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A Thirst for Blood: The True Story of California's Vampire Killer Kindle Edition

by Ray Biondi (Author), Walt Hecox (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 197 ratings
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The “fast-paced” inside story of the manhunt for bloodsucking serial killer Richard Chase (Publishers Weekly).

Written by the case’s lead homicide detective, this gripping true crime account details the killing spree of one of California’s most gruesome murderers: Richard Chase, aka “the Vampire of Sacramento.” In January 1978, Sacramento police found the corpse of Teresa Wallin, a loving wife and soon-to-be mother. Veteran detective Lt. Ray Biondi immediately knew the case would be unlike anything he had ever seen before.
 
The victim’s body was deliberately disfigured in nightmarish ways, and evidence suggested the culprit had collected large volumes of her blood. In less than a month, a two-year-old boy was missing, and two men, another woman, and a five-year-old child dead, their bodies contorted, like Wallin’s, to fulfill the killer’s demented sexual desires, and—most disturbingly—his taste for human blood.
 
Previously published as The Dracula Killer, A Thirst for Blood is a riveting report of the investigation, from eyewitness testimonies to the discovery of the crime scenes to Chase’s interrogation. Lieutenant Biondi and his coauthor, Walt Hecox, provide an unflinching look at the “vampire killer” and the cunning police work that finally put an end to his reign of terror. The inspiration for Investigation Discovery’s Lore: Deadly Obsession and episodes of CSI and Criminal Minds, Chase’s crimes continue to haunt the world generations later.
 
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  1. Print length
    206 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  5. Publication date
    November 7, 2017
  6. File size
    11214 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Biondi and Hecox (authors of All His Father's Sins: The Shocking Truth About California's Most Gruesome Serial Killer ) offer a fast-paced if facile report of a deranged killer who claimed six victims and drank their blood. The authors first show Richard Chase in a bizarre moment--naked and covered with cow blood--and that glimpse chills as the story proceeds: Chase harassed neighbors, left a perverse token in a house he burgled and seemed paranoid in public. When he graduated to murder, he not only shot his victims but sexually mutilated them. Former Sacramento homicide detective Biondi supplies inside information on the investigation, such as a television crew's discovery of evidence overlooked by police. In addition, he and Hecox produce crime bulletins issued by police and the surprisingly accurate psychological profile detectives prepared of the killer. Luck combined with old-fashioned detective work flushed out Chase, who initially would admit only to killing dogs. But Chase told a fellow prisoner that he drank victims' blood, and after he took the stand in his own defense, jurors decided not to find him insane. He committed suicide on death row in 1980.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Lt. Biondi has a reputation as one of the country’s top homicide cops.” —Daily News (New York)
 
“Fast-paced . . . Chills as the story proceeds.” —Publishers Weekly
 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B076J3RFW6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (November 7, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 7, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 11214 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 206 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 197 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
197 global ratings
Don’t Read This Book, Just Read About the Case Somewhere Else
1 Star
Don’t Read This Book, Just Read About the Case Somewhere Else
I stopped reading this shortly before the end bc I already knew the story of how Chase ruined several families lives by brutally taking away their loved ones. This book was more of a self-glorification of the lead investigator than anything else. They might be proud of themselves, but seriously, just call it “a book about me and how I think I am a terrific guy; with a little bit of serial killer sprinkled in to trick you into buying it.” The way Teresa is described is chauvinistic and objectifies her, a dead woman. Why these men felt the need to highlight her “attractive/nicely proportioned frame/body” is despicable and I am shocked the editors did not tell them to reword their inappropriate evaluation of a dead woman’s appearance. Judging/evaluating/critiquing a woman’s body is not a man’s job; especially not a law enforcement professional’s place to exploit/objectify women (and to sensationalize by thinking people would have sympathy for her and her family because he thought she was pretty and he liked her body?). Sickos. The bizarre and out of place flowery descriptions of ordinary events/observations were distracting and took away from the plot development. This story needed to be told by someone with less of an ego imbalance seeking stroking from imaginary “fans”. Congratulations on helping to solve the case, but really. This book does not do these poor victims justice. Sad.
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Top reviews from the United States

Bradley C. Kesner
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read!
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2019
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Real page turner!! Read the whole story late into the night!
Told with honesty, professional knowledge of his career, and directed to the reader! Enjoyed every minute! Hated for it to end! Thanks!
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California Dreaming
4.0 out of 5 stars RIP Mr. Ray Biondi
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2020
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I stumbled upon "A Thirst for Blood: The True Story of California's Vampire Killer" (TFB) probably March of 2020. After downloading a sample and reading maybe the first chapter, I was more than happy to pay for the Kindle version immediately. After all, after reading that first chapter and learning that Ray Biondi -- the lead detective hunting Richard Chase -- had written the book I figured that it was a can't-miss read. And overall I will say that my early assessment was right on target.

After reading I did a web search and sadly learned that Mr. Biondi has just passed away, in February of 2020. He was born in 1937 though so at least he had a long life. And we know that he caught at least one serial killer during that life which not many people in this world have done. That's a pretty great accomplishment if you're in law enforcement.

Mr. Biondi did a great job of pruning the Richard Chase story so the reader could get enough information but not too much. There are some references to the East Area Rapist (EAR) as well, which makes sense, because the EAR was operating out of the Sacramento area at the same time that Mr. Chase was committing his murders. At that time of course no one knew the identity of the EAR, very few knew that he was also most likely the Visalia Ransacker (VR), and the murders in southern California hadn't yet begun by the same UNSUB, the now-named Golden State Killer (GSK). Of course, as of spring of 2018, a very good suspect has been caught who is most likely all three based upon DNA evidence, and I'm very happy that suspect is sitting in a jail cell in Sacramento so he can't commit any more crimes. (As a side note I read that the suspect is negotiating a plea deal. Supposedly he will plead guilty if the Death Penalty is taken off the table. Seeing that California isn't interested in executions anymore I think that the prosecution should take the deal, if he is willing to give up all information about the crimes as well. Of course he is innocent until proven guilty, like anyone else.)

So during the late 70s the police in Sacramento were certainly being kept more than busy, and that included Mr. Biondi. He discusses that a bit in his book, how he had to work many long hours during one stretch while chasing the UNSUB that was the Vampire Killer of Sacramento at the time. But Mr. Biondi didn't come across as a guy who complained about those long hours, but instead he seemed to understand it came with the territory.

I've been searching periodically for a really good book about Mr. Chase for quite a while now and I'm very glad I finally found one. It might be the case that this book was published in the 90s or so, but I don't believe that it was available in the Kindle format until very recently. I almost always only buy Kindle books for many reasons and will only buy a paperback or hardcover if I absolutely HAVE to read the story right then. But to me, digital books are the only way to go.

If you take my strong recommendation to buy and read TFB you'll get all the nitty-gritty details about the crimes of Mr. Chase, whether you want those details or not. I recently wrote a review for another book -- "Duct Tape Killer" (DTK) -- and while I didn't exactly pan it, I didn't exactly recommend it either. The authors of DTK seemed to be afraid to include the dirty details of the crimes, and to me, those details MUST be included if a true-crime book has any chance to be really good. After all, there's no where else where you will get those details unless maybe you sat through the trial.

Personally, I do think that Mr. Chase should've been found not guilty because of insanity, and I do think that the law should be changed to take people, especially with schizophrenia, and place them into institutions instead of prison. After all, almost no psychiatrist would say that schizophrenia is not a serious mental illness. Jeffrey Dahmer also should've been institutionalized, in my opinion. (I know how the law looks at crimes and to me the rules are too stringent to find someone legally insane. It's almost impossible the way the law is currently written for anyone to be found legally insane.)

I'll go with a pretty big recommendation on "A Thirst for Blood: the True Story of California's Vampire Killer" today, especially if you're into true crime and the serial killer subgenre. It's an excellent effort but I just wish that Mr. Biondi were still around so he could write more riveting reads like this. But sadly it's not to be.
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Debra R. Carlson
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written account
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2022
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I love true crime books. This one was very well written and was in order and factual. The writer took the time to investigate all the evidence and conclusions tl in order to write this great book.
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Just gail
3.0 out of 5 stars A gastly review and not for the weak at heart.
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2018
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Oh my gosh. Gory. Sick. An amazing story about a most demented and scary individual who one can say is an actual vampire....however the “expert” analysis included makes sense.
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Stephenie Lynn Dove
5.0 out of 5 stars Book review
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2023
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I am very happy with the book the book's condition I will definitely purchase again also thank you for quick delivery. Thank you, Lynn Dove
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Frank Bruno
4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the effort
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2018
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I found this to be a well written, interesting and informative book. In particular the frustrating account of the investigation itself with the puzzling combination of the widely publicized accurate description of the perpetrator appearing to be of little help in his apprehension. Legalities of insanity plea are clearly presented. Mental Health care was available and insufficiently used. Because this is such an uncommon motivation for serial murder it was insufficiently explained in itself. Family influences on the development of Chase's pathology were inadequately explored. So, this is not a perfect work, but it's a darn good one. There are no gross - out crime scene photos but the actions of Mr. Chase were truly horrible, and the authors do a good job of telling us clearly what they were. A solid presentation of the crimes, the investigation, and the trial. The author doesn't state that he changed the names of the victims and their families, which I believe is appropriate in this type of subject matter.
3 people found this helpful
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Sam
5.0 out of 5 stars The only book to read on Richard Chase. Must read for true-crime fans
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2017
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This is the quintessential reading about Richard Chase. As a Sacramento native, I have always been interested in this case. I have read other, independently published works on Chase but they are written without clarity or style. This is written by Ray Biondi, who was a detective on the case and lays out the methodology of both Chase and the Sacramento Police Department who investigated his crimes. If you are a true crime buff, this is a must-read.
4 people found this helpful
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EY Seely
5.0 out of 5 stars A Thirst for Blood
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2018
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Could not put this book down. It was much better than I had expected. I found myself experiencing an array of emotions. Certainly on my list of must read books!
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Top reviews from other countries

TC3
5.0 out of 5 stars Could hardly put the book down.
Reviewed in Canada on April 3, 2018
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Well written and respectfully done considering the heinous crimes perpetuated by the sick and unrelenting dare I say person who committed these unforgivable selfish acts of horror.
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Ms A J Bendall
4.0 out of 5 stars Short but Detsiled
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2019
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Written by Sacramento's Head if Homicide, this book doesn't sensationalise, it's just the facts. Well written and informative about a horrible case.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Service was good
Reviewed in Canada on September 16, 2019
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The book is in good condition.. Although I would have prefered not to see the goodwill price.
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Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Grim, not for the faint of heart, but interesting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2018
Verified Purchase
An interesting look into the case, but it's a dark read with some fairly graphic descriptions. It's because of that that I just couldn't give it four stars, I know ratings should be about the quality of the writing, story etc, but this was a hard book to read.
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Richard
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2018
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Very well written. Horrifying what people will do!
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