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The Laughing Gorilla: The True Story of the Hunt for One of America's First Serial Killers
During the 1920s, in more than a dozen cities, over four years, and across two continents, women were being butchered. Eyewitneses claim the perpetrator was a hulking Bible-carrying brute who lumbered on all fours, and laughed maniacally with each new slaughter.
The crimes haunted San Francisco Police Captain Charles Dullea, the last honest cop in one of the most notoriously corrupt departments in the country. But nothing could have prepared Dullea for where the case- and the truth-would take him.
The crimes haunted San Francisco Police Captain Charles Dullea, the last honest cop in one of the most notoriously corrupt departments in the country. But nothing could have prepared Dullea for where the case- and the truth-would take him.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Robert Graysmith
22 books330 followersROBERT GRAYSMITH is the New York Times Bestselling author and illustrator of
Zodiac
,
Auto Focus
, and
Black Fire
. He was the political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle when the letters and cryptograms from the infamous Zodiac killer were opened in the morning editorial meetings. He lives in San Francisco where he continues to write and illustrate.
Graysmith's latest book Shooting Zodiac is now available in paperback!
As well as the beautiful new edition of The Sleeping Lady: The Trailside Murders Above the Golden Gate in paperback and Kindle!
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Kobo | Apple Books | Google Play Books
Two films have been based on his books: Auto Focus and Zodiac. Graysmith is portrayed in the film Zodiac by Jake Gyllenhaal.
Also narrated by the author are the audiobooks Black Fire and Zodiac Unmasked .
Graysmith's latest book Shooting Zodiac is now available in paperback!
As well as the beautiful new edition of The Sleeping Lady: The Trailside Murders Above the Golden Gate in paperback and Kindle!
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Kobo | Apple Books | Google Play Books
Two films have been based on his books: Auto Focus and Zodiac. Graysmith is portrayed in the film Zodiac by Jake Gyllenhaal.
Also narrated by the author are the audiobooks Black Fire and Zodiac Unmasked .
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 2, 2023
Robert Graysmith's "The Laughing Gorilla" tells three stories: the hunt for a serial killer, the movements of one of the suspects and the corruption of the SF police department during the 1930s. The weaving of the plots doesn't always work well, and I was often a little confused about who did what. Still, it is a colorful true crime and the character of San Francisco emerging from Prohibition is well-developed. If boiled down to the core story, it would make an excellent film noir movie.
February 2, 2023
The "gorilla" of the title refers more to a type than a single killer. Therefore, there are a lot of disjointed digressions and red herrings which are a little bit hard to keep track of at first. Seemingly among the only non-corrupt officers on the SFPD, Detective Dullea, is the true focus of the narrative. His tenure coincided with police reform and the rise of serial killers like "Jack the Ripper" (supposedly unknown in America before the 1920s...which is debatable).
While the killer was believed to have committed other crimes outside San Francisco, the evidence is pretty inconclusive because there was not much cooperation between states. For instance, a connection to the Cleveland "Torso Murders" was suspected though the crimes were not really similar. There probably were other crimes the actual murderer was responsible for that would not have been known outside local jurisdictions.
Overall I give this a thumbs up for the attention paid to seedy period details and overall "noirish" aura. It's probably a lot of fun for people who know San Francisco well. For that reason, I might be interested in his book on the Zodiac Killer.
While the killer was believed to have committed other crimes outside San Francisco, the evidence is pretty inconclusive because there was not much cooperation between states. For instance, a connection to the Cleveland "Torso Murders" was suspected though the crimes were not really similar. There probably were other crimes the actual murderer was responsible for that would not have been known outside local jurisdictions.
Overall I give this a thumbs up for the attention paid to seedy period details and overall "noirish" aura. It's probably a lot of fun for people who know San Francisco well. For that reason, I might be interested in his book on the Zodiac Killer.
October 18, 2012
This book is non-fiction, true-crime. I added the tag ‘historical’ because the crimes took place in the 1920s, so in addition to reading about a crime (or in this case a series of crimes) one also learns about San Francisco in this decade.
The author covers the lifestyle of the time and the differences in police procedure. He includes some trivia, he explains why police cars are called ‘growlers’. The San Francisco police department was very corrupt, the author also covers this. Captain Charles Dullea was in charge of investigating the murder of Bette Coffin, the ‘first’ victim of “The Laughing Gorilla”, or so they thought at first, he was also one of the few honest police officers on the force. We learn his history and also his efforts to oust the corrupt chief and clean up the department.
It’s this variety of information, all connected that intrigues me. I like learning about the crime and all the background information. In total there were three or four murderers caught, two suicides of accused men, another plead guilty to avoid the death penalty and many victims. The one thing I didn’t like was that there was no information about what happened to the main ‘Gorilla Man’ after his arrest, did he plead guilty? Was he convicted? Was he executed?
There is a lot in this book and Mr. Graysmith keeps it interesting. I would recommend this book to people who like true crime and also people interested in America in the beginning of the 20th century.
The author covers the lifestyle of the time and the differences in police procedure. He includes some trivia, he explains why police cars are called ‘growlers’. The San Francisco police department was very corrupt, the author also covers this. Captain Charles Dullea was in charge of investigating the murder of Bette Coffin, the ‘first’ victim of “The Laughing Gorilla”, or so they thought at first, he was also one of the few honest police officers on the force. We learn his history and also his efforts to oust the corrupt chief and clean up the department.
It’s this variety of information, all connected that intrigues me. I like learning about the crime and all the background information. In total there were three or four murderers caught, two suicides of accused men, another plead guilty to avoid the death penalty and many victims. The one thing I didn’t like was that there was no information about what happened to the main ‘Gorilla Man’ after his arrest, did he plead guilty? Was he convicted? Was he executed?
There is a lot in this book and Mr. Graysmith keeps it interesting. I would recommend this book to people who like true crime and also people interested in America in the beginning of the 20th century.
February 17, 2016
Incredible! Graysmith takes you all over the United States and parts of Canada, following the trail left by such enlightened souls as Earle Nelson, known in the press as the Gorilla Murderer, and the Cleveland Torso Murderer. He threads them all together and highlights them as a totally new element in society. He also gives you a taste of how baffling and frustrating it is to be a policeman in an era of runaway corruption and graft, as the era of bootleggers gives way to the era of the serial killer. Really gives you a sense of what those times were like for the boys in blue. Not to be missed. This book also fulfilled a wish I've held onto for over 20 years -- it tells me more about Jerome Selz. More than I ever dared to hope, in fact. Thanks Bob!
November 5, 2016
Not the most interesting. Kinda light on the story of finding the killer so there is a random side story on corruption in the SFPD. Odd book.
June 14, 2019
Like a lost season of TRUE DETECTIVE. Another vision of the world as a miasma of palpable evil. Another set of faltering souls.
If you think of THE LAUGHING GORILLA as Graysmith’s personal ruminations on some murders in the 1930s, then his weaving together of many period details is quite pleasing and his somewhat disjointed presentation of events is tolerable. The events are certainly interesting.
But suppose you think of the figures in this book as men and women who once really existed and can no longer speak for themselves. Imagine that their living experience, their thoughts, their selves, mattered in the same way that your own reactions to a book matter. Then what do you think about the literary devices Graysmith uses to make you feel like an eyewitness? For me, the accumulation of vivid little moments begins to make his tale seem contrived.
“Dullea took a deep breath of Bay air. It cleared his head.” (p. 232)— What source was there for this report of a morning in 1936? What source could there be?
If you think of THE LAUGHING GORILLA as Graysmith’s personal ruminations on some murders in the 1930s, then his weaving together of many period details is quite pleasing and his somewhat disjointed presentation of events is tolerable. The events are certainly interesting.
But suppose you think of the figures in this book as men and women who once really existed and can no longer speak for themselves. Imagine that their living experience, their thoughts, their selves, mattered in the same way that your own reactions to a book matter. Then what do you think about the literary devices Graysmith uses to make you feel like an eyewitness? For me, the accumulation of vivid little moments begins to make his tale seem contrived.
“Dullea took a deep breath of Bay air. It cleared his head.” (p. 232)— What source was there for this report of a morning in 1936? What source could there be?
April 25, 2018
A very interesting book with a wealth of well researched historical detail, but I did find it dotted around here and there a little and made it at times difficult to follow. It would benefit from an index and a clearer structure.
None the less it was an fascinating and memorable read.
None the less it was an fascinating and memorable read.
July 20, 2019
It was an odd book. It was tough to get through- I felt it wasn’t cohesive- two stories that didn’t *quite* go together.
November 13, 2023
He goes off on so many tangents the reader can't keep track of what the central story is supposed to be.
July 10, 2016
This is a fascinating piece of writing. It is exceedingly difficult to create readable and enjoyable no fiction, and particularly when one is travelling into the past. Graysmith carries this off brilliantly and with brio.
That being said I would have attributed the top 5 stars and was hesitant but there are places in the book where it does seem to drag a bit, particularly the first 69 pages or so. Additionally, while very precise historically, I had to keep thumbing back through the index to remind myself who was actually who with an enormous slew of central characters.
The story captures well the mood and atmosphere of these troubled times and one wonders in the surge post WWI violence is not related to the hopelessness of the depression period itself. The author cleverly introduces the new technologies of criminology being developed as well as the historic changes taking place, at the time in San Francisco. The shifts between New York, Ohio and California are not as clean cut as I'd have liked and at times I found myself a bit confused over this hopping about.
I'd never honestly been aware of the "gorilla man" phenomenon prior to having read this book and found that a tantalizingly interesting bit of lost history. Graysmith knows his subject deftly and spent nearly 6 years developing the research. I thought that part of his mastery was in the depiction of characters who no longer exist, her really brought them to life. The author carries the reader along faithfully though his discoveries, reviving characters long since departed and opening doors, long since shut.
The wealth of details were just one element which made this book come to life and yet, at the same time, were one of the major obstacles in the reading. Detailed geographical descriptions are hard on a reader who has never visited a specific locale. At times I tried to imagine the different streets hat were mentioned only to draw a hopeless blank. In much the same spirit, the descriptions of the docks left me cold since I could not form the necessary mental imagery required. This is not to detract from the work which is a brilliant piece of research rather just a personal quirk and observation. It was like Hemingway but in black and white, without the flourish.
His psychological autopsy of the assailants, the serial murderers, was also well done. It is important to emphasize that the book is an amazing manuscript and that any 'complaints' are just personal peccadilloes.
I would heartily recommend this to anyone who likes murder mystery and and wants to understand the criminological aspects of this bleak and torturous period. For the historical and criminological aspects alone it is well worth investigating. As an added bonus, figures like Elliot Ness and Al Capone are woven into the narrative and the entire story of the foul and corrupt administration of the police during the period is given a thorough and talented examination.
As I mentioned earlier in this review I really hesitated giving the 5 stars, however the occasional tedium and some geographical ambiguity led me to finally fall on the side of caution.
Graysmith has several other titles which I intend to read in due course and review as well,
Happy reading!
That being said I would have attributed the top 5 stars and was hesitant but there are places in the book where it does seem to drag a bit, particularly the first 69 pages or so. Additionally, while very precise historically, I had to keep thumbing back through the index to remind myself who was actually who with an enormous slew of central characters.
The story captures well the mood and atmosphere of these troubled times and one wonders in the surge post WWI violence is not related to the hopelessness of the depression period itself. The author cleverly introduces the new technologies of criminology being developed as well as the historic changes taking place, at the time in San Francisco. The shifts between New York, Ohio and California are not as clean cut as I'd have liked and at times I found myself a bit confused over this hopping about.
I'd never honestly been aware of the "gorilla man" phenomenon prior to having read this book and found that a tantalizingly interesting bit of lost history. Graysmith knows his subject deftly and spent nearly 6 years developing the research. I thought that part of his mastery was in the depiction of characters who no longer exist, her really brought them to life. The author carries the reader along faithfully though his discoveries, reviving characters long since departed and opening doors, long since shut.
The wealth of details were just one element which made this book come to life and yet, at the same time, were one of the major obstacles in the reading. Detailed geographical descriptions are hard on a reader who has never visited a specific locale. At times I tried to imagine the different streets hat were mentioned only to draw a hopeless blank. In much the same spirit, the descriptions of the docks left me cold since I could not form the necessary mental imagery required. This is not to detract from the work which is a brilliant piece of research rather just a personal quirk and observation. It was like Hemingway but in black and white, without the flourish.
His psychological autopsy of the assailants, the serial murderers, was also well done. It is important to emphasize that the book is an amazing manuscript and that any 'complaints' are just personal peccadilloes.
I would heartily recommend this to anyone who likes murder mystery and and wants to understand the criminological aspects of this bleak and torturous period. For the historical and criminological aspects alone it is well worth investigating. As an added bonus, figures like Elliot Ness and Al Capone are woven into the narrative and the entire story of the foul and corrupt administration of the police during the period is given a thorough and talented examination.
As I mentioned earlier in this review I really hesitated giving the 5 stars, however the occasional tedium and some geographical ambiguity led me to finally fall on the side of caution.
Graysmith has several other titles which I intend to read in due course and review as well,
Happy reading!
February 21, 2011
Robert Graysmith is known for his many true crime stories. He is primarily known for his book "Zodiac" which was the story of the Zodiac killer. Three of his books have been made into major motion pictures.
In "The Laughing Gorilla" Graysmith goes back in time to 1926 in the San Francisco Bay area. A series of heinous crimes have been committed and the victims have been dismembered and cut up as if they were being autopsied.
The murderer received his name because after every murder he was noted as laughing as he left the scene of the crime. He was also given the title "gorilla" because it was discovered that he had huge hands that were used to strangle his victims. He also was noted as having a simian type build and walk.
The book traces the efforts of law enforcement to find the killer. Finding him became very difficult in that he was believed to be a sailor. He became what may have been the first traveling serial killer, murdering women on the east coast as well as the west coast.
A determined detective, Charles Dullea, from San Francisco headed the investigation that was not resolved until 1940.
The book not only concerns itself with "The Laughing Gorilla" but also details several other prominent crimes during this time. Some of which authorities thought might have some connection to the Gorilla investigation.
Graysmith does go into some detail about the incredible amount of corruption that was prevelent in the San Francisco Police Department at this time.
"The Laughing Gorilla" will be of most interest to those who like the true crime genre. Although well told, the story at times moves slowly - but then again so does some police work.
In "The Laughing Gorilla" Graysmith goes back in time to 1926 in the San Francisco Bay area. A series of heinous crimes have been committed and the victims have been dismembered and cut up as if they were being autopsied.
The murderer received his name because after every murder he was noted as laughing as he left the scene of the crime. He was also given the title "gorilla" because it was discovered that he had huge hands that were used to strangle his victims. He also was noted as having a simian type build and walk.
The book traces the efforts of law enforcement to find the killer. Finding him became very difficult in that he was believed to be a sailor. He became what may have been the first traveling serial killer, murdering women on the east coast as well as the west coast.
A determined detective, Charles Dullea, from San Francisco headed the investigation that was not resolved until 1940.
The book not only concerns itself with "The Laughing Gorilla" but also details several other prominent crimes during this time. Some of which authorities thought might have some connection to the Gorilla investigation.
Graysmith does go into some detail about the incredible amount of corruption that was prevelent in the San Francisco Police Department at this time.
"The Laughing Gorilla" will be of most interest to those who like the true crime genre. Although well told, the story at times moves slowly - but then again so does some police work.
May 21, 2015
An Edward G. Robinson, Untouchables, cops'n'gangsters kind of book. I think Robert Graysmith was writing with an eye toward a screenplay at all times. Very over-the-top florid descriptions, it is almost zany in its portrayal of a corrupt police force and this phantom "Gorilla Man", who apparently is Gorilla "Men". Each chapter begins with increasingly absurd quotes about gorillas or crime detection of the time (the 1930s). Some nice descriptive language about 1930s San Francisco and the Embarcadero, although the terms he uses of waterways and structures can get confusing. It was a surprise to see a few chapters dedicated to Cleveland's own serial killer episode, the Butcher of Kingsbury Run. It gets bogged down in the parallel story of honest cop Chief Dullea trying to clean up the forces of corruption all around him. The two stories don't really jibe. Graysmith makes it difficult to suss out which tale of previous murder is the red herring and which is the foreboding sign of future onslaught. He does do a nice job of ending each chapter with an interesting lead-in to the following chapter. But it's all too confusing and convoluted and 30s zoot-suity zany and absurd to really believe.
October 13, 2009
The Gorilla Man was the first serial killer to travel from place to place. After strangling a woman, he would proceed to violate her dead body. Onlookers who saw this beast attacking a woman, said that he laughed like a lunatic and he appeared to be an apelike figure. Most of his victims made the mistake of letting people know that they had a room available in their home.
Charles Dullea was an honest man and the police captain in San Francisco. He's probably the only honest man on the police force at that time. He was trying to track down this maniac but at the same time was faced with corrupt officers everywhere he looked. He was determined to get this killer off the streets but what he found shocked him more than his fellow crooked cops.
I don't know what to say except that I loved this book! Certain things were hard to read because it is based on a true story. If you like to read about bad cops and murderers, pick this book up! You won't want to miss it. Now I'm going to have to purchase Robert's other books, ZODIAC and ZODIAC UNMASKED.
Charles Dullea was an honest man and the police captain in San Francisco. He's probably the only honest man on the police force at that time. He was trying to track down this maniac but at the same time was faced with corrupt officers everywhere he looked. He was determined to get this killer off the streets but what he found shocked him more than his fellow crooked cops.
I don't know what to say except that I loved this book! Certain things were hard to read because it is based on a true story. If you like to read about bad cops and murderers, pick this book up! You won't want to miss it. Now I'm going to have to purchase Robert's other books, ZODIAC and ZODIAC UNMASKED.
January 31, 2015
One of my favorite genres - historical true-crime stories. As I have liked other books by this author, and the subjects he writes about, I was primed for a great read. Hollywood backs up my view of this author's material as several of his works have been made into movies.
This book was a disappointment. I loved the subject matter, early-mid 20th Century murders and police corruption in my hometown of San Francisco. I loved the descriptions of the newspaper personalities. I learned a lot about SF Police Department history. Finally, it is interesting to me to be exposed to the development of police procedures, and how murder investigation techniques developed.
All that said, I did not think this work was well written. I was disappointed.
2 Stars
★ = Horrid waste of time
★★ = May be enjoyable to some, but not me
★★★ = I am glad I read it
★★★★ = Very enjoyable and something I'd recommend
★★★★★ = A rare find, simply incredible
This book was a disappointment. I loved the subject matter, early-mid 20th Century murders and police corruption in my hometown of San Francisco. I loved the descriptions of the newspaper personalities. I learned a lot about SF Police Department history. Finally, it is interesting to me to be exposed to the development of police procedures, and how murder investigation techniques developed.
All that said, I did not think this work was well written. I was disappointed.
2 Stars
★ = Horrid waste of time
★★ = May be enjoyable to some, but not me
★★★ = I am glad I read it
★★★★ = Very enjoyable and something I'd recommend
★★★★★ = A rare find, simply incredible
June 4, 2013
If I had not been reading it for research and its vivid portrayal of San Francisco's waterfront in the 1920s through the early 1940s, I might not have finished this one. Robert Graysmith is author of the true-crime classic "The Zodiac" and he seems to be trying for the same grim magic here, but to me, he fails. It's a badly misfocused book that feels hurriedly written (though the author claims to have spent six years on it.) The real story here--a Serpico-type tale of an honest heroic cop in a terribly corrupt police department--is given short shrift in favor of a spotty history of serial killers in early 20th Century America. Again, the background details of San Francisco during that era are good, but otherwise . . . .
February 19, 2011
Just didn't grab me and found the writing to be missing something also.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews