It was difficult at times to remember that this was indeed a true story, what this man did to others was shocking, which was made worse by the fact that he showed no signs of emotion for what he did. It did however not surprise me why he became the ice cold killer he was, his childhood moulded him for his career in blood, never knowing anything except violence. ( )

First let me tell you I am not a fan of horror, gore, blood, or murder. In fact, it repulses me to the highest degree possible. However, Philip Carlo had a remarkable ability to draw me into the mind of a mass murderer, Richard Kuklinski. It was not hard to begin to understand the origins of his anger and motivations that eventually led him to a successful life of crime.

A lot of the book focuses on his early childhood, which is a horror story for any child to face. I think somewhere along the line the Ice Man lost his ability to care about others.

Once the author Philip Carlo begins to describe the murders you will have a hard time putting the book down. As Mr. Carlo says, Richard Kuklinski had a Ph.D. in murder. The methods were so horrible, disgusting, and unthinkable I began to wonder if Richard had been raised by a normal family if his talents might have been used for good. Richard certainly had a very high intelligence, (his son's IQ tested at >170). It's scary how such an intelligent person could use their mind for bad. Deep down inside though a glimpse of who he could have been surfaces but he traps that good person safely inside the loving family he created. Outside of the family he's been compared to the devil himself. What is also interesting is that although he is a mass murderer, he was faithful to his wife in the extreme, by some considered a sexual prude, and he never did drugs.

I think Philip Carlo did a great service to any field that studies serial killers and mass murderers. His in-depth interviews with Richard let us reach inside the mind of a mass murderer at a safe distance. I can understand some people being upset that Richard was given any attention or spotlight in the creation of this book, but since he's now deceased the work lives on helping the public as well as pyschologists and investigators to deepen their understanding of the creation of a mass murderer.

I hope to see Philip Carlo write more biographies in the future. He is a very talented writer who enabled The Ice Man to read more like a true crime novel. This is the first long book I've ever read in just three days. ( )