Customer Reviews

Chasing the Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Gary Ridgway is a pretty unremarkable man, but he inspired a remarkable story. This is one of the few serial killer cases where the investigative team is more interesting than the actual killer. At no point has Gary Ridgway crossed over from being a heartless murderer to pop culture antihero like, say, Charles Manson has. Being prostitutes, Ridgway's victims were almost too vulnerable, practically laid out on a buffet for him to prey upon. David Reichert struggles with this fact and many others throughout this story. You'll get a good sense of the intense pressure he and his team felt during their experience. The community was outraged at the task force's seeming lack of progress; the media fueled the fire by pointing out mistakes and missed opportunities. Later, budget cuts and over-involvement by the FBI were enough to drive many task force members to seek other assignments. Reichert's views on all of these are made clear, and the politics of a major city's police force are on display for all to see. Incredibly, at one point, the case had become so fruitless that only one man (not Reichert) was assigned to it for the duration. The task force's tireless work and evidence-collecting paid off in the end, and the prolific killing spree was finally ended. Others reviewing this book have called Reichert an egomaniac but I don't think he comes off like that at all. He gives a lot of credit where it's due, admits his errors, and is respectful to the victims at all times. His obsession is the reason the case got as far as it ever did. If David Reichert wanted to look like a big shot, I'd say he sacrificed a lot to get there.

I was in junior high school when the Green River Killer was making his rounds. I remember watching about it on the TV news. While books have been written about the case, I was waiting until it had been solved to read about it. When I saw this book, I knew this was the one I would finally purchase because it was written by someone who actually had worked the case, not an outsider.

This book is excellent--it is very well written, concise, and full of factual evidence. It also shows that we in law enforcement are humans and have feelings, too. We just often have to set them aside while we deal with horrible incidents.

I am a dispatcher at a sheriff's office in a western state. I was almost finished with the book when I brought it to work with me. Within minutes of its discovery, co-workers were calling out dibs on who got to read it next. One deputy even called me on the radio to ask if I was finished reading it yet!

So, this book is making the rounds at our office. And, everyone agrees with me that it is a VERY GOOD book.

Sheriff David G. Reichert might have written his autobiography here. After all, he was one in charge in regards to the Green River case. Reichert got involved from the first victim until the killer, Gary Leon Ridgway, finally confessed to killing over 50 victims and finding locations for the remains of some of them. For his confession, he was given life in prison without the possibility of parole. I'm sure some people felt that he deserved the death penalty and probably so. He murdered almost all women mostly prostitutes and drug addicts and runaways. Hardly the population that needed publicity. In Ted Bundy's day, he went after well-respected daughters, college students. Bundy referred to the Green River Killer's victims as bottom feeders because most families and friends wouldn't report them missing so soon. Reichert writes about the frustration and aggravation in almost every turn in trying to chase the devil who was the Green River Killer. I think we forget that law enforcement can be human and make mistakes. There were those that covered. The girls on the strip were in danger and they even knew it too. The Green River Killer took 20 years to find and he was a regular employee at Kenworth company as a truck driver. He was interviewed at times but nothing added up until the technology and DNA evidence. He finally confessed to his hideous crimes which included necrophilia something that Ted Bundy also did but was ashamed of. Ridgway comes clean and confesses to over 50 murders. It probably relieved the families that there would never be a trial which can be more painful in bringing up the past. Some victims were never found but I admired Reichert's way of memorializing them on the end pages of this book as well as writing about the many people, men and women who brought justice to the Green River victims.

I have read many of the true-life crime novels, and this ranks among the best. The author is very good about keeping the many, many characters distinct, and unforgettable. He also gives insight on the victims' families and why they reacted to things the way they did. Sheriff Reichert must truly be a good man as he has a very forgiving nature, brought out by the many times the media, the families of the victims, and the politicians that he had to deal with made life so much harder for him. I thought the book was very good and I highly recommend it.

After seeing the movie that was based on this book, I had to read the book. I really enjoyed reading the story from the detective's point of view. We always expect the police and investigators to find the "killer" as quickly as they do in movies and books. This book shows the bureaucracy behind the investigation and why cold cases can drag on for years. Very eye opening book. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime books.

this book was fantastic. what better way to get info than from the person who was connected the most with the green river case. it gives you great insight and also lists suspects that i never knew about. this sheriff poured his heart and soul into this case. great reading i finished it in 3 days.

Contrary to others' reviews, I found very little bias in former Sheriff Reichert's account of the twenty-odd years spent searching for the Green River killer. Reichert doesn't employ flash or exaggeration, nor does he inject drama into an already tragic story. His writing is matter-of-fact as he describes briefly the background that led him to law enforcement and the early years of the Green River case. Reichert doesn't shy away from necessary details - it's clear that he respects the reader and feels strongly enough about the victims, their families, and the experience to give the full story. If you're looking for gore, it's not in here. "Chasing the Devil" gives a breadth of information about the victims, the locale they frequented, and the difficulties the King County police encountered in trying to solve this difficult case. I'm no loyal fan of law enforcement, but Reichert can't be criticized for not putting his heart and soul into the search for the Green River killer, nor for not caring about the women he targeted. Well done.

as far as biases go, this book takes the cake. mr. reichert explains how he was the absolute pivot point around which the entire investigation rotated. i wasn't there, nor do i know what actually happened - but to think that one person solved the entire case is mind-boggling. i know forensic science is all encompassing and a community of scientists, police, etc. working together to come to the conclusion. mr. reichert makes it seem as though he did not utilize anyone else's help. interesting perspective.

This book was excellent! I very much enjoyed reading this book. I initially saw the movie The Capture of the Green River Killer on Lifetime, and I never even knew about the Green River Killer! In 2003, I was just going into my senior year of high school and was amazed that I hadn't paid more attention to the current events. Dave Reichert's story is exceptional. This book really gives you in an in-depth account of the Green River Killer and the people who never gave up the search for justice! GREAT BOOK!!!

This nonfiction book kept me reading into the early morning. I wish it had been fiction, however.