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69th out of 266 books
—
349 voters
The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer
After a search of over twenty years, one of America's most elusive serial killers was finally apprehended. Now, read the true story of one man's attempt to get inside the mind of the Green River Killer
July 15, 1982: a woman's strangled body was found, caught on the pilings of Washington state's Green River. Before long, the "Green River Killer" would be suspected in at
...moreMass Market Paperback, 624 pages
Published
January 27th 2004
by Pocket
(first published 1989)
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Nov 10, 2008
Mike
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
obsessives, true-crime buffs, those curious about abnormal psychology
I don't have the discipline to be a serial killer and I certainly don't have the drive and obsession to catch one. Be glad people like Robert Keppel are applying their considerable talents to stop them.
Keppel combines memoir, procedural textbook, history and evolution of serial murder investigative techniques and interviews with Bundy and Ridgway with very little ego. He focuses on the facts and not how awesome he is. (I'm looking at you, John Douglas.)
Obsessive, detailed, dense. If you only rea...more
Keppel combines memoir, procedural textbook, history and evolution of serial murder investigative techniques and interviews with Bundy and Ridgway with very little ego. He focuses on the facts and not how awesome he is. (I'm looking at you, John Douglas.)
Obsessive, detailed, dense. If you only rea...more
This book would be interesting for all true crime readers--the lead investigator of the 'Ted' murders is pursuing the Green River killer when he is contacted by Ted Bundy, offering to help him solve the case (thus inspiring the film, Silence of the Lambs.) Keppel hoped this might be helpful and also might lead to Bundy confessing to many unsolved cases in the final months of his life. You'll be as startled as the detectives as you learn how eerily accurate Bundy was in his predictions and may fi...more
I was between a host of other books when I got my hands upon a stack of some twenty true crime books. The Riverman jumped out of the lot at me. The subtitle killed any doubts left "Ted Bundy and I hunt for the Green River Killer". This sounded like one of those Japanese monster vs monster premises. Moreover, at a point of time, Ted Bundy used to be my "favorite" serial killer. How could I resist?
It was a red herring though. This book is neither about The Riverman (the Green River Killer), nor ab...more
It was a red herring though. This book is neither about The Riverman (the Green River Killer), nor ab...more
1 like · like · see review
Oct 16, 2012
Ana
added it
Great reading for those who somewhat enjoy reading about crime.
(I also recommend listening to the last segment of Radiolab episode 'The bad show', featuring some of the interrogation of Ridgeway)
Assets:
Story of the relationship between a serial killer and the detectives who pursue them. This, at times, is truly mind bending - reading on public transport not advised.
Only as much gory details as necessary (still some of the descriptions of crime scenes and crimes were hard to handle).
Interesti...more
(I also recommend listening to the last segment of Radiolab episode 'The bad show', featuring some of the interrogation of Ridgeway)
Assets:
Story of the relationship between a serial killer and the detectives who pursue them. This, at times, is truly mind bending - reading on public transport not advised.
Only as much gory details as necessary (still some of the descriptions of crime scenes and crimes were hard to handle).
Interesti...more
While a bit repetitive at times, this book is the not just a record of the hunt for Gary Rigeway (aka "The Green River Killer"). Bob Keppel is a giant in his field, and much has been made of his contribution to Dave Reichert's "Riverman" case. That is, of course, what this book is about. True crime junkies already know all about Keppel's multi-year conversations with Bundy; in these pages we delve super deep into Bundy's madness as Keppel relates, at times, straight transcripts of these discussi...more
One of the most thoughtful true crime books I have ever read. Compelling stor(ies) from Robert Keppel, who has held many positions in Washington State law enforcement and is now an academic. Keppel was involved with the development of VICAP and investigated or assisted with the investigations of Bundy's Wash State victims and with the years-long hunt for the Green River killer. Unlike some authors, Keppel is not awed by the monstrous people with whom has conversed. Interesting perspectives on th...more
Strange book. It's really about Bundy, not the Green River Killer. And the author also includes all kinds of extraneous material, such as a chapter on the Wayne Williams case. In other words, the book is poorly edited.
The interviews with Bundy were somewhat interesting. However, the author failed to deliver on Bundy's confession. After hyping the confession for hundreds of pages, we just get a few scanty details in a rushed interview a few days before Bundy's execution.
I would only read this if...more
The interviews with Bundy were somewhat interesting. However, the author failed to deliver on Bundy's confession. After hyping the confession for hundreds of pages, we just get a few scanty details in a rushed interview a few days before Bundy's execution.
I would only read this if...more
This book provides an interesting overview of several serial murderers. The author was the primary investigator of Ted Bundy's Washington murder series and served as a consultant in the investigation into the Green River killings. The scope of this book is pretty broad which creates some problems. The book is ostensibly about the assistance Bundy attempted to provide in profiling "The Riverman." However, it ends up describing all of Bundy's crimes in detail, all of Ridgway's crimes in detail, an...more
I think it would have been possible for this book to be 100 pages shorter.
It was definitely an interesting read. Very interesting. I learned new things.
I feel that this was a bit of a information overload. Many times I found the author repeating the same sentence over and over again.
The first portion of the book was a recap on Ted Bundy's crimes that spanned through Washington to Florida.
Different cases were also described in extent in portions of the book.
I walked away feeling a bit depres...more
It was definitely an interesting read. Very interesting. I learned new things.
I feel that this was a bit of a information overload. Many times I found the author repeating the same sentence over and over again.
The first portion of the book was a recap on Ted Bundy's crimes that spanned through Washington to Florida.
Different cases were also described in extent in portions of the book.
I walked away feeling a bit depres...more
Oct 07, 2007
asteroidbuckle
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
True Crime Fans
Shelves:
true-crime
To tell the truth, I never would have even picked up this book if the name "Ted Bundy" hadn't been in the subtitle. My morbid curiosity about Ted Bundy - his crimes and the motivations behind them - made me buy this one.
Bob Keppel, the detective who, as he says, "cut his teeth" on the Ted Bundy case, writes a very interesting book which, at times, gets bogged down in the details of a police investigation.
The premise of this book is this: there is a serial killer preying on young women in the Sea...more
Bob Keppel, the detective who, as he says, "cut his teeth" on the Ted Bundy case, writes a very interesting book which, at times, gets bogged down in the details of a police investigation.
The premise of this book is this: there is a serial killer preying on young women in the Sea...more
Pretty good "bundy book" I like Dr.Keppel's common sense approach w/o the braggadocio tone of other profiler books. Just a memoir of Keppel's involement with the bundy murders and the subsequent green river murderr. this was written before gary ridgeway was finally caught and convicted. bundy interjected himself into the investigation to offer his two cents (which really didn't amount to too much of any useful advice). the first half of the book is about the bundy hunt followed by bundy's contac...more
Another true crime/Ted Bundy/Green River killer book that I loved. Maybe I'm bias; I'm pretty sure I'd love anything following these cases. To me, this is the ultimate fascination. To read Ted Bundy's words, to see what he was right about, what he was wrong about, how he interpreted things. You can just hear his sense of self-importance, his sociopathic mind, the way the his mind worked, dripping off the pages. Impossible to put down!
The true story of how Keppel, an FBI agent in the serial killer unit, interviews Ted Bundy in an attempt to catch the Green River Killer, who at that point was still at large. Bundy's ego was at stake-- the GRK was getting close to his alleged body count, and he wanted him caught before he lost the Most Prolific title.
Bundy offers to help the FBI, answering questions and offering theories on how to catch the GRK. He maintains his own innocence the whole time, telling the FBI that everything he's...more
Bundy offers to help the FBI, answering questions and offering theories on how to catch the GRK. He maintains his own innocence the whole time, telling the FBI that everything he's...more
I read this back in the day when I was still intending to go all the way to the F-B-I. It's funny but a lot of what I learned in this book is tossed about in contemporary detective stories (i.e. Rizzoli and Isles). If you're studying criminology or criminal justice, you should definitely read this one.
I'm a HUGE true crime buff, so this REALLY excited me! I loved the journey this author took me on starting in the early 70's as the book worked it's way towards Bundy's execution in '89. I enjoyed how he and Bundy worked together to hunt another serial killer. This was a great book.
Okay, totally weird that I devoured this book many years ago, then ended up with Keppel as one of my Seattle U professors. Good investigator, pretty good writer. A little too self-absorbed for a professor (albeit understandably, perhaps).
I definitely had to skim parts that got too long or repetitive. I'm not sure why so much info was repeated, but it was a minor annoyance. It was very interesting to read the interviews of Ted Bundy and police, and learn about Bundy's insights into the motivation and ways to capture another serial killer.
This was a very interesting read and gave an insight not only into the investigation of the Green River Killer but also an insight into the mind of Ted Bundy and Keppel himself.
Bundy cam across mildly arrogant and self righteous to start with but by the end the finality of his situation makes him appear rather pathetic and weak. Keppel comes across rather angry and certaintly at odds with the FBI as a whole as everything that went wrong seems to be blamed on them and nothing else.
Some of the inf...more
Bundy cam across mildly arrogant and self righteous to start with but by the end the finality of his situation makes him appear rather pathetic and weak. Keppel comes across rather angry and certaintly at odds with the FBI as a whole as everything that went wrong seems to be blamed on them and nothing else.
Some of the inf...more
This book is really about Bob Keppell's interviews with Ted Bundy to find out what makes a serial killer tick. A terrifying insight into Bundy's mind and a massive wake up call to the authorities who believed they were chasing an all out psychotic maniac; dagger in teeth! Ted was as cool as a cucumber as he plotted, abducted, murdered and carried out necrophilic acts on his victims. This was the only way they were going to pinpoint who was killing Sea-Tac prostitutes and dumping them in various...more
YEAHHHH!
I love true crime!
I had to read this for a sociology course in murder that I am currently in... but I would gladly read it anyway... though it's called the Riverman, it's largely focused on the life and times of Ted Bundy, probably America's most notorious serial killer... and he started out right here in my own backyard.
Ann Rule calls this "the definitive book on serials" and I'd have to agree, it really is. If you are interested in the psychology behind serial killers, police investig...more
I love true crime!
I had to read this for a sociology course in murder that I am currently in... but I would gladly read it anyway... though it's called the Riverman, it's largely focused on the life and times of Ted Bundy, probably America's most notorious serial killer... and he started out right here in my own backyard.
Ann Rule calls this "the definitive book on serials" and I'd have to agree, it really is. If you are interested in the psychology behind serial killers, police investig...more
when I read this, they hadn't even caught the guy yet. Newer editions have updated information
Interesting book with a lot of detail on Bundy and Ridgway. A bit redundant and the author jumps around. Maybe it is poor editing. Worth reading.
Although I thought it would focus more on the Green River Killer, it is a very interesting read. It gives a good insight on Ted Bundy and his crimes. And his involvement in the search for the Green River Killer.
Oh, how I love trashy serial killer true crime. Although, with all the shame I have buying these, Borders might as well stack them next to the porno mags. Robert Keppel has a bit of a superiority complex, but I would too if I was working with Ted Bundy. Note: This book should have been titled "All You Ever Wanted to Know about the Primitive Filing Systems of Pre-Computerized Crime Fighting”.
I love reading about serial killers! The information is fascinating; the writing leaves a little to be desired. Bob Keppel knows his stuff, but he drones on for too long on certain aspects and tends to repeat himself. The flow of chapters could also use a little more organization. But it's a small price to pay for getting to hear the whole story from someone who knows it so well!
This was a great book. I need to reread it in light of the Green River killer finally being found in the end !! Ted Bundy was a total gameplayer with the FBI and just gave them the runaround for a lot of years delaying his execution.
It's a shame he WAS executed in a lot of ways because there are so many families still missing loved ones and only he knew where he left them, sadly.
It's a shame he WAS executed in a lot of ways because there are so many families still missing loved ones and only he knew where he left them, sadly.
Feb 12, 2008
Danielle
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
True crime junkies
Shelves:
true-crime
The author was one of my professors in college, so what a shock that it was required reading. This isn't my favorite book on the topic of the Green River killer but in relating to Ted Bundy's part in the search it is the most accurate you will find, at times it wasn't always the easiest to read (in terms of style). If I could give it 3.5 stars I would.
I thought this was an interesting look into police procedure for criminal investigations. I found several examples that I can use in my software classes.
The book was a bit repetitive, talking about the same aspects of the case over and and over again. I would also say that this book isn't an easy read as the main subjects are totally evil.
The book was a bit repetitive, talking about the same aspects of the case over and and over again. I would also say that this book isn't an easy read as the main subjects are totally evil.
I wasn't even halfway through before I gave up. This book read more like an informativetextbook then an interesting account. I liked the first parts but then it just turned really boring and uninteresting. I flipped through to see if it got better and sadly it didn't. Oh well I can't say I didn' try.
A little slow, and could have used A LOT of editing. But the basic "plot" line, how interviews with Ted Bundy informed the hunt for the Green River Killer was fairly interesting.
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Dec 04, 2008 10:22am
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Dec 04, 2008 01:59pm