
Richard Cottingham
The True Story of the Torso Killer
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Narrated by:
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Gaius M. Thynne
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By:
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Jack Rosewood
About this listen
The prostitutes working New York City's Times Square were more than a little bit nervous.
A deranged serial killer who apparently melted into the crowd was picking up hookers and sadistically torturing them, leaving some girls wondering if there was a real-life Dr. Frankenstein out there attempting to create his own personal plaything from pieces of his dismembered victims.
Some working girls were butchered in seedy hotel rooms, their heads, hands or breasts sliced off, their remains then set ablaze in an effort to dispose of any incriminating evidence.
Others narrowly escaped death, but only after enduring hours of terrifying torture that included brutal bite marks, surface knife slashes and stab wounds that all served as bloody foreplay for frenzied sexual assaults.
Survivors were found bleeding and delirious, unable to remember much due to the cocktail of drugs they'd been given by their assailant. But their bodies told a horrific story that was almost worse than death, and the sadistic calling cards left by the serial killer would eventually tie together victims in this true crime murder spree that crossed two states.
It wasn't until one victim's screams grew loud enough that Richard Cottingham, an American serial killer who was part narcissist, part sadist and all evil, was finally caught by police as he fled his hotel room carrying his bag of torture devices. His capture allowed them to close the books on some of the most horrific murder cases in US history.
This serial killer biography not only unearths Cottingham's sick, twisted crime spree, it also delves into the murderer's psyche, attempting to reveal why an insurance company IT guy's seemingly normal life would devolve into madness.
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What listeners say about Richard Cottingham
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- Rustneversleeps
- 07-05-24
narration questionable
could have had more detail. this guy was killing for over a decade. this fell short.
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- M. Wesson
- 12-27-16
Very Interesting Story, Very Evil Man
What did you love best about Richard Cottingham?
Nothing, very evil man
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
Hard to believe its true
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Horrible narrator
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No
Any additional comments?
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.
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- Cheryl a DeMont
- 11-04-16
fantastic
another fantastic book by Jack rosewood. he does a great job telling his stories this man Richard Nottingham was a sadistic horrific serial killer the things he did to these girls were terrible, the narrator was great I recommend this book very highly he does not leave anything out. I received this book from the author for a honest and unbiased review
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1 person found this helpful
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- Dallas
- 05-18-23
Interesting
An oddly fascinating story if a very sick man. Sadly, the reader must not live in America. He mispronounces many words. FYI, one examples: Lodi NJ is pronounced load-eye.
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- POLLY POIZENDEM
- 11-18-16
What a Butcher! Yikes.
This book (which is part of a series) is done in more of a factual narrative style rather than the typical true crime "story" (its NOT Ann Rule style). You wont get all sorts of those juicy little descriptive scenic tidbits that make you feel as though you were really there, but you certainly WILL get all the morbid details of each murder/crime he committed! The brutal things that Richard Cottingham did to these women had me clutching onto my chest and wincing. I was unfamiliar with this case before, so it was quite an introduction! Just when I thought he couldnt possibly do much worse...he did! I only wish it had been a bit longer, as I found myself wanting to know even more about this sinister maniac.
This is a great way to "sample" some of the lesser known (to me) cases, and I will certainly check out the other crime titles done by this author, since he chooses to write about the more unique killers...I really enjoyed this book.
I am not one to nit-pick a narrator, but honestly, in MY opinion, I think the narrator committed the REAL crime here, since he turned an otherwise VERY interesting book into one that made me focus instead on how he *SAID* the word SAID...which was rather strongly, distracting, and done after a (strange) pause. He would be much better suited to reading the NPR News. His delivery wasnt very appealling to me personally.
I was truly delighted to recieve this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Angie
- 11-15-16
Fascinating Story
What made the experience of listening to Richard Cottingham the most enjoyable?
The Narrator, Mr. Thynne, did an amazing job reading this story.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Richard Cottingham?
The most memorable moment was that the girl he was torturing when he was finally caught lived to testify against him.
Have you listened to any of Gaius M. Thynne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
He is always awesome.
If you could give Richard Cottingham a new subtitle, what would it be?
Sadistic madman
Any additional comments?
Another great read by Jack Rosewood. This particular sadistic killer was one that I do not remember hearing about before listening to Mr. Rosewood’s book.
I was provided a copy for my honest review.
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- spacechick365
- 11-14-16
Interesting story about Richard Cottingham
This short story does a great job of dissecting what the author thinks is going through a serial killer's mind. The narrator reads the story in a way that he keeps your attention. Richard Cottingham was a new story for me, being arrested and in prison before I was even born. it is amazing how different he thought compared to a normal person.
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- PattyH
- 11-06-16
Richard Cottingham
Geat story. The writing has an even good flow, grizzly as it was.
The narration was good except I didn't care for the way the narrators voice drags words out.
I received this audible in exchange for an honest unbiased review
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- Simone
- 11-15-16
True Crime - Always Interesting
Any additional comments?
Rosewood's telling of the story of Richard Cottingham was seamless and expedient without leaving out any essential elements. This story is as grizzly as any of the other true crime tell-alls, but Cottingham is one killer I hadn't heard of before listening to this book. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of true crime.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Dave
- 11-30-16
Great Book, Distracting Narration
This was an extremely interesting, well-written book about a fascinating and truly horrible sexually sadistic serial killer. The author does an excellent job of pulling the reader through the story, and added lots of interesting facts and background on the overall subject matter. It's great true crime writing on a subject that begs to be told.
I only had one issue. The narrator has a number of potentially distracting tics --- adding verbal punctuation in sentences where it doesn't belong, mispronouncing words, and a tonal inflection that seemed to emphasize the wrong words or turns statements into questions --- that kept pulling me out of the otherwise compelling story. Over and over again these narrative tics pulled my attention from the writing, and I found myself losing the narrative thread. It may just be me --- listen to the preview and see if the narration has the same effect on you, because if it doesn't distract you then you're in for a really compelling audiobook.
I was voluntarily provided a free review copy of this audiobook by the publisher, and despite the one issue it turned me into a fan of an author I was not familiar with. If you like true crime stories, this is absolutely one of the better ones. But definitely check out the preview.
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2 people found this helpful