Title: THE BABYSITTER
Subtitle: MY SUMMERS WITH A SERIAL KILLER
Authors: LIZA RODMAN and JENNIFER JORDAN
Genre: NON-FICTION, TRUE CRIME
Length: 352 PAGES
Publisher: ATRIA BOOKS – A DIVISION OF SIMON AND SCHUSTER CANADA
Received From: NETGALLEY
Release Date: MARCH 2, 2021
ISBN: 9781982129491 (eBook)
Price: $17.99 CDN (eBook)
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
DESCRIPTION:
A chilling true story—part memoir, part crime investigation—reminiscent of Ann Rule’s classic The Stranger Beside Me, about a little girl longing for love and how she found friendship with her charismatic babysitter—who was also a vicious serial killer.
Growing up on Cape Cod in the 1960s, Liza Rodman was a lonely little girl. During the summers, while her mother worked days in a local motel and danced most nights in the Provincetown bars, her babysitter—the kind, handsome handyman at the motel where her mother worked—took her and her sister on adventures in his truck. He bought them popsicles and together, they visited his “secret garden” in the Truro woods. To Liza, he was one of the few kind and understanding adults in her life. Everyone thought he was just a “great guy.”
But there was one thing she didn’t know; their babysitter was a serial killer.
Some of his victims were buried—in pieces—right there, in his garden in the woods. Though Tony Costa’s gruesome case made screaming headlines in 1969 and beyond, Liza never made the connection between her friendly babysitter and the infamous killer of numerous women, including four in Massachusetts, until decades later.
Haunted by nightmares and horrified by what she learned, Liza became obsessed with the case. Now, she and cowriter Jennifer Jordan reveal the chilling and unforgettable true story of a charming but brutal psychopath through the eyes of a young girl who once called him her friend.
MY REVIEW:
Chilling. Horrifying. Almost Unbelievable. Terrifying.
I cannot imagine how the author must have felt when she learned that the man who babysat her and her sister when they were young was actually a notorious serial killer. YIKES!!!
Now, as an adult, Liza is obsessed with learning all the details she was unaware of as a child. It is little wonder she was plagued by nightmares for years.
The point of view makes this true crime tale unlike any other and readers will be unable to put the book down.
Not only does this book delve into the crimes and Liza’s tie to them – including a trip to what turned out later to be his personal secret graveyard, it also explores how a child neglected by her family needed someone to pay attention to her. It also highlights just how different life was in the 1960s and how innocent people were back then.
A five out of five star rating is well deserved. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Releasing on March 2nd, 2021 THE BABYSITTER can be pre-ordered now.
*** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
ARTICLE ABOUT SERIAL KILLER TONY COSTA – Written by Kurt Vonnegut
Amie's Book Reviews 