The Man in the Monster

An Intimate Portrait of a Serial Killer

By: Martha Elliott

Narrated by: Kyra Miller

Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Michael Ross was a serial killer who raped and murdered eight young women between 1981 and 1984, and several years ago the state of Connecticut put him to death. His crimes were horrific, and he paid the ultimate price for them. When journalist Martha Elliott first heard of Ross, she learned what the world knew of him - that he had been a master at hiding in plain sight.

Elliott, a staunch critic of the death penalty, was drawn to the case when the Connecticut Supreme Court overturned Ross' six death sentences. Rather than fight for his life, Ross requested that he be executed because he didn't want the families of his victims to suffer through a new trial. Elliott was intrigued and sought an interview.

The two began a weekly conversation - that developed into an odd form of friendship - that lasted over a decade, until Ross' last moments on Earth. Over the course of his 20 years in prison, Ross had come to embrace faith for the first time in his life. He had also undergone extensive medical treatment. The Michael Ross whom Elliott knew seemed to be a different man from the monster who was capable of such heinous crimes. This Michael Ross made it his mission to share his story with Elliott in the hopes that it would save lives.

In The Man in the Monster, Martha Elliott gives us a groundbreaking look into the life and motivation of a serial killer. Drawing on a decade of conversations and letters between Ross and the author, listeners are given an in-depth view of a killer's innermost thoughts and secrets, revealing the human face of a monster - without ignoring the horrors of his crimes. Elliott takes us deep into a world of court hearings, tomblike prisons, lawyers hell-bent to kill or to save, and families ravaged by love and hate. This is the personal story of a journalist who came to know herself in ways she could never have imagined when she opened the notebook for that first interview.

©2015 Martha Elliott (P)2015 Recorded Books

Good listen.

Loved it. First I have to say I don't normally read/listen to books like this but thought I would give it a try. I could see how everything in his life lead up to hom becoming a serial killer. Not saying that everyone who grew up like him is a killer but it's classic, textbook. I was completely intrigued the entire story.

Thought provoking story of good and evil

Regardless of one's feelings about 'The Death Penalty' debate Martha Elliot's ten year Odyssey will, without a doubt, give the reader food for thought.

Martha's original mission is a fact finding mission consisting of research including a few conversations with serial killer Michael Ross. Little does she know where it will take her and us as we walk with her vicariously on this agonizing journey.

This book is descriptive. Very descriptive so be warned that it is not for the faint of heart. I found myself hating Ross but then I started to feel deep compassion for him as we learn so much about him as a man and his humanity. However was it really his humanity or yet an illusion? Someone so corrupt, so evil, so apparently without a soul. Was he even human?

The ultimate punishment that is not reversible under any circumstances. Ross wanted to die. We allowed it. Why? Shouldn't we have made him suffer for the rest of his life in a prison cell?

Prior to reading this most thought provoking book I had pretty well made up my mind on the death penalty issue but now I am conflicted. Personally I really enjoy books that make you question yourself.

An excellent book well research and a brilliant performance by Kyra Miller

Perfectly told...

I personally was able to overlook my feelings at many points in the book where I couldn't help but sarcastically say to myself, out loud at times, "oh you poor baby!" I had to keep an open mind and remind myself that she had come to befriend this man. I also wrestled with believing him in his "quest" for understanding, forgiveness, and peace for everyone involved. I go back and forth with it all. That aside, this story was perfectly told. The author did a great job in laying out the timeline of events. This story took up a big chunk of her life. The narration was perfect as well. It was a page-turner. I blew thru this one in a day and a 1/2. Very interesting and I can't think think if any point in the book where my mind wandered, or I subconsciously stopped paying attention which always leads to me thinking about my next purchase! Nope, this was a really good listen. Great job to Martha and Kyra. Thanks.

Thought provoking

Credit to the author - I’m not so sure I could love a serial killer but she definitely gave me a lot to think about. I never found myself feeling sorry for the killer, only the victims.

Good insight!

Very interesting book! I would say insightful, but it comes as the cost of the women/girls who were brutalized. Michael Ross was very open about his crimes. Hard to tell if he was sincere or just manipulating the author. Honestly, probably will have to listen to again and do my own research. Very unique either way, would recommend.

Give me a break

As someone who grew up in Brooklyn at the time of Michael Ross’s killing spree, I found this “poor Michael” tome to be insulting to those who were his victims, not to mention the abject fear his killings put in a generation of kids who lived in that area in the ‘80s. The religiosity of this book made me relieved to not be blinded by faith, as this woman’s “faith” allowed her to pity a man who was pitiless and to look for reasons for his madness since, underneath, the “other” Michael—the one who wasn’t a monster—was just a swell guy. We used to buy our eggs from the Ross’s farm, and the simplistic argument that this is all to blame on the “mother” had me gasping. Honestly, this book felt deeply misogynistic. I can appreciate that Michael was mentally ill and early treatment may have helped him, but I truly felt sick listening to page after page of this woman searching to “explain” his vicious rapes and murders and to lament his execution. When I think back to that time, I recall taking piano lessons with the same woman Ross’s sisters took lessons from…the idea that the family was just wholesale “brutal” feels false, not to mention the fact that poor Michael went to CORNELL—an impossibility for most who grew up in Brooklyn. I also recall being on a school bus in Brooklyn, being escorted by a police car and seeing the authorities digging along the road in search of bodies. Or working at a magazine, later, and discovering Michael Ross was advocating against the death penalty with a fellow intern. Ross would have befriended a rock if it would have spoken to him. His decision to drop his appeals seemed to have more to do with rage against the prosecutor than any true remorse for what he’d done, or the writer’s simplistic guess that it was a suicide wish on Ross’s part. He was a narcissist! Oh but wait, he became a “devout Catholic” so therefore we should forgive him for his trespasses. Give. Me. A. Break. This writer got played. Played by a rapist and murderer of women and CHILDREN, because last time I checked, 14-year-olds are MINORS, yet this book always refers to them as women—one of many sticking points that left me furious. I hope the victims’ families steered clear of this book. It will take me some time to get over this one. Blah.

The writer fell in love

im the end, it seems the writer was biased. it appears to me that she fell in love with the murderer. She made some of the parents seem like bad people and put Michael on a pedestal.

What a gullible author

It’s quite obvious by reading this book the author was duped by psychopath. Her preconceive biases on the death penalty and her willingness to take on a crusade allowed her To be duped by a psychopath. I have read dozens of books on serial killers many with first hand accounts But none took on a sympathetic tone Towards a ruthless sadistic psycho pathic killer. Clearly he is not mentally ill as it pertains to the law. However there were some reasonable arguments that were made by the author, we’re his rights violated? Possibly. Was he mentally ill maybe but not according to the law he knew what he was doing and he knew it was wrong. This serial killer like many others seem to change their tune and have a come to Jesus moment in prison. In this way he is no different than most. However was he remorseful for real? That’s possible. Or Is it more likely he simply follow through with his narcissistic tendencies in order to control the situation.? A terrible book, with a terrible take, written rather poorly