From the Mouth of the Monster: The Joel Rifkin Story

Rating:
Summary: Great book, very absorbing
Review: A friend gave me this book to read on the plane, I am glad I had it, we were delayed two hours. I really liked this book, it is a little different than the other true crime books I have read, the writer shares his life, his own shortcomings, fears and insights with the reader. I also thought the book a had a good pace, there was always something around the corner...

Rating:
Summary: A book that is really tough to put down...
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The writer parallels and contrasts his own life with Joel Rifkin, a notorious serial killer that he had met in college. The book is well researched and is a chilling journey into the life of a killer. I highly reccomend it.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping, insightful, and intelligently written ...
Review: It is very rare to see an author transform himself during the writing process. Mladinich, a seasoned NYPD Detective, lures the reader in with the gripping details surrounding the well-publicized slayings of serial killer Joel Rifkin. In the true form of a master interrogator, Mladinich draws Rifkin out of his "sociopathic lair" but at the same time enters the domain of a murderer's psyche. He succeeds in drawing parallels between his own seemingly "normal" life and that of a confessed executioner of innocent young women and asks, "what makes an individual cross the line?" It is a must read for any student of psychology as well as fans of the old-fashioned murder and suspense fiction novel ... only this story actually happened. Gripping, insightful, and intelligently written ... I anxiously await Mladinich's next book.

Rating:
Summary: Joel finally bares his soul to Mladinich
Review: Joel David Rifkin, convicted murderer of seventeen women, has finally opened his soul to Mladinich. He recounts his lost years before his arrest in 1993, about what his life could have been had he stayed in college, pursue a long-term career and had a long term relationship with a woman of his choice instead of squandering his money on "hookers." Mladinich wanted to get to the source of Mr. Rifkin's anger toward women in general, which he projected onto prostitutes, the most hated segment of womenkind. Prostitutes are among the most vulnerable and exploited segment in the nation. This is an excellent book to read if you want to get into the mind of a serial killer.

Rating:
Summary: Honest author
Review: This book was well written. I enjoyed the many comments directly from the subject of the book, and I really appreciated the author's sharing of his own thoughts-both good and bad. I felt the author was very honest with the reader and found it easy to identify with this author and his feelings of confusion.

Rating:
Summary: Honest author
Review: This book was well written. I enjoyed the many comments directly from the subject of the book, and I really appreciated the author's sharing of his own thoughts-both good and bad. I felt the author was very honest with the reader and found it easy to identify with this author and his feelings of confusion.