Tales of the New Orleans Axeman

[sdreid]

I see that Julie Smith, who wrote the Axeman novel, worked for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969 when Robert Graysmith was there and during the Zodiac era. That place must have been a nursery for serial killer writers.

[Zodiac]

Robert Gray's myth

I see that Julie Smith, who wrote the Axeman novel, worked for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969 when Robert Graysmith was there and during the Zodiac era. That place must have been a nursery for serial killer writers.

Hi Stan,

Yes indeed she did and it is worth mentioning that, unlike some of her rather more well known contempories, she had the honesty, the good grace and the class, to admit that her book, while based on her research into an actual serial killer case, was in fact a work of fiction and literary imagination!!!

Best wishes,
Zodiac.

P.S. By the way, "The Big Yellow Book" still makes an excellent door-stop!!!

[sdreid]

Hi Zodiac:

What is your favorite Zodiac book? I don't have too much of a problem with Graysmith's book or at least not the first 80% of it.

[Zodiac]

Zodiac Books.

Hi Zodiac:

What is your favorite Zodiac book? I don't have too much of a problem with Graysmith's book or at least not the first 80% of it.

Hi Stan,

I don't think that I actually have a book on "Zodiac" that I could call my favourite, as they all are flawed to a greater or lesser extent. If you've already read the "Big Yellow Book" and its sequel "Zodiac Unmasked" then I would recommend getting hold of "This is the Zodiac Speaking: Into the Mind of a Serial Killer." by Michael D. Kelleher and David Van Nuys. It provides a very different, and imho much more credible, analysis of the killer. Another plus point for it is that, almost alone amongst books on Zodiac, it does not offer up a prime suspect and claim to have solved the case!!!

Books on Zodiac are imho at about the same point as books on JTR were maybe 20 or more years ago. Graysmith would be somewhat akin to Stephen Knight, in so much as his book is probably the first one the subject that many of us read and indeed was the one that got us so interested in it that we wanted to know more. Also in the sense that while much of the information in the books is untrue and has been thoroughly debunked it remains by far the most popular version of events among the general public and is, of course, perfect for the Hollywood movie treatment!!!

Two very good links for you,

http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/zodiac/river_1.html

Best wishes,

Zodiac.

[sdreid]

Thanks for the info Zodiac. I have not read Graysmith's second book and only have Hodel's for my other "Zodiac" book.

BTW, by a slight margin, my favorite Zodiac movie is not the 2007 Graysmith centered film. It's the Alexander Bulkley directed The Zodiac from 2005.

[sdreid]

If you've already read the "Big Yellow Book" and its sequel "Zodiac Unmasked" then I would recommend getting hold of "This is the Zodiac Speaking: Into the Mind of a Serial Killer." by Michael D. Kelleher and David Van Nuys.

I do have a book by Kelleher that he wrote with another coauthor entitled Murder Most Foul about female serial killers. It's well presented and interesting.

[sdreid]

BTW, by a slight margin, my favorite Zodiac movie is not the 2007 Graysmith centered film. It's the Alexander Bulkley directed The Zodiac from 2005.

I also like Dirty Harry a lot but only consider it a Zodiac inspired movie.

[sdreid]

I think I have viewed all the Zodiac movies with the exception of the one that was made in Mexico. Has anyone seen it?

[sdreid]

That would be El asesino del zodiaco from 1993.

[sdreid]

I don't think it could be any worse than a couple of the Zodiac movies.

[sdreid]

That would be El asesino del zodiaco from 1993.

Looking down the character names on IMDb, it appears that it's just a based on or inspired by film.

[sdreid]

I don't see any names from the actual case listed as a character.

[sdreid]

I am currently reading a book about the Villisca Ax Murders and the Tex/La ax murders are mentioned there; a case that is also sometimes brought up in connection with these killings.

[sdreid]

As I recall, the book referred to the TexLa Ax Murders as crimes with a religious connection.

[sdreid]

TexLa Ax Murders is my term. They were traditionally called the less than politically correct Mulatto Ax Murders.