True Crime

An infamous murder spree. A monstrous hoax. The definitive book--updated with new evidence.

"DeSalvo Is the Strangler!" declared the headlines after handyman Albert DeSalvo confessed to eleven brutal rape/murders that terrorized Boston from 1962 to 1964. The repeat sex offender boasted he had raped an additional 2,000 women. His story became the subject of a bestselling book and major Hollywood movie. But DeSalvo was not The Boston Strangler.

Author Susan Kelly's detailed investigation shows us the true DeSalvo--a pathological liar whose hunger for celebrity drove him to false confessions--and indicates that the stranglings were committed by more than one killer. In an eye-opening update that explores stunning DNA findings, a shocking re-autopsy, and expert profiling evidence, she shows why this savage, unsolved case continues to fascinate and haunt us.

With 16 Pages Of Powerful Photos

"Taut with suspense. . .crackles like a bestselling novel." --Barry Reed, author of The Verdict

"Prodigious research." --Publishers Weekly

In 1978, Rodney Alcala was a contestant on the "The Dating Game," one of America's most popular television shows at the time. Handsome, successful, and romantic, he was embraced by the audience--and chosen as the winner by the beautiful bachelorette. To viewers across the country, Rodney seemed like the answer to every woman's dreams. Until they learned the truth about his once and future crimes...
Ten years before his TV appearance, Rodney was charged with the sexual assault and attempted murder of an eight-year-old girl. In the decades that followed, he would be accused of seven murders--and, as new DNA evidence continues to be uncovered, the list may grow. The case is so disturbing that it's been documented in several news outlets, from People magazine and USA Today to 48 Hours Mystery and Dr. Phil. The Dating Game Killer is the shocking true story about the dark and twisted man.

"A mesmerizing read and a great detective story, yet sadly all true...With their book The Idaho Four, James Patterson and Vicky Ward have written perhaps the definitive account of the murders--a disturbing, necessary portrait of a killer and his victims." --Guardian

"New revelations...James Patterson and Vicky Ward reveal new details and attempt to lift the veil of secrecy that has shrouded the Idaho college murders case for more than two years." --Good Morning America

"This is much more than a true crime book. It's a vivid exploration of the range of human response when faceless terror strikes. It's a portrait of America in this polarized moment." --Town & Country

"A lot of brand-new reporting. Clears up a number of mysteries." --Morning Joe

The murders of four innocent college students attending the University of Idaho left us all with so many questions. Now, after more than 300 interviews, James Patterson and prize-winning journalist Vicky Ward finally have the answers.

We know what it was like to live in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022, the day of the cold-blooded killings. We know what the local police and FBI did right. And what they did wrong. We've learned so much about the four heartbroken families--the Mogens, Goncalveses, Kernodles, and Chapins. And we have the backstory for Bryan Kohberger, brilliant grad student, loner, apparent incel.

Now you are the jury. The evidence is in.

You've watched the Prime documentary, One Night in Idaho, now read the "clearest profile yet of the twisted quadruple killer and his motives" (New York Post).