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The Killing Game: The True Story of Rodney Alcala the Game Show Serial kIller

Alan R. Warren (Goodreads Author)

3.75 · Rating details · 52 ratings · 17 reviews

In 1968 young girls went missing in California and New York, massive searches started and soon bodies became to turn up! This is the story of Rodney Alcala, the charming, good looking photographer that was in NYU studying under Roman Polanski and even once had won on the popular TV game show " Dating Game" but now he is wanted for rape, torture and murder of several young ...more

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Kindle Edition, 145 pages

Published November 14th 2017

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Start your review of The Killing Game: The True Story of Rodney Alcala the Game Show Serial kIller

Oct 05, 2018 Valerity (Val) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, americana, biography-memoir, netgalley, non-fiction, serial-killer-s, true-crime, to-review, wildblue-press

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Killing Game: The True Story Of Rodney Alcala

Having read quite a bit about Rodney Alcala, I was eager to read this book on him. I consider him to be quite an evil piece of work yet a fascinating subject to read about. I was hoping to see if there was any news of current court doings, etc. Rodney’s first known victim was only 8 years old and it happened in 1968, coincidentally I happened to be 8 years old that year too, so it chills me thoroughly. He saw her walking to school from the Chateau The Killing Game: The True Story Of Rodney Alcala

Having read quite a bit about Rodney Alcala, I was eager to read this book on him. I consider him to be quite an evil piece of work yet a fascinating subject to read about. I was hoping to see if there was any news of current court doings, etc. Rodney’s first known victim was only 8 years old and it happened in 1968, coincidentally I happened to be 8 years old that year too, so it chills me thoroughly. He saw her walking to school from the Chateau Marmont and talked her into getting into his car for a ride. Tali Shapiro never made it that day. But a good Samaritan was watching, thankfully and thought it looked suspicious and followed them. He saw where Alcala took Tali and went to a pay phone and called the police. By the time an officer knocked, Alcala yelled through the door that he was in the shower. The officer yelled back that he had ten seconds to open up as Alcala fled out the back. Finally, the cop kicked the door in and searched the place, horrified at what he found in the kitchen. Tali was brutalized but shocked everyone when she began breathing and survived.

The next victim was Julie Johnson, 13. On October 13, 1975, Julie was waiting for her school bus when Alcala offered her a ride to school. She eventually agreed and got in his car with him. When she realized he’d passed her school, she got upset. He took her to the cliffs at Huntington Beach and forced her to smoke weed with him. They were caught by a ranger and Alcala was arrested, both were taken in for questioning. Alcala knew he was in trouble, having just gotten out of prison for what he did to the 8-year-old, (the parole board let him go after only 34 months, mind you!) he was sent first back to jail, then prison. After this victim, he learned in prison to not let the victims survive to testify which would have catastrophic results in years to come.

After this, the bodies were dropping like crazy and the total number isn’t known for sure. When he first got out of prison he got permission to go to New York state and he lived there for a while and is known to have killed few females there and in New Hampshire. He later returned to California again and returned to his old habits there and was eventually caught. He was repeatedly tried for the killing of one girl, Robin Samsoe age 12 on June 13, 1979, that got overturned twice. By the third trial, DNA had tied him to a total of 4 other new murder cases too, and they wanted to try them all with the Robin Samsoe case. By then, Alcala had done enough of his own legal work and motions that he filed to ask that he be allowed to represent himself in the case. After being denied a couple of times, they finally approved him. It was becoming big news, as it was again a death penalty case too. His two early victims both testified, now grown and yet still traumatized by it many years later. When the guilty verdict was read in the courtroom in 2010 the crowd roared, Alcala was silent. He was given the death penalty.

Following that conviction, Huntington Beach PD released more than 100+ pictures taken by Alcala that had been found in his rental locker in Seattle, WA and posted them online asking for the public’s help in identifying them, in the hopes of ruling out any further victims of his. There was already four known of in New York. Alcala was indicted by a Manhattan Grand jury in January 2011 for the murders of Cornelia Crilley, the TWA flight attendant, and Ellen Hover, the Ciro’s heiress, in 1971 and 1977, respectively. He eventually pleaded guilty in those cases and was given an additional 25 years to life, as the death penalty hasn’t been an option in New York since 2007.

In September 2016, Alcala was charged with the murder of 28-year-old Christine Ruth Thornton, who disappeared in 1977. A relative of hers recognized her in one of the 100 pictures in 2013 posted of Alcala’s by the Huntington Beach PD and NYPD. Her body was found in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, in 1982 but was not identified until 2015 when DNA supplied by Thornton’s relatives matched tissue samples from her remains. Alcala admitted taking the photo, but not to killing the woman, who was approximately six months pregnant at the time of her death. Thornton is the first alleged murder victim linked to the Alcala photos made public in 2010. The 73-year-old Alcala was reportedly “too ill” to make the journey from California to Wyoming to stand trial on the new charges. He remains in California State Prison – Corcoran, pending further appeals of his death sentences. It is unknown how many women and girls he killed altogether. My thanks for the advance electronic copy that was provided by NetGalley, author Alan R. Warren, and the publisher for my fair review.

Author-- Al Warren has his Doctorate in Religious Studies (DD), Masters Degree (MM) in Music from University of Washington in Seattle, Bachelor of Arts (BA) Criminology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. Canada and Recording & Sound Engineering Diploma from the Juno Award Winning Bullfrog Studios in Vancouver B.C. Canada.

He got his start on digital radio for the Z Talk Radio Network and still produces several shows for them. Al started writing for articles in True Case Files Magazine and is still a contributor, that has led his to finishing his first book in True Crime for WildBlue Press to be released later this year.
Now he owns Something Weird Media in Canada where he produces several talk radio shows including Dark Shadows (Conspiracy, Cover-ups and Alternative History) Lost in Space (Everything UFO's) Julie Sav Show (U.K. Paranormal Show) Land of the Giants (Cryptozoolog) and House of Mystery (True Crime, Serial Killers and Unsolved Crimes) and Coming Soon Murder House.

WildBlue Press 200 pages
Pub: Oct. 2nd, 2018

My BookZone blog:
https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20... ...more

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Oct 24, 2018 Donna rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, non-fiction, not-so-great, true-crime

I had never heard of Rodney Alcala until I saw the blurb for this book on NetGalley. Being a fan of true crime stories, I was immediately interested in digging into the mind and background of someone who could commit such horrible and heart-breaking crimes, and in the midst of it all, appear on a TV game show looking for a date! I was also, as always when I read true crime, expecting to learn about the victims and their families, not just as casualties or names on a page, but as real people with ...more

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May 10, 2018 Constance rated it did not like it

Shelves: true-crime

In 1980, serial killer Rodney Alcala was convicted of the kidnapping, sexual assualt, and murder of 13-year-old Robin Simcoe. He is known today as the game show killer, not because his crimes had anything to do with game shows, but because in the middle of a 10 year crime spree, he appeared on (and won) The Dating Game. Luckily for the contestant who won a date with him, she was more astute at judging character than the young girls that Alcala usually preyed upon. In fact, she declined the date In 1980, serial killer Rodney Alcala was convicted of the kidnapping, sexual assualt, and murder of 13-year-old Robin Simcoe. He is known today as the game show killer, not because his crimes had anything to do with game shows, but because in the middle of a 10 year crime spree, he appeared on (and won) The Dating Game. Luckily for the contestant who won a date with him, she was more astute at judging character than the young girls that Alcala usually preyed upon. In fact, she declined the date because she found him "creepy." She was very, very right.

The story may be interesting (albeit horrifying), but unfortunately, The Killing Game adds little or no insight into Alcala or his crimes. The writing style is terse and might, with a fair amount of editing, make an adequate podcast (maybe), but it does not translate to the page well. There are a couple lengthy asides that sound like they came straight from Wikipedia articles; in addition, there are lengthy awkward hard-to-follow descriptions of crime scenes that would be better served by simply telling us the killer arranged his victims' bodies in lewd or sexual positions. The emphasis Warren gives to exactly how the bodies were positioned makes this an extremely uncomfortable read, as if the author is himself or anticipates an audience that might be titillated by this type of information. (The horrific excerpt from his next book that appears at the back of this one seems to confirm this. It describes a brutal rape/murder in very exact detail. The writing in the excerpt is unedited and genuinely atrociously bad.)

I picked this up on a whim from the new book shelf at the public library, because I had recently heard of Alcala and wondered how he had managed to commit so many crimes and get away with them for so long (AND appear on a dating show AND win). This book didn't provide much insight. I am 100 percent sure there are better books out there on the subject than this badly written, inadequately researched mediocrity. I highly recommend reading anything else. ...more

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Dec 24, 2017 Bill reilly rated it really liked it

In September of 1968, Rodney Alcala, a 22 year-old Mexican-American, abducted and raped Talia Shapiro. She was saved by the LAPD, but Rodney escaped. He was captured three years later, but because the Shapiro family had moved to Mexico, the court was forced to accept a plea agreement of molestation. A prison shrink determined that Rodney was just fine and he was released after 34 months in the clink. In 1975, he abducted a 13 year-old girl, was caught, and spent another 2 and a half years in jai In September of 1968, Rodney Alcala, a 22 year-old Mexican-American, abducted and raped Talia Shapiro. She was saved by the LAPD, but Rodney escaped. He was captured three years later, but because the Shapiro family had moved to Mexico, the court was forced to accept a plea agreement of molestation. A prison shrink determined that Rodney was just fine and he was released after 34 months in the clink. In 1975, he abducted a 13 year-old girl, was caught, and spent another 2 and a half years in jail. While on parole, he was allowed to travel to my state, New York, and guess what, another one bites the dust. Ellen Hover’s skeletal remains turned up on the Rockefeller estate, here in Westchester County. While again on parole, Rod appeared on the Dating Game and won. His date was creeped out by him and refused her prize. Warren describes numerous murders in graphic, anatomical detail. In the meantime, Alcala worked at a photo studio and used it as a guise to lure teenage girls to pose for pictures, sometimes nude. In February of 1980, Alcala went on trial for the kidnapping and murder of 12 year-old Robin Samsoe. The next stop would be San Quentin and a supposed visit to the gas chamber. I flashed back to Susan Hayward in I Want to Live, as she is led into the void. Hollywood fabricated the circumstances of Barbara Graham’s innocence. She was a hooker in real life, not an innocent deer caught in the headlights. Caryl Chessman was also gassed in California for rape. As for Alcala, the California appeals process kept him alive for years, and resulted in two retrials. Florida would have fried his ass, as they to Ted Bundy in 1989. Alcala was finally defeated by the wonderful world of modern science in the form of DNA. He represented himself at trial, and, like Bundy, had a fool for a client. Killing Game is only about 120 unnumbered pages, and Alcala deserves a longer, Ann Rule style treatment with a more extensive history. My top five serial killers: 1.Ted Bundy. 2 .Richard Kuklinski(Ice Man) 3.(tie) Alcala. 3. Edmund Kemper. 5. H.H. Holmes.
P.S. Manson was a chicken**** who had others do his dirty work, including young women. ...more

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Apr 24, 2018 Bettye McKee rated it really liked it

Shelves: true-crime-books

A very good true crime story

This is a well-written and well-researched story about California serial killer Rodney Alcala. His story is told in sufficient detail that one cannot doubt his guilt. Alcala was tried three times for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe, receiving the death penalty after each conviction. During the third trial, charges were added for four additional murders, thanks to the availability of DNA identification.

Alcala was subsequently tried and convi ...more

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Dec 18, 2018 Casey rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Starting in 1968 and continuing into the 1970s, Rodney Alcala stalked young women in California and New York, raping, strangling, and killing many. He was able to hide in plain sight, due to his charming nature and big personality. He was even a winning contestant on the popular television show "The Dating Game" during this time. After many years of trials and pain, Alcala was finally convicted of five murders in 2010. Currently, police are still asking for the public's help in identifying the g ...more

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Dec 21, 2017 Frank Hardy rated it it was amazing

Great book, I thought it had a lot of information and was quite well researched. I like the organization and that it didn't give too much opinion ...more

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Oct 20, 2018 Elizabeth rated it liked it

Rodney Alcala, born in 1943 in San Antonio, Texas, is believed to have raped and murdered around 130 people. Alcala committed his first known crime (rape of an 8 year old girl) in 1968, at the age of 25 while a student at UCLA. Due to the unavailability of the witness (she had moved back to Mexico with her family), Alcala was given a sentance of only 1 year to life, and released on parole after 34 months.

That was just the beginning of the horrific crimes of torture, rape, and murder that Alcala ...more

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Nov 10, 2020 Laura rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Rodney Alcala aka the dating game killer was finally tried in 2010 for the murders of 5 young women. While searching his belongings, the police found hundreds of nude pictures of women and young boys. They theorize that there must be more deaths and then Alcala admits to only 2 more. I watched the show that dating game that he was on and was taken aback by his looks and charm yet I knew what he had done. When I requested this book, I was hoping it would give the reader some background on Alcala ...more

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Jun 23, 2019 Joey Howell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I am a huge True Crime fan who listens to many Podcasts and read many books on the subject.
The Killing Game is a in-depth and fascinating look into one of the most disturbing and mysterious Killers is United States history. Not only does it dive deep into the life of Rodney Alcala it goes into detail about the victims and gives them a voice that always is appreciated in my book. It helps give the subject matter more levity and helps break up some of the more serious crimes and topics that are di ...more

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Oct 10, 2018 Jen Juenke rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

This book is a WOW! I had never heard of this serial killer before. I thought that this book was a great over view of the killings and the serial killer.
However, I wish that there was more information on the victims and of the background of the serial killer himself. I felt that this was a great start for the subject and I just wish that there was more information.
I devoured this book in one sitting! I can't believe that a serial killer was on the Dating Game show. WOW! I learned something new. ...more

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Jun 23, 2019 Terrie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a tough book to get through. Many of the victims are so young, and the details are gruesome.

The first few chapters seem are a bit short and to the point.

The book really comes together as you read about the trial and see the timeline of the first few chapters come into play.

Alcala isn't a serial killer I had heard of until reading this book. Warren has done an excellent job of covering the whole series of events. ...more

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Jul 01, 2019 Theresa Cassidy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

i love the way the chapters of this book were organized to the names of victims. Made it easier to keep up with dates and events, plus I felt it made the book more about the people who had the horrendous misfortune of meeting Rodney Alcala. Could tell I was really enjoying reading this book because of how irritated I got whenever I was interrupted.

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Jan 24, 2018 Alex | | findingmontauk1 rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned, audible

Interesting book about this serial killer. some seriously disturbing atrocities from him for sure. I can't imagine what the victims and families must have gone through. anyone else ever heard of him? ...more

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Nov 30, 2018 Stephen rated it liked it · review of another edition

It was an OK true-crime story that broke down his murders and many trials/re-trials but never really delved into the psychology of what drove him to do these horrendous deeds.

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Jul 29, 2019 Mike Morin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Yet another awesome book from Alan Warren. I could not put this book down until it was finished. A definite read for any true crime fan!

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Dec 14, 2017 Beverlyc rated it liked it

Creepy

Ranks with Ted Bundy for creep factor even though I had not heard of him until the movie. Book seems thorough.

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About Alan R. Warren

Alan R. Warren

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ALAN R. WARREN is the Host of the Popular True Crime History Radio show 'House of Mystery' Heard in the NBC news talk radio network on KCAA 106.5 F.M. Los Angeles/Riverside/Palm Springs http://www.houseofmysteryradio.com/

Al Warren has his Doctorate in Religious Studies (DD), Masters Degree ( MM) in Music from the University of Washington in Seattle, Bachelor of Arts (BA ) Criminology from the Univ
ALAN R. WARREN is the Host of the Popular True Crime History Radio show 'House of Mystery' Heard in the NBC news talk radio network on KCAA 106.5 F.M. Los Angeles/Riverside/Palm Springs http://www.houseofmysteryradio.com/

Al Warren has his Doctorate in Religious Studies (DD), Masters Degree ( MM) in Music from the University of Washington in Seattle, Bachelor of Arts (BA ) Criminology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. Canada and Recording & Sound Engineering Diploma from the Juno Award Winning Bullfrog Studios in Vancouver B.C. Canada. He got his start on Digital Radio for the Z Talk Radio Network and still produces several shows for them.

Al Started Writing for Articles in True Case Files Magazine and is still a Contributor and Serial Killer magazine. Since then he has completed 12 true crime books for two different publishers ( RJ Parker/Vronksy Publishing in Toronto, Canada & WildBlue Press in America)

His bestsellers include 'Above Suspicion' The True Story of Colonel Russell Williams, 'Blood Thirst' the true story of the Vampire Killer of Canada, 'Deadly Betrayal' the true story of Jennifer Pan , 'Last Man Standing' the true story of Jack McCullough, the man that was put away for the oldest unsolved murder case in America, and has since then been released as he did not do the crime. You can read more about him on his website.

A Special Note from the author...
"On Tuesday, April 2, this past Autism Awareness Day 2019, I decided to let my fans of both radio and writing that I myself am autistic. The struggle for me to speak the words that I could only read has taken many years of work and practice in order to fool broadcasters into hiring me for radio. Even then I kept is secret as I worked to allow the writer in my mind to be able to get those words on paper. I dedicate all of my public works to any others out there struggling with the same challenge that I have, as well as any obstacles you might have in accomplishing your dreams."
- Alan R Warren ...more