Entering Hades: The Double Life of a Serial Killer
"I was a greedy, ravenous individual, determined to rise from the bottom to the top. It wasn't me!"--Jack Unterweger's final words to his jury""" Serial killers rarely travel internationally. So in the early 1990s, when detectives from the LosMore "I was a greedy, ravenous individual, determined to rise from the bottom to the top. It wasn't me!"--Jack Unterweger's final words to his jury""" Serial killers rarely travel internationally. So in the early 1990s, when detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department began to find bodies of women strangled with their own bras, it didn't occur to them at first to make a connection with the bodies being uncovered in the woods outside of Vienna, Austria. The LAPD waited for the killer to strike again. Meanwhile, in Austria, the police followed what few clues they had. The case intrigued many reporters, but few as keenly as Jack Unterweger, a local celebrity. He cut a striking figure, this little man in expensive white suits. His expertise on Vienna's criminal underworld was hard-earned. He had been sentenced to life in jail as a young man. But while incarcerated, he began to write--and his work earned him the glowing attention of the literary elite. The intelligentsia lobbied for his release and by 1990, Jack was free again. He continued writing, nurturing his career as a journalist. But though he now traveled in the highest circles, he had a secret life. He was killing again, and in the greatest of ironies, reporting on the very crimes he had committed. With unprecedented access to Jack's diaries and letters, John Leake peels back the layers of deception to reveal the life and crimes of Jack Unterweger, and in unnerving detail, exposes the thrilling twists--both in the United States and Europe--that led to Jack's capture and Austria's "trial of the century. Less
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Steffi rated it liked it
over 1 year ago
Als ich kürzlich eine Diskussionsrunde des Österreichischen Fernsehens zu dem Film „Jack“ und dem sich dahinter verbergenden Jack Unterweger, Österreichs vermeintlich schlimmsten Serienmörder, wurde ich neugierig. Ich konnte mich dunkel daran erinnern, dass er in den 90er. Read full review
Theresa rated it really liked it
almost 4 years ago
I read very little nonfiction but when I saw this one on a blog I was intrigued. This book is the true story of Jack Unterweger, a serial killer from Vienna, who beat and strangled prostitutes with their own stockings or bras and then wrote about it for the papers. He the. Read full review
Jade Lopert rated it it was ok
almost 5 years ago
Alright, so as snobby as I am about my books (and as good or bad as it may be, I definitely am that), I firmly believe that everyone needs crap in their life. Crap for me tends to be true crime books and books on serial killers. To be completely honest, I'm fascinated wit. Read full review
Whitney rated it liked it
over 1 year ago
3.5 stars The double-life of this man - publicly perceived as the model of rehabilitative justice, a murderer who became a literary star - while murdering a string of prostitutes from Europe to L.A, is the stuff of crime fiction. Fascinating story - I only wish the author. Read full review
Donna Landon rated it did not like it
almost 6 years ago
Didn't finish the book. Didn't like the author's writing style at all. Too convoluted and boring.
Ileen rated it it was amazing
over 3 years ago
Vorrei tanto che tra gli anobiani questo libro fosse più diffuso, invece siamo solo in 57 a possederlo. Come sempre dietro ogni libro c’è una storia che ti ha portato fin lì… mesi fa, sarà stato maggio, curiosando sul sito di Repubblica avevo trovato questo libro tra i su. Read full review
Erika Nerdypants rated it liked it
almost 2 years ago
This is a solid account of the crimes of Austrian serial killer Jack Unterweger, who murdered eleven prostitutes in several countries. Unterweger killed for the first time as a young adult, and spent many years in prison where he educated himself, became a writer, and was. Read full review
Carol rated it liked it
over 8 years ago
The writing was OK. Organization was pretty good. Really though I think the subject was a little beyond this writer. I don't blame him for not being able to put it in the best order--it's an incredibly complex and bizarre case: A highly functional sociopath convinces Aust. Read full review
Mircalla64 rated it really liked it
over 3 years ago
ottima ricostruzione di una vicenda che ha dell'incredibile
Jack è un giornalista e scrittore che, sottratto all'ergastolo dal suo talento
letterario, si gioca tutto ricominciando a uccidere appena quattro mesi dopo la scarcerazione, la peculiarità dei suoi deliri sta nel f. Read full review
Lori rated it liked it
over 9 years ago
As a journalist, I'm wildly impressed by all of the research that went into this book, the story of an Austrian serial killer. John Leake did an amazing job of compiling an incredible amount of information, detailing the lives of dozens of people and outlining how Jack Un. Read full review