American Ripper

Listening to American Ripper over several commutes, I was struck by how differently it handles the serial killer trope. So many true crime audiobooks rely on lurid storytelling or overdone sound effects, but this one trusts the material—and the narrator—to deliver the dread. James Romick doesn’t overact; his voice carries a subtle undercurrent of tension that makes Schaefer’s calm, written confessions all the more disturbing. There’s a moment about two-thirds in, when Schaefer details a near-miss with capture, and Romick’s pacing slows just enough to make your skin crawl. That kind of restraint is rare. That said, the book occasionally gets bogged down in legal minutiae and police correspondence, which, while important, can disrupt the narrative flow. A bit more editorial pruning could’ve tightened the experience. Still, the depth of research is impressive—Kendrick doesn’t just recount crimes; he dissects how Schaefer manipulated systems designed to protect people. The final hour, detailing the cover-up attempts and suppressed evidence, is some of the most unsettling content I’ve encountered in the genre. If you’re tired of surface-level true crime, this is the audiobook that demands your attention—and earns it.