Alphabet Killer, by Cheri Farnsworth

In the early 1970's, three young girls were abducted, raped, and murdered in the Rochester area.  Each girl had double initials, and their bodies were dropped on a town starting with the same letter as that initial.  Surely this was more than coincidence.  After thousands of interviews, and the deaths of a few of the prime suspects, the crime still remains unsolved.  Surely, someone, somewhere, must know something.

This book was a wonderful example of true crime writing.  Cheri Farnsworth went over all the different aspects of this case.  First, she explains each girls life, and situation surrounding her disappearance.  So, she makes the case more about the girls than the brutal crime, which I personally liked.  I think the more people think about the girls, the more likely it is witnesses will step forward.

Farnsworth also coveres all the aspects of the case.  She talks about the suspects and leads, specific to each girl's abduction.  It saddens me that in one case, many people saw a young girl, half nude, running down the highway, and no one did a thing.

I think books like this are so important, because it may spark some new information to be given to the investigators.  I pray that someone who knows something about this terrible crime will see the book, read it, and come forward.

I highly recommend this book for fans of true crime writing, but also, to anyone who saw the movie Alphabet Killer, I suggest you read this book to get the true story of these crimes, not some Hollywood supernatural spin.


I received a review copy of the book courtesy of publisher and editor.