What a great finish to the works of Jack Olsen! I loved Olsen’s writing from the point of view of Jesperson, a psychopath who left enough written material about himself to fill volumes. Knowing this makes me appreciate the mountain of research Olsen must have done to keep this piece on track & accurate. Truly masterful.
I do not feel the first-person narrative causes undo sympathy for the murderer nor do I agree that it sensationalizes his crimes any more than any other true crime novel does. Are the descriptions about the crimes graphic? Yes, but not gratuitous. I read these books in part for the horror of the crimes and details are important. Each crime is as different as the victims who he preyed upon. I’m always amazed at people who read this sort of book and complain about descriptive depictions of the crimes committed. Why are they reading the book? I want the details, they matter, and Jack Olsen has again woven those details into a multi layered tale that travels between the past and the current day as seamlessly as Jesperson’s rig slipped from one state to another without notice. I could not put this book/recording down!
One of Olsen’s very best! That’s saying something.