Great narrative and told sequentially. I love true crime books and this one stayed to the facts. I loved it

‘When someone put their hand on my car-door handle, they were giving me their life - Ed Kemper

Ed Kemper ‘The Shocking Crimes of the Co-Ed Killer by Al Cimino is the book on Ed Kemper, all true crime fans have been waiting for.

Over the years, not much has been written about him and if it has it hasn’t been in an objective way.

Ed Kemper committed his murders at a time when many serial killers were active across the US. Without a doubt he was ruthless, cunning, unforgiving. He lacked empathy. He was the ultimate monster that gave you nightmares in your sleep.

I feel Al Cimino presented Ed Kemper’s life and crimes in an unbiased way. He presented the facts without shielding the reader from the details, but in a way without being morbid.

This book was well researched, giving you better insight into the confessions made by Ed to police.

If you are a true crime fan and or interested in Ed Kemper, then this is a must read.

My thanks to Arcturis Publishing, Al Cimino and Netgalley.
Its kind of weird to me that I've never paid much attention to nor even heard much about Kemper. The man is one scary arsed mothereffer!
When I lived in Santa Cruz, back in the 1980's our biggest fear was Richard Ramerez. The Night Stalker scared the shit outta me! But, Kemper? Holy crap. He just looks so freaking normal! Ugh. If only the nut jobs had funky eyebrows, or red lips..."hey, why not?"
This was a well researched book, and scary in its own way.

I had heard of the crimes of Ed Kemper but this book gave me more of an insight into the crimes and Ed himself, very informative but also very chilling.

I read this book with no small amount of difficulty. While the idea behind it may be interesting, it's important to consider that the structure of the book makes it quite challenging to read through the various pages. At times, it felt like I was re-reading the same passages because the same information is repeated many times, and not always for a clear reason.

However, there are some well-executed aspects: the inclusion of drawings by Kemper and his victims; and lastly, I find it fascinating to read some of the killer’s own statements, which reveal his high IQ and, in some way, his self-perception.

Overall, the book is a good read for those who are interested in Ed Kemper's story, but it's important to keep in mind that the book's structure may not be easy to follow.

In 'Ed Kemper: The Shocking Crimes of the Co-Ed Killer', Cimino explores the disturbing life and crimes of one of America's most notorious serial killers. With a chilling attention to detail, Cimino chronicles Kemper's descent into depravity, from his troubled childhood to his gruesome murders of young women in the 1970s.

Cimino provides insights into the psychological and societal factors that may have contributed to Kemper's criminal impulses, but never loses sight of the gravity of his actions. The writing is both compelling and unsettling, drawing readers into the twisted mind of a killer while maintaining a critical distance.

** “He honed this ability to present a public facade that people trusted, while his private world contained much darker ideas.” **

Al Cimino offers a deep dive into the infamous 1970s serial killer Ed Kemper in “Ed Kemper: The Shocking Crimes of the Co-Ed Killer.”

After a childhood filled with abuse and abandonment, Kemper killed his grandparents at the age of 15, and then killed six hitchhiking women, his mother and her friend between 1972-1973. Many believe the deaths all stemmed from his hatred toward his mother, Clarnell Elizabeth Strandberg, a domineering man-hater. His extremely large size also often ostracized him, leading him to always feel on the outskirts of society. (“A social misfit, he was already planning a horrific revenge on the society that had rejected him. What’s more, he was let loose in California in the midst of what could almost be described as a golden age of serial killing.”)

Filled extensively with quotes from Kemper himself, as well as involved police officials, witnesses, family members and those who knew Kemper in some other capacity, the story gives thorough and graphic descriptions of each of Kemper’s crimes and the psyche behind them. What makes the book even more interesting is the extensive availability of Kemper’s own words themselves, a first-hand telling of his horrific crimes.

Filled with a number of photos, “Ed Kemper” reveals a puzzling man who some considered a gentle giant, yet committed some of the most horrendous killings in history. A man with an extremely high IQ, he learned to fake it when needed to survive freely in society. Because it is so quote heavy, the book reads very conversationally.

“Ed Kemper: The Shocking Crimes of the Co-Ed Killer” is a truly intriguing read, but does contain violence and deviant acts. Fans of true crime will enjoy this book, which is due out Nov. 1.

Five stars out of five.

Arcturus and Sirius provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

A great book. Detailing the life of the killer. What happened to him and why he killed.
This is a great book for any true crime fans

The author has done an incredible job presenting this information in a way which is comprehensive, does not shy away from terrible truths, but does not glory in the gore and horror of it all. Rather, the facts are presented without melodrama and allow the reader to engage with the material in a way which relies on intellect rather than macabre curiosity. Why was Kemper the way he was? How did the courts determine what to do with him? What does his case tell us about others? These questions are the focus here. Of course, there are no real answers, but this book has done a very good job of providing material sufficient to allow the reader to give meaningful thought to them.