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  • The Killing Game: The True Story of Rodney Alcala (WildBlue Press True Crime)

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Alan R Warren
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The Killing Game: The True Story of Rodney Alcala (WildBlue Press True Crime) Kindle Edition

by Alan R. Warren (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars (91)

The "compelling true story" of "The Dating Game Killer" by the radio host and bestselling author of Drinks, Dinner & Death (Burl Barer, Edgar Award-winning author).
Beginning in 1968 and continuing into the 1970s, a predator stalked California and New York, torturing, raping and murdering young girls and women. But who was the monster behind these tragedies?


Eventually, a suspect emerged, but he didn't look like a monster. Indeed, Rodney Alcala was a handsome, charming photographer who'd once studied film at New York University under director Roman Polanski. With his wit and easy self-confidence and humor, he'd even been selected as the "winner" on the popular television show "The Dating Game." But his real game was much more sinister.
In 2010, Alcala was convicted of murdering five women in California during the 1970s; then in 2013, as he waited on Death Row, he confessed to the murder of two more in New York. Yet, that might not be the end of the nightmare he caused. At his arrest, police found his "portfolio" with thousands of nude and erotic photographs of women and boys, who may also be among his victims. 
In The Killing Game, bestselling true crime author and radio show host, Alan R. Warren reveals the shocking details of Alcala's brutal crimes, as well as the trials and appeals that stretched on for decades and may still not be over.
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  1. Print length
    217 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    WildBlue Press
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    October 2, 2018
  6. File size
    3.0 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alan R Warren is one of the current hosts of the House of Mystery Radio Show that is heard on KKNW 1150 A.M. in Seattle and is syndicated in many markets throughout the U.S. including 106.5 F.M. KCAA Los Angeles, Riverside & Palm Springs and in Utah on KYAH 540 A.M. in Salt Lake City and KFNX 1100 A.M. Phoenix. He has written six best-selling True Crime Books and Articles for True Crime Case Files Magazine and Serial Killer Magazine. Alan achieved his Masters in Music and his minor in Criminology at the University of Washington in 1998. He has gone on to receive his Doctorate in Religious Studies in 2016. He also has his recording and sound engineering certificate from the Award-Winning Bullfrog Studios in Vancouver B.C., Canada

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08DCPXXYR
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ WildBlue Press
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 2, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.0 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 217 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1947290921
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Best Sellers Rank: #816,262 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars (91)

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Alan R Warren

Alan R Warren

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Alan R. Warren is an award-winning, bestselling author and the long-time producer and host of the widely popular NBC radio show House of Mystery. For over 13 years, the program has captivated audiences on stations such as KCAA 106.5 F.M. Los Angeles, 102.3 F.M. Riverside, 1050 A.M. Palm Springs, and KKNW 1150 A.M. Seattle/Tacoma, while also being syndicated across the United States.

Warren has authored 34 nonfiction books, specializing in true crime, cults, human trafficking, history, and memoirs, published by notable houses like RJ Parker/Vronksy Publishing (Canada) and WildBlue Press (USA). His work has garnered widespread acclaim, with several titles achieving bestseller status.

In Canada, his standout works include Beyond Suspicion: The True Story of Colonel Russell Williams, featured on CNN’s Lies, Crimes & Videos (Season 4, 2022), and Murder Times Six: The True Story of the Wells Gray Park Murders. In the U.S., his bestselling The Killing Game: Serial Killer Rodney Alcala has been spotlighted on shows such as HLN’s Very Scary People with Donnie Wahlberg, Oxygen Network’s Mark of a Killer, and Reelz Channel’s Killer Trophies. The book also inspired the Prime Video three-part documentary Dating Death and contributed to the Netflix movie Woman of the Hour.

His book Doomsday Cults: The Devil's Hostages was featured in Vice’s Dark Side of the ’90s (Episode 7), further solidifying his reputation as a preeminent true crime author.

Warren’s Killer Queens series explores high-profile murders impacting the LGBTQ+ community, with titles such as Leopold & Loeb, Butcher of Hanover: Fritz Haarmann, Grindr Serial Killer Stephen Port, and Bruce McArthur: Toronto Gay Killer.

His latest endeavor, the five-book series Murderous Minds: Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, offers an in-depth examination of serial killers across the globe, covering regions like the Soviet Union, France, Britain, Australia, and Germany.

Alan R. Warren’s ability to bring riveting, fact-based narratives to life has made him a trusted voice in the true crime genre, both in print and on the airwaves.

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
91 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

  • Linda Lou
    5.0 out of 5 stars I like true crime
    Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This story is beyond words. How can a person be so evil. I had seen a documentary about this case but had no idea....
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Valerity
    4.0 out of 5 stars Sick serial killer
    Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2019
    Having read quite a bit about Rodney Alcala, I was eager to read this book on him. I consider him to be quite an evil piece of work yet a fascinating subject to read about. I was hoping to see if there was any news of current court doings, etc. Rodney’s first known victim was only 8 years old and it happened in 1968, coincidentally I happened to be 8 years old that year too, so it chills me thoroughly. He saw her walking to school from the Chateau Marmont and talked her into getting into his car for a ride. Tali Shapiro never made it that day. But a good Samaritan was watching, thankfully and thought it looked suspicious and followed them. He saw where Alcala took Tali and went to a pay phone and called the police. By the time an officer knocked, Alcala yelled through the door that he was in the shower. The officer yelled back that he had ten seconds to open up as Alcala fled out the back. Finally, the cop kicked the door in and searched the place, horrified at what he found in the kitchen. Tali was brutalized but shocked everyone when she began breathing and survived.

    The next victim was Julie Johnson, 13. On October 13, 1975, Julie was waiting for her school bus when Alcala offered her a ride to school. She eventually agreed and got in his car with him. When she realized he’d passed her school, she got upset. He took her to the cliffs at Huntington Beach and forced her to smoke weed with him. They were caught by a ranger and Alcala was arrested, both were taken in for questioning. Alcala knew he was in trouble, having just gotten out of prison for what he did to the 8-year-old, (the parole board let him go after only 34 months, mind you!) he was sent first back to jail, then prison. After this victim, he learned in prison to not let the victims survive to testify which would have catastrophic results in years to come.

    After this, the bodies were dropping like crazy and the total number isn’t known for sure. When he first got out of prison he got permission to go to New York state and he lived there for a while and is known to have killed few females there and in New Hampshire. He later returned to California again and returned to his old habits there and was eventually caught. He was repeatedly tried for the killing of one girl, Robin Samsoe age 12 on June 13, 1979, that got overturned twice. By the third trial, DNA had tied him to a total of 4 other new murder cases too, and they wanted to try them all with the Robin Samsoe case. By then, Alcala had done enough of his own legal work and motions that he filed to ask that he be allowed to represent himself in the case. After being denied a couple of times, they finally approved him. It was becoming big news, as it was again a death penalty case too. His two early victims both testified, now grown and yet still traumatized by it many years later. When the guilty verdict was read in the courtroom in 2010 the crowd roared, Alcala was silent. He was given the death penalty.

    Following that conviction, Huntington Beach PD released more than 100+ pictures taken by Alcala that had been found in his rental locker in Seattle, WA and posted them online asking for the public’s help in identifying them, in the hopes of ruling out any further victims of his. There was already four known of in New York. Alcala was indicted by a Manhattan Grand jury in January 2011 for the murders of Cornelia Crilley, the TWA flight attendant, and Ellen Hover, the Ciro’s heiress, in 1971 and 1977, respectively. He eventually pleaded guilty in those cases and was given an additional 25 years to life, as the death penalty hasn’t been an option in New York since 2007.

    In September 2016, Alcala was charged with the murder of 28-year-old Christine Ruth Thornton, who disappeared in 1977. A relative of hers recognized her in one of the 100 pictures in 2013 posted of Alcala’s by the Huntington Beach PD and NYPD. Her body was found in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, in 1982 but was not identified until 2015 when DNA supplied by Thornton’s relatives matched tissue samples from her remains. Alcala admitted taking the photo, but not to killing the woman, who was approximately six months pregnant at the time of her death. Thornton is the first alleged murder victim linked to the Alcala photos made public in 2010. The 73-year-old Alcala was reportedly “too ill” to make the journey from California to Wyoming to stand trial on the new charges. He remains in California State Prison – Corcoran, pending further appeals of his death sentences. It is unknown how many women and girls he killed altogether.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Serial killer Rodney Alcala
    Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I bought this book because I got curious after watching the movie Woman of the Hour about Alcala being on The Dating Game. It is really sad that Rodney Alcala's true number of victims will never be known. I like that some chapters were written about the victims' lives and unfortunately, their demise.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Dawn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting reading
    Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2025
    Format: Kindle
    This is a great read. It's gory, but written in a professional way so the reader gets the point. I plan to read more true crime by this author. This is why I love Kindle so much.
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  • Ceállaigh
    5.0 out of 5 stars I learned even more about Alcala
    Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2019
    Alan did a great job focusing on the victims while still thoroughly telling Alcala's story. It can be a hard one to follow, since Alcala was able to be active for so long and bounced around in location, but Alan puts everything together and includes details I hadn't previously known, despite hearing about Alcala many times on true crime podcasts. I appreciate what Alan did for the victims, and I'm sure I will be reading more of his books in the future!
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Jessa Kahler
    4.0 out of 5 stars Sooo good
    Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2019
    Once I picked this up, couldn't put it down!
    One person found this helpful
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  • HHH
    5.0 out of 5 stars Now I know the whole story
    Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2019
    I thought I knew about this serial killer. Turns out I only knew part of the story. I was unaware of his youngest victims and of how the system kept putting him back on the street!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Audrey
    3.0 out of 5 stars Unimaginable.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2022
    Format: Kindle
    3.5 - To the point, albeit, repetitive. I think I might have heard of Rodney Alcala in passing but realizing he’d made it onto The Dating Game in the middle of his crime spree was what got me to pick up the book. My heart goes out to his victims and their families.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Brittany Messer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, hard to put The Killing Game down!
    Reviewed in Canada on April 3, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Just finished another one of Alan R Warrens books.. officially my favorite author!

    Very intense story, and an even better read!
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  • David
    5.0 out of 5 stars Price
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Brilliant read
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