Review of The Zodiac Revisited, Volume 1

[Mbrooks2518]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Zodiac Revisited, Volume 1" by Michael F. Cole.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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In December 1968, a young couple were forced from their car and shot and killed near Benicia, California. Following that murder, until October 1969, the killer took three more lives and seriously injured two others. During and after the murders, the killer wrote multiple letters to newspapers. He soon became known as the Zodiac. In Michael F. Cole’s The Zodiac Revisited, Volume 1, Cole lays out all the facts of the Zodiac case. From the details of his crimes, including ones that are not proven but strongly believed to have been committed by the Zodiac, to the letters he wrote.

As the first in a trilogy, this book gives all the details of the case before getting into speculation and the author’s own thoughts and opinions in the next two books. Although there were a few instances where Cole does theorize about the possible the meanings of some actions. Since this book mostly sticks to the facts, it is a good option for someone who just wants to learn about the Zodiac case.

My favorite thing about this book was the overall writing style and tone. It was detailed and thorough enough to draw me in but not so detailed that the pace dragged. And the author’s tone throughout the book was passionate but also respectful to the victims. I could tell how much time and effort was put into researching the case and writing this book.

The book was very well organized. The events are mostly chronological. The only chapters that were not made sense and fit where they were placed. And there is a good, clear flow from chapter to chapter and between the sections in each chapter.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the placement of some of the images of the Zodiac’s letters. Many of them took up an entire page and interfered with the paragraph that started on the previous page and ended in the middle of a sentence. I then had to skip past the picture to be able to finish it. This messed up the flow of the text. This could be easily fixed by having the paragraph start on the page after the image.

Overall, I thought this was a wonderfully written book about the Zodiac that I recommend to true crime fans and anyone interested in the Zodiac case. It was exceptionally well-edited. In fact, I did not find any editing mistakes. The issue with the placement of the images was fairly minor because I quickly came to expect it. Therefore, I am happy to give this book 4 out of 4 stars.

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The Zodiac Revisited, Volume 1
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[Deb Vil]

This seems like an interesting book. Sometimes narrations about crime stories can be morbid, but I'm glad to read that the author sticks to the facts and treats the victims with respect. Thank you for your review!

[Mbrooks2518]

This seems like an interesting book. Sometimes narrations about crime stories can be morbid, but I'm glad to read that the author sticks to the facts and treats the victims with respect. Thank you for your review!

Thanks for reading and commenting!

[Adelle v]

I enjoy true crime and think this will be one of those I would find hard to put down.Thanks for a great review.

[Charmaine Mahlangu]

My first thought was ,a book about a confident psychopath has surely landed between my hands. The 1960s and early 1970s were horrific moments around San Francisco Bay Area. A "...crazy man was on the loose" A killer known as a cipher killer had no target whatsoever but a mission to shoot to kill whoever crossed paths with him.

The Chronicle newspaper received threats and complicated ciphers from him . Hence the name cipher killer was given to him . He later called himself the zodiac killer. As we read about this man you cannot help but wonder what drove him to such madness. He once threatened to kill kids boarding a school bus. In March 1971 he sent his last letter and to this day this is one hell of an unsolved case with DNA evidence, finger prints, letters with victims blood all over his letters but no man to be found.

His communicative abilities to me scream a man with a conscience or just down right confidence. He hardly kept any souvenirs like most serial killers did but his memory was enough to make him remember details of how he left the dead bodies and what they were wearing. This was a psychopath that scared the neighbouring cities too ,Vallejo and Benicia. He was out of control.

Michael F Cole here demonstrates detective abilities in an incredible manner. I don't know how old he is but he makes it sound as though he was alive and well in San Francisco in the 1960s and that's brilliant. His abilities to relate to the killer in a present manner is exceptional. His descriptions are precise and his tone is optimistic as though he himself is on a hunt for the witch.

"...you will find the kids in a brown car. They were shot with a 9- millimeter Luger. I also killed those kids last year. Good-bye" written on a note to the newspaper and threatening it to be released on the same day in 1969 July 31. Makes me wonder, with our technology today are you telling me this is still a cold case? Cannot anything be done to atleast put a face on this killer ? Justice was not served here and little was done to find the killer.

The chapters were incredibly long which did discourage me. The stories of all victims were straight to the point which made me happy. The author was descriptive and none of his work was biased. Even in his investigation he never spoke ill of the killer and that was profoundly objective of him . A 5 out of 5 rating for the Zodiac Killer. It is always good to go through any book and close it feeling inspired or empowered and thats what I got here.