Confronting the Green River Killer - by Maria Dilorenzo

Book Synopsis

A startling profile of one of the most prolific serial killers and the disturbing experience of the journalist who earned his trust for the sake of justice.

When crime journalist Maria DiLorenzo mailed a letter to Gary Ridgway, she never expected him to reply. He refused to speak to reporters and would send only religious materials back to anyone who contacted him in prison--if he replied at all. But instead of silence or a boilerplate letter, Maria's phone rang-and it was the Green River Killer calling.

Over the next several years, Ridgway would call Maria hundreds of times, using all of his free time in prison to speak with her. Her goal: to pry the details of his dozens of unidentified and unsolved murders from him. His motivation in speaking to her: unknowable. Through these hundreds of hours of phone calls, Ridgway revealed new details about his life, his crimes, and his motives - and manipulated Maria much like he tormented his victims.

An insightful and deeply personal profile of a dangerous mind, Confronting the Green River Killer is the closest depiction of Gary Ridgway ever seen, and a disturbing glimpse into what it's like to truly know a killer. Readers of I'll Be Gone in the Dark and The Stranger Beside Me will be enraptured to experience Gary Ridgway through the eyes and ears of a woman he came to deeply trust--and deeply covet.

About the Author

Maria DiLorenzo received an MFA in English/creative writing from Hunter College in 2011. For several years she worked as a contributing writer for The Crime Report, and in 2020, she founded the website Beyond the Crime, which shares firsthand interviews with those incarcerated for murder to gain a deeper understanding of the criminal mind. She is one of the only journalists to extensively interview Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. Her work in true crime has been chronicled in podcasts and documentaries, including an appearance on ABC's 20/20. She currently resides in Staten Island, NY.