5 comments about The Gainesville Ripper.

1. THE GAINESVILLE RIPPER is author Mary Ryzuk's true-crime recounting of one of the most hideous serial-killing sprees on record, the slaughter of Christina Powell, Sonja Larson, Christa Hoyt, Tracy Paules and Manuel Taboada, all college students, in Gainesville, Florida in the late summer of 1990.
   
   These five young people were the unfortunate victims of Danny Rolling, a small-time habitual offender and confessed murderer, now awaiting execution on Florida's Death Row. As is well known, the Gainesville victims were not simply murdered---they were butchered, sexually assaulted, mutilated, and intentionally posed in what has to rank as one of the most bizarrely ritualized occurrences of its type anywhere.
   
   Ryzuk maintains a readable novelistic tone throughout, though at times her approach rankles. The young victims (in their late teens and early twenties) are all too predictably described as being exceptional individuals of one stripe or another. Her delving into certain private details of their lives (dating and bed partners) seems unneccessary and puerile.
   
   Ryzuk tries to be evenhanded in her treatment of "Danny Boy" Rolling, whom she sees as the product of a cold, extremely abusive household where severe corporal punishment, spousal abuse, and aggravated assault were near-daily happenings. The Rollings are presented as a ne'er do well working poor Southern family with a long history of deadly violence toward each other (Danny's paternal great-grandfather cut the throat of his wife, an episiode witnessed by Danny's father as a child, and a paternal uncle committed suicide with a shotgun). Danny's father and paternal grandfather were both policemen, though Ryzuk makes it evident she believes they reveled only in their ability to inflict force by authority. Danny's father is the villain of the piece, at least until Danny shoots him in the head after a minor argument (he survived). Danny's mother is portrayed as a willing victim who repeatedly fled the marital home with her sons only to return time after time. It's obvious that Ryzuk wants us to believe that Danny Rolling is the product of nature and nurture (though many people are raised in terrible circumstances and do not commit the crimes Danny did; witness his younger brother). Rolling has claimed this book is untrue; it is up to the reader to decide where and what the truth is.
   
   As if to undercut the sympathy she may have created for Rolling, Ryzuk's descriptions of the murders and the murder scenes veers headlong into the gory and the gratuitous. One of the worst failings of this book is Ryzuk's insistence on placing us into the mind of the killer, though whether she is relying on the record or substituting speculation for fact is not ever clear.
   
   Ryzuk also does poorly in trying to apply the language of law, psychology, forensics, criminology and behavioral science to Rolling's case. It's apparent she simply does not have the technical knowledge at hand, and so her attempts to sound clinical are awash with malapropisms. She mentions at one point that it is "[her] legally unproven belief" that Danny Rolling also killed the Grissom family of Shreveport, Louisiana with a similar signature; yet, she reports later that Rolling confessed to these killings; so it is not simply 'her belief'.
   
   THE GAINESVILLE RIPPER does do a more than adequate job of recounting this nightmarish episode, does seek to understand it, and does memorialize the victims. Tabloid in tone and substance, it is still well worth reading if you are a fan of the True Crime genre.



2. Mary Ryzuk's account of the Gainesville Ripper, Danny Rolling, has got to be the absolute worst of all three books written on this case.
   
   Her writing style is tedious and at times overly dramatic and just plain silly. For example;
   
   "Savagely intent, and volatile, the sinister mystery of his fantasies was set free the moment he saw her. Pretty. Dark. Brunette. At the cosmetic counter."
   
   That is way over the top. This is a true crime book not some trashy dime store romance novel. There is no need to over sensationalize and dramatize the content of a true crime book. The case itself is dramatic enough to stand on its own.
   
   Also, her "facts" are often incorrect. I don't know what she used as research material but the text is rife with inaccuracies and her timeline of the murders is pure conjecture.
   
   
   If you want to get the facts in a clear and concise manner pick up a copy of "Beyond Murder" by Donnelly and Philpin. Their book knocks the socks off of this one as well as James Alan Fox's "Killer on Campus".



3. I've written several newspapers articles about the 1990 Gainesville Student Murders and I must say that The Gainesville Ripper is a pretty accurate account of the mad and macarbe manner in which five young college students were viciously murdered. What this man did to his victims is something that Freddy Krueger would not have done. By the time I got to the last page I was crying uncontrollably and I was also afraid to go to sleep. In fact, I slept with a knife under by pillow for several months. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is an avid true crime reader.



4. Got straight to the point in this book...from the beginning it just got to the point. This dude did some gruesome stuff.



5. THE GAINESVILLE RIPPER is an account of Danny Rollings and the murder of 5 University of Florida students in 1990. The book also includes a large amount of collateral information about Rollings, including other crimes.
   
   The book has some minor errors in it and information I wasnt aware of about crimes committed by Rollings in my own community.
   
   I think the book is well written and interesting.

5 comments about The Making of a Serial Killer: The Real Story of the Gainesville Student Murders in the Killer's Own Words (True Crime Series, No. 2).

1. Having been involved with Rolling and Bobby Lewis at the time this book-like thing was being devised and thus having first-hand knowledge of many of the facts, I strongly advise others against buying into Rolling's carefully crafted deception. There is little in this that is truthful and certainly nothing that is useful. I would find it laughable if it weren't for the fact that Rolling slaughtered eight people, including an 8-year old child, then deceived those in whom he confided, Lewis and London, in order to bring his dream of being published to fruition.

   So if you support murder in general, wish to applaud Rolling for these killings in particular, or want to help him torment his victims' families, then by all means shell out your dough. But if you're looking for factual or useful information, look elsewhere.




2. Having read another book about the same subject, this book was a massive disappointment. I'm not sure if I expected to get a feeling for who the victims were, as this was co-authored by Danny Rolling himself, but I certainly hoped Sondra London would delve into this much more than was done, although she can't really be called objective.

   Having lived in Gainesville in the 90's, this book in no way captures the essence of the town which was shocked out of its innocence and changed forever by these horrific crimes. It's sad to say, but the most engrossing aspect of these books is not the endless exploration of Rolling's life (of which there is a LOT), but the few short (and I do mean SHORT) mentions of the murders themselves. I found myself skipping to these parts of the book, only because the rest was so unenlightening.

   The murders and mutilations, although heinous, are somehow diminished in their atrocity by the total lack of insight into the lives that were being ended, the city and campus that were being changed forever, or the emotional disasters being wreaked on the families and friends of the victims. Rolling is just not that interesting. His ramblings about the alter-ego "Gemini" mask the true reason for all this tragedy -- his social impotence, lack of success with work or women, and his rage at all others that he perceived to have easier lives than he had.

   For a great account of these crimes, read The Gainesville Ripper, by Mary S. Ryzuk instead.




3. Ms. London has been called the Queen of the serial killer groupies, but no one will ever call her the queen of crime writers. Along with her then-boyfiend Rolling, the couple trots out every pathetic excuse imaginable for his murders. The fact that this is from "Feral Press" should be warning enough.



4. a thrilling ride with the gainsville serial killer. as u read it feels like u r right there with him as he relives his crimes for the readers. he also tells of prieviously unknown details of his abusive childhood (his father stomped his puppy to death right in front of him as a small boy) and his stint in the air force. his brilliant artwork, songs and poetry r also featured in his final work. truly a collectors edition!



5. Rolling or GEMINI?
   
   Who REALLY wrote this lousey book?
   
   I wonder if all the alters were executed? One may have been missed?
   
   Don't waste your money on this book.

4 comments about Beyond Murder: The Inside Account of the Gainesville Student Murders.

1. This book is without a doubt the only accurate account of the horrible murders in Gainesville, FL. Be in the mind of the killer; be in the mind of the detective tracking him. And know the truth, not the self-serving stories told by the killer and his paramour, not the summaries of newspaper accounts. This was a horrible event. The authors give us a driving, accurate narative. Couldn't put it down.



2. I lived this story. After graduating from UF in 1992, I went overseas for 7 years, not knowing the entire happenings with the case. I knew some of the details of the case and that Rollings plead guilty, but I was unaware of the entire story. This book changed all of that.
   Reading this book brought tears to my eyes on several occasions. This whole ordeal was so shocking, it is impossible to comprehend. Reliving the memories of fear was hard for me, but I needed closure.
   "Beyond Murder" recounts the story of the victims and their families prior to and following the murders, the police force, the killer, and every aspect of the case. There are a few times during the read that I felt as though I was reading a police report when family members were quoted, which I am sure was the case. It took a little from the overall story, but not enough to change my 5 star rating.
   Get this book, learn the importance of safety, and always remember Sonja, Christina, Christa, Tracy, and Manuel, five beautiful people taken away from this world by evil.



3. I've read all three books about the Gainesville Ripper, Danny Rolling - Beyond Murder, Killer on Campus and the Gainesville Ripper.
   
   Beyond is the ultimate Rolling book and it blows the other two books clean out of the water.
   
   It's clear, concise and it moves at a great pace.
   
   The authors spent countless hours investigating the case, researching their information and interviewing not only Rolling, but the families & friends of the victims, the police agencies involved and anyone else they could think of that might have valuable information, making this a tight and accurate read.
   
   Donnelly, a reporter, covered the Gainesville murders for the Miami Herald as the case was unraveling.
   
   Philpin, a criminal profiler for numerous years, wrote a psychological profile early on in the case for the Miami Herald.
   
   If you want to know everything there is to know about the Gainesville killings pick up this book. The other two I would only suggest reading if you can get them for free from your public library because even a nickle for a used copy is too much to pay for them.



4. This book captures your attention from the start. It goes into detail on the characters involved and you learn their mental states early on. I would have given it 5 stars except that I don't care for the in-depth background on the detectives that is given - some may find this enhances the story, but I could do without it.