Every now and again, a true crime book appears that delivers even more than it promises, and Robert Keppel's remarkable book belongs in that category.
Before I praise it too highly, I should state that despite the title, this book is most definitely not a retelling of Ted Bundy's career as a murderer. Keppel was a detective in King County, Washington in 1974 when Bundy first came to the attention of law enforcement. Accordingly, Keppel focuses on some of Bundy's earliest known murders: the Lake Sammamish victims and the young women who ended up at body dump sites near Issaquah and on Taylor Mountain. But Keppel gives very little attention to Bundy's crimes in other western states; Bundy's escape from jail in Colorado; or his final crime spree in Florida. So for those of us who know little or nothing about Bundy's monstrous murders, this book almost serves to confuse rather than enlighten. But this criticism is tempered by the wealth of information that Keppel does give us.
Somewhat like the books written by retired FBI Special Agents Robert Ressler and John Douglas, Keppel's book jumps around from topic to topic. Bundy and the Green River killer are covered extensively, but there are also sections on the Michigan Child Murders, Seattle killer George Russell and the Atlanta Child Murders. There are also at least two sections where Keppel discusses the practical and organizational difficulties inherent in large multi-jurisdiction police investigations like those that seek to uncover a serial offender. Keppel walks us through his own experiences and discusses ways that investigators can avoid becoming swamped and overworked. In some ways, this information is more applicable to working homicide detectives than to the general public, but is is fascinating nevertheless. The thoughtful reader will realize that there is no manual or textbook for conducting such an investigation, just like there is no template for writing this kind of a book. This realization makes it easier to accept this book's sometimes rambling feel.
Keppel is also outspoken about his feelings toward the FBI, profiling, and VICAP. For everyone who has marvelled at the work of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, Keppel has a very different point of view that reflects his experiences as a detective -- the person who has to use the profile to catch an offender. Keppel doesn't hesitate to discuss the politics involved. Doubtless he has stepped on some toes by doing so, but his candor makes for good reading.
Ted Bundy does feature prominently in this book and many pages are devoted to his own words from when he spoke with Keppel in late 1984 regarding the Green River killer. Bundy's grandstanding is obvious and his pontifications are often repulsive; yet Keppel admits that he learned from Bundy. The final pages are devoted to Bundy's pathetic, abbreviated confessions as he tried and failed to save himself from the electric chair in early 1989.
This is simply an outstanding work. My only real complaint is that Keppel sometimes fails to give the reader enough background on Bundy. At other times, Keppel makes references to facts about Bundy that he hasn't yet discussed, facts that do appear but not until later chapters. But with that said, every homicide detective in the United States could benefit from reading this book, and fans of true crime will certainly not be disappointed either.
