Customer Reviews

Entering Hades: The Double Life of a Serial Killer

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Scores of books are published every year about serial killers; this book stands out in a burgeoning genre with its uncommon depth of research, the quality of the writing, and its subject matter - a confounding serial killer who was so much more complex than the usual man of his ilk.

Unterweger was a serial murderer who targeted prostitutes in several countries, from Europe to the U.S. He was also a celebrated man of letters in his native Austria. The incongruities are fascinating.

But what really held me to the book was the description of Unterweger's amazing personality. He wasn't a salivating, half-mad stalker-slash-slayer. His life revolved around pleasing - and sometimes killing - women. He was the consummate, the ultimate manipulator. The author spoke at length with many women seduced by Jack. They stayed with him for a night, some for a season. Some moved halfway across the world for him, on his whim. Some trusted him enough to go into the woods with him....

How did he do it? This is an eye-opening story for anyone who has ever wasted a few days, or even weeks, or (did you let it go on that long?) 9 1/2 weeks with a psychopathic playboy. It's much better (and maybe nearly as exciting) to read books about men like this than encounter one, unprepared, in the wild.

Five stars. Head and shoulders above the usual serial killer fare.

Let me say,I have read countless murder mysteries in my year of reviewing, and many of them centered around serial killers, but to read a story such as this was downright creepy. Of course that is what made such a good read.

We meet Jack Unterweger, a celebrated author, likeable man, good friend to many and lover of women, when he wasn't killing them that is. Deep inside of this man was a monster, and one that could hide its hideous self and charm his way into many hearts to continue his own evil desires.

Unterweger was a ruthless killer who evaded police, fooled friends, and taunted relatives of his victims murdered at his own hands.
This book is an in-depth look at the life of this man, those he interacted with, those he killed. You will be amazed at the cunning way he weaved himself around those in his life. The way he used them, abused them, manipulated them, and freely lived among them. Amazing!
Very well written, gripping, and filled with research that brings out hair-raising details of events. Quite a read! You wonder how many other Unterwegers' are among us?

The inner workings of the mind are always fascinating, but more so when the subject is a dedicated, cold-hearted serial killer. Austrian John Unterweger once declared, "I have my own way of doing things." His way included strangling women with their own bras, slowly twisting until the noose was so tight and so small that displaying one in a courtroom caused a collective gasp of horror. His way included a short sojourn in the U.S. where, in the guise of a journalist, he not only "researched" the nightlife by riding along with the LAPD, but murdered three prostitutes --- a kind of working vacation.

Unterweger fascinates because of his cold-blooded hatred for women disguised as love, his above-average articulation and ability to pervert the truth, and his zest for killing that began when he was in his early 20s. At that time he savagely slaughtered a female acquaintance for a few bucks and a fur coat. Convicted of the crime, he received a full sentence --- 20 years --- in Austria. He was released after 15 years with the approbation of many left-wing admirers, beautiful people and psychologists who asserted their opinion that he was a reformed man, a victim of childhood abuse who had become, in prison, a rather decent writer. He wrote a play about himself and starred in it after his release. All seemed well; the system had rehabilitated a youthful offender, and Unteweger even wrote children's stories.

After being granted his freedom, Unterweger went into full swing. Using his status as a journalist (the author, John Leake, translated his diaries and other documents in the case), he hung around with policemen and was apparently as intrigued as they at the series of "Vienna Woods" murders: women strangled, left lying nearly naked in the forest. The killer always left their jewelry, audaciously signaling that robbery had not been a motive. Unterweger, meanwhile, was seducing women, either sexually or simply as gullible friends, and later, allies against those who would accuse him.

Small and childlike, with a winsome face that made women trust him, Unterweger dutifully recorded all but the actual acts of murder in his diaries. Occasionally his innocent guise would slip; he once unnerved a female friend by calling her and stating, "I know exactly where you are right now." It was his attention to detail that made him such a successful killer. After extensive forensic probing over the years and a bulldog of an investigator in Austria determined to bring Unterweger to justice, there was still only a paltry amount of physical evidence linking him to any of his crimes.

Leake shows how the net tightened around the charming Jack, including well-researched private revelations from his women. One, a Guatemalan beauty he met in LA and imported to Austria, barely escaped his murderous hand. He kept her virtually imprisoned, abused her with minor tortures like throwing water on her head, and once nearly drowned her in the bath. She was one of the lucky ones. He sent her back home when police began to close in on him. He then seduced a lively young redhead and took her to Miami to hide out from the Austrian legal system. He forced her to work as a go-go dancer and barmaid, the first steps in her total degradation --- in his teen years he had been a pimp.

Like Bonnie and Clyde, the two holed up in dreadful digs with cockroaches crawling the walls; yet his girlfriend was willing to defend him until her parents had her extradited and re-programmed. When Unterweger seemed all too anxious to be returned to Austria, someone smelled a rat and began piecing together the LA crimes and Unterweger's distinctive MO. In Europe he would get more jail time; in LA he might face the executioner.

At Unterweger's second trial, played out in scorching vignettes in this, Leake's first book, Jack's cleverly constructed facade began to crumble. The abusive relatives he had for so long treaded on to gain sympathy turned out not to be so bad after all, and his own mother would not give him an alibi. Still he had women falling under his spell, one of whom, a bright young law student, met him in prison and was convinced of his innocence even as the trial unfolded. His ability to garner sympathy among the intelligentsia underscored Unterweger's unique psychopathy. He deceived many, but was finally brought down by painstaking, tireless police work.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott

Reading this horrifying account of the life of mass murderer Jack Unterweger, reminded me of the parole and subsequent incarceration of Jack Henry Abbott. You may recall that author Norman Mailer championed Abbott's cause and was instrumental in helping the convict gain freedom. The day before his book, In the Belly of the Beast, was reviewed in the NY Times, Abbott stabbed a waiter to death in a Manhattan restaurant. Unterweger had been jailed for the brutal rape and murder of a young girl. After writing a book, his cause for parole was taken up by the Austrian literati. He then proceeded to murder seven Austrian prostitutes, one in Prague and three in LA, all the while, making friends with the police, writing books and producing plays. Unterweger was incredibly narcissistic, sadistic and a sexual predator. The author painstakingly reconstructs the investigation from Austria, Prague and LA often jumping back and forth in time. It was not easy to bring all these threads together to form a cohesive whole, but I believe he did a fine job. This book is not for the squeamish, but should prove impossible to put down for readers of serial killers and also crime buffs.

John Leake's Entering Hades is a great true crime book. First of all, it gets directly to the point. A dead body is discovered on page one! (Don't worry, there will be no more spoilers below. Instead, in this review, I'll concentrate on the author's ability and style, rather than the grisly details of the murders he describes.)

Of foremost importance is the fact that the true-life characters come across as real people. The sociopathic killer indeed proves to be sadistic and evil, but he's shown to be an artist and to have a vulnerable side, as well. The police, judges, survivors, and would-be victims all have distinct personalities.

At times, the narrative is concise: "A serial killer gets paroled, starts murdering again a few months later, and at the same time publishes a book (Dungeon) with a description of his modus operandi [p. 195]." This one sentence condenses the entire story. At other times, it's incredibly detailed, delving into minutiae that must have been difficult to uncover. And, thank God, the author translates all of the German words for his English speaking audience.

The easy way to write a true crime book is to rely exclusively on court testimony, newspaper reports of witnesses, and recorded confessions (viz. The Killing of Sharon Tate, the first book published about Susan Atkins, Tex Watson, and Charles Manson). Leake uses these methods when appropriate, but it's quite obvious that the depths to which he pursues his research are profound. He even obtained access to the killer's lost/secret diary that wasn't available during the trial.

The story ends just as appropriately as it begins. The drama doesn't linger after the main player leaves the stage.

I do have one complaint from the viewpoint of literary style. The author (or editor) loses a few points for breaking up the narrative into so many tiny chapters - 91 in total! The result can lead to a choppy reading experience at times. Also, the timeline is not presented in an absolutely chronological manner, but that's really not so much of a problem.

Perhaps the highest praise I can give the book is the fact that I've bought three extra copies to give to friends who love the true crime genre. So far, from what they've said, they have enjoyed their reading, as well.

In my estimation, the author has earned an A- and I look forward to reading his next book.

Fascinating true story, beautifully told by John Leake. Excellent research and mesmerizing tale of our times. Absorbing and thought provoking! It's the one you can't put down.

A murderer gains celebrity and has the intelligentsia spring him. Only in America? Apparently not. This horror story is a wonderfully written account of an Austrian serial killer who used and abused the system and all its bureaucrats to do what came naturally for him. Author John Leake knows how to piece together a jigsaw puzzle of incompetence, luck (good and bad). This is a early page turner that will keep you shaking your head for a long time to come. Bravo.

I had been waiting for this book to come out for months after I discovered it at the Farrar Strauss Giroux booth at the book convention last spring. I was very happy to see publishing houses such as FSG publishing quality true crime.

'Entering Hades' exceeded my expectations. I found it hard to put down. The author presents a highly intelligent treatment of a series of murders and the investigation of a unique killer, the so-called 'poster boy for rehabilitation', as well as his band of supporters who campaigned for his release. Fascinating on many levels. Truly creepy and a must-read for all true crime lovers.

Would make an excellent movie if done well. Well-written and keeps you turning the pages.

This book is incredibly interesting and very hard to put down. I find the story to be absolutely fascinating and recommend it to all readers, especially those who enjoy non-fiction or true crime.

I don't normally end the last chapter of a book shouting "WOW" but I did with this cliff hanger. The story is so bizarre, the main character so unbelievable, I had to stop and remind myself it's non-fiction. Author John Leake is a superb writer who beautifully captures the nuances of the dozen or so main characters involved in the murder of prostitutes in Austria, Los Angeles and Czech Republic. It's a page turner that kept me up all night to see what happens. I hope Leake is already working on another book and it can be about practically anything and I'll buy it.