Antone Charles "Tony" Costa was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1944. Costa was convicted of killing two women (Patricia Walsh and Mary Anne Wysocki), but it is believed he killed more (Sydney Monson, Susan Perry, Christine Gallant). He worked odd jobs and his last residence was in a boarding house/bed and breakfast type deal. This is where he came into contact with two of his victims. He thought of himself as a very kind and virtuous person, and his alter ego/voice in his head was the real killer. He detailed the murders in a novel he was attempting to write, so that helped to tell on himself. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders.

I think it is absolutely ridiculous that girls called this guy "Sire" because he was the leader of some type of counter-culture movement. In actuality, he was a drug dealer, selling LSD and marijuana. People find themselves attracted to all types, which is why they are involved in cults, but that drove me up the wall. Sire. (Insert eye roll.) I did like that this book included the competition and independent research that Norman Mahler and Kurt Vonnegut did when they planned to write about this drug fueled, anti establishment culture. I also thought the connection that Vonnegut had with Costa was scary- Vonnegut's daughter had actually met Costa. Liza Rodman also has a book out that I read not long ago. Costa used to babysit her and her sibling when he worked as a handyman for a motel. You never know who people are behind closed doors, and people just trusted anyone with their kids. It's a scary thing to think about. Anyway, the book was really interesting and I learned more facts in this one about the crimes than I did in Liza's book. Both books were great, and I suggest reading a both of them if you are interested in Costa and his crimes. (Also, check out other books by Casey Sherman. He did great work on The Finest Hours and Boston Strong.)