Behind the Mask: A True Story of Obsession and a Savage Genius (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Stella Sands (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Forty-year-old William Coday lived the quiet life of a scholar. He spoke six languages and held degrees in history, literature, and library science. As a librarian in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he was known to be unfailingly kind and helpful. But you can’t always judge a book by its cover…

When Coday failed to show up for work one day, a concerned colleague looked for him at his apartment…only to discover the body of Gloria Gomez. Coday’s ex-girlfriend, Gomez had been bludgeoned to death with 144 blows by two hammers and a knife. Police at the scene had little doubt that Coday was the killer. But other, darker secrets from Coday’s past had yet to come to light…

In one of the most shocking crime cases and legal appeals in Florida history, an extraordinary courtroom battle began.What the jury did not know was that Coday, when he lived abroad, had beaten another ex-girlfriend to death; the courts there had deemed him insane. Who was William Coday: Mentally unstable? Or perfectly capable—and guilty—of murder in the first degree? Soon it would be up to prosecutors to prove who the real man was BEHIND THE MASK.

From the Back Cover

A mild-mannered man who worked in a library.

Forty-year-old William Coday lived the quiet life of a scholar. He spoke six languages and held degrees in history, literature, and library science. As a librarian in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he was known to be unfailingly kind and helpful. But you can’t always judge a book by its cover…

The beautiful woman who broke his heart.

When Coday failed to show up for work one day, a concerned colleague looked for him at his apartment…only to discover the body of Gloria Gomez. Coday’s ex-girlfriend, Gomez had been bludgeoned to death with 144 blows by two hammers and a knife. Police at the scene had little doubt that Coday was the killer. But other, darker secrets from Coday’s past had yet to come to light…

A history of obsessive love and brutality…

In one of the most shocking crime cases and legal appeals in Florida history, an extraordinary courtroom battle began.What the jury did not know was that Coday, when he lived abroad, had beaten another ex-girlfriend to death; the courts there had deemed him insane. Who was William Coday: Mentally unstable? Or perfectly capable—and guilty—of murder in the first degree? Soon it would be up to prosecutors to prove who the real man was BEHIND THE MASK.

 

With 8 pages of graphic photos!

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's True Crime (June 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312944705
• ISBN-13: 978-0312944704
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #79,540 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting, Disturbing, and Thought-provoking, August 1, 2009

By	Margaret (New York City) - See all my reviews

"Behind the Mask" kept me awake half the night with its twists and turns. At the outset, it's about the senseless and brutal killing of Gloria Gomez by her ex-boyfriend William Coday, a seemingly mild-mannered librarian in Fort Lauderdale, FL. But the murder is just the tip of the iceberg. As the case unfolded, there were revelations about Coday's secret criminal past and the failure of the justice system to hold him to account for his previous actions that left my stomach in knots. What's more, Coday wrote his own creepy "novelistic" account of the murder that's judiciously and juicily quoted--and which essentially served as his confession. The death penalty trial that followed put the reader in the position of being the jury---presenting all the evidence for and against executing Coday. The trial is surprisingly gut-wrenching, and I was in nervous suspense as I turned the pages toward the final (surprising) outcome. If you're into the legal side of things, as I am (I'm a huge "Law & Order" fan), you'll especially appreciate what a great job the author does in illuminating the characters of the attorneys on both sides of this disturbing case, along with their strategies.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Stay Behind the Mask, July 22, 2009

By	Newman (Seattle) - See all my reviews

Being a big fan of true crime, I was interested in the topic of genius run amok...it's not very common in the annals of crime and I was looking forward to reading this book. However, over half way through, I was ready to set it aside. There was no one I cared about in this story: not the victim, not the perp - well maybe the parents of the first victim, but that was based on their photograph. There was no character development to speak of, no historical perspective and no insight into what went wrong with the perp. (See, I can't even remember his name and I was reading it last night.) Ultimately, it was a chronicle of the court case and as such, was quite unsatisfying, and worse, boring.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Writing, August 2, 2009

By	Tina Louisa (Southern New Jersey) - See all my reviews

I loved this book. The writing was out of this world. Twice I arrived late to work because I was reading in bed. i love stories about geniuses-gone-awry. And I loved how beautiful the writing was. That's not a given in true crime. Sometimes good writing seems like an afterthought. But with this book, if the riveting plot and characters don't pull you through alone, the writing will. It's that good.