The Boston Stranglers

By: Susan Kelly

Narrated by: Lorna Raver

Beginning in June, 1962, the Boston area was terrorized for 18 months by an elusive serial killer who sexually assaulted and then strangled a succession of women. Boasting that he was the killer and that he had raped an additional 2,000 victims, Albert DeSalvo's horrific story became the subject of a best-selling book and a major Hollywood movie. But it was all a monstrous hoax: DeSalvo was not the Boston Strangler.

In the only definitive book on this subject, Susan Kelly's detailed investigation shows us the true DeSalvo, a twisted pathological liar whose hunger for celebrity made him confess to crimes he did not commit. Kelly also proves that the stranglings were committed by at least eight different slayers. She even names the lead suspects - some of whom may have been getting away with murder for decades.

©2002 Susan Kelly (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Remarkable!" (Robert B. Parker)
"Impressive...raises disturbing questions about one of our nation's most notorious crime sprees." (Gail Zimmerman, producer, 48 Hours)

Quotes too extensively from transcripts.

Would be 4-5 stars as the information in the book is compelling but the extended quotations from the confession transcripts have the effect of causing one to disengage from the narrative. 2/3rds could be dropped/ and or edited and the reader would still be able to grasp the fact that DeSalvo was being lead to confess. There’s absolutely no reason for chapter after chapter of verbatim reproduction of the confession.

Too much useless information.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

If you like true crime, this book will bore the heck out of you for the first couple hours. Too much useless info through the first half of the book. Gets a little better towards the end.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Another true crime or possibly American classic.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Lorna Raver?

I did not think her interpretation of the main character and others rang true.

Was The Boston Stranglers worth the listening time?

No. There were a few redeeming chapters during the last half, but for the most part was not worth it.

Any additional comments?

When a book is too easy to put down, I know it's not that great of a book.

The other sides of the story

What made the experience of listening to The Boston Stranglers the most enjoyable?

Lorna Raver's lively reading. There is a tremendous amount of information in this book, even for someone (like me) who has already done a lot of reading on the topic. I could imagine Ms. Raver winking and smiling at me at some points. Even the sections that I didn't find terribly interesting were read with great energy, and that kept me from skipping ahead.

What other book might you compare The Boston Stranglers to and why?

I read this book when it first came out in 1995. That book and Gerald Frank's probably should be read before this one just to get the background. The "Stranglers" podcast is worth a listen too; Susan Kelly is interviewed in it. I haven't read too many true crime books that are as thorough as this one.

Have you listened to any of Lorna Raver’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I had not listened to any of her other performances. Her reading of this book was excellent and I'd be glad to listen to her read something else.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but it is so long that I had to take breaks and relisten to some parts before continuing. (I love really long books and audiobooks, but they aren't for everyone.)

Any additional comments?

Someone who doesn't already have a good knowledge of the Boston Strangler(s) might not want to start with this book. This book goes into much more detail into the life and personality of each of the victims, and suggests why each woman might have been murdered, and the people of interest (other than Albert DeSalvo) that the police had looked at.