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I Would Find a Girl Walking
"I would be drinking and lonely, thinking about all the couples having fun together. And here I am, single, haveing no fun at all. Then I would go out riding around and I would find a girl walking..."-Gerald Stano
His licence plate read: No riders except blondes, brunettes, and redheads. With his flared polyester pants, open nylon shirt, and disco music on his eight track, Gerald Stano believed he was quite the ladies' man. And should a girl dare fracture his ego, he killed her.
By the time he was twenty-eight, Gerald confessed to murdering up to forty women over an eleven-year period. How they died was left to the moment: strangled, stabbed, drowned, or shot. Why? They crossed Gerald's path and were tossed out like trash. But there were other troubling questions: How did this obsessive loner lure so many women into his car? And how could so many appalling crimes go unconnected for so long?
Based on exclusive access to the killer-and extensive correspondence with him-as well as interviews with the lead investigator and the victims' families, this is a revealing, shocking, and unflinching portrait of a man who fancied himself one of the greatest lady-killers of them all.
His licence plate read: No riders except blondes, brunettes, and redheads. With his flared polyester pants, open nylon shirt, and disco music on his eight track, Gerald Stano believed he was quite the ladies' man. And should a girl dare fracture his ego, he killed her.
By the time he was twenty-eight, Gerald confessed to murdering up to forty women over an eleven-year period. How they died was left to the moment: strangled, stabbed, drowned, or shot. Why? They crossed Gerald's path and were tossed out like trash. But there were other troubling questions: How did this obsessive loner lure so many women into his car? And how could so many appalling crimes go unconnected for so long?
Based on exclusive access to the killer-and extensive correspondence with him-as well as interviews with the lead investigator and the victims' families, this is a revealing, shocking, and unflinching portrait of a man who fancied himself one of the greatest lady-killers of them all.
293 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2011
36 people are currently reading
544 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Kelly
27 books12 followersKathy Kelly grew up on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, and became a school teacher. In 1995 she helped found "Voices in the Wilderness," a Chicago-based group dedicated to circumventing the sanctions imposed upon Iraq. Made many trips to Iraq to deliver medicines and humanitarian aid, in violation of the sanctions. A war tax refuser, she has been arrested and jailed many times for non-violent acts of protest against U.S. policies. Arrested five times for the crime of planting corn on nuclear missile silos! Twice nominated for Nobel peace prizes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
July 16, 2018
Gerald Stano's matter-of-fact retellling of heinous, senseless murders he committed is at first shocking, but then chilling to the core. Ms. Kelly manages to push that aside in order to continue her correspondence with him in, what seems to me, a sincere effort to understand as well as providing answers for families affected.
June 16, 2012
Very disorganized.
I started reading this book not knowing much about this serial killer. To my annoyance it got weird real quick. First it starts with how he is caught but then I read that he has been giving the death penalty for several other murders.
I cannot find anywhere in the book what happened during all those trials and it was very confusing to me. Then we finally get to the letters but all the important stuff was already in the first part of the book so it is all repeated.
Do not understand why this book has so much raving reviews on amazon. Its not bad but not real good either.
I also discovered that the DNA that was found on the body(this was the killing for which he received the death penalty) turned out not to be his.
There is not much in the book about all the controversy which happened between other cops and Paul Crow the cop who befriended him and got him to confess to so many murders. it is said that this cop lead him into a lot of confessions. Hardly anything about that in the book even though it was published in 2011.
I started reading this book not knowing much about this serial killer. To my annoyance it got weird real quick. First it starts with how he is caught but then I read that he has been giving the death penalty for several other murders.
I cannot find anywhere in the book what happened during all those trials and it was very confusing to me. Then we finally get to the letters but all the important stuff was already in the first part of the book so it is all repeated.
Do not understand why this book has so much raving reviews on amazon. Its not bad but not real good either.
I also discovered that the DNA that was found on the body(this was the killing for which he received the death penalty) turned out not to be his.
There is not much in the book about all the controversy which happened between other cops and Paul Crow the cop who befriended him and got him to confess to so many murders. it is said that this cop lead him into a lot of confessions. Hardly anything about that in the book even though it was published in 2011.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2012
Around the same time as Ted Bundy was killing coeds in the Pacific Northwest, Gerald Stano was picking up women and killing them in FL. In his own words, he would "find a girl walking" try and get her in his car. then if she said anything at all he took exception to, he would kill her.
His crimes were cruel and vicious, but his case did not get nearly the press of Bundy. Reporter Kathy Kelly formed a good rapport with him and through his own letters, pieced together his crimes in a very interesting book.
His crimes were cruel and vicious, but his case did not get nearly the press of Bundy. Reporter Kathy Kelly formed a good rapport with him and through his own letters, pieced together his crimes in a very interesting book.
December 28, 2011
A true-crime book about serial killer Gerald Stano, written by Kathy Kelly a journalist who managed to get exclusive access to Stano through letters and visits while he was in prison, along with interviews with the lead investigator he gave confessions to, and victims families.
Stano killed up to 40 random women, and probably a young girl he knew, over an 11 year period in Florida, all by the time he was 28. He shared neighboring cells on Florida's Death Watch section with Ted Bundy.
Stano killed up to 40 random women, and probably a young girl he knew, over an 11 year period in Florida, all by the time he was 28. He shared neighboring cells on Florida's Death Watch section with Ted Bundy.
July 8, 2017
It's really repetitive and poorly written.
April 7, 2011
In what best selling author Michael Connelly describes as “One of the best looks inside the mind and motives of a serial killer that I’ve ever read”, authors Kathy Kelly and Diana Montane give readers a true crime drama in I WOULD FIND A GIRL WALKING. Just prior to the technological age that would change the way law enforcement would handle criminal investigations forever, Gerald Eugene Stano became one of the most prolific serial killers of his time. Without surveillance cameras, cells phones, DNA evidence, and computer communication between law enforcement agencies, it was basically a simpler time allowing the likes of Stano to ride around in his treasured cars looking for young girls for sex…or what started out that way.
Late in the 1960s and 1970s, Stano could be found cruising around the World’s Most Famous Beach - Daytona Beach, Florida, in search of his next victim. It is hard to understand why these women went with Gerald Stano who was what we might now probably call a nerd (?) - chubby, polyester pant suits and gold jewelry, large plastic framed glasses, disco music loving drunk (most of the time) and yet, they did. But in I WOULD FIND A GIRL WALKING, Kathy Kelly takes her experience with Stano, goes inside the mind of this madman, and along with Diana Montane, provides a glimpse into what made him tick.
At the time, Kathy Kelly was a reporter at The Daytona Beach News-Journal and being on the “police beat”, was the one to write the stories about these killings and Stano. Kathy’s reporting caught Stano’s attention as he loved to read his own press and he would only agree to interviews if it was Kathy who did them. His other connection was with DBPD Sgt. Paul Crow. Crow, who had studied at the FBI Academy in Quantico, was able to connect with Stano in a way no other lawman could, and so was the one that Stano put his trust in. Since so many of the murders were committed in other jurisdictions, the lawmen from those places would work through Crow to deal with Stano. Once Stano took a liking to Kathy Kelly, he agreed to answer questions for her so she could get all the facts and they corresponded. Kathy kept all his letters in a shoe box in her home with thoughts of someday working to put them into some kind of book.
Along with fellow reporter Montane, they worked for two years to tell Stano’s story and the description of the crimes he committed are compelling. More importantly especially to the authors, are the stories of the victims and their families. Taking the details from Stano’s letters, the authors have written a haunting story that readers will find hard to put down. Many of the chapters are devoted to the victims and how their part of the story came about. Yes, some of the women were runaways or prostitutes, but there also was the graduating senior on a class trip, a dancer, a cheerleader, a local champion swimmer, and even a tiny, young skater. All of these girls had families and lives ahead of them and Kathy makes sure readers knows their stories. There are even two of the girls who had twin brothers so being victims wasn’t the only coincidence. Their families and how they dealt with each loss as well as what some are doing today are included. Intertwined to make an intense and fascinating read, I WOULD FIND A GIRL WALKING will keep you turning pages as it surely did for me.
Gerald Stano’s background is also written about from when he was the unwanted child of a prostitute to a very much wanted baby of an adoptive parent who fought to keep him even after he was labeled “inadoptable”. Gerald’s relationship with his adoptive parents even up until the end is described. In confessing to killing about 40 women all around Florida, you would think Stano would have remorse and yet he is described as someone who you never would believe was spending years on death row, even at some point next to another infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy. Stano could be found knitting blankets for inmates’ children and even sending Kathy a scarf and hat he knitted for her one time. It was obvious as you read the book and later in the letters that are there verbatim in the appendix, that Gerald took a liking to Kathy. He even asked Paul Crow if she was married. For Kathy, it was a difficult and emotional journey to “get the story” and keep herself sane while this madman thought of them as friends. The letters in the back of the book are quite meaningful after reading the story as Kathy interjects personal observations to explain some of what Gerald writes about. In fact, it is from one of the letters that the authors got the title of the book. Gerald Stano had written to explain how he picked a victim, and he said very casually that “I would find a girl walking….“. In a second appendix, all the letters to his “good friend” Paul Crow are also included.
How Stano is finally convicted and which of the murders is the one that finally gets him executed is described. The book even has some photographs but as the authors are quick to say, none of them are gruesome. Stano was executed in 1998 and always one to make people think, he changed his stories, recanted his confessions and put the blame on Paul Crow while claiming his innocence in a letter left with his lawyer! With his hints at knowing more than he was telling before his death, we will never know how many more women he really killed. However, the suspicion he tried to throw on Crow was investigated and of course, cleared. Montane in a recent radio interview said about Stano, “I felt he was a very average but cunning individual…self-inflated with a grandiose image of himself…a lady killer, a real lady killer”. I guess that says it all but one thing I know for sure is that it has made me look at strangers differently, no matter how charming they may appear, I am careful when I am out alone. As a resident of Daytona Beach, chills still run up and down my spine as I think of all the places Stano worked and frequented that are so familiar to me. I ask myself each day where I was at a certain time and wasn’t it REALLY possible I, too, must have run into him? Good thing for me I rarely walk anywhere!
Late in the 1960s and 1970s, Stano could be found cruising around the World’s Most Famous Beach - Daytona Beach, Florida, in search of his next victim. It is hard to understand why these women went with Gerald Stano who was what we might now probably call a nerd (?) - chubby, polyester pant suits and gold jewelry, large plastic framed glasses, disco music loving drunk (most of the time) and yet, they did. But in I WOULD FIND A GIRL WALKING, Kathy Kelly takes her experience with Stano, goes inside the mind of this madman, and along with Diana Montane, provides a glimpse into what made him tick.
At the time, Kathy Kelly was a reporter at The Daytona Beach News-Journal and being on the “police beat”, was the one to write the stories about these killings and Stano. Kathy’s reporting caught Stano’s attention as he loved to read his own press and he would only agree to interviews if it was Kathy who did them. His other connection was with DBPD Sgt. Paul Crow. Crow, who had studied at the FBI Academy in Quantico, was able to connect with Stano in a way no other lawman could, and so was the one that Stano put his trust in. Since so many of the murders were committed in other jurisdictions, the lawmen from those places would work through Crow to deal with Stano. Once Stano took a liking to Kathy Kelly, he agreed to answer questions for her so she could get all the facts and they corresponded. Kathy kept all his letters in a shoe box in her home with thoughts of someday working to put them into some kind of book.
Along with fellow reporter Montane, they worked for two years to tell Stano’s story and the description of the crimes he committed are compelling. More importantly especially to the authors, are the stories of the victims and their families. Taking the details from Stano’s letters, the authors have written a haunting story that readers will find hard to put down. Many of the chapters are devoted to the victims and how their part of the story came about. Yes, some of the women were runaways or prostitutes, but there also was the graduating senior on a class trip, a dancer, a cheerleader, a local champion swimmer, and even a tiny, young skater. All of these girls had families and lives ahead of them and Kathy makes sure readers knows their stories. There are even two of the girls who had twin brothers so being victims wasn’t the only coincidence. Their families and how they dealt with each loss as well as what some are doing today are included. Intertwined to make an intense and fascinating read, I WOULD FIND A GIRL WALKING will keep you turning pages as it surely did for me.
Gerald Stano’s background is also written about from when he was the unwanted child of a prostitute to a very much wanted baby of an adoptive parent who fought to keep him even after he was labeled “inadoptable”. Gerald’s relationship with his adoptive parents even up until the end is described. In confessing to killing about 40 women all around Florida, you would think Stano would have remorse and yet he is described as someone who you never would believe was spending years on death row, even at some point next to another infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy. Stano could be found knitting blankets for inmates’ children and even sending Kathy a scarf and hat he knitted for her one time. It was obvious as you read the book and later in the letters that are there verbatim in the appendix, that Gerald took a liking to Kathy. He even asked Paul Crow if she was married. For Kathy, it was a difficult and emotional journey to “get the story” and keep herself sane while this madman thought of them as friends. The letters in the back of the book are quite meaningful after reading the story as Kathy interjects personal observations to explain some of what Gerald writes about. In fact, it is from one of the letters that the authors got the title of the book. Gerald Stano had written to explain how he picked a victim, and he said very casually that “I would find a girl walking….“. In a second appendix, all the letters to his “good friend” Paul Crow are also included.
How Stano is finally convicted and which of the murders is the one that finally gets him executed is described. The book even has some photographs but as the authors are quick to say, none of them are gruesome. Stano was executed in 1998 and always one to make people think, he changed his stories, recanted his confessions and put the blame on Paul Crow while claiming his innocence in a letter left with his lawyer! With his hints at knowing more than he was telling before his death, we will never know how many more women he really killed. However, the suspicion he tried to throw on Crow was investigated and of course, cleared. Montane in a recent radio interview said about Stano, “I felt he was a very average but cunning individual…self-inflated with a grandiose image of himself…a lady killer, a real lady killer”. I guess that says it all but one thing I know for sure is that it has made me look at strangers differently, no matter how charming they may appear, I am careful when I am out alone. As a resident of Daytona Beach, chills still run up and down my spine as I think of all the places Stano worked and frequented that are so familiar to me. I ask myself each day where I was at a certain time and wasn’t it REALLY possible I, too, must have run into him? Good thing for me I rarely walk anywhere!
February 2, 2019
Wow--this was an extremely sad (and disturbing) read. "I Would Find a Girl Walking" is a vivid and shocking introduction to American serial killer Gerald Stano, who claimed to murder over forty women. Three of them in particular would send him to the electric chair.
Kathy Kelly was the only reporter that Gerald trusted, or "trusted" is perhaps more accurate because like all psychopaths he was always engaged in some sort of mind game or manipulation with the people around him. With this connection, whatever it was, Kelly was able to get closer to Stano than anyone probably ever has through a series of letters sent to and from prison.
It is a true crime book written by a real reporter, so brace yourself--it is shocking. It is one of those books that left me questioning my own ethics... It is hard to say this man did not deserve the death penalty when you read about sweet little Susan Basile, victim, age 12. And not just her but all of the innocent women that he callously erased from the planet. And just when you think you can't be any angrier...you remember that Gerald Stano was abused and neglected--in his own infancy. His entire existence was heartbreaking. For him, and for every single person he ever encountered.
Kathy Kelly was an excellent writer and remarkable woman, one who looked a devil right in his eye and didn't break gaze.
If you're a true crime fan--this should be on your list.
Kathy Kelly was the only reporter that Gerald trusted, or "trusted" is perhaps more accurate because like all psychopaths he was always engaged in some sort of mind game or manipulation with the people around him. With this connection, whatever it was, Kelly was able to get closer to Stano than anyone probably ever has through a series of letters sent to and from prison.
It is a true crime book written by a real reporter, so brace yourself--it is shocking. It is one of those books that left me questioning my own ethics... It is hard to say this man did not deserve the death penalty when you read about sweet little Susan Basile, victim, age 12. And not just her but all of the innocent women that he callously erased from the planet. And just when you think you can't be any angrier...you remember that Gerald Stano was abused and neglected--in his own infancy. His entire existence was heartbreaking. For him, and for every single person he ever encountered.
Kathy Kelly was an excellent writer and remarkable woman, one who looked a devil right in his eye and didn't break gaze.
If you're a true crime fan--this should be on your list.
March 10, 2015
Three stars is a gift for this poorly-written true story of a psychopath driven to kill women he picked up in his car, and dump their bodies along roads or in the woods.
The writing was redundant at times, quoting letters written my the murderer Gerald Stano from prison, and then printing all the letters in their entirety. This was boring and unnecessary.
Although the authors describe some of the early chaotic life of the perpetrator, including malnutrition, neglect, head trauma, removal from birth parents and adoption,they fail to go into any depth on the relationship between Stano and his adoptive father, which was reported to have been abusive. They do not relate these aspects of his upbringing to his emotional and psychological state. He clearly was self-absorbed, had difficulty with relationships (to say the least!) had no impulse control,had apparent aspects of obsessive-compulsive disorder and probably much more...
Fortunately, a very effective cop was instrumental in his confessing to several murders, and he was convicted by a jury in other cases. He claimed to have killed over 40 women in Florida in the 1970s and 80s
He was executed in 1999.
The writing was redundant at times, quoting letters written my the murderer Gerald Stano from prison, and then printing all the letters in their entirety. This was boring and unnecessary.
Although the authors describe some of the early chaotic life of the perpetrator, including malnutrition, neglect, head trauma, removal from birth parents and adoption,they fail to go into any depth on the relationship between Stano and his adoptive father, which was reported to have been abusive. They do not relate these aspects of his upbringing to his emotional and psychological state. He clearly was self-absorbed, had difficulty with relationships (to say the least!) had no impulse control,had apparent aspects of obsessive-compulsive disorder and probably much more...
Fortunately, a very effective cop was instrumental in his confessing to several murders, and he was convicted by a jury in other cases. He claimed to have killed over 40 women in Florida in the 1970s and 80s
He was executed in 1999.
April 1, 2018
Well um......uh, when you're quoting.., uh.....well anyone. You can leave the, uh...... well...all the "um" and "uh" and "ah" out of your writing!!! It makes for annoying reading. This book is basically a rough confession. No court or trial info.(Which didn't really bother me). No real flow of events or real timelines. Just detectives asking questions about murders they believe Mr. Stano was involved in and him confessing that he did kill them and vaguely explaining how. If written better it may have been a better read, but uh....um, it seems the author, ah.....well uh, needs to learn the power of proper uh.....um..... uh, editing.
July 6, 2014
This book was very poorly written, it jumped around in different orders and talked about some confessions before it was related he was arrested, but then jumped to saying he was convicted and didn't mention anything about the investigative / trial process, other than some of his "confession" interviews
Then the appendix stated what was already given already earlier in the book, which doesn't move the reader to read all the letters.
Very poorly written and repetitive
Then the appendix stated what was already given already earlier in the book, which doesn't move the reader to read all the letters.
Very poorly written and repetitive
June 20, 2019
Pretty typical true crime-y book--almost felt like a less successful "Stranger Beside Me", about a less successful Ted Bundy. Though I am a little bit amazed that I've never heard of this guy before, because he seemed pretty prolific.
February 19, 2012
What made me kill and kill again? I can’t answer that except like this… Culled from interviews with the lead investigator and the victims’ families, and exclusive access to the killer, this is a revealing, shocking, and unflinching portrait of Gerald Eugene Stano, a man who fancied himself one of the greatest lady-killers of them all.
I haven’t finished this book yet, I am reading the killer’s letters to the author, so I felt I have finished enough to write a review. This book is very detailed, the author interviewed the investigators, families of the victims and the killer. The crimes are rather repetitious, the killer would get a girl in his car, then stab or punch, sometimes he would strangle. He also carried a gun and if a girl would run he would shoot her. He showed no emotion or remorse. He claimed to not have a motive other than the girl would get, ‘bitchy and mouthy’.
October 22, 2016
This was OK, but seemed sort of unfinished to me. The book was full of mistakes; the author said for instance that the killer wrote her 40 letters, but provided us with 50 by my count. She said there was reason to believe that he may have killed 40 people, but only named a few of them. She didn't even give us the kind of information on 'Jane Doe' and 'Madame X' that might help someone identify them, like their hair color. The writing was kind of clumsy for someone who claims to be a professional journalist, as if the killer's writing style had rubbed off on her somehow. This book told me more about how Kathy Kelly and others felt about Jerry Stano than what he really was like; the ridiculous psychiatric diagnosis someone gave him stopped me cold, for instance, because it was so incredibly wrong. It was worth the read but clearly needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
May 23, 2011
Repetitive. Not one of the best true crime books I've read.
March 3, 2017
This true crime stoey talks about the life and times of Gerald Eugene Stano, a serial killer who was prelavent in the 70's and has confessed to killing iver 40 women; some sex workers, some atheletes, some "all-American" good girls, and some children. It is written with details from numerous letters that Stano wrote back and forth with reporter Kathy Kelly.
I really just don't think book was written well. The facts are there, but not all of them. This men confessed to over 40 killings and we read about maybe 10. At one point a medical professional states that Stano was "predestined" to become a serial killer which makes me absolutely sick. Murder, assault and rage killings are not something that are predestined but are preventable. The timeline throughout the book was extremely hard to follow and there were way too many details that were not necessary to the case but we're repeated over and over. Having the letters as an appendix was a great decision as it really shows you who Stano was and who he was trying to perceive himself to be. Overall, I was intrigued but disappointed in the lack of information about the victims and the amount of information describing the challenged lifestyle Stano grew up in.
I really just don't think book was written well. The facts are there, but not all of them. This men confessed to over 40 killings and we read about maybe 10. At one point a medical professional states that Stano was "predestined" to become a serial killer which makes me absolutely sick. Murder, assault and rage killings are not something that are predestined but are preventable. The timeline throughout the book was extremely hard to follow and there were way too many details that were not necessary to the case but we're repeated over and over. Having the letters as an appendix was a great decision as it really shows you who Stano was and who he was trying to perceive himself to be. Overall, I was intrigued but disappointed in the lack of information about the victims and the amount of information describing the challenged lifestyle Stano grew up in.
February 3, 2017
As far as true crime books on serial killers go, this one is pretty good. My only gripe with it would be the tone at times, which I would assume is more to so with author Kathy Kelly having been a journalist. You can tell that but the constant use of over emotive language. Especially in the reenactments of the ladies murders, as well as at the end in the letters that he wrote personally to her to which she would someones right a commentary on. Other than that, I very much enjoyed it.
I found the personal touch of the letter correspondence, gave the story a different touch to other serial killer books. It was intriguing how Stano talked once in prison. And more so interesting to know that he was on the same death row block at the same time with Ted Bundy. So if you enjoy serial killer books, and withstand moderate emotive narrative, then this one should quench your literary thirst.
I found the personal touch of the letter correspondence, gave the story a different touch to other serial killer books. It was intriguing how Stano talked once in prison. And more so interesting to know that he was on the same death row block at the same time with Ted Bundy. So if you enjoy serial killer books, and withstand moderate emotive narrative, then this one should quench your literary thirst.
Want to read
February 8, 2011Release date is Apr. 5
Description on Amazon:
Culled from interviews with the lead investigator and the victims' families, and exclusive access to the killer, this is a revealing, shocking, and unflinching portrait of Gerald Eugene Stano, a man who fancied himself one of the greatest lady-killers of them all.
The author, Kathy Kelly, is an Assistant Managing Editor / Metro / Team Leader at the Daytona Beach News-Journal, a newspaper for which I currently do freelance writing and photography. I'm very interested in reading I Would Find A Girl Walking and wish her much success with the book.
Description on Amazon:
Culled from interviews with the lead investigator and the victims' families, and exclusive access to the killer, this is a revealing, shocking, and unflinching portrait of Gerald Eugene Stano, a man who fancied himself one of the greatest lady-killers of them all.
The author, Kathy Kelly, is an Assistant Managing Editor / Metro / Team Leader at the Daytona Beach News-Journal, a newspaper for which I currently do freelance writing and photography. I'm very interested in reading I Would Find A Girl Walking and wish her much success with the book.
August 28, 2016
I was not familiar with this case or this killer before I bought this true-crime book. It is a very interesting case, but the book itself was somewhat confusing, repetitive and disorganized. The Appendix (letters from the killer to the writer) was fascinating.
January 7, 2018
After reading this, I couldn't say that I kniw much more about Stano and his crimes than I knew just reading the back of the book. So many things were just repeated over and over throughout the whole book.
May 31, 2011
True crime novel. This one gets inside the mind of a serial killer. What makes him kill victim after victim?
March 16, 2018
Very boring. Hard to read because it bounces all over the places. Can't finish this one!
May 5, 2011
I knew some people in this book a long long time ago. Yipes!
October 19, 2024
The title is a reference of a quote of Gerald Eugene Stano. In a classic case of nature vs. nurture, Gerry was born in upstate New York to a woman whose neglect led social services to remove the severely malnourished infant. The Stano family adopted the boy at the age of five months and the signs of a damaged personality were evident from the start. The kid ate his own feces and later became a compulsive liar and thief.
A short-lived marriage ended and the young man's inner demons surfaced in Florida. His murders took place within the same time period as Ted Bundy and for a short time in 1986, the pair of serial killers were housed in neighboring cells on Death Watch, a leisurely distance from "Old Sparky." Unfortunately, their interactions are not covered, with only a couple of letters from Stano to the author mentioning the more famous killer.
An appendix is printed with letters from the killer to the author. It is no wonder that Gerald is only a footnote in the annals of true crime whereas Theodore Robert Bundy has become a cultural phenomenon.
I was disappointed with the book.
A short-lived marriage ended and the young man's inner demons surfaced in Florida. His murders took place within the same time period as Ted Bundy and for a short time in 1986, the pair of serial killers were housed in neighboring cells on Death Watch, a leisurely distance from "Old Sparky." Unfortunately, their interactions are not covered, with only a couple of letters from Stano to the author mentioning the more famous killer.
An appendix is printed with letters from the killer to the author. It is no wonder that Gerald is only a footnote in the annals of true crime whereas Theodore Robert Bundy has become a cultural phenomenon.
I was disappointed with the book.
April 4, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️
(April Christmas Read!!)
There’s just something wrong with giving a true crime book a rating.
I feel like I’m telling the killer he should have had more OOMPH or something. 😬
Horrendous, brutal and senseless murders … Gerald Stano was one of those men that clearly thought the rules didn’t apply to him.
However, this book was less than informative - but maybe that’s because of the age of the crimes … and the writing was repetitive. His stories didn’t mesh a lot throughout so I’m curious how they meshed IRL.
I feel like the world has come a LONNGGGG ways in how we solve crimes etc… but it’s always interesting to read about how it used to be done! … at least they got it done!
Book 34
(April Christmas Read!!)
There’s just something wrong with giving a true crime book a rating.
I feel like I’m telling the killer he should have had more OOMPH or something. 😬
Horrendous, brutal and senseless murders … Gerald Stano was one of those men that clearly thought the rules didn’t apply to him.
However, this book was less than informative - but maybe that’s because of the age of the crimes … and the writing was repetitive. His stories didn’t mesh a lot throughout so I’m curious how they meshed IRL.
I feel like the world has come a LONNGGGG ways in how we solve crimes etc… but it’s always interesting to read about how it used to be done! … at least they got it done!
Book 34
February 1, 2023
3.5⭐️ Another intriguing, yet horrifying look into a serial killer's life and mind. I thought the story jumped around alot from past to present, and murder to murder, and it was a bit confusing, and hard to put together a time line. There is a time line listed at the end of the book, which I wish I would have seen first so I could reference it throughout. Letters from the killer to the author were included, and give the reader an inside look at a sociopathic, remorseless killer. So interesting, and yet horrifying at the same time. This one should be added to any true crime lover's reading list!
April 20, 2020
Truly poorly written. Incredibly redundant, to the point where I thought I'd misplaced my bookmark and was re-reading what I'd already read. I wasn't. It pads itself to book length, instead of by doing research or considering a philosophical issue or...anything. Really disappointing demonstration of the problems with journalists and their inability to think through a story.
January 23, 2021
It's crazy I have never heard of this serial killer, Gerald Stano. He was evil and never remorseful for any of his crimes. If you were a woman alone walking, you were his to do as he pleased. He thought you deserved to die. He wanted to play God, but didn't think he deserved to be punished for it and that was a big inconvenience to him. I won't forget him, that's for sure.
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November 12, 2024DNF. This story was very unorganized and all over the place. I wanted to read about his victims and why he chose them versus him corresponding with the interviewer and how he found her so pretty. Took me days to read a couple of pages because the writing style and layout just didn’t work for me.
February 10, 2019
A fascinating look into the mind of a disturbed killer. Well written.
March 16, 2019
The book is well written. Though I found it disjointedly put together and it took me longer to finish because of this.
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