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Vampire: The Richard Chase Murders

Kevin M. Sullivan

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Dec 15, 2014 Terri rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, true-crime

In the 1970s, Richard Chase's murders terrorized Sacramento. They were brutal, gruesome and random. The only thing they had in common was a VERY small geographic region. Mr. Chase was clearly delusional and drank the blood of some of his victims (hence the moniker of 'Vampire'. The biggest question I found while reading the book, is how clearly the definition of mental illness versus LEGAL insanity played out in his case. It was well researched and presented and a very interesting read. ...more

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Jul 18, 2015 Nikki in Niagara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I knew very little about this case before reading the book. I read a lot of true crime but some cases make me sick and this one I knew enough about to make me think I didn't want the depth of a book to tell me more. However, I am very glad to have read it. Mr. Sullivan has done an excellent job with a very sensitive subject matter. Some reviews have called the book graphic, or, specifically, the writing graphic, but that's not exactly the situation and especially why I appreciated the author's t ...more

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Dec 10, 2014 Katherine McCarthy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: true-crime

Mentally deranged, sadistic, a bloodsucker and a cannibal, this diabolical killer held the city of Sacramento in fear during his spree in the late 70's. Fortunately, his reign of terror was relatively short lived. Unfortunately, the savage cruelty he showed his innocent victims is something I don't imagine anyone from that area will ever forget.

I think the author did a fantastic job of pulling this story together. Although only 109 pages, you finish the book feeling you know everything you need ...more

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Jan 06, 2024 Natalie rated it liked it

Shelves: you-want-it-darker, thanatos, read-in-2024, biography, true-crime, very-bad-people

Factual and stays largely away from the overt moralizing that some true crime authors can’t resist, and that I loathe. It’s too short, though, so I have to think a lot’s been skipped over. Chase’s trial is barely noted.

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