• Richard Cottingham

  • The True Story of the Torso Killer
  • By: Jack Rosewood
  • Narrated by: Gaius M. Thynne
  • Length: 2 hrs and 34 mins
  • 3.6 out of 5 stars (45 ratings)

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Richard Cottingham  By  cover art

Richard Cottingham

By: Jack Rosewood
Narrated by: Gaius M. Thynne
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Publisher's summary

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.

©2016 Wiq Media (P)2016 Wiq Media

What listeners say about Richard Cottingham

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good True Crime Thriller

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it gives us insight into a deranged mind that will leave one in suspense.

Any additional comments?

"This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting!

Very interesting story, had not heard of him before. Narrator was very annoying. Will not buy a book with same narrator again.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Torso Killer

Any additional comments?

This is a very good book for a true crime book. The narrator was hard to listen to at times, but the story kept me listening.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exquisite !! Meticulously Researched!!

I just loved this book. Recommend it? Oh, you bet I recommend this! And you'll hear about my thoughts on all the other books in this series as I have purchased them all on Amazon and on Audible and plan to jump right into the next Jack Rosewood land!

What a GREAT book and EXCELLENT reading experience! YAY!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Very Interesting Read!

Any additional comments?

As a fan of the ‘True Crime’ genre, I enjoyed this account of Richard Cottingham and his most-awful crimes. The story is relatively short in comparison to others within the genre, however, I was quite satisfied with the amount of detail and insight provided. Though I very much enjoyed the content of the book, I would have to agree with other reviewers that expressed constructive feedback regarding the narration. I am wondering if we are perhaps spoiled by the many books within this genre narrated by Kevin Pierce or Scott Brick, regardless – the narrator did come across as a bit robotic and if it weren’t for the extremely interesting content written by Mr. Rosewood, it would be difficult to hold my attention at times throughout the book. That said – it’s most definitely worth a listen!

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audio-book by the author, narrator, or publisher.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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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