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Murder Capital of the World
Over 25 people murdered in just over two and a half years. What was happening in the small coastal town of Santa Cruz between October 1970 and February 1973?
John Linley Frazier's home invasion murders of the Ohta Family and Dorothy Cadwallader in 1970 and the serial murder sprees of Herbert Mullin and Edmund Kemper left an impact on Santa Cruz that can still be felt today.
Local law enforcement, victim's families and friends, classmates and acquaintances of the killers, local historians, voices from the past and present, and the killers themselves all come together to tell the horrific stories and explain why Santa Cruz was dubbed THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD in the early 1970's.
John Linley Frazier's home invasion murders of the Ohta Family and Dorothy Cadwallader in 1970 and the serial murder sprees of Herbert Mullin and Edmund Kemper left an impact on Santa Cruz that can still be felt today.
Local law enforcement, victim's families and friends, classmates and acquaintances of the killers, local historians, voices from the past and present, and the killers themselves all come together to tell the horrific stories and explain why Santa Cruz was dubbed THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD in the early 1970's.
- GenresTrue CrimeCrime
554 pages, Paperback
Published March 30, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 14, 2022
I love how the book is structured and edited. Reading all these different people talk about what happened, how it affected them, how they experienced it, etc It is a very innovative way of writing a true crime book, insightful, refreshing, and engaging.
I particularly enjoyed reading the testimonies surrounding John Linley Frazier of Delores Frazier and Pat Pascal juxtaposed, as well as Delores' friend Allison Ayers. It brings so many layers to the story.
Also I really liked how it demystifies Ed Kemper and his supposedly "evil mother", how it shines a light on Ed's absent father, and shows a bit more the way others perceived him, we usually only hear about Kemper from himself because he looooves to talk about himself.
The book is also full of very interesting images, from pictures to letters, to court documents, and it dedicates full chapters to the victims, which is very touching and necessary.
I particularly enjoyed reading the testimonies surrounding John Linley Frazier of Delores Frazier and Pat Pascal juxtaposed, as well as Delores' friend Allison Ayers. It brings so many layers to the story.
Also I really liked how it demystifies Ed Kemper and his supposedly "evil mother", how it shines a light on Ed's absent father, and shows a bit more the way others perceived him, we usually only hear about Kemper from himself because he looooves to talk about himself.
The book is also full of very interesting images, from pictures to letters, to court documents, and it dedicates full chapters to the victims, which is very touching and necessary.
April 7, 2023
What a fantastic read. Love the way this book is structured. I'm impressed with all of the research that's gone into this.
March 9, 2022
This is an incredibly gripping view into Santa Cruz of the early 1970s. Mr. Murray's choice to use predominantly first person exposition through interviews and testimony lend an authentic and chilling air to the stories of these three mass murderers. Having grown up in this area I was particularly haunted by the photographs and descriptions of areas I know well, and by reading about personal events of the boogiemen of my youth.
Mr. Murray's book is a powerful glimpse into a time of lost innocence. It is an incredibly difficult and honest read, and I cannot speak highly enough of the innovative method he used to structure this narrative.
Mr. Murray's book is a powerful glimpse into a time of lost innocence. It is an incredibly difficult and honest read, and I cannot speak highly enough of the innovative method he used to structure this narrative.
August 15, 2021
I was a teenager in Santa Cruz during the murders covered in this book. To say the community, and myself, was impacted by them is a gross understatement. Over the years, I've read anything I could find concerning them, but everything has been somewhat shallow when it came to what we in Santa Cruz experienced during those times. This book finally covers the events from start to finish in as complete a manner as I could ever hope for. It is a compilation of quotes from all the parties involved, the murderers, police, family members, community members, prosecutors, and victim's families and friends. Mr. Murray has compiled not just the story of the murders, but the story of the victims, and the community. With interviews ranging from long before the murders took place, during the time of the killings and prosecution, and all the way up to 2020, he tells as complete a story as one could possibly hope for. It is a must read for anyone with ties to the Santa Cruz community, and a tone with an interest in True Crime. With over 300 photos and hundreds of pages of text, it is as fine and well researched true crime book as I have read. Mr. Murray has a personal connection to these stories, and it shows from the start to the end. I highly recommend it.
January 2, 2022
This book takes you to a time when Santa Cruz was peace, love....and murder! The use first person narrative really puts you in the minds of law enforcement, prosecutors and the mentally ill murderers, an interesting - and disturbing - view of what took place before, during and after the crime wave of the late 60's, early 70's. Very well done and highly recommended for anyone interested in the true crime genre, hippie culture, and Santa Cruz history.
September 29, 2022
Probably one of the best true crime books I have read. I applaud Emmerson Murray for the extensive amount of research he did for this and I really like the format that he used with firsthand accounts of people who witnessed these atrocities firsthand.
The interviews were very interesting to read and I gained a lot of insight as to how these crimes affected those who were involved in them and their impact on Santa Cruz during the 1970s. There was also a lot of new information I learned about Kemper and Mullin that I don't think I would have been able to find if not for the amount of research the author put into this book.
I also really appreciate that sections of the book were focused on the victims and not just the killers, which was very refreshing. Knowing who these people were and not just the fact that they were victims to a crime made the book a lot more authentic and sobering. Definitely not an easy read and it was difficult to get through at some points but it sheds a lot of light on the impact of the crimes in Santa Cruz and the lack of mental health knowledge and support during the 1970s.
The interviews were very interesting to read and I gained a lot of insight as to how these crimes affected those who were involved in them and their impact on Santa Cruz during the 1970s. There was also a lot of new information I learned about Kemper and Mullin that I don't think I would have been able to find if not for the amount of research the author put into this book.
I also really appreciate that sections of the book were focused on the victims and not just the killers, which was very refreshing. Knowing who these people were and not just the fact that they were victims to a crime made the book a lot more authentic and sobering. Definitely not an easy read and it was difficult to get through at some points but it sheds a lot of light on the impact of the crimes in Santa Cruz and the lack of mental health knowledge and support during the 1970s.
November 13, 2022
A must read for true crime fans. I bought this book on Kindle because of my interest in Ed Kemper, but the book also covers two other fascinating cases. The stories are told in depth through dialogue from interviews with the people most intimately connected with these crimes-the investigators, psychiatrists, people who knew the perpetrators and victims, and the perpetrators themselves. There’s a lot of dialogue from Ed Kemper from his confessions and interviews not easily found elsewhere. There’s a wealth of information on the Herbert Mullin and John Linley Frasier cases, which is not readily available through simple internet searches. It was interesting to read about the social climate and tensions between ‘long-hairs’ and ‘straights’ that these crimes exacerbated in the Santa Cruz area. Also of value is the focus on the victims’ lives and personalities.
My only complaint is that hundreds of photos that are in the physical copy of this book are not available in the Kindle edition. So just be aware!
My only complaint is that hundreds of photos that are in the physical copy of this book are not available in the Kindle edition. So just be aware!
July 28, 2021
4.5, almost perfect! I really liked how this book had chapters on the victims, it was a nice change to see this in a true crime book. My heart goes out to all people hurt by serial killing. The research done for this book was extensive and phenomenal.
April 21, 2025
This book is phenomenal. I loved every bit of it. If there’s anything I love, it’s a book that’s more spoken word. Family members, friends, police, the killers themselves etc all ‘spoke’ in this book. If you have any interest at all in Mullin, Kemper, or Frazier, it’s a must read.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews