Zodiac

The Shocking True Story of the Nation's Most Bizarre Mass Murderer

By: Robert Graysmith

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

After Jack the Ripper and before Son of Sam there was only one name their equal in terror: the deadly, elusive, and mysterious Zodiac. Beginning in 1968 the hooded mass murderer terrified the city of San Francisco and the Bay Area with a string of brutal killings. A sexual sadist, his pleasure was torture and murder. His first victims were a teenage couple, stalked and shot dead in a lover's lane. After another slaying, he sent his first mocking note to authorities, promising he would kill again. The official tally of his victims was six. The real toll may have reached 50. He was never caught. Graysmith, who was on the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle at the time of the murders, gives this gripping account of Zodiac's reign of terror.

©1976 Robert Graysmith (P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Provocative....Bizarre....Graysmith's taut narrative brings the horror back with jolt upon jolt." (San Francisco Chronicle)
"Will fascinate true-crime readers." (Library Journal)

disappointing

Barely interesting. It's a long recitation of incidents with no story arc. (I realize it's nonfiction, but it's pretty much just one thing after another.) The narrator has a nice voice but just reads; different characters don't have different voices. I was lured to read the book because I really enjoyed the movie of a few years ago, but it is very different.

The only reason I'm not rating it 2's overall is that a 2 for me means that I really dislike the book and my response to this was milder than that.

Zodiac!

I had to listen to the audiobook after watching the film and becoming so obsessed with the case. It’s an excellent and detailed book. I agree with Graysmith as far as who he thinks it was. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves true crime.

Extremely Comprehensive

Probably one of the most detailed zodiac books around. It also has a very good narration.

Fascinating Story, Flawed Conclusions

Would you try another book from Robert Graysmith and/or Stefan Rudnicki?

Perhaps, it would depend on the subject matter. Graysmith was obviously passionate about the material and did thorough research into the subject.

What did you like best about this story?

The amount of research and fact checking that went into the writing of this book. Graysmith did an admirable job covering the history of the Zodiac case. Although there is some doubt regarding his conclusions, and whether they are correct, he was able to defend his theory and provide concrete evidence as to why he came to those conclusions.

What aspect of Stefan Rudnicki’s performance would you have changed?

In parts of the narration, he could have slowed down a bit. He did not do a bad job, but a certain points he rushed through the telling and didn't't give the reader time to digest.

Was Zodiac worth the listening time?

Yes. I was captivated from start to finish and did not want to stop listening. The details provided painted a vivid mental picture.

It's a mystery

How a book without surprises can be so utterly fascinating is a mystery. Well-researched, well-written, told from innovative and interesting perspectives, and full of details that paint the most vivid pictures, Zodiac ranks up there with the best reportage in the American language. Stefan Rudnicki's beautiful voice enhance an already devastatingly intense listening experience.

Eight Years Of Painstaking Research...

delivers a chilling account of one of the creepiest uncaught criminals in the annals of American serial killers. This is as hypnotic as Stewart's MANHUNT: THE TWELVE DAY SEARCH FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER, as captivating as Capote's IN COLD BLOOD and as creepy as Nabokov's LOLITA. Riviting detail with a nonetheless bare-bones style of narrative. Read it with the lights on.

very interesting.

very good. Mr Ridniki is one of my favorite narators. I will listen to whatever he natates. that the book was very good is a plus.

It was a cop

If you listen closely to the details, you will see that it was a cop. Whether all of the murders the zodiac took credit for are even related is questionable.

Most murderers don't choose to change their weapons or the way in which they kill. The only time you see a variation in weapons/methods is generally with contracted murders. Some of the murders appear to be crimes of passion, others appears to be done in a manner that would suggest a vendetta, and others appear to be completely random.

Psychopathic murderers have one particular type of victim that they pursue, the zodiac did not. So far, I've read through the first 5 murders, and none of them appear to contain a sexual aspect of any kind.

The "zodiac" definitely had a military background, and was probably a contracted killer. The police had close ties with witnesses and at least one victim, and at one point at least, the police told two witnesses what they saw rather than simply taking their statements.

Personally, I don't think all the murders were related. Someone created the "zodiac" personna, and that gave other people who wanted to commit murder the opportunity to make it look like it was the crazed zodiac killer. But if they were related, the style in which the victims were killed, the marksmanship with the gun that was used, the use of many different used cars (which police have access to via their impound lot), the manner in which some of the investigations were done, and the nonsensical zodiac code (which appears to be a distraction for the police more than anything else), leads me to believe the culprit was a member of the Vallejo police department.

Whether the officer actually committed all the murders himself is uncertain, but he certainly wanted to take credit for them, and most likely DID know WHO committed the murders. Too bad forensics and profiling were so undeveloped in the late 1960s and 70s, At this point in the book (about halfway), it is frustrating to listen to the details because it seems so very obvious to me. I don't claim to have "cracked the case", but they were definitely looking in the wrong directions.

Awesome book!

The story line of this book was awesome, super informative and very suspenseful. You can tell the author had a wealth of research and information. The narrator was quite good as well although sometimes his voice was a tad monotonous.

I would recommend this book for any true crime fan! It's a fascinating story and one that sure sends chills up your spine and reminds you to stay sexy and not get murdered!

Compelling True Crime Story

This book is an extremely detailed accounting of the Zodiac murders of the 1960’s, 70’s. Very well ordered and fascinating. I have listened to this book several times.