From the Mouth of the Monster

This true crime book in the vein of The Stranger Beside Me follows the relationship between a police officer and one of New York City’s most infamous serial killers.

This is the riveting true story of Joel Rifkin—the Long Islander convicted of savagely murdering seventeen young women—as told by Rifkin to Robert Mladinich. The two met as journalism students in 1979; more than two decades later, the NYPD detective visited Rifkin in prison to examine what both had made of their lives.

In a chilling series of exchanges, Rifkin bared his soul to Mladinich, chronicling his lost years: the missed opportunities, the failed relationships, and the terrible details behind his killings. But Mladinich probed deeper, forcing Rifkin to confront the horrifying nature of his crimes.

Drawn from interviews with Rifkin and his mother, and conversations with acquaintances and professionals who encountered him, From the Mouth of the Monster is a chilling study of the possible evil within us all.