Chasing the Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer

by David Reichert

Chasing the Devil is the gripping firsthand account of Sheriff David Reichert's relentless pursuit of the Green River Killer -- a 21-year odyssey full of near-misses and startling revelations. For eight years, Sheriff David Reichert devoted his days and nights to capturing the Green River Killer. He was the first detective on the case in 1982, doggedly pursuing clues as the body count climbed to 49 and it became the most infamous unsolved case in the nation. Frantically following all of his leads, Sheriff Reichert befriended the victims families, publicly challenged the killer, and risked his own safety -- and the endurance and love of his family -- before he found his madman. But Reichert's hunt didn't end when he finally cornered a truck painter named Gary Ridgway. It would be yet another 11 haunting years before forensic science could prove Ridgway's guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt. Told in vivid detail by the man who knows the whole story, this is a real life suspense story of unparalleled heroism.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Audiobook, History, Memoir, Mystery

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2004

About the author

David Reichert is a a former King County Sheriff who worked as part of the Green River Task Force in the 1980s.

He was elected to Congress and served from 2005 to 2019, and is running for Governor of Washington in 2024.

He is married to Julie, whom he met in college. They live in Auburn and have three grown children: Angela, Tabitha, and Daniel.

Reviews

[Katherine Addison · Rating 2 out of 5]

[library]
[N.b. (1) David Reichert is now a Congressman.
[N.b. (2) What I say about "Dave Reichert" is in reference to the character presented in Chasing the Devil, not to the Congressman himself. I have no knowledge one way or the other of Congressman Reichert's character.]

I'm afraid that even after a couple of days to think it over, my principal response to Chasing the Devil is FUCK YOU DAVE REICHERT.

I have several reasons:

1. Anyone who self-describes utterly unironically as an "alpha male" is going to encourage this reaction from me.

2. There is an excruciating moment when, as a new sergeant, Reichert goes to work with Lieutenant Fae Brooks (an African-American female officer) whom he had worked with on Green River. He claims he trained her (which he didn't, she was at least as experienced a police officer as he was, even if he started in Homicide before she did, so there's no grizzled elder advising Young Grasshopper here) and that he could therefore never take orders from her. The way he tells the story, he told her this AND SHE AGREED WITH HIM . And they agreed to work as partners. That was the moment at which I literally shouted FUCK YOU DAVE REICHERT at my car.

Thoughts:

a. I would love to hear Fae Brooks' side of the story. From her presence in Green River, Running Red, I got the impression of a person who had made a lot of compromises in order to be promoted--and I have NO argument with her there, she is clearly a brave and incredibly tough and talented person--and I'm guessing this was just one more compromise with the white men she had to deal with every day of her working life.

b. I don't think Reichert thought he couldn't take orders from her because he "trained" her. I think he couldn't take orders from her because he was an "alpha male" and she was a woman. Possibly also because she was African-American, but I'm not as sure of that part.

c. Would he ever have said this to ANY man, "alpha male" or not?

3. He's. A. Bully.

4. He is a petty vindictive character assassin of anyone he thinks has done him wrong (Robert Keppel, Frank Adamson, etc.) It's clear from GR,RR and from his own books that Keppel is what might politely be called a difficult person, but I don't believe for a second he's the self-aggrandizing prima donna Reichert makes him out to be, just like I don't think Adamson was at all stupid and I doubt he was dazzled by the FBI. He commits a truly ugly character assassination of Lt. Dan Nolan--and, you know, I know from reading Rule, that Nolan was dead (of leukemia I think) before Gary Ridgway was caught. So Reichert is saying these horrible things about a man who (a) can't answer him and (b) died cruelly young of a cruel disease.

5. He is an arrogant glory seeking prima donna, who has this way of saying "we" that means "I," who tries to claim he's both "lead detective" on the Green River case (as Rule points out, as tartly as Rule ever gets, Reichert, by pure luck of the draw, was lead detective for five of the forty-eight Green River victims. But he wasn't lead detective for the rest, and I seriously doubt he was a de facto leader for the other detectives, most of whom, as Rule also notes, called him "Davy"--not what you call an "alpha male," is it there, boyo?) and he's the stand-up guy who goes to the brass with the working stiffs' concerns (and, in Reichert's version, gets ignored because of that already mentioned FBI-bedazzlement and general stupidity: the brass is the brass and therefore stupid . . . right up until Reichert himself becomes the brass and then that leitmotif mysteriously vanishes). He takes credit for things that weren't his idea and claims command of things he wasn't in command of.

All the things he says he hates in Keppel and Adamson and Nolan are things I saw in Dave Reichert.

6. He's smug and sanctimonious. I have no beef with his being Christian, but I have a big beef with his assumption that his faith makes him superior to basically everyone ever.

7. He's unchristian, which I mean in the technical sense of not following the teachings of Jesus Christ. The way he talks about and treats Gary Ridgway is unconscionable, and I say this not because I'm going to defend Ridgway but because Reichert's bullying and lording it over Ridgway made me profoundly uncomfortable. Just because Ridgway is the worst thing you can imagine does not actually give you the right to behave like that. Nothing gives you the right to behave like that.

8. Also, I know Reichert must have had explained to him the difference between a personality disorder and a mental illness. Gary Ridgway does not have a mental illness. (Like many sociopaths, he is almost aggressively sane.) He has a personality disorder. Don't put yet another stigma on the mentally ill, dudebro. Not when you know better.

9. He persistently makes the Green River murders ALL ABOUT HIM, even though he remembers to pay lip service to--and I think genuinely believes he believes--that it's about the victims.

9. He is breathtakingly un-self-aware, as evidenced by this list of ways in which he betrays himself.

And it's a pity, because in other ways, this book is quite good. Reichert is great at describing police work; he goes into way more detail than Rule, and I was fascinated. Also, credit where credit is due, I think he was a good detective, like all the detectives on the Green River Task Force(s). He goes into way more detail about the 6 months of interviews with Ridgway, and gives a very different picture of what those interviews accomplished.

This is basically the opposite of Jensen's Green River Killer. That graphic novel is about a hero who doesn't see what he does as heroism and is uncomfortable being recognized as a hero. This book is about someone who wants desperately to be, and be recognized as, a hero and who sees his every action as heroic.

Yeah. Okay. Fuck you, Dave Reichert.

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author Sheriff David Reichert obviously knows a thing or two when it comes to the case of the Green River Killer. He was on the scene from the first dump site discovery in 1982, and conducted some of the final interviews with Gary Ridgway before they locked him up and threw away the key in 2003. However, Reichert is not much of a writer and falls into the common trap of law enforcement-written true crime tales of trying too hard to set the record straight with respect to injustices done unto him and his department.



We get it! G-men and the local 5-0 don't tend to mix well (Bob Keppell and the Mindhunter himself, John Douglas didn't tell you anything you didn't already know- fine!)The media is blood-thirsty and they simply don't get just how much they can trip you up every step of the way. You did everything you possibly could to bring justice to the women murdered and their families, and (though their feelings are misplaced) you're willing to forgive the mothers and fathers who lashed out at you in the aftermath of the case because you are like the best Christian ever.



If you do decide to bother with this one, go for audio, because hearing the actual tape of interviews with an all too excited Ted Bundy (serial killer consultant extraordinaire) and the Devil himself, Gary Ridgway (as Reichert "plays his game" trying to get him to reveal mementos the Sheriff's sure he kept) is a pretty creeptastic affair.

What I wish I had read:


In a situation of too little too late, I just discovered that the son of Detective Tom Jensen, who worked the case starting in 1984, co-authored a graphic novel Green River Killer: A True Detective Story (by Jeff Jensen, Jonathan Case), which seems infinitely more interesting. [Check out ”Green River Killer”: A father and son follow murderer’s trail from from the LA Times for an interesting interview with Jeff Jensen, and some peeks at the artwork].

Conclusion: There are way more interesting sheriffs out there.
With the likes of Nick Corey, Jim Dangle, and Lou Ford running around in the fictional world, you might want to pass on Reichert.



And, of course, let's not forget everyone's favorite capezio-wearing sheriff down in the Holler, E.Z. Ponder .

[Krystin | TheF*ckingTwist · Rating 2 out of 5]

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This is exactly what the title says it’s going to be, peppered with the author’s terrible personality.

Reichert, the original detective on the case, is utterly annoying. He’s a dinosaur in terms of social progress. Like, he literally and unironically describes himself as an alpha male. He also takes credit for anything his black female partner, Lieutenant Fae Brooks, did. Claiming things like he trained her (but she was his superior?), her ideas were his, etc. These are all things, from my understanding, that Brooks has expressed the opposite of. He also says he did things – like take DNA swabs – that other documentation of the case definitely says he didn’t do.

I get serious “I don’t take orders from women” vibes from the whole thing. Which, true, was probably the tone at the time, but why is he still like that, decades later? Maybe 2004 wasn’t really that progressive. But also, why does he feel the need to lie about shit? This isn’t about you, dude! The tone was way off. The light should have been cast on Ridgeway and the victims, not the detective’s ego.

I wanted an in-depth account of the Green River case and in some ways, you do get that here. The descriptions of the police work were very interesting and incredibly detailed, and the recounting of all Ridgeway’s interviews was captivating and raw. There's nothing like hearing a serial killer talk about fishing a condom out of a corpse while I’m writing work emails.

But I just couldn’t get past the author’s grating personality. He seemed to take zero accountability for anything, making it seem that if there is fault to be had, it’s on everyone else but him. He claims credit for everything that worked and throws everyone else under the bus for the things that didn’t. Oh, and there’s a lot of Jesus talk and a lot of crying over how sad the victims made him, yet he barely talks about the victims in a substantial way at all. There is nothing in here to personify them or put a spotlight on them, which was a big, self-involved miss by the author.

This whole thing is more like ego word vomit than a serious look at Ridgeway and his crimes, and it’s hard to trust that everything within is accurate when other sources conflict with his claims.

The vibe for this one:


⭐⭐ | 2 stars

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was essentially a conversation between Sheriff Reichert and himself. He is explaining to himself why everyone is picking on him and how those folks are wrong. This book should have been about Ridgeway and Reichert's efforts to catch him, not the Sheriff's rocket-like career and his ability to be right in the face of adversity.

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sheriff David Reichert, according to a variety of well-informed sources, made a damn fine detective. Unfortunately, he does not make a damn fine writer.

Sheriff Reichert details many aspects of what proved to be the definitive crime investigation of his entire career in law enforcement. Having gone unsolved for twenty years, the Green River murders of Washington State occupied much of his man hours - and his home life. For one prolonged period, Reichert "began to question the whole idea of human compassion," going so far as to ask his wife not to say "I love you" to him when "there was so much evil in the world and there were so many victims who would never hear those words again." His children, too, cried upon missing their father, who went out so frequently in search of a man he did not know, or could not recognize upon sight. The case became a tremendous burden upon him as a man, just as the families of the known victims - and those of the dozens of unexplained disappearances - demanded a resolution... while many citizens pressured local politicians to withhold the immense funding the investigation seemingly hemorrhaged (since the victims appeared to be "only prostitutes, runaways, and street kids").

Beyond the investigation of Gary Ridgway (the man ultimately convicted of almost 50 counts of premeditated murder, and suspected of dozens more) as the Green River Murderer, Reichert follows the dead end trails of other viable suspects of the day, reliving the crushing frustrations and heartaches of discovering that so much effort and time and hope had been placed in fruitless ambition. Twenty years of following leads, of coming within a proverbial hair's breadth of bringing justice for so many bereaved people, and then coming to terms with failure.

The solving of the case, needless to say, was not only an exercise in patience and perseverance, of foresight and forehandedness... but of great importance to countless people who had formerly lain awake at night, knowing that this murderer had tricked them all - and lived in limitless freedom just as if he were an upstanding citizen.

The writing of this book, though, does serve to emphasize Sheriff Reichert's ostensible discomfort with the written word. As charismatic and dedicated as he has proven to be within his chosen line of work, the book has a decidedly sophomoric tone. Written at almost a junior high school reading level, the tone of the book leaves the ultimate impression that the author's motivations include mere self-congratulation (or perhaps even financial considerations). After all, would not an official compendium on the case reveal all that the general public would need to know without such a popularly-written title?

Also, in certain respects, the writing does reveal some very real incongruities between what the author writes verses what he should actually be aware of within a legal capacity. For example, regarding Ridgway's legal team formulating a pretrial mitigation report (a legal necessity in potential corporal punishment trials - and especially so with the prodigious amount of research involved in each Green River case), Reichert asks, "Why would they begin this work so early in the pretrial period if they weren't worried about losing?" Any defense team worthy of the title would realize the eventuality of a mistrial - and costly retrying - of the case should the team be found lacking in preparation for such an unmitigated effort. And so should the Sheriff.

In another passage, Reichert describes his impatience when many weeks went by without another body being found to trace back to the Green River murders: "How long would we have to wait, I wondered, until someone just happened upon another body?" While Reichert's informal brand of writing tends to reach out to a greater cross-section of readers, and there is never any doubt of his own personal involvement with the case, there truly are times when a more sensitive statement would have been warranted out of basic respect.

Neither does Reichert pull any punches: He did not appreciate talk show host Sally Jesse Raphael's apparent exploitation of him, and of victims of violent crime, during an appearance on her show in the mid-1980s. Nor does Reichert buy into what he calls "that whole FBI mystique," openly criticizing celebrity FBI criminal profiler John Douglas, and referring to the whole Bureau as a glorified local police department. One feels that he is honest with his views and opinions, which does lend to the credibility of his remarkable story.

While not the finest writer to cover a true crime, Reichert's efforts as tireless detective and proud sheriff should not be debased.

[Rose]

I can't recommend this book. Reichert is not a good writer and he spends a lot of the time repeating himself, talking about his personal life in detail, and trying to rebut criticisms made of him decades before. He tells us that he cares a lot about the victims about 300 times (really?). He tells us every time his kids cry when they see him on TV. He tells us what a nasty monster Ridgeway was over and over again, like we wouldn't have worked that out ourselves. He didn't even have much to do with Green River for quite a number of years, and his writing about those years tells us much more about him than it does about Green River.

While I haven't read any other books on this topic, I think it is safe to say that any of them will be more informative, interesting, and relevant than this one.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked reading about the subject matter even though it was an awful crime, mostly about what it took to capture the Green River Killer and all of the changes to how things were investigated from start to finish of this case. I think the fact that I listened to the book made it easier for me to like it since it seemed like the author was having a conversation instead of trying to write about his experiences. The author is most definitely not a seasoned writer and the fact that he added quite a bit of the taped conversations with Ted Bundy, and a news reporter to the audiobook shows this. Those were the things I liked least about the audiobook. If you want to read this I highly suggest getting the audiobook, I think if I had tried to read the actual book I would have given up on it.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well first, I have to say that I am really glad I listened to the audio version of this book. Not only was there an interview with author and lead detective on the Green River case at the end but throughout the book there was audio interviews of Reichert with Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgeway!

I am a big fan of true crime but this was the first book I had read on the Green River Killer and actually I knew very little about the case. I barely remember when Rideway was arrested which I think was sometime in 2003. I was in college then so it seems like something I would / should remember. I remember talking about the case in my classes but I going in to the book I didn't realize that those discussions were about this killer and this case. So I liked this book from the aspect that I learned a lot about something I knew little about.

One thing I didn't like was, the author seemed very pompous at times. He was not the narrator though so in his defense this could have just been something attributable to the narrator. But it did drive me crazy throughout the book. I wanted to like him and give him the benefit of the doubt but I just didn't really like him. I must say though, I didn't get the pompous feeling it the actual interview with Reichert at the end.

Overall though a good true crime book. I especially recommend it on audiobook!

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

More of an ego jerk-off than a serious look at Ridgway. The victims are not personified at all. I know for a fact he didn't do a lot of the things he claims to in this book (like take the DNA swab that finally caught Ridgway) and therefore it just pissed me off the whole time I read it. At least I checked it out from the library and didn't give this guy any money.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheriff (now Congressman) Dave Reichert tells the story of his personal journey to capture the "Green River Killer", who murdered dozens of women in the Seattle area in the early 80's and beyond. Reichert was on the case from the beginning in 1982, when he was called to the scene of three women whose bodies were found dumped in and around the Green River in King County. Little did he or anyone else know just how massive the investigation would become, and for the next few years they would be called again and again to remote areas where the bodies of women (most of whom were prostitutes working on the infamous "Sea-Tac strip") were discovered. While the killings apparently died down after the mid 80's and the task force eventually was forced to disband, neither Sheriff Reichert nor any of his colleagues gave up. They understood that these victims should not be regarded as mere prostitutes and runaways whom society has neglected; they were mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. As Reichert reiterates time and again, someone cared about them and loved them. It wasn't until 2001 that DNA found at several of the scenes was linked to Gary Ridgway, a truck painter and apparently happily married family man. After being pressed further by detectives, however, he admitted to being the "Green River Killer" and struck a deal with the prosecution, offering to lead them to the scenes where he dumped the remains of some victims who were still missing in exchange for his life. In chilling detail, Ridgway proved himself to be a depraved, sexual psycopath who viewed prostitutes as trash and enjoyed killing them.

Amidst all of this lies a great moral question: with such unspeakable evil as the crimes of Gary Ridgway, how can there be any possibility of a loving God? Reichert, himself a Christian, addresses this (albeit briefly). He makes sure that his focus is not on Ridgway or the crimes themselves, but on the lives of the victims, which were brutally taken from them far too soon. Reichert never regarded the prostitutes as inferior to law-abiding citizens. Rather, he did them justice by honoring their memories and showing compassion to their grieving loved ones. It is here that we see God's mercy and love at work. The women suffered horrible deaths, much as Jesus did for all of us on the cross. God didn't overlook their suffering, nor has He for anyone else. If Christ were walking around today, He would be dining with the sinners and lost souls.

And what of Gary Ridgway? He has rightly been punished for his despicable crimes. He is in prison and will not kill anymore. Yet as horrific and unspeakably evil as his crimes were, and as wicked and depraved a human being as he is, he is still made in the image of God. He chose to do evil rather than good, and will have to answer before God for his actions. Reichert quotes a pastor who asked his congregation around the time of the trial that if there cannot be forgiveness for Ridgway, can there be forgiveness for anyone? I think there's a lot to be said in that. I also believe that, in addition to punishing criminals, the focus needs to be on the marginalized and forgotten. Many of the women whom Ridgway killed were single mothers trying to make ends meet, and unfortunately ended up making poor choices out of desperation. They didn't want to be prostitutes.

All things considered, "Chasing the Devil" is a fascinating look into one man's unrelenting quest to defeat a horrific evil, and the emotional and spiritual implications of it.

[Derek Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reichert comes across as a remarkable human being – honest, decent, straightforward, totally lacking in grandstanding while never smarmily humble. Though the point-man for nearly all the history of the Green River investigation, Reichert never grabbed the spotlight except when he thought it would be specifically useful in flushing out the killer or restricting his devastation. There's no "as told to" credited, so it would seem that he wrote the book himself, though obviously with a spot-on editor.

His concern throughout is with the victims and their families; he holds a quiet rage that society (and the media) ignored much of the case's' history because the killings involved "only" prostitutes and runaways. In fact, he feels that these young, confused, hounded girls on the edges of society needed more protection than anyone else and that their killer showed a particular cowardice in targeting them.

Despite an intensity of focus that warped the lives of all the detectives involved, Ridgway was not taken until 20 years after the killing started, when DNA replication became sophisticated enough to reveal his identity. However, their constant vigilance along "The Strip" and their unceasing concern for the women who patrolled it for sex probably saved scores of lives, as Ridgway seems to have stopped most of his killing after the first half decade. And without the team's careful husbanding of early evidence, that DNA match might never have been made.

There are no mock-thrills, no titillation here. A fully human document.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading fictional crime stories, so I thought I'd try a true crime story. I picked this up while on vacation because I did not have any other desirable choices. While I loved the idea of the task force and the detectives who diligently pursued the Green River killer, I thought the book itself was dry and at many points, boring--in other words, much like real life. Reichert is a fine detective and sheriff, but an entertaining novelist he isn't. This case is a true life exercise in patience. I admire Reichert for his tireless effort to put the Green River killer behind bars. Many others would have (and did) give up. Twenty years is a long time to wait for justice, but I am glad he persevered. Ridgway is in jail and no longer able to hurt others, and that's a good thing.

[Daemonsw0lf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Occasionally one can find a gem of a true crime novel written by someone entrenched in the investigation. One of the biggest upsides to this book is just that, Sheriff Reichert was the lead investigator into the Green River murders.
Unfortunately, Sheriff Reichert is not particularly good at writing. He attempts a narrative format that goes off into tangents about other investigator's personal lives and motivations for living. Very little of the book is about the Green River Killer or the murders themselves. While I appreciate the years and efforts Reichert sunk into finding and capturing the GRK, I find this man's personal life and demons very droll. I would be far more interested in a better summary of the investigation with some evidence presented so that we could follow along.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The real-life story is compelling: a twenty-year case to find the Green River Killer, who prolifically murdered women, maybe over 50, and dumped thir bodies near the river in Washington. The book is written by the officer who was the lead on the case over the twenty years; he certainly knows the story well. Unfortunately the story as he writes it is not compelling and only marginally interesting, and he comes off as a dim-witted Dudley-Do-Right. Too bad. This story deserves more. Maybe some talented investigative journalist will take it on one day.

[Sandy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read several critical reviews of this book in general but Sheriff Reichert in particular and I don’t really understand it. I found the book interesting and at the same time respectful of the victims. It does have some disturbing content but the crimes themselves were horrific. The sheriff is unapologetically Christian and brings up his faith several times. If that is something that offends you maybe skip this account of this horrible serial killer

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il racconto della caccia ventennale ad uno dei serial killer più prolifici d'America. La parte finale lascia più di un brivido addosso.

[Nostalgiaplatz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho l'impressione che il killer di Green River non sia famoso quanto altri suoi “colleghi”, nonostante abbia ucciso decine e decine di donne, sfuggendo alla giustizia per quasi due decenni. Forse perché, come (all'incirca) disse Ted Bundy “a uccidere le prostitute son capaci tutti”, e tristemente non aveva torto: Bundy uccideva studentesse di buona famiglia e dalla vita perfetta, per questo terrorizzò la società. Il killer di Green River, Gary Ridgeway, uccideva giovani prostitute, ragazze sbandate e fuggite di casa, e la società se ne infischiò per lungo tempo.
Questo libro narra la lunga indagine che portò alla sua cattura, per mano dal detective che per quasi vent'anni diede la caccia al killer. David Reichert racconta di quanto questo caso abbia inciso su di lui, parla anche della false piste, degli errori, dei tagli al budget, dello sconforto di un incubo che sembrava non finire mai, dello straziante recupero dei resti delle ragazze uccise. Racconta dei suoi rapporti con il resto della squadra che lavorò alla cattura, e di quelli con i parenti delle vittime. A un certo punto su Ridgeway, uomo dall'aspetto banale e dall'intelligenza non brillante, pesavano molti indizi di colpevolezza, ma nessuna prova concreta; fu solo nel nuovo millennio, e grazie al DNA, che fu possibile incastrarlo.
Il libro è interessante, anche se non è raccontato in maniera appassionante: Reichert è un poliziotto, non uno scrittore, e va bene così. Espone i fatti, le emozioni che lui ha provato, senza romanzare, senza lanciarsi più di tanto nel cercare di comprendere l'assassino... insomma, non è Capote, ma questo lo sapevo già prima di iniziare la lettura.

[Everydayreader1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Officer David Reichert was called away from his daughter's Birthday celebration, he had no way to know that it would begin a more than twenty-year hunt for the Green River Killer, Gary Leon Ridgway. This investigation had an impact on so many lives and families, and the author shares much of that with the reader, as he explains the ups and downs of the investigation, and the devastating consequences of the actions of this serial killer.

This book gave me an even greater appreciation for the sacrifices made by law enforcement personnel and their families. It was a difficult read, in some ways, because of the subject matter and the physical descriptions of what these murder victims suffered. It is amazing that the members of the Green River Task Force never gave up their pursuit of this murderer. They were relentless and dogged in their determination to solve these horrific crimes and bring the killer to justice.

[Y · Rating 2 out of 5]

Possibly worthwhile for someone wanting to fill out their knowledge on the Green River Killer, along with other books, such as Ann Rule's Green River, Running Red. While that book focuses a lot on bringing the victims' lives to light, this is heavy on the police work. It is also an annoyingly self-aggrandizing work, so keep that in mind if you're hoping for more insight into Gary Ridgway.

The audiobook version has actual interviews with both Gary Ridgway and Ted Bundy, who contacted the police to offer "help" into the finding the Green River Killer (but mainly because he wanted to be in the limelight again), though I found the audio quality to be so awful that they were 90% incomprehensible. If you do give it a listen, find yourself as quiet a place as possible to hear.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this, and it was the audiobook. ANd I am SO glad that I listened to the audiobook, and in this case I recommend it over a regular book! There are actual recorded interviews between sheriff Reichert and Ted Bundy, and a couple with him and Gary Ridgeway also. Very interesting to look at!
I found this extra interesting to listen to, because I work for the king co sheriff's office (where dave reichert was sheriff) and I've been here since before Ridgeway was caught. Very good book! I recommend the audio version!!

[Lauren R · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a DNF for me, and that is a rare occurrence. As much as I love true crime stories, this served more as a ego boost for the detective instead of an insight into the crimes. I did not end up knowing and feeling for the victims at all, which has always been an important element of true crime for me. I feel like the author spent more time convincing the readers he was better than and more intelligent than everyone else when in fact he wasted a huge chunk of time hell bent on proving the guilt of an innocent but idiotic suspect until Ridgeway was found. Did not enjoy. Would not recommend.

[Madeline Kaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of reviews said that they cant stand how self-aggrandizing the author is, but for whatever reason, i thought his tone was really quite sincere. he was the lead detective, so yes, this book isn't a large overview of all the facts - its a biographical, very 'through-my-eyes' recounting of his experience being on this case. its super cop/procedural heavy, but i liked that! admittedly, i havent read any other books about the gary ridgeway, so perhaps my opinion on this account of the case will change once ive read some more about it.

[Dan Moore · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Chasing the Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Spotlight While Letting the Green River Killer Slip Through My Fingers"

David Reichert's personal obsession with a red herring suspect allowed Gary Ridgway to continue his killing spree. This book is nothing more than the revisionist history and rationalizations of a man who, like so many other self-serving and incompetent phonies, finally found his calling as a congressman.

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Dave Reichert's incredibly long, frustrating search for the Green River Killer. Nice to read one of these books that doesn't treat a loser like GRK as if he were a rock star.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chasing the Devil by Sheriff David Reichert.

I had a few reasons to read this book. One is that after viewing the movie on TV I found a significant interviewed left out of it. The interview between Gary Ridgway and Sheriff Reichert where the Sheriff finally lets loose all of his pent up feelings towards this monster. It was included in the first viewing but later no longer included. I found it to be the first clearing out of the dark domain of this murderers mind.
Another reason was during the trial when the families of the murdered women had their opportunity to confront Gary Ridgway a Pastor came forward. His 16-year-old daughter had been a victim. He faced G.R. and forgave him since he had received his forgiveness. The murderer wept. I felt this was also an important part of this trial and story.
Sheriff Reichert was the first investigator appointed in this search for one of the most prolific serial murderers in our country's history. This search ranged from 1982-2003. Later G.R. admitted to drowning a child in a lake before the other murders occurred. That was not proven but a child's body had been found.
Thank to Sheriff Reichert for his ambition in tracking down this monster. I also found the book a bit easier to read as the movie overwhelmingly depressing.

[Eva Luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. Even though I liked the focus on the police work I feel like the writer made the story about him way too often. The book was filled with all these details that did not really add to the case, constantly going into his personal life. I wanted to learn more about this case, and I feel a bit dissapointed.

The audiobook includes interviews with Gary Ridgway and Ted Bundy. Even though I believe these interviews can be very interesting and informative, the audio quality was so awful I barely understood a word. I would have not put these in.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is written by the lead detective on the Green River Taskforce, Sheriff David Reichert, so it is skewed towards his point of view, sometimes blaming the media for deficits in solving the case. The audiobook includes segments of interviews with both Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway, which add another layer of depth to the story. What I found most interesting was the detectives saving any scrap of evidence they could from the dump sites, which lead to them finally cracking the case and having enough evidence to catch the killer.

[Addy Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

i listened to chasing the devil, and the narrator just didn’t do it for me. i still enjoyed hearing from the lead detective in the green river case and that he really did focus on the victims as much as he could. i loved he included the actual tapes from ted bundy and gary ridgeway. i did have to slow that part down because the feedback wasnt the best.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. And I had never heard of this case. Though, I am not a huge true crime buff, but for this guy to evade police for so long, and be captured in the early 2000s, and I don't recall even hearing about it. Book written by lead detective. Review to come.

[Marla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I might have liked Ann Rule's version better. However, on audio, the personal interviews gave you an idea of how arrogant and unremorseful the killers are as they preplan their murders. I don't think these types of people are saveable.