The Boston Strangler

Gerold Frank

July 2016 · Open Road Media

About this eBook

The New York Times–bestselling account of the serial killer’s rampage and the ensuing manhunt. Now a Hulu true crime thriller starring Keira Knightley.

On June 14, 1962, twenty-five-year-old Juris Slesers arrived at his mother’s apartment to drive her to church. But there was no answer at the door. When he pushed his way inside, Juris found Anna Slesers dead on the kitchen floor, the cord of her housecoat knotted tightly around her neck.
 
Over the next two years, twelve more bodies were discovered in and around Boston: all women, all sexually assaulted, and all strangled. None of the victims exhibited any signs of struggle, nothing was stolen from their homes, and there were no signs of forcible entry. The police could find no discernable motive or clues. Who was this madman? How was he entering women’s homes? And what insanity was driving him?
 
Drawn from hundreds of hours of personal interviews, as well as police, medical, and court documentation, this is a grisly, horrifying, and meticulously researched account of Albert DeSalvo—an American serial killer on par with Jack the Ripper.

Ratings and reviews

Between 1962 and 1964, 13 women were sexually assaulted, bound and then strangled often with their own panty hose. Boston was almost frozen in fear. Women were afraid to open their doors to anyone. In one case, a woman opened her door without thinking and saw a strange man on her doorstep. She promptly had a heart attack and died. The man was selling encyclopedias. There were no clues, no evidence, for the most part, there were no signs of forced entry. The women showed no signs of struggle. Nothing was taken from their homes, although they were ransacked. This is the story of the Boston Strangler, a monster compared to Jack the Ripper. The author takes the reader through the entire investigation from start to finish. Not only does one get to know all the law enforcement officers from different departments, the suspects are introduced one by one until they are no longer suspect. This is a terrific novel of police procedures. The number of people who are looked at and questioned, the investigation looking into commonalities among all the victims. I remember when these killings were taking place. I did not live anywhere near Boston, but back then, the thought of a serial killer was absolutely horrifying. The one thing I did take away from this book was the knowledge that they even used psychics. They were desperate to stop this killer at any cost. The book is very well written. The author certainly did his homework in research and it enhances the book greatly. Many thanks to the author / Open road Integrated Media / Netgalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I don't believe they have any proof regarding the actual murders.

About the author

Gerold Frank (1907–1998) was a bestselling author, reporter, and war correspondent. His career ranged widely, from covering World War II and the plight of European Jews, to publishing true-crime sensations, to pioneering a new literary art form: the “as-told-to” celebrity biography. A prolific ghostwriter, he formed intimate collaborations with the biggest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, including Judy Garland, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Rita Hayworth. As a journalist and author, Frank secured extraordinary access, embedding with the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on Palestine, and later with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Boston Strangler Task Force during its investigation of the infamous serial killings. Several of his books became films, including “The Boston Strangler,” starring Tony Curtis and Henry Fonda. Frank won Edgar Awards for The Boston Strangler and The Deed. Other bestsellers included Judy, the only biography of Judy Garland written with the full cooperation of her family and closest confidants, and An American Death, about the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.