I: The Creation of a Serial Killer

The "Happy Face Killer" Keith Jesperson's 1st person account of his killings. The book has his 1st person account, his dad, personal letters, etc. It's chilling to read the crimes he committed & his life growing up & throughout his spree & well into prison.

I have amassed quite a collection of true crime books in my life. Aside from Helter Skelter, this may be my favorite true crime book. Aided by a very forthcoming killer, Jack Olsen displays a wealth of knowledge on his subject. While I found the brevity of chapter to be discouraging, the contend creates an exceptional product. While some authors in this genre continually repeat themselves, Olsen tells a seamless story with a continual supply of fresh information.Keith Hunter Jesperson is the "Happy Face Killer". He earns this name through his washroom stall vandalism and letter writing signature. Jesperson's killing spree involves eight women. In the case of his first murder, others went to jail for his crime. His final death toll could have been larger if he had not killed his "fiance". The story is unique because the killer is a truck driver. This facet of the story gives unique insight into the life of a truck driver. The murders are spread through a large area with victims that a largely prostitutes. Jesperson places much of the blame for his murders on his father. The childhood stories depict his father as a manipulative, abusive alcoholic. Even from the stories in the present, his father seems this way. If the stories he describes are true, his father does hold some responsibility for his son's crimes. True crime fans must add this book to their collection. The stories are detailed and give insight into the acts of a serial killer which have never been seen before.

The author writes in the first person as if he is the actual serial killer. The approach is different and most effective. You get to know the life story and formation of what makes a serial killer and how he or she thinks. Sex plays a big part in the whole process as does animal mutilation and it is not easy reading, however, it is interesting and educational.

A lot of reviews so far have given this book less stars based on the contents of the book. Yes, Keith Hunter Jesperson has a lot of imagination and probably does stretch ideas, and he is a sadist sort of person. But how can you cut down the ranking of this book based on something that has nothing to do with the author's writing or control of the material? Olsen is the best of the best (I am also a very big Ann Rule fan) and he does justice with this book. It is a very entertaining read with a majority of the book written in first person point of view from Jesperson and other remaining parts giving background on Jesperson and his father. It is clear from reading this that Jesperson's father had a lot to do with the way his son turned out (though throughout the book the father is mentioned in footnotes as denying many harsh allegations) and even though there is no excuse or blame to be laid on killing people, Olsen does an A+ job of delivering the true crime in a way that will keep you reading this book until the end.

Jack Olsen was, truly, a master of true crime. His erudite dissection of the minds of killers are incredible, and his legacy is secure.I: the Creation of a Serial Killer is no different. Written with the full cooperation (and in the voice of) the Happy Face Killer (Keith Hunter Jesperson), this new book lets us into the inner workings of a criminal mind. Tracing Jesperson from his early childhood through his life of crime and into his days in prison.With Jesperson's own descriptions of his brutal crimes and Olsen's knowledgable analysis of the mind of a killer, I is a fascinating read.

The True Crime writing genre lost one of its greats when Jack Olsen died recently. Along with Ann Rule both wrote honest, well written books without resorting to the sensationalism that most of the other TC writers do. Olsen's "Salt of the Earth" remains one of the best books written from the victim's family point of view and is one of my all time favorite books. His newest "I" is on par with another choice book "The Misbegotten Son" but maybe with more searing honesty. Olsen lets Keith Hunter Jesperson narrate the whole book from a first person's point of view. It is a chilling, brutal, scary tale. It's almost too vivid as he describes torturing animals (Animal lovers beware. I'm one and it's upsetting) and mercilessly killing his female victims without care or thought. I read these books for the psychology of the perpetrator. How does one get this way? This book does give background on the killer and lets you draw your own conclusions without editorializing.