Son

“Remarkably well done. . . Olsen brings his strange subjects to vivid life in this memorable reconstruction.” - Publisher's Weekly

“A chilling story . . . Gruesomely spellbinding.” - Glamour

"A classic from “the dean of true crime”. This 1383 masterpiece tells the incredible story of a Spokane, Washington serial rapist who was exposed as the handsome, privileged son of one of the city’s most elite families." - The Washington Post

For more than two years, a rapist prowled the night streets of the homey, All-American city of Spokane, Washington, terrorizing women, sparking a run on gun stores, and finally causing one newspaper to offer a reward—the calls taken by the distinguished managing editor himself, Gordon Coe. In March 1S81, luck and inspired police work at last produced an arrest, and Spokane shuddered. The suspect was clean cut and conservative…and Gordon Coe’s son.

For eighteen months, Jack Olsen researched the cases of Fred and Ruth Coe to try to learn not only what happened within that family, but how and why. He interviewed more than 150 people and built up a portrait not only of that extraordinary family, but of the mind of a

psychopath. And searching the memories of the women in Fred Coe’s life, he unearthed a most horrifying question: What is it like to love and live with a man for years—and then discover he is a psychopathic criminal?

More Reviews:

“Fascinating . . . recreates the bizarre chain of events that unraveled the fabric of a seemingly all-American family and scarred the lives of so many innocent people. Olsen succeeds on all levels, from detailed storytelling and haunting character studies to compassionate treatment of the rape victims.” - Los Angeles Times

“Superlative reporting. Olsen turns what promises to be another run-of-the-mill crime story into a drama that invites comparison to Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood.” - Newsday