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Ultimate Evil: The Search for the Sons of Sam
Ultimate Evil: The Search for the Sons of Sam | Maury Terry
2 posts | 4 read | 1 reading | 6 to read
The true-crime cult classic that inspired an upcoming Netflix docuseries and companion podcast, The Ultimate Evil follows journalist Maury Terry's decades-long investigation into the terrifying truth behind the Son of Sam murders. On August 10, 1977, the NYPD arrested David Berkowitz for the Son of Sam murders that had terrorized New York City for over a year. Berkowitz confessed to shooting sixteen people and killing six with a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver, and the case was officially closed. Journalist Maury Terry was suspicious of Berkowitz's confession. Spurred by conflicting witness descriptions of the killer and clues overlooked in the investigation, Terry was convinced Berkowitz didn't act alone. Meticulously gathering evidence for a decade, he released his findings in the first edition of The Ultimate Evil. Based upon the evidence he had uncovered, Terry theorized that the Son of Sam attacks were masterminded by a Yonkers-based cult that was responsible for other ritual murders across the country. After Terry's death in 2015, documentary filmmaker Josh Zeman (Cropsey, The Killing Season, Murder Mountain) was given access to Terry's files, which form the basis of his docuseries with Netflix and a companion podcast. Taken together with The Ultimate Evil, which includes a new introduction by Zeman, these works reveal the stunning intersections of power, wealth, privilege, and evil in America--from the Summer of Sam until today.
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Emilymdxn
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I was curious about this after coming across the Netflix series, and while it‘s a landmark book about a horrifying case, I found the actual writing a bit… silly? It was overwritten and a book about such sad, horrible events that left people dead and bereaved just shouldn‘t be making me laugh with its writing. I raised my eyebrows at some claims, like the fact that all Satanists love dogs but also all Satanists abuse dogs.

Emilymdxn While a fair amount of the analysis of the son of Sam case almost certainly has merit, the overblown claims about youth culture and the rise of cults coming for our children overshadowed it and took the focus away from the core of what happened, and I felt it prioritised sensationalism over justice and compassion to the victims and families. 3y
Hooked_on_books I‘m reading an older book about the Zodiac killer and stumbling across some of the same dated claims, though so far it‘s not sensationalized. 3y
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britt_brooke
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Originally published in 1987, but recently updated to coincide with the new Netflix docuseries. Prior to this, I knew zero details of Son of Sam. Did Berkowitz act alone? I usually steer clear of serial killer stories because my brain is weird, but there may have been a cult involved, and y‘all know how I find them sociologically fascinating. Journalist Maury Terry sells the deadly satanic cult conspiracy hard. I‘m not sure what to think!

Cinfhen Ohhhh, Son of Sam is one of my favorite serial killers 😆followed by The Zodiac Killer! I haven‘t heard about the cult twist. Thanks, Britt for putting this on my #ReadersRadar 💚 4y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen It‘s pretty bonkers! This book is really bogged down in details but I couldn‘t stop listening. Even a roundabout link to Manson (via The Process Church). 4y
Singout If you have Netflix, “Mindhunter “is an excellent series. It‘s a dramatized true story of two detectives who shift the energy at the FBI in the 70s to start understanding and better predicting serial killers‘ motives and actions. It has a lot of serial killers in it, including Son of Sam, but isn‘t a gory or exploitative show in the way that some are. 4y
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Jerdencon Some of those murders took place very close to where I lived - I was a little kid but remember overhearing things and being terrified... I never heard the cult link either - will have to check the book out. 4y
britt_brooke @Singout Thank you - we‘ll have to check it out! 4y
britt_brooke @Jerdencon That‘s so scary! 4y
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