I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Although this book is full of Zodiac knowledge that those with in depth knowledge will likely know, those who are just getting into the case or only listen to a few podcasters will likely learn a thing or 2. The research and thus facts provided are extremely detailed right down to the type, placement and orientation of stamps and colour of pen used. I appreciated that there were detailed backgrounds and life stories provided for the victims as some true crime channels can get so tunnel visioned on the mystery or killer that they almost footnote the victims in their own deaths. Butterfield doesn’t try to force any particular narrative or suspect but provides them all and allows the reader to come to their own conclusion. Gordon was a great choice for the audiobook version as while he isn’t overly dramatic or putting emphasis on bits he also isn’t overly monotonous which can sometimes come across as disrespectful in other true crime providers. Finally, I absolutely loved that the last words (before sources) are the victims names to make sure that they are the main thing we take away when we close the book for the final time.

More than fifty years after the Zodiac Killer vanished, his shadow still looms large. In The Zodiac Killer, Michael Butterfield brings a steady, research-driven lens to one of the most infamous unsolved cases in American history. Rather than chasing headlines or feeding conspiracy theories, he lays out the known facts, debunks the fiction, and walks readers through the timeline with clarity and control.

Butterfield’s decades of research are evident. He’s not here to stir the pot, he’s here to sort through it. The result is a thoughtful and accessible overview, especially well-suited for newcomers to the case. The book gives structure to the chaos: the murders, the taunting letters, the codes, the suspects, and the endless media circus that surrounds the Zodiac mystery for decades.

Mack Gordon’s narration is another strong point. It’s even, clear, and never tries to oversell the material. He lets the story speak for itself, which, given the weight of the subject, is the right choice.

That said, as someone already familiar with the Zodiac case, I didn’t come away with any new insights. There’s no breaking news or newly uncovered evidence here. It’s a solid retelling, not a game-changer.

Overall, I’d give it 3.5 stars. It’s well-crafted and informative, especially for those new to the topic, but for seasoned faithful crime readers, it might feel more like a refresher than a revelation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Arcturus Digital Audio for providing an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to this early. Review has been posted on Waterstones and Goodreads.

This was a good listen but nothing new from all the other zodiac documentaries

If you’re after a straightforward breakdown of the Zodiac case, this audiobook covers the basics well. It’s clear, factual, and sticks closely to the timeline of events without adding much flair or speculation. For anyone new to the case, it’s a decent intro, but for those already familiar with the story, it doesn’t offer much that’s new or surprising. The delivery is pretty dry overall, so it’s not the most gripping listen—but the narrator does a decent job keeping things steady and easy to follow. It’s not a bad audiobook, just not particularly exciting. If you want something simple and to-the-point, this works—but don’t expect a dramatic deep dive or anything too fresh.

I find the Zodiac killer a fascinating subject due to the fact that he wasn't caught, but also the unusual element involved of the cryptograms/ciphers the killer sent.

However these elements do make an audiobook difficult - firstly there's a frustrating lack of conclusion given the culprit wasn't caught, and secondly, the ciphers are hard to detail on an audiobook.

I think a book could therefore concentrate more on the victims than this one does, which could have given a new angle and avoided those issues.

However, overall this was still well-researched and interesting.

Thank you to Arcturus Digital Audio, the author and NetGalley for an ALC in return for an honest review

Even if you're not a true crime aficionado* you have probably heard of The Zodiac Killer - the infamous, as-of-yet unidentified, serial killer who terrorized California in the 1960s/70s. I would go as far to say that he is as ingrained in our collective memories as much as the elusive Jack The Ripper.

Michael Butterfield delivers an in depth detailed chronological and comprehensive account of the killer and his crimes and gives a critical analysis of the various theories surrounding his identity. For both newcomers to the case and seasoned Zodiac enthusiasts, this book delivers clarity, credibility, and comprehensive storytelling. Michael Butterfield avoids the wild speculation that is common in other books on this subject and doesn't sensationalize to draw in readers.

The book brings the reader right up to date with the case. Including how the so called Z340 cipher, which had remained a mystery for 51 years, was finally cracked in December 2020 by a team of 3 amateur codebreakers -David Oranchak (An American Software developer), Sam Blake (an Australian Applied mathematician) and Jarl Van Eycke (A Belgian Programmer and codebreaking enthusiast).

Narration
Mack Gordon delivers a clear and engaging narration suited to the true crime genre.

*I have more than a passing interest in the true crime genre but I am by no means an aficionado.

#TheZodiacKiller #TrueCrime

I love this story and I was really curious to know more details. But the audiobook is all in the same tone and that makes it a bit boring to listen to...
I wasn't a fan of the voice timbre.

Narrated by Mack Gordon
Presented by Arcturus Digital Audio

This is a case that really fascinates me, but unfortunately this audiobook didn't totally capture my undivided attention.

I won't go over the details of the case too much - Zodiac was the name given to a serial killer who sent cryptic codes to newspapers after his murders. The killer has never been found.

This book begins with a detailed look at what happened with each murder - who, where, when, how - and states facts plainly with no frills.

It then goes into more information on the ciphers, suspects, victims, theories and even pop culture references.

I did find the information felt rather stale, and not particularly in depth. There's a lot of info to take in but it feels mostly superfluous, especially when we come to theories and suspects. Some of it felt unnecessary, or even irrelevant at times.

I think the audio perhaps isn't the best format for this one, since the ciphers were such a crucial part of the case and not being able to look at them or the code-breaking processes described made it harder to follow. The narrator also delivered his lines poorly, with pauses in strange places and emphasis where it perhaps wasn't necessary. His voice was fine for the book but the cadence was off so I found it a little frustrating at times.

It also felt like there was just no real empathy here - it's more about the killer and who he was and so fails to show any worthy amount of compassion to add a much needed human feel to it.

There's a decent amount of information here for people who are new to the case and want a more thorough account, but there's nothing new for those of us wanting more. It was interesting enough but there are perhaps other sources that do the case more justice.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

A very informative book, but listening to the audiobook version it was really hard to follow and at point became quite monotonous .

A good overview of the Zodiac Killer case for the uninitiated. Butterfield gives us a grounded, fact-led narrative of the murders, their investigation and aftermath. His account is wonderfully free of the pet theories that sit at the heart of many true crime books - although, later in the book, he gives an overview of some of the unlikely suspects put forwards over the years.

There's no sense of sensationalism - except, perhaps, that which is inherent to writing a book about a criminal case - but a clear demonstration of why this killer continues to fascinate. The Zodiac continues to preoccupy those interested in such cases not because of his crimes (terrible though they were, his confirmed attacks are a fraction of many less well known killers), but because of his manner; his deliberate attempt to create an aura, a panic and a mystique. Butterfield also gives time to the many films and novels inspired by the attacks and there's a sense there that such works need to increase the scale of his crimes to match the impact they had.

We cannot know who the Zodiac Killer is or was - as Butterfield points out, he's likely long dead - but the reader might, through this account, gain some small sense of why he did what he did.

The zodiac killer has been immortalised in film and print for decades, with mystery surrounding the culprit. I had imagined this would read like a podcast, I’m a great fan of crime podcasts but I found the jumping around if the time line confusing and sometimes felt a bit like a data dump bye writer clearly knows his subject matter but I think it needs a little refining. Sorry this one wasn’t for me.

Really well written and informative book about the well known serial killer. I already knew a lot about this but this fleshed out my knowledge quite a bit...

I liked the narrator and I really enjoyed the way the book was set out it made it easy to follow 💜

An informative book that has good narration and provides a clear account of the evidence of an unsolved case.

I vaguely have some recollection of this in my head however on listening to this audiobook it all seems very new as if I’ve never heard of this before so I’m really unsure 🫤

It is full of information and definitely a good source to begin with if your reading comprehension is on crime / serial killers etc. Due to my own lack of understanding I therefore can’t really comment much on anything said within other than there was a lot of information given not only on the zodiac killer but also this speaks of coding, media, how the public reacted and other known global serial killers throughout the decades.

I think to really absorb all that is offered in this it is one that needs to be digested over time, in pieces or re-read if your not able to digest a lot of detail at one time. This is a credit to the author in that in the short time no time is wasted it is jam packed full of details of various names, dates, places etc!

The narration was done well and easy to listen to it felt particularly fitting for the style of writing as if listening to a documentary type of programme!

With thanks to NetGalley & Arcturus Digital Audio for this ELC in return for an honest review 🎧📚❤️

This is one of those true crime killers that still haunts the public imagination. The audio was high quality and engaging. All murders etc and suspects were told in depth and it was engaging. There are so many books out there already and while this was well researched it added nothing to the narrative of the crimes, there is too much out there already this lacks a unique usp to stand out from the various other which saturate the market. This is a one book tells it all so would appeal to anyone who has not read anything on the subject or wants to avoid reading,. It needs to be marketed in this way as to a true crime reader its too like everything else. This was a quick listen and was good for it all to be under the same book, i would recommend this to anyonr who is into true crime and has not read a lot on this subject. Thank you netgallery, publisher, narrator and author.

The Zodiac Killer is a chilling deep dive into one of the most puzzling unsolved cases in history. It’s gripping, disturbing, and full of eerie twists. Perfect for true crime fans who love a mystery that still haunts investigators today. but was a little drawn out for me with the author talking about himself alot.

The Zodiac Killer by Michael Butterfield is a meticulous account of the crimes of the elusive Zodiac Killer. I found this book to be thoroughly researched and I truly appreciated the depth of detail Butterfield went into. Often true crime non-fiction authors find it hard to not bias their work with their own opinions on cases, especially when they are unsolved. Whereas Butterfield remained unbiased and shared various theories and suspects, whilst intelligently debunking some theories and previous author’s retelling of this prolific case.

However, I found the timeline of this book confusing as it often jumped back and forth. It tended to be repetive in some details, to the point I was confused on whether I had heard certain phrases from another true crime retelling of this case or if it was from an earlier chapter.

Overall, it was very informative, detailed and respectful to the victims.

This book encouraged me to look into this case, as I did not know much about it. The work seems well-documented, providing some more complex details compared to other sources. While it can serve as an introduction to the topic, I feel like it is therefore more suitable as additional reading.

On the other hand, despite listening to this and hoping that it will feel like a podcast, it did not manage to be that engaging. Maybe the written version, containing also visual details, would be more approachable from this point of view. Some details felt quite technical and it felt like some of the more basic information about the case was not really discussed much. The book also does not preserve any timeline, jumping back and forth, repeating some things and hence making it hard to keep track of everything.

True crime is definitely an interesting genre
This was a well written interesting with lots of research gone into it
I listened to this in nearly one sitting

Thanks to Arcturus Digital Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC

As a true crime lover who always throws a podcast or audiobook while I work this was perfect for my work day. It held my attention the entire time. The research and writing are so well done. Definitely something I can listen to again!