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  • I: The Creation of a Serial Killer

  • Written by: Jack Olsen
  • Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
  • Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (22 ratings)

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I: The Creation of a Serial Killer

Written by: Jack Olsen
Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
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Publisher's Summary

Prize-winning journalist Jack Olsen, armed with unprecedented access to one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a murderer in the killer's own words....

In February 1990, Oregon State Police arrested John Sosnovke and Laverne Pavlinac for the vicious rape and murder of Taunja Bennet, a troubled 23-year-old barfly who had suffered mild retardation since birth. Pavlinac had come forth and confessed, implicating her boyfriend and producing physical evidence that linked them to the crime. Authorities closed the case.

There was just one problem. They had the wrong people. 

And the real killer wasn't about to let anyone take credit for his kill. Keith Hunter Jesperson was a long haul truck driver and the murderer of eight women, including Taunja Bennet. As the case wound through police precincts and courts - ending in life sentences for both Sosnovke and Pavlinac - Jesperson began a twisted one man campaign to win their release. To the editors of newspapers and on the walls of highway rest stops, Jesperson scribbled out a series of taunting confessions: 

I killed Tanya Bennett.... I beat her to death, raped her and loved it. Yes I'm sick, but I enjoy myself too. People took the blame and I'm free.... Look over your shoulder. I may be closer than you think.

At the end of each confession, Jesperson drew a happy face, earning for himself the grisly sobriquet "The Happy Face Killer".

Based on access to interviews, diaries, court records, and the criminal himself, I: The Creation of a Serial Killer is Jesperson's chilling story. It chronicles his evolution from angry child to sociopathic murderer, from tormentor of animals to torturer of women. It is also the story of the fate that befell him after two innocent citizens were imprisoned four years for one of his killings.

Edgar Award winner Jack Olsen lets the killer to tell his story in his own words, offering unprecedented insight into the twisted thought process of a serial murderer. Olsen takes his listeners along on Jesperson's vicious cross-country killing spree, letting him describe how he played his "death game" with eight innocent victims and how he finally came to grips with the fate he deserved.

I: The Creation of a Serial Killer is one of the most revealing and insightful pieces of crime reporting ever published.

©2018 Jack Olsen (P)2018 Jack Olsen Literary Works

Featured Article: 20 Best True Crime Audiobooks for Your Inner Detective

There is nothing more thrilling than the unfolding tale of a true crime story. Whether an unsolved mystery, a deep dive into a criminal mastermind, or a look at an infamous serial killer, true crime is gripping, captivating, and engrossing. The best true crime audiobooks will have you on the edge of your seat, anxious for more. Add to that an emphatic and powerful narrator, and you simply won't be able to stop listening. Here are the 20 best true crime audiobooks to satisfy your inner detective.

What listeners say about I: The Creation of a Serial Killer

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    4 out of 5 stars

Can you handle this truth?

If you’ve journeyed through the true crime stories and have come to this one… THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT.

It sticks with you after hearing it…

Makes me reconsider my choices of “entertainment”, and consider this experience as a lesson.

If you continue forward with listening, remember this review warned you to prepare for those moments of “buyer’s remorse” only because you’re a little ashamed that you find this interesting…

It’s that Good. It’s that Bad.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Tough Listen

It is both fascinating and horrifying. I had to skip many parts about animals. Beware!

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Don't know how to feel about this book

This book is extremely difficult to listen to because of the way it is written. The author jumps back and forth between first person and second, but the narrator doesn't make it clear by changing his voice.
if you can see the written word, and see the punctuation, it would make sense but when you hear it is very difficult to comprehend.
I also question the detail in which the author goes when it comes to describing the murders and the disposal of the bodies. This seems to me to be excessive, and God forbid any if the family members of the victims read this.
it is also my considered opinion that it was not necessary to go into gory detail about how the animals were abused and slaughtered. This book comes across as being more of a tabloid style story.
I come away from this audio experience feeling slimey, needing a shower and wishing I had not listened.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Hard to listen

I love true crime usually. Maybe this is written to be "true" to the killers perspectives and attitudes. It is graphic,and drips with misogyny and hatred of women. I also couldn't count the number of times they talk about his dick getting hard or him having sex with something.
I expected "the creation of a killer" to be more about his psychology.
This was gross

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