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Summary: True Crime Writing At Its Best
Review: This book about Richard Ramirez, the so-called Night Stalker, is simply one of the best, most painstakingly researched books I have ever read in the true crime genre. Philip Carlo takes you through every single facet of the Night Stalker case, from the victims and thier families, to the life story of Richard Ramirez and his family, through the trials and the evidence and even the groupies that gathered around Ramirez during his lentghy trial.Carlo takes you down slowly, down into the mind of Richard Ramirez. By the time you realize where you are, its almost too late; you understand the Night Stalker. The groupies make sense. You feel the bewilderment of the victims. You understand the drive of the dectectives and see flaws in the system. And maybe, just maybe, you understand why someone like Doreen Ramirez would be so obsessed with a killer that she would make it her life's mission to marry him on San Quentin's death row. Unlike many true crime novels, where the "shocking photos" are nothing more than pictures of the places and the peripheral people, Carlo has photos of crime scenes, Ramirez in various stages of his life, the women who were obsessed with him, the outrageous trial behavior. One tiny dissapointment: couldn't the photo of Laura Kendall (undeniably gorgeous but unmentioned in the book) be replaced by a shot of his supporters from the Church of Satan in court? All in all though, this is a work to rival Graysmith's in depth coverage of the Zodiac killer. I highly reccomend it to fans of good true crime writing.
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Summary: "I am beyond your experience. I am beyond good & evil" R. R.
Review: With the exception of the Night Stalker himself, Philip Carlo is the foremost expert on Richard Ramirez and the Night Stalker case. Every television documentary I have seen on Ramirez's murderous rampage in southern California in 1985 includes interviews with Carlo and information coming directly from this book. Carlo provides one of the most thorough true crime works I have read. He has accumulated information from hundreds of interviews with the key people in Ramirez's life and the Night Stalker case, including hours with the Night Stalker, himself. Every thing is covered here: the gory details of the numerous rapes and murders, the exciting capture of Ramirez by an angry mob, the long and often infuriating trial, and Ramirez's Death Row wedding with an entertainment magazine editor. What I found to be the most interesting part of the book was the section on the Ramirez family, particularly young Richard's relationship with his cousin Mike. Mike was a decorated Green Beret who returned to the U.S. a mental and emotional volcano. He taught young Richard guerrilla combat techniques which ironically came in handy when Richard set out for a "career" in burglary that later escalated to much worse crimes. Mike also showed Richard photographs of Vietnamese women sexually tortured and killed. A crime Richard witnessed Mike committing while a visitor in his cousin's home was a turning point in Ramirez's life. The bizarre groupies who attended Ramirez's sometimes farcical trial is very eye-opening. I was shocked at the lengths to which some of these women went to visit Ramirez even after he was convicted for some of the most heinous crimes imaginable. That one of these groupies was a juror is even more remarkable (even Madonna wanted to meet him). This book is the best source on one of the most infamous serial killer cases of the century and, by true crime standards, well written. An index would have been a welcomed addition, but the book is divided in the following "books": "The Hunted and the Hunters," "Richie," "Capture," "The Trial," and "Epilogue."
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Summary: He is the reason I check doors and windows at bedtime!!!!!!!
Review: When I first read this book, I thought it would just be another true crime book. But soon after starting this book, I realized I was in for a ride! It was tough to lay in my bedroom at night time and read this book. Every little noise, crack and creak in my house had me listening very closely and holding my breathe. For sure, this book is the reason I always double check my locks and windows at night time. The way he was able to break into homes at night time and be completely undetected was amazing. You would think you or your dog would hear when a window is being opened. Unfortunately, this book shows you how you are not safe in your home at night time. Gives me chills thinking about it and it has been a few years since I read it. I most likely will never read this book again due to the nightmares I experienced from it the first time around. So if your thinking of reading this book, turn the lights on while someone else is home with you or just read it during the day.
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Summary: ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I EVER READ.
Review: I read a lot about true crime, as it is a career avenue I'd like to pursue. As someone who has read a lot of material regarding serial killers and mass murders, as well as many other books based on fiction or fact of other topics (I read a lot of John Douglas' work, which I highly recommend), I can honestly say that this book held my attention with both the information Philip Carlo obviously put a lot of time into researching, and his amazing descriptive ability. This read like a fiction. He tends to overuse words at times, but that is merely a small issue. This book is captivating and spell-binding, and the detail that has been put into it will definity satisfy the reader. It is human nature to be curious about the sick and twisted deeds of killers like Ramirez, and at the risk of sounding unsympathetic towards his victims, this book does not disappoint. Although it saddens me to read about such violence to innocent people, I want to know the truth, what the crime scene was like, and how the murder was carried out. It gives me a lot of insight into how these criminal master-minds think, and enables me to delve deeper into their psyche patterns.
Rating:
Summary: Bone chilling
Review: This book is an excellent overview of the life of Richard Ramirez. Everything from his childhood to his capture is perfectly documented and analyzed. I just knew the basic facts about Ramirez before reading this book. From El Paso, opperated in L.A, broke into houses and murdered his victims in their sleep. This book gave me a much deeper insight into his story by providing me with family member testimonies, survior testimonies and trial procedings.All of his crimes are explained by dates, times, locations and methods. The most disturbing thing that I discovered from my readings, was his seemingly hypnotic hold on women. It amazes me that a cold blooded murder and convicted rapist would have a waiting list a mile long of women willing to do anything for him. He is one of, if not THE most chilling killers I have ever studied (Bundy and Dahmer are up there) After I finished this book I began locking my door and checking the windows every night. I still do to this day. If you read this book you'll understand why.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read!
Review: I would like to start off by saying that I do not condone the crimes that were described in this book. BUT I will say that this book is a must read for anyone who is a true crime buff or anyone thinking about doing drugs or entering the mental health field. This book clearly shows how low drugs,alcohol,porno, and lack of education can do to someone. Still referred as "RICKY" by his family, he is the youngest of five children. After reading this book, I would say that the "victims" who suffered the most were his own family---a poor Catholic Hispanic family in Texas.
The book describes in stunning detail the crimes, crime scenes, the victims,the trial, and RR's family and himself. It is difficult to put down once you get started. The author visited each place and person including RR in order to write this book.
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Summary: A Happy Ending for the Sadistic Killer
Review: a good true crime book, but the ending really pisses me off! as most of us know, Ramirez was actually allowed to get married while on death row! i don't know who is more stupid: the idiot who married this freak, or the jerks that allowed the wedding to take place. the "funniest" part of the book is when she went out to buy the wedding bands. the bride's conversation with the groom-to-be must have gone something like this: "now, honey, i got myself a gold wedding band, but i know that, since you're a satanist, you can't wear gold, so i got you platinum. aren't they great??" just kinda like saying, "now, i like vanilla ice cream, but i know you prefer chocolate, so..." Mrs. Ramirez, you must be so proud!
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Summary: Night Stalker will stalk your thoughts
Review: As a lover of true-crime writing, this book is one of the best. The first half of the book takes you through his crimes and the second half takes you through his ultimate conviction. I thought I was hardened to crime novels, but I lost many a night of sleep due to this book. I credit this book with teaching me to lock my windows at night. My mate is not an avid reader, and even he could NOT put this book down. It's a guilty pleasure ... you will question whether it is a good idea to put these images in your mind. This is a must-read for any true crime enthusiast. Highly recomended.
Rating:
Summary: Enigmatic
Review: Probably the most enigmatic and attractive of the famous serial killers, Richard took LA by storm in the mid 80's with his brutal and Satan-fuelled attacks. His ferocity was second to none and he dedicated all of his victims' suffering to the power of Satan. Without displaying an iota of remorse for his victims or their families, he was sentenced to death in San Quentin. Philip Carlo encapsulates the fear of the community and the passion of Ramirez as he disects the attacks, the investigation leading to his arrest, and the bizarre marriage to a 'groupie' who fell in love with Richard during the trial. The details are harrowing and it's hard to believe that the two victims whom he let live could lead anything close to a normal life. The book is unputdownable and the 550 or so pages disappear without the reading ever being aware. I have a lot of serial killer books in my collection and I rate this as one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure to read. I say pleasure in its broadest sense, of course.
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Summary: Read the book....- Experience the man...
Review: I wanted to read about this man called Richard Ramirez who I had read and heard a little about. I found it interesting that this good-looking man had done so many horrible things. I hadn't known exactly what he did but I soon found out thanks to this book. I was immersed into the life of this man. I actually felt that everything that was happening in the book was happening in real time.
I don't ever really get to the end of any books, but this one intrigued me. I felt that I knew him due to the fact that Philip Carlo documented important aspects of this man's life, some parts Ramirez himself may not remember. I feel like I have an understanding of why he is who he is, why he became who he is. If you really want to know this man, know what he did, and form an opinion of your own, read this book. It allows you to see just how perverted the human mind can become. Richard Ramirez is still so fascinating to me that even though I read this book 3/4 yrs ago, today I am still looking him up on the net, and still trying to keep up with what's going on with him. My verdict: knowing about this man made me realize that once you just easily release your inhibitions, that nothing's on your conscience, nothing's wrong or right and anything can be done with the snap of a finger. It's that easy, and its that scary. One final thing - listen to AC/DC's "Night Prowler" - I can understand it contributing to Ramirez's adrenaline flow just before he stepped into someone's house and changed their lives.
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