The central paradox about true crime books is that although serial killers are among the least interesting human beings, our fascination with the excitement of tracking down these obsessive monsters has actually spawned thousands of books, movies, and television shows, real or imagined, about them. Several habitual murderers have returned the favor by taunting us with codes and clues about themselves, none more defiantly than California's so-called Zodiac Killer. In this extraordinarily intimate memoir, author Gary Stewart went searching for his father and became convinced that the man he found had been the dreaded Zodiac. Thus, his hunt for clues is more personal than any detective's, making it stranger and more knotty than a narrative fixated on the now deceased accused culprit. The Most Dangerous Animal of All is not your conventional true crime book; for me, that makes it more winning.
-R.J. Wilson, Bookseller, #1002, New York NY
08/01/2014
Adoptee Stewart started to look for his biological father. He found out eventually that some mysteries are best left unsolved. The book, written with journalist Mustafa, is broken up into two parts: the first half is the tale of Earl Van Best Jr.'s life, or, as Stewart believes, the life of the Zodiac Killer. The second part chronicles how Stewart came to this conclusion—by going through his father's journals, doing his own research, and interviewing the man's close family and friends. The result is a fascinating occupation that is unsettling as the reader sees how the author slowly realizes that the blood running in his veins likely comes from a man who terrorized the country in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Stewart makes a compelling case, and the text is certainly entertaining, but it's up to the reader to decide if his claim is convincing. He is able to tie together certain details concerning his father and the killer, but there are some leaps that readers have to make willingly, too. VERDICT This well- written work simultaneously tells the lives of two men, one potentially a serial killer. For fans of true crime, 1960s American history, and stories about families discovering lost relatives.—Ryan Claringbole, Coll. Lib. at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison
I promise that you’ve never read anything like The Most Dangerous Animal of All. Mesmerizing from the first page, the story includes a shattering surprise that will sear itself in your memory. Be prepared to read non-stop; this really is a book you won’t be able to put down.” — Jeff Guinn, author of Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson
“Convincing....The author painstakingly pieces together over a decade’s worth of personal research and verbatim interviews with family, friends and law enforcement, then goes further to scrutinize and compare handwriting samples, police sketches and photographs, all bearing uncanny resemblances to recorded documentation from the Zodiac files.” — Kirkus
I promise that you’ve never read anything like The Most Dangerous Animal of All. Mesmerizing from the first page, the story includes a shattering surprise that will sear itself in your memory. Be prepared to read non-stop; this really is a book you won’t be able to put down.
When adoptee Gary L. Stewart first meets his birth mother, he has no idea of the unusual direction to which his journey to learn about his beginnings will lead him: namely, to evidence that his birth father, Earl Van Best, Jr., is the infamous Zodiac Killer. Gary Stewart narrates in a light Louisiana accent, reflecting his Southern origins. He becomes emotional at times when describing his family and his personal history. A self-described fan of the "true crime" genre, Stewart conducts his own investigation into his father's identity, presenting his evidence in the form of family history, reconstructed situations, and details from the Zodiac murders, which took place in California in the late 1960s. His findings are the latest twist in a case that has stumped investigators for decades. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
When adoptee Gary L. Stewart first meets his birth mother, he has no idea of the unusual direction to which his journey to learn about his beginnings will lead him: namely, to evidence that his birth father, Earl Van Best, Jr., is the infamous Zodiac Killer. Gary Stewart narrates in a light Louisiana accent, reflecting his Southern origins. He becomes emotional at times when describing his family and his personal history. A self-described fan of the "true crime" genre, Stewart conducts his own investigation into his father's identity, presenting his evidence in the form of family history, reconstructed situations, and details from the Zodiac murders, which took place in California in the late 1960s. His findings are the latest twist in a case that has stumped investigators for decades. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
