13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One-of-a-kind look inside the contradictory rationalizations of a serial killer, January 17, 2007
This review is from: I: The Creation of a Serial Killer (Mass Market Paperback)
Keith Hunter Jesperson is an American serial killer who raped and murdered eight women while he worked as a long-distance trucker in the early 1990's. He is also notoriously media-hungry, known for having set up personal web pages with his delusional rants against the government during his early imprisonment, as well as starting a serial murderer pen pal club.
Author Jack Olsen recounts Jesperson's story in two parallel story lines. One is told in the first person, from Jesperson's point of view, starting with his first murder of a mentally incapacitated barfly through his multi-state crime spree and incarceration. The other story is an objective, journalistic look at Jesperson's childhood and life in the media.
This book is different from any other true crime story because Olsen allows Jesperson to speak uncensored (occasionally accompanied by footnotes with direct contradictions of Jesperson's version of events). Jesperson blames external factors--his father, women who are "bitches," society, bullies--for his desire to torture and kill both animals and women. Jesperson's narrative is an exercise in contradictions--he goes back and forth between loving and loathing his father, especially in their correspondence during his imprisonment. In one notable example, when Jesperson is suicidal and ready to turn himself over to authorities, he reflects on his experience with a woman with an infant he met outside a liquor store in Shasta, California. By his own account, Jesperson forced oral sex from the woman and roughhoused her against her will, then gave her a ride home when he was unable to kill her with ease. She filed charges against him. Several years later, at the end of his murderous career, Jesperson speaks of the incident as follows: "I thought about how hard it is to kill people. I snapped that Shasta woman's neck three times and she was still alive to lie about me." Jesperson seems to have forgotten that, by his own account of the encounter, he was violent and sexually abusive towards the woman, providing her ample reason to file a complaint with the police.
Author Olsen lets Jesperson's account stand on its own, for the most part, and the reader is left to note the inconsistencies and contradictions for him/herself. Jesperson enjoys the spotlight, and toyed with the media during his trial in such a way as to disrupt the prosecution's case and make the public doubt his sanity (he claimed responsibility for hundreds or murders and made other outrageous, exaggerated claims). By allowing Jesperson to speak freely, Olsen provides an unprecedented glimpse inside the mind of a rapist and serial killer--Jesperson speaks candidly about the "death game" he played with his victims, how he desired to stretch their death out as long as possible, and his loathing for women jumps off the page at the reader. Not for the faint of heart.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Apologia of a Serial Killer, March 7, 2005
I don't mean Apology, I mean Apologia, a formal, written explanation of actions. In this case the Happyface Killer tries to explain how he became a serial killer because of 1) his family; 2) society; 3) women and 4) alcohol. This list is not exclusive nor in any specific order. I was rather tired of his self serving whining after the first chapter and it would have been better if there had been some balancing exposition from Mr. Olsen-- a writer I generally respect.
This is certainly an antidote to the Hannibal Lector myth of the superior serial killer. Jesperson is a remarkably banal sort of killer-- focused on sex and money. Probably the most queasy making part of his story involves his claims of being a doting father intertwined with graphic scenes of brutality.
Definitely recommended for those who want to romanticize the breed.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning!, June 7, 2004
This review is from: I: The Creation of a Serial Killer (Mass Market Paperback)
I have amassed quite a collection of true crime books in my life. Aside from Helter Skelter, this may be my favorite true crime book. Aided by a very forthcoming killer, Jack Olsen displays a wealth of knowledge on his subject. While I found the brevity of chapter to be discouraging, the contend creates an exceptional product. While some authors in this genre continually repeat themselves, Olsen tells a seamless story with a continual supply of fresh information.
Keith Hunter Jesperson is the "Happy Face Killer". He earns this name through his washroom stall vandalism and letter writing signature. Jesperson's killing spree involves eight women. In the case of his first murder, others went to jail for his crime. His final death toll could have been larger if he had not killed his "fiance". The story is unique because the killer is a truck driver. This facet of the story gives unique insight into the life of a truck driver. The murders are spread through a large area with victims that a largely prostitutes. Jesperson places much of the blame for his murders on his father. The childhood stories depict his father as a manipulative, abusive alcoholic. Even from the stories in the present, his father seems this way. If the stories he describes are true, his father does hold some responsibility for his son's crimes.
True crime fans must add this book to their collection. The stories are detailed and give insight into the acts of a serial killer which have never been seen before.
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