The Boston Strangler

by Gerold Frank

Book Overview

The New York Times-bestselling account of the serial killer's rampage and the ensuing manhunt. Now a Hulu true crime thriller starring Keira Knightley. On June 14, 1962, twenty-five-year-old Juris... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0006BOU1S
• Release Date: January 1966
• Publisher: New American Library
• Length: 364 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

VERY Interesting Tale, Especially In Retrospect

Even when I first read this book as a teenager, something didn't sit right with Albert DeSalvo being pegged as the killer. The "old women" and "the girls" cohorts of victims propagated subconscious disconnections between factors being treated as the work of a single perpetrator, as did the case's sudden wrap-up. The psychoanalysis sessions, looking back at them, appeared laced with manipulation, and subsequent examinations of the Strangler case substantiate that: DeSalvo was prompted to be the killer, because they needed a killer to blame. Still, the portions about the investigation before DeSalvo's appearance are fascinating -- the crime scene descriptions, the victim timetables, detectives and their occasional dead ends. The tale is quite interesting, but should be absorbed only in combination with other writings about the Strangler case(s). It only makes you wish they had had, in the early 1960s, the same forensic techniques we have today. They really might have caught the guy(s).

The Boston Strangler, By Gerold Frank

The persons who wrote the negative reviews on this book don't seem to have actually read it. The reason Albert DeSalvo was never tried for the stranglings was due principally to the skillful maneuvering of his attorney, F. Lee Baily. Anyone who reads Gerold Frank's The Boston Strangler cannot help but come to the conclusion that DeSalvo was the right man. But there are people who have an interest in casting doubt on the facts. If my brother, or son, or spouse had committed such horrible crimes, I would try to bring up such doubts myself. Or if I wanted to write a book about the case, using sensationalistic hogwash about another killer or killers. I first read Gerold Frank's book in the late sixties. Recently I came across it again, and reread every word. It is a fascinating story, a masterpiece of reporting, with elements of the supernatural, turbid politics, and police bungling. For, despite the fact that Albert DeSalvo was arrested for a violent rape, in which he had entered a woman's home under the pretext of effecting repairs (after he had already committed the murders), yet they did not investigate him as a possible suspect in the stranglings. The final pages of the book present a repelling, yet fascinating, picture of a sick soul, the depths of hell in the mind of a seemingly pleasant and affable man. And those final pages also fully explain why Albert DeSalvo was never tried for the murders.

Well Written True Crime

I have read many true crime novels. This is among the best written ones which is particularly note-worthy since the copyright is 1966.The book tells the chronology of the investigation into the strangling murder that took place in the Boston in the early 1960's. After going through the investigation of each murder as it happens, the author discusses the interviews and suspects. The investigators even go so far as to discuss their use of a man with ESP powers in the investigation. However, this only serves as a side track from the real killer. The book concludes with the interviews of the real Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo. The Strangler describes his childhood and marriage which are the main factors which caused the rampage. Desalvo also describes each of the killings as he went through them. One of the most interesting facets of the book is the question of DeSalvo's sanity. He did show remorse and gave hints as to why he did it. But the fact that he willingly confessed in itself raised the question of his sanity again. In cases of well publicized crime sprees like this, numerous people will often try to confess. Usually all of these confessions are false. Based on the acuracy of some of the false suspects' confessions, the book raises some doubts about DeSalvo's confession. However, the author ultimately assures the reader that DeSalvo is the man.

Let's have a go at those files!

I always wanted to know more about the Boston Strangler, having read about him in other true crime accounts, but never getting the full picture. This book gives a frightening and touching account of Boston in the 60s and the Strangler's unwitting victims. Frank handles brilliantly the chaotic investigation and numerous (but mesmerizing) deadend leads; his reporting of the case and its frustrations is near perfect. By the time I got to DeSalvo's confessions (and the fact that the case has never been brought to trial!) I wanted to roll up my sleeves and spend an all-nighter going through the files to check facts. Not since reading about Jack the Ripper have I been so engaged by an unsolved crime.