The Last Victim

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0446523402 278 pages. Serial killer's memoir.

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New York c1999 Fifth good, good 24 cm, 278, red "X" on front endpaper. The author corresponded with Charlie Manson, Richard Ramirez, Jeffrey Dahmer, and others, but with killer ... John Wayne Gacy a real relationship blossomed. Read more Show Less

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More About This Book

Overview

The twisted, but fascinating, mind of a serial killer is revealed with terrifying consequences in this astonishing and shocking exploration. with 20 b&w photos.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
The subtitle is a slight bit of misdirection: Moss offers us a journey into his own mind, into the mind of someone obsessed with the minds of serial killers. As a UNLV freshman, he corresponded with John Wayne Gacy, then on Death Row. He also accepted collect calls from Gacy, who attempted to talk him into committing incest with his younger brother. Enthralled by his proximity to sociopathology, Moss expanded his list of "psycho pen pals" to include Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez (aka the Night Stalker) and Jeffrey Dahmer. His impulse was to get inside the criminal mind. To do so, he sometimes found it necessary to tailor the truth about himself to fit what he felt the killers wanted to hear: he claimed to be the "grand priest of a cult" in his letters to Ramirez. Despite suffering nightmares triggered by his grisly correspondents, Moss, after contacting the FBI agent who handled Gacy, flew to Illinois to spend his spring break "alone in a locked, unmonitored room with a psychopath who'd raped, tortured, and strangled many boys just like me." Moss succeeds in contrasting his family life and his prisoner contacts, but the insight he offers into the internal logic of the serial killing mind is limited. Moreover, some readers will wonder about his own motivations, especially when he holds forth about the market value of Dahmer's autograph and otherwise participates in the strange, ghoulish culture of serial killer celebrity. Psychotherapist Kottler, one of Moss's UNLV instructors, contributes both a prologue and an afterword. Eight pages of drawings and photos. Major ad/promo. (Apr.)
More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
From The Critics
A bizarre first-person account of a young man's nearly disastrous obsession with serial killers. As a freshman at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, Moss, who dreamed of a career in law enforcement, conceived the idea of writing to serial killers on death row, hoping to gain their trust and discover what made them tick. His most extensive contact was with John Wayne Gacy, who had raped and murdered 33 teenage boys. He also corresponded with Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez (a.k.a. the Night Stalker), and other killers whom he admired for their nerve. To gain Gacy's attention—death-row inmates of Gacy's notoriety are besieged by would-be correspondents—Moss posed as a sexually confused and highly impressionable boy, matching himself to the profile of Gacy's victims. When this ploy worked, Moss felt that he had psyched out the killer and assumed that he would be able to manipulate and control him. Soon, however, Moss found himself identifying with, even sympathizing with Gacy, who began telephoning him regularly. When Gacy invited him for an expense-paid visit, Moss discovered that the guards behaved more like servants and left him alone and unobserved in the same room with the convicted murderer. Though aging and handcuffed, Gacy was able to break Moss down and turn him into the confused and compliant young man he had been pretending to be, demonstrating for him not only how a predator operates but how a potential victim feels. Fortunately, Moss, who could easily have become Gacy's last victim, escaped with only his ego bruised. A prologue and afterword by psychologist Kottler comment on both Moss's behavior and society's propensity for glorifying violence andturning serial killers into celebrities. An engrossing and gut-wrenching read. (20 b&w photos) .

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780446523400
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
  • Publication date: 8/24/2004
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 312
  • Sales rank: 57,581
  • Product dimensions: 9.00 (w) x 6.00 (h) x 0.81 (d)

Read an Excerpt



Chapter One


The Bookstore

There's a little strip mall in an older, residential area in Las Vegas, far from the chaos of the other, more famous Strip. From the university, it's a straight shot down Flamingo Road, a major artery of the city named after Bugsy Siegel's original resort.

Typical of such malls, the row of shops contains an insurance agency, a hobby shop, an army recruiting office, a tuxedo rental outlet, a beauty shop, a used bookstore, and the obligatory Chinese restaurant with a $4.75 lunch special. There's also a kickboxing studio, which is why on this particular day in August 1993 I happened to be there.

I was early for my appointment with my karate instructor and I needed a place to escape the heat. Assessing my options, the bookstore seemed especially inviting—cool and quiet inside, and with plenty to occupy my attention. I was already feeling a bit stressed from my first week as a university student, so I welcomed a few minutes to literally chill out.

As I began strolling the aisles, I noticed I was one of the store's few customers. Even so, I was invisible to the bored cashier, who was alternately thumbing through a book and taking inventory of others lying on the counter. In fact, there were books everywhere, some still resting in boxes, others neatly organized on the shelves. It was as if the owner couldn't quite figure out how to make inflow and outflow mesh.

Because true crime had been an interest of mine since my early teens, I soon found myself in the store's crime section, staring at titles that somehow seemed familiar: Killer Cults, FBI Killer, Evil Harvest, Brother inBlood. I couldn't help noticing that, more often than not, "blood" was the common denominator: Blood Echoes, Blood Games, Blood Lust, Blood Sister, Blood Warning. Whoever came up with these titles seemed to have a thing for blood.

Like many people, I was secretly—and a bit guiltily—fascinated by such material. It can be exciting to peek through your fingers at something forbidden and terrible. Just ask the millions of rubberneckers who slow down at accident scenes, hoping to catch a glimpse of a body.

Among the hundreds of books that screamed with promises of blood and pain, one in particular caught my interest: Hunting Humans. A big, thick encyclopedic volume, it presented profiles of some of the world's most famous serial killers. As I stood in the narrow aisle turning pages, I began reflecting on how well camouflaged these predators are, prior to being caught. They look like anyone else, live apparently normal lives, often appear charming, sociable, and productive. But at the same time, they stalk and kill people, sometimes torturing and mutilating them.

I wondered what it must be like to look in the mirror and realize you are the bogeyman. How are these people able to live with themselves?

I was jolted out of my reverie by the sound of voices coming from across the aisle. "Do you have a store credit?" I could hear the cashier ask someone. I didn't catch the answer because, in my mind, an idea was beginning to form. It was something on the edge of my consciousness—something I couldn't grab on to.

The title of another book captured my attention: The Killer Clown. Now, that's interesting, I thought, reaching for it. I'd always been afraid of clowns.

As a child my most frequent nightmare took place at my grandparents' house. In the dream I was supposed to be taking a bath, but a strange sound drew me out of the tub to investigate. I started walking toward the stairs when I heard a scream, followed by a liquidy cackle. Looking down the stairs, I saw my grandmother sprawled out on the floor, blood slowly dripping from her mouth. Somewhere close, I heard an eerie laughter.

I turned in the direction of the voice and was startled to see a clown sitting on the stairwell's balcony, laughing at me. I particularly remember the big red smile on his face. At that point, I'd always wake up.

My parents and grandparents tell me that, as a kid, whenever I'd see a clown, I'd start crying in fear. Even today, there's something about that painted-on happy face and exaggerated show of good cheer that I don't trust. There's something about the masks that clowns wear—I can't help feeling that the intention is to deceive. Call me paranoid, but I find myself wondering: Who's the real person hiding beneath that makeup?

The idea that a killer would dress himself up as a clown to entertain sick children by day, and then stalk the streets for prey at night, seemed inconceivable to me. Yet I could identify with people who led double lives. How many times had I exuded confidence when taking an exam, or engaging in a debate, when, in fact, I was less than sure of myself?

I decided to buy both books—the one about hunting humans, and the other about the killer clown—even though it would put a crimp in my student budget. At the time, I had no idea the true cost would ultimately be much higher.

Customer Reviews
Average Rating 4
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  • Posted June 29, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    Great Book Couldn't Put it down

    If you're into true crime books you're going to love this book. I read it a while back but literally couldn't put it down! Definitely recommend this book. Trying to get my husband to read it.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 11, 2008

    Interesting

    I found this book to be wonderful. I love true crime stories, picked this one up one day and absolutely loved it. This is a great book.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 22, 2007

    Great read.

    Truthfully, I was initially hesitant about reading this book as I am more interested in the crimes rather than examining the perpetrator. But this book caught my attention from start to finish. The insight into the criminal mind was amazing and I recommend this book 100% to anyone interested in true crime.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 27, 2005

    This book made the hair on my neck stand up!

    The story grabbed and pulled me in, just as John Wayne Gacy pulled Jason Moss into his sick world and mind. Jason Moss took a huge risk with this adventure. I'm not sure if it was a brave or foolish undertaking. I would like to believe he is living well today, mentally and physically. I hope he was able to execute John Gacy from his mind and sole the way Gacy was executed from his own life on earth!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 21, 2002

    HARD TO SWALLOW

    I have read many books on serial killers. This one bored me. Moss takes way to much time telling the reader about how great he is and how intelligent he is. He also feels the need to keep telling the reader that he is not gay and is sickened to write the things in his letters. I also have a very hard time believing that this one peron gained confidence of so many killers. I believe that he had extensive contact with Gacy, but the others I believe he had to embelish. I would not recommend this book. There are so many great books on serial killers. This is about the self absorbed author.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 14, 2000

    Outstanding

    Jason is an incredible human being, extremely gutsy. I read this book in 1 day so hard to put it down. This book is an absolute must READ.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 10, 2012

    Wow

    Great if you like true crime. A little too much for me at times...

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 5, 2012

    Captivating

    Interest in book was peaked after watching movie recently on Netflix and reading about Jason and the taking of his own life...what a read this book was...

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 29, 2011

    IN Interesting read

    The way this is presented is very unusual. However, it was an excellent book with incredible insight into the mind of Jason as well as Gacy. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to dive into the minds of others, or simply want a great read. Also, I would recommend the movie.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 18, 2011

    Saw the movie

    This movie was great i wont pay12.99 for the book!

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  • Posted September 6, 2011

    Messed up book

    I don't know what I thought I was getting into when reading this but it was disturbing. I give Jason credit for doing what he did. He was a very unique individual and brave but no wonder why he ended up commiting suicide. What he did was very impressive. The book left me disturbed...It was very well done though. If you like these types of books then by all means give it a shot. Leaves you with a new understanding of the minds of serial killers and how manipulative they are.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 9, 2011

    Too bad about Jason

    This was an interesting book and Jason was an interesting person. I saw him last in April of 2006, then never spoke to him again. He killed himself on 06/06/06. I hope his daughter gets any additional proceedings from the book. Some roads should not be traveled down because it is hard to come back from.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 6, 2008

    Don't Bother.

    The author writes as though he is a small child. I lost interest in this book before getting half way through it.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 20, 2005

    Huge Fan of True Crime!!!

    I absolutely loved this book! I couldn't believe that anyone would be daring enough to communicate with serial killers! But this guy did a remarkable job convincing these killers that he was the exact type of victom that they pursued...making it easy for him to get close to them and get information that even the best of detectives on the case couldn't get!! I first saw Jason Moss on Oprah I think, and instantly had to read the book...I think I went out and bought it the next day. I read it within 2 days and wasn't dissappointed! I highly recommend this book for anyone that is interested in the bizzarest of true crime!!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 31, 2005

    Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer

    This book is about a man, Jason Moss, who takes his college project to far. It starts out as a harmless project, but sort of turns out more then he expected. When he gets to writing to these notorious serial killers, he gets entrapped in their inner thoughts. He begins to play off his roles so good that they want to talk to him more then he expects, rather then him getting to know each one, they talk more about him. Some of the serial killers he writes to are John Wayne Gacy, Jeffery Dahmer, Charles Manson, and Richard Ramirez. These are the few that helped him in gaining credentials for becoming a criminal profiler for the FBI. I liked this book because it was funny at times, but for the most part it was very informative and very serious. It was very interesting as to how he (Jason Moss) was able to gain the trust of such killers and be able to hold conversations with them on paper and on the phone at times. When he was able to play off his roles that he used for each different killer he was very sincere and it seemed like he was the person he was pretending to be. This book was also very scary as to how this man would go to lengths that he did to open up certain things than not even his parent knew about him. He told them his most inner thoughts and desires. So I would say that this book kept me reading until I wasn¿t able to keep my eyes open to read anymore.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 26, 2005

    Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer

    This book is about a man, Jason Moss, who takes a school assignment to far. It starts out as being harmless but sort of turns out more then he expected. When he gets to writing to these notorious serial killers he gets entrapped in their inner thoughts. He begins to play off his role so good they want to talk more and more about him rather then talking about what he is trying to learn about them. The people he is writing to are John Wayne Gacy, Jeffery Dahmer, Charles Manson, and Richard Ramirez. These are the few he used to get his credentials for his future career in law enforcement in the FBI. I liked this book because it is very gripping with the way Jason Moss writes the story, also he doesn¿t write like a sophisticated adult, but rather to where any ordinary person can understand. So I liked this book because it was very fun to read and it was a fine book to the end. It kept me reading until the I was completely to the finish of it.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 1, 2005

    Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer

    Jason Moss's interest in cereal killers didn't come out of randomosity; rather it was planted in him at a young age. His mother had always read novels about murder and mayhem. Unlike normal mothers she always made sure to show young Jason the illustrations in these novels. Jason¿s weak stomach would overtake him, and he couldn't handle these books. Jason got older, and an interest in cereal killers began to take hold of him. Destined to conquer his fear of gruesome things, Jason would start reading biographies. He read of Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacey, and Charles Manson, all cereal killers who killed in gruesome strange ways. Written letters from these cereal murderers would reveal the deepest and darkest places of the human mind. A simple college project would escalate into something no one could comprehend. This novel is an excellent biography not only into the life of Jason Moss, but also into the lives of the cereal killers¿ he wrote to. The mere idea of writing to cereal murderers will captivate you, giving you the urge to read even more. The secrets revealed to Jason Moss in letters and phone conversations left me dumbfounded with a cereal-killer¿s thought process. What amazed me even more was Jason¿s ability to fool these masterminds of murder into believing his fraud characters. He presented himself as a vulnerable teen, unsure of his sexuality, to Gacey. Then to Mason he took on the character of a Nazi civil rights leader, trying to fix all problems and parasites in society. The overall mood of the novel is an ironic feeling that will leave chills down your spine, only created by words in phone conversations and letters.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 10, 2004

    Not True Crime

    I was disappointed in this book mainly because Moss was such a braggart. This book seemed to focus alot on Jason Moss. The letters supposedly written to him, in my opinion did not seem credible. If you're going to read this book, don't buy it, get it from the library - it's not worth the money.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 12, 2004

    Good Book

    This was an interesting book but I thought it should of had more of the authors letters from the serial killers so we the readers can get a better view on how they are. But overall it was a good book and it had pretty good manipulating stories from the author.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 27, 2004

    what research?

    i am a fan of true crime novels so when a friend suggested this book i had to read it. and i was seriously engrossed in the book until i got to the reference moss made to some of the manson killings and saw that his information was all wrong, so from that point on i read the book like fiction. it seems that if you're going to take the time out of your life to write a book you want to have the facts right. i was also having trouble believing anything else in the book from that point.

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