The Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac Killer
By Brenda Haugen
Compass Point Books, 2011. 96 pgs. Young Adult Nonfiction

This books describes the series of murders (and attempted murders) that the self-named Zodiac Killer committed in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Zodiac Killer began sending coded messages to local newspapers, taking credit for the murders and claiming that the police would be able to find him if they cracked his codes. However, many of his codes were never cracked (perhaps because the Zodiac Killer wasn't very good at spelling), and the murderer was never caught.

This story of true crime is a brief introduction to the Zodiac Killer. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered (mainly because so many questions remain about the Zodiac Killer), so readers will likely want to do some addition reading or research. Luckily, the book has a bibliography and references for more information. This is a good choice for those who are interested in crime stories but who don't necessarily want a bloody, gory description of the crimes.

AE