The Zodiac Revisited, Volume 1: The Facts of the Case

Michael F. Cole’s recount of the infamous serial killer, the Zodiac, in his novel The Zodiac Revisited, Volume 1: The Facts of the Case was both intriguing and engrossing. Before reading this novel, I was vaguely familiar with this topic from the popular movie “Zodiac”. This book further solidified my knowledge, as Cole truly brought this tale to life for me. Incredibly informative on the facts of the case, the possible explanations, and why investigators to this day still have not solved this cold case, any lover of true crime would thoroughly enjoy what this book has to offer.

Cole begins by giving a general overview on the Zodiac killer and what evidence law enforcement has complied to who this man may be. As the reader will learn as they dive into these pages, Cole was not lying when he quoted John Naisbitt saying, “We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge”. With eyewitness accounts, fingerprints, numerous letters, ciphers, greeting cards, and even a palm print, it seems as though the FBI would have solved this case decades ago. He points out that although we have so much information to work with, the FBI and investigators have failed to piece it together in a way that would point to a specific perpetrator. I thoroughly enjoyed Cole’s commentary as he brings important points into play about evidence interpretation, possible related cases, and how further technological advances in DNA could help solve this case.

As previously stated, this novel is incredibly descriptive on all the known certainties of each individual murder and my sympathy for each victim grew tremendously within this read. I especially found the story of pregnant Kathleen Johns, an abductee of the killer, along with her infant, terrifying and eye-opening of the Zodiac’s nature. This woman’s courage is unparalleled as she successfully not only escaped the killer with her child but lived to tell the tale. Her recital of what happened that night and the odious words the Zodiac spoke to her further solidified the man’s insanity and unbalance. Exceptionally well-written, Cole did a remarkable job in conveying the story of the Zodiac killer through his words and the picture supplements of the Zodiac’s ciphers, greeting cards, and notes. The photographs of the victims of the killer were a heart-wrenching addition; I was moved with empathy for their loss and lack of justice surrounding their murder. Although it is now five decades later from the time of these murders, hopefully, this book as well as those similar to it, will help this case move forward and finally bring to light who the Zodiac is.

Also available in e-book format.