actually is... I won't give any spoilers in this review but it's a must read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Indigo River Publishing for providing me with an advance copy to read.
September 6, 2021
I’ve always been interested in this case. It’s the stuff of horror movies. A man torments the Bay Area for 6 years, commits multiple murders, threatens to bomb a school bus, then fades away into obscurity.
How does a murderer in such a highly publicized case get away with it for over 50 years? How has no one come forward with information?
The book is about one man’s obsessive desire to solve the case. Rodelli isn’t the first - and probably won’t be the last - citizen sleuth to become obsessed with the Zodiac. (Robert Graysmith is likely the most notorious example).
Rodelli believes he has succeeded in unmasking the identity of the Zodiac. Is he right? You’ll have to read the book and draw your own conclusions. I won’t spoil the book by divulging the name of his suspect.
Rodelli makes a compelling case. At one point, he even interviewed his suspect at the suspect’s request. I’m not sure I agree with some of his conclusions, but no one can fault his dedication to trying to solve this case. He tracked down witnesses, met and befriended the original investigators. Rodelli even employed a forensic psychologist (the Vidocq Society’s Richard Walter) to take advantage of techniques that weren’t available to detectives in the 60s and 70s.
He lays out the clearest narrative I’ve read of the Zodiac’s crimes. Including details of the attack at Lake Berryessa that Graysmith got wrong. He also manages to bring home how seemingly minor, random decisions made by the victims were the difference between life and death - choosing to go to the library instead of the beach or simply staying out an hour past curfew.
He methodically takes apart Graysmith’s case for making Arthur Lee Allen the prime suspect. Too tall. Too hefty. Too bald.
Rodelli makes a compelling case for his suspect. Matching significant dates in this man’s life (one example: the suspect’s mother died on Dec 20, 1939. The Lake Herman murders were committed Dec 29, 1968) to the dates of the Zodiac’s crimes. Is this proof positive that his suspect is guilty? I wouldn’t say the case is closed, but Rodelli’s suspect is certainly far more viable than anyone else I’ve seen named.
If I fault the author for anything, it’s his tendency to try to drop Easter eggs in the narrative. Repeatedly alluding to things he’s going to tell you later in the book. I realize he’s doing this to maintain interest, but it occasionally disrupts the flow of his narrative.
On one point the author and I disagree. I still feel the DNA should be further analyzed (if possible).
I wonder if detectives have tried entering the “problematic” (as Rodelli puts it) Zodiac DNA into the Gedmatch database?
Even if the DNA on the envelopes isn’t his (as some have theorized), it belonged to someone close enough to lick those envelopes. Find that person and you’re one step closer to finding him. Even if he’s dead, the victims deserve to know who he was, and that he can never harm another person.
Even if you disagree with Rotelli’s conclusions regarding the identity of the Zodiac, his correction of errors made by Graysmith (and other Zodiac chroniclers) makes this book worth reading.
How does a murderer in such a highly publicized case get away with it for over 50 years? How has no one come forward with information?
The book is about one man’s obsessive desire to solve the case. Rodelli isn’t the first - and probably won’t be the last - citizen sleuth to become obsessed with the Zodiac. (Robert Graysmith is likely the most notorious example).
Rodelli believes he has succeeded in unmasking the identity of the Zodiac. Is he right? You’ll have to read the book and draw your own conclusions. I won’t spoil the book by divulging the name of his suspect.
Rodelli makes a compelling case. At one point, he even interviewed his suspect at the suspect’s request. I’m not sure I agree with some of his conclusions, but no one can fault his dedication to trying to solve this case. He tracked down witnesses, met and befriended the original investigators. Rodelli even employed a forensic psychologist (the Vidocq Society’s Richard Walter) to take advantage of techniques that weren’t available to detectives in the 60s and 70s.
He lays out the clearest narrative I’ve read of the Zodiac’s crimes. Including details of the attack at Lake Berryessa that Graysmith got wrong. He also manages to bring home how seemingly minor, random decisions made by the victims were the difference between life and death - choosing to go to the library instead of the beach or simply staying out an hour past curfew.
He methodically takes apart Graysmith’s case for making Arthur Lee Allen the prime suspect. Too tall. Too hefty. Too bald.
Rodelli makes a compelling case for his suspect. Matching significant dates in this man’s life (one example: the suspect’s mother died on Dec 20, 1939. The Lake Herman murders were committed Dec 29, 1968) to the dates of the Zodiac’s crimes. Is this proof positive that his suspect is guilty? I wouldn’t say the case is closed, but Rodelli’s suspect is certainly far more viable than anyone else I’ve seen named.
If I fault the author for anything, it’s his tendency to try to drop Easter eggs in the narrative. Repeatedly alluding to things he’s going to tell you later in the book. I realize he’s doing this to maintain interest, but it occasionally disrupts the flow of his narrative.
On one point the author and I disagree. I still feel the DNA should be further analyzed (if possible).
I wonder if detectives have tried entering the “problematic” (as Rodelli puts it) Zodiac DNA into the Gedmatch database?
Even if the DNA on the envelopes isn’t his (as some have theorized), it belonged to someone close enough to lick those envelopes. Find that person and you’re one step closer to finding him. Even if he’s dead, the victims deserve to know who he was, and that he can never harm another person.
Even if you disagree with Rotelli’s conclusions regarding the identity of the Zodiac, his correction of errors made by Graysmith (and other Zodiac chroniclers) makes this book worth reading.
May 12, 2021
Anyone who lived in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s probably has an opinion or at least some curiosity about the Zodiac killer. Never definitively identified, this serial killer was known for targeting young couples and following up his grisly crimes with letters and cards sent to various media outlets in the Bay Area with taunting messages, including several cryptograms.
I lived very near both Lake Berryessa and Lake Herman Road, two locations of Zodiac attacks on couples in parked cars. I also was a college student, and I had a very weird professor who taught computer science at night and supervised an IT department by day. I was completely freaked out by the idea that he was the Zodiac because one night after class, he took me for a drive that included Lake Herman Road, and showed me the giant flashlight on the floor of the back seat, which had clear red plastic wrap covering the lens, which he said looked just like a police officer in the rear view mirror if he came up behind a car. EEEK!
Anyway, about the book In The Shadow of Mt. Diablo by Mike Rodelli, which I received from Indigo River Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for this review. Mr. Rodelli states that he knows without doubt who the murderer was, and he has spent years researching and documenting the case (and no, it isn’t my former professor). In his book, subtitled “The Shocking True Identity of the Zodiac Killer, Rodelli provides an exhaustively researched, fully documented book. There are a ton of footnotes to support his claim, and it differs completely from Robert Graysmith’s book Zodiac, in which he identified Zodiac as Arthur Leigh Allen…but a partial DNA match from the saliva on the stamps used by the Zodiac Killer to send the letters and cards didn’t match him. Attempts to use the method of DNA matching using genealogy databases (the technique used to identify the Golden State Killer) have not been successful as of May, 2021, and the case remains open in San Francisco, Vallejo, and both Napa and Solano Counties.
Yes, the book is heavy on detail. Yes, Mr. Rodelli has done a ton of research. But I’m not convinced the Zodiac is the person identified in Rodelli’s book — although many people seem to believe that he was, or at least that the man identified hid the actual Zodiac Killer in his San Francisco apartment after one of the crimes. I think the book definitely needed an editor to make the presentation of the results of Rodelli’s hard work more coherent and readable. It’s a story that still fascinates many people, and this book will only add to the interest. And, TBH, since Arthur Leigh Allen and all the other named suspects have been ruled out, I still think my professor is a possibility — especially since he also looks as much like the sketch of Zodiac as the man named in this book. Two stars.
I lived very near both Lake Berryessa and Lake Herman Road, two locations of Zodiac attacks on couples in parked cars. I also was a college student, and I had a very weird professor who taught computer science at night and supervised an IT department by day. I was completely freaked out by the idea that he was the Zodiac because one night after class, he took me for a drive that included Lake Herman Road, and showed me the giant flashlight on the floor of the back seat, which had clear red plastic wrap covering the lens, which he said looked just like a police officer in the rear view mirror if he came up behind a car. EEEK!
Anyway, about the book In The Shadow of Mt. Diablo by Mike Rodelli, which I received from Indigo River Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for this review. Mr. Rodelli states that he knows without doubt who the murderer was, and he has spent years researching and documenting the case (and no, it isn’t my former professor). In his book, subtitled “The Shocking True Identity of the Zodiac Killer, Rodelli provides an exhaustively researched, fully documented book. There are a ton of footnotes to support his claim, and it differs completely from Robert Graysmith’s book Zodiac, in which he identified Zodiac as Arthur Leigh Allen…but a partial DNA match from the saliva on the stamps used by the Zodiac Killer to send the letters and cards didn’t match him. Attempts to use the method of DNA matching using genealogy databases (the technique used to identify the Golden State Killer) have not been successful as of May, 2021, and the case remains open in San Francisco, Vallejo, and both Napa and Solano Counties.
Yes, the book is heavy on detail. Yes, Mr. Rodelli has done a ton of research. But I’m not convinced the Zodiac is the person identified in Rodelli’s book — although many people seem to believe that he was, or at least that the man identified hid the actual Zodiac Killer in his San Francisco apartment after one of the crimes. I think the book definitely needed an editor to make the presentation of the results of Rodelli’s hard work more coherent and readable. It’s a story that still fascinates many people, and this book will only add to the interest. And, TBH, since Arthur Leigh Allen and all the other named suspects have been ruled out, I still think my professor is a possibility — especially since he also looks as much like the sketch of Zodiac as the man named in this book. Two stars.
June 21, 2021
So this book has taken me some time but the overall feel of the book is that Mr. Rodelli believes Robert Graysmith (the author of Zodiac, and other stories into whom he thought was the killer) is absolutely wrong on so many different points. To having information incorrect in his book from the police reports, to Graysmith ignoring certain information or excluding things that shouldn't be. Overall, you can tell Mr. Rodelli has an air of confidence regarding who he believes the killer is.
After awhile, it started to take a bit more to read through this. I did feel bogged down by nothing but wisps of data that may or may not have anything to do with cases pertaining to the killer. I won't lie, I started to have to skim a certain points. By a certain point, I had to stop reading because as hard as I try, as interested as I am of this mystery, I could NOT get through this book. Between the many times, "more on that later" to "we'll get to that in Chapter 18" it just got to be really repetitive and overall underwhelming. I know what the author was trying to do and see it being done well enough. But by the 7th time of seeing it and only getting a little over 30% in, I just could not finish this and had to DNF it. I hope at some point, maybe I can get back to it but as of right now, I need to put a pin in it.
On a positive note of this, I do like Mr. Rodelli's writing. It's done very nice and knowledgeable. Hoping maybe at some point I can get back to it and give it another try.
Thank you to Mike Rodelli and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.
After awhile, it started to take a bit more to read through this. I did feel bogged down by nothing but wisps of data that may or may not have anything to do with cases pertaining to the killer. I won't lie, I started to have to skim a certain points. By a certain point, I had to stop reading because as hard as I try, as interested as I am of this mystery, I could NOT get through this book. Between the many times, "more on that later" to "we'll get to that in Chapter 18" it just got to be really repetitive and overall underwhelming. I know what the author was trying to do and see it being done well enough. But by the 7th time of seeing it and only getting a little over 30% in, I just could not finish this and had to DNF it. I hope at some point, maybe I can get back to it but as of right now, I need to put a pin in it.
On a positive note of this, I do like Mr. Rodelli's writing. It's done very nice and knowledgeable. Hoping maybe at some point I can get back to it and give it another try.
Thank you to Mike Rodelli and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.
June 21, 2021
So this book has taken me some time but the overall feel of the book is that Mr. Rodelli believer Robert Graysmith (the author of Zodiac, and other stories into whom he thought was the killer) is absolutely wrong on so many different points. To having information incorrect in his book from the police reports, to Graysmith ignoring certain information or excluding things that shouldn't be. Overall, you can tell Mr. Rodelli has an air of confidence regarding who he believes the killer is.
After awhile, it started to take a bit more to read through this. I did feel bogged down by nothing but wisps of data that may or may not have anything to do with cases pertaining to the killer. I won't lie, I started to have to skim a certain points. By a certain point, I had to stop reading because as hard as I try, as interested as I am of this mystery, I could NOT get through this book. Between the many times, "more on that later" to "we'll get to that in Chapter 18" it just got to be really repetitive and overall underwhelming. I know what the author was trying to do and see it being done well enough. But by the 7th time of seeing it and only getting a little over 30% in, I just could not finish this and had to DNF it. I hope at some point, maybe I can get back to it but as of right now, I need to put a pin in it.
Thank you to Mike Rodelli and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.
On the other side of this, I do like Mr. Rodelli's writing. It's done very nice and knowledgeable. I
After awhile, it started to take a bit more to read through this. I did feel bogged down by nothing but wisps of data that may or may not have anything to do with cases pertaining to the killer. I won't lie, I started to have to skim a certain points. By a certain point, I had to stop reading because as hard as I try, as interested as I am of this mystery, I could NOT get through this book. Between the many times, "more on that later" to "we'll get to that in Chapter 18" it just got to be really repetitive and overall underwhelming. I know what the author was trying to do and see it being done well enough. But by the 7th time of seeing it and only getting a little over 30% in, I just could not finish this and had to DNF it. I hope at some point, maybe I can get back to it but as of right now, I need to put a pin in it.
Thank you to Mike Rodelli and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.
On the other side of this, I do like Mr. Rodelli's writing. It's done very nice and knowledgeable. I
June 1, 2025
The Zodiac Killer, who committed his serial killings in the late 1960s in the San Francisco area, has never been caught. Over the decades, many suspects have been posited but in June 1999, Mike Rodelli followed a hunch & found evidence that suggested a suspect that had never been fully considered before. This book sets out Rodelli's 20-year quest to prove that this man was the Zodiac Killer.
I've heard of the Zodiac Killer through films & TV (like Criminal Minds) but never read a book about them until now. Rodelli argues a convincing case - sure, some of the evidence could be argued away as coincidence, but not all of it. It was fascinating to see the evidence laid out & how each point connected to the suspect. Not least of which was a photograph of the suspect which does look very like the sketches of the Zodiac.
I agree that the Zodiac was most definitely not a sexual sadist. There is no sexual element in the killings & it was about power & control - thumbing his nose at the authorities & getting away with it. I did find it a little heavy-going at times, there seemed to be some repetition & an irritating habit in the early chapters of mentioning something & then saying it would be dealt with later on. Overall though it was an interesting read & I think the author may be on to something here. Pity we'll probably never know for sure. 3.5 stars (rounded down)
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Indigo River Publishing, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
I've heard of the Zodiac Killer through films & TV (like Criminal Minds) but never read a book about them until now. Rodelli argues a convincing case - sure, some of the evidence could be argued away as coincidence, but not all of it. It was fascinating to see the evidence laid out & how each point connected to the suspect. Not least of which was a photograph of the suspect which does look very like the sketches of the Zodiac.
I agree that the Zodiac was most definitely not a sexual sadist. There is no sexual element in the killings & it was about power & control - thumbing his nose at the authorities & getting away with it. I did find it a little heavy-going at times, there seemed to be some repetition & an irritating habit in the early chapters of mentioning something & then saying it would be dealt with later on. Overall though it was an interesting read & I think the author may be on to something here. Pity we'll probably never know for sure. 3.5 stars (rounded down)
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Indigo River Publishing, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
June 10, 2021
First I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advance release in exchange for a fair and honest review. Sometimes that means I have to make an author unhappy...and on one of my last reveiws I had the author attack me because I didn't like the book...sooooo...
NOT THE CASE HERE! WOW....ok...slow down....deep breaths...
I have been a fan of true crime for over twenty years...I still remember the first one I read and how it hit me...how could that person get away for so long killing right in front of others noses???? and I was hooked...
When Zodiac was active...there was no internet...the only news was radio and television...and I was ten to fifteen years old...and had NO interest in the news....I don't remember the first time I heard about the Zodiac...but once I did I have always read pretty much everything on him/her...I have to say most materials are just rehash...or not credible...but still I read....so when I saw this book available I anxiously requested it...and luckily was granted the permission to read it...as I said ...WOW!
I honestly could write on this for hours....but of course...I don't want to...and you definitely don't want me to...
The preview promised a new suspect...that's what I was so anxious about...but as the author says ...1000 suspects have been looked....and many are still being touted by individuals even if they have been eliminated...everyone has a suspect...so hearing this is a new suspect...I was very anxious....but while anxious....and with caution...have heard this before...
The author starts the book with the murders and the details...when noting the suspect he does not name him/her as he wants to submit the background...it was frustrating but very well done...it is great to have the facts again refreshed before he starts to detail the items which lead to his conclusion...
And I will not name that person here...the author waits...builds...examines and explains...and then the reveal...and for that reason I will not spoil the thunder...read the book!
The book is very detailed along with all of the explanations of the thoughts and how they led Mr. Rodelli to the Zodiac suspect...and the author admits ...this evidence is entirely circumstantial....and if there was three ...maybe five...items named....it would still be in doubt...but there are DOZENS of details...there are interviews with those who haven't ever given interviews...with those that have never revealed details before...there are many exhibits added to show the details he is talking about...one complaint there...lol...he does not include a copy of the ciphers as he notes they are many places on the net...I understand but as I'm reading I like to just go back and forth...
The details are pretty amazing...and the exhibits...to see them as you read them...you again will go...ok...that's odd but hardly fast proof...but sooner or later you are going to come around...this subject...should be extensively reviewed by the police...but that's another issue...
You will read the reasons that the police do not want to investigate this person...why they would lie on national TV in an effort to discredit this theory...and ...in today's climate...it won't be hard to believe that they did...
A few things...you will read that there is a lack of DNA from the Zodiac and why....but there are many other items...the Zodiac cut the bloody shirt from Mr. Stine's body...I am sure they have the pieces of shirt that Zodiac mailed... touch DNA could possibly still come up with an answer...this isn't a dead issue.
I have a few items I disagree with author on....The author theorizes that Zodiac understood about DNA without knowing it based on other experience...mainly because there is no discernible DNA from the stamps or envelopes...I am not convinced of that.....Back in the 70's and I am sure before...many people who had lots of correspondence did NOT want to constantly be licking stamps nor envelopes...for that reason they had a bowl with a sponge...they would run the envelope or the stamp over the sponge...thus wetting it ...this was very common and I would be interested to know if the suspect had this...but next to impossible to know... One other thing that surprised me...the author had a chance to interview the suspect and answered questions...which after the interview were found to be lies...and the author was very upset he was lied to....he mentioned this several times...but all I kept thinking...uhhhh...murderer? liar? uhhh..yep.... I would have been amazed if he had told the truth on anything...
The author did review things several times...and sometimes I was ...ok..yes I know...but I can understand...he was building a case...and he did it well....
I was not far into the book when I was totally on board...if this isn't the Zodiac...then I don't feel it will ever be solved...this is just an amazing book with amazing stories of how the author first fell into this suspect...pretty much just a shot in the dark...and BANG!
Did I say the book was amazing? let me repeat ...This book is amazing!...for any true crime fan ...it is a fantastic book....for any Zodiac detective...it is the most important work to come out...possibly ever...the naysayers...well..there is a difference between wanting to solve the case and wanting the notoriety of solving the case...thankfully...this book...Mr. Rodelli....wants to solve the case...and I pray that enough pressure is put on San Fran Police to move on this...to get DNA to test...and find out...truthfully...no lie....is this the Zodiac....
Mr. Rodelli....fantastic job!
NOT THE CASE HERE! WOW....ok...slow down....deep breaths...
I have been a fan of true crime for over twenty years...I still remember the first one I read and how it hit me...how could that person get away for so long killing right in front of others noses???? and I was hooked...
When Zodiac was active...there was no internet...the only news was radio and television...and I was ten to fifteen years old...and had NO interest in the news....I don't remember the first time I heard about the Zodiac...but once I did I have always read pretty much everything on him/her...I have to say most materials are just rehash...or not credible...but still I read....so when I saw this book available I anxiously requested it...and luckily was granted the permission to read it...as I said ...WOW!
I honestly could write on this for hours....but of course...I don't want to...and you definitely don't want me to...
The preview promised a new suspect...that's what I was so anxious about...but as the author says ...1000 suspects have been looked....and many are still being touted by individuals even if they have been eliminated...everyone has a suspect...so hearing this is a new suspect...I was very anxious....but while anxious....and with caution...have heard this before...
The author starts the book with the murders and the details...when noting the suspect he does not name him/her as he wants to submit the background...it was frustrating but very well done...it is great to have the facts again refreshed before he starts to detail the items which lead to his conclusion...
And I will not name that person here...the author waits...builds...examines and explains...and then the reveal...and for that reason I will not spoil the thunder...read the book!
The book is very detailed along with all of the explanations of the thoughts and how they led Mr. Rodelli to the Zodiac suspect...and the author admits ...this evidence is entirely circumstantial....and if there was three ...maybe five...items named....it would still be in doubt...but there are DOZENS of details...there are interviews with those who haven't ever given interviews...with those that have never revealed details before...there are many exhibits added to show the details he is talking about...one complaint there...lol...he does not include a copy of the ciphers as he notes they are many places on the net...I understand but as I'm reading I like to just go back and forth...
The details are pretty amazing...and the exhibits...to see them as you read them...you again will go...ok...that's odd but hardly fast proof...but sooner or later you are going to come around...this subject...should be extensively reviewed by the police...but that's another issue...
You will read the reasons that the police do not want to investigate this person...why they would lie on national TV in an effort to discredit this theory...and ...in today's climate...it won't be hard to believe that they did...
A few things...you will read that there is a lack of DNA from the Zodiac and why....but there are many other items...the Zodiac cut the bloody shirt from Mr. Stine's body...I am sure they have the pieces of shirt that Zodiac mailed... touch DNA could possibly still come up with an answer...this isn't a dead issue.
I have a few items I disagree with author on....The author theorizes that Zodiac understood about DNA without knowing it based on other experience...mainly because there is no discernible DNA from the stamps or envelopes...I am not convinced of that.....Back in the 70's and I am sure before...many people who had lots of correspondence did NOT want to constantly be licking stamps nor envelopes...for that reason they had a bowl with a sponge...they would run the envelope or the stamp over the sponge...thus wetting it ...this was very common and I would be interested to know if the suspect had this...but next to impossible to know... One other thing that surprised me...the author had a chance to interview the suspect and answered questions...which after the interview were found to be lies...and the author was very upset he was lied to....he mentioned this several times...but all I kept thinking...uhhhh...murderer? liar? uhhh..yep.... I would have been amazed if he had told the truth on anything...
The author did review things several times...and sometimes I was ...ok..yes I know...but I can understand...he was building a case...and he did it well....
I was not far into the book when I was totally on board...if this isn't the Zodiac...then I don't feel it will ever be solved...this is just an amazing book with amazing stories of how the author first fell into this suspect...pretty much just a shot in the dark...and BANG!
Did I say the book was amazing? let me repeat ...This book is amazing!...for any true crime fan ...it is a fantastic book....for any Zodiac detective...it is the most important work to come out...possibly ever...the naysayers...well..there is a difference between wanting to solve the case and wanting the notoriety of solving the case...thankfully...this book...Mr. Rodelli....wants to solve the case...and I pray that enough pressure is put on San Fran Police to move on this...to get DNA to test...and find out...truthfully...no lie....is this the Zodiac....
Mr. Rodelli....fantastic job!
June 19, 2021
Wow. Can I say wow? I lived near SF during this time period and remember the fear. We wouldn't go to SF while this was going on and before we were there constantly.
I've probably read every book on the Zodiac. (I also worked with one of the people Graysmith dedicated his book to.) But I've always put the book down at the end with doubt. Yes, even Graysmiths. But not this one. Not. This. One.
Very well researched and investigated. All the pieces just fall into place. I do wish it was edited better so as not to be so repetitive but it's still a fascinating book. I'm so mad at myself for sitting on this book for a month.
I've probably read every book on the Zodiac. (I also worked with one of the people Graysmith dedicated his book to.) But I've always put the book down at the end with doubt. Yes, even Graysmiths. But not this one. Not. This. One.
Very well researched and investigated. All the pieces just fall into place. I do wish it was edited better so as not to be so repetitive but it's still a fascinating book. I'm so mad at myself for sitting on this book for a month.
April 11, 2021
I got this book and read it in a sitting. It’s really well written, striking the balance between the objective presentation of facts with the ability to tell the story in an engaging way. The Zodiac case is fascinating amd frustrating with a great deal already written about it. Rodelli brings new energy to the search for the killer and presents very compelling arguments as to his identity. There was a bit of “more on this later” throughout the book which I found distracting - just say it then or don’t reference it until the right time.
May 11, 2021
Anyone who enjoys true crime will be familiar with this notorious tale. The author clearly did considerable research and put his heart and soul into writing this book. The details in the book are worth a read alone. Then the author seeks out to determine who they believe was the notorious zodiac killer. It’s up to the reader to agree with the author or not, but the conclusions he made were interesting nonetheless
December 17, 2021
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, this book was LONG. While I think Mike Rodelli may actually have figured out who the Zodiac was, this book was really hard to slog through. It repeated itself a lot.
First of all, this book was LONG. While I think Mike Rodelli may actually have figured out who the Zodiac was, this book was really hard to slog through. It repeated itself a lot.
July 7, 2022
Can't work out if he's solved it or not. There's some good circumstantial evidence, but things like Qvale hiding his name in the crossed circle, the whole bus bomb as a map thing, Qvale choosing Vallejo as Norways sister city all seem like really stretched connections.
February 5, 2024
Great read, some interesting evidence. Not sure I'm completely in on his suspect though. So many suspects with circumstantial evidence piled up on them as well. Worth the time to check out Mr. Rodelli's case .
Want to read
August 27, 2021 I received an advanced digital copy of this book, courtesy of the author and publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
RTC
RTC
July 28, 2021
I quite enjoyed this book and I do want to get a physical copy of this book. The author have some really good points but to me there were points that were a little stretched. At those points the author did lose me some and made question his suspect. Then at other parts he would make me come back to his side. I will be reading more from Mike Rodelli and I will recommend this book to all my true crime loving friends. I want to think Netgalley, Indigo River Publishing and Mike Rodelli for letting read and review this book.
Read
July 22, 2021While this is an interesting read, I didn't really like it for a few reasons... The author makes the same claims repeatedly, the author is also arrogant and upsetting because he truly believes he knows who the Zodiac Killer is without hard facts/evidence to nail it. I honestly wouldn't recommend this book.
I will be giving no star review because I don't think it deserves one.
This book really needs an editor.
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