The Most Dangerous Animal of All

Searching for My Father…and Finding the Zodiac Killer

By: Gary L. Stewart, Susan Mustafa

Narrated by: Gary L. Stewart

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Soon after his birthmother contacted him for the first time at the age of thirty-nine, adoptee Gary L. Stewart decided to search for his biological father. His quest would lead him to a horrifying truth and force him to reconsider everything he thought he knew about himself and his world.

Written with award-winning author and journalist Susan Mustafa, The Most Dangerous Animal of All tells the story of Stewart’s decade-long hunt. While combing through government records and news reports and tracking down relatives and friends, Stewart turns up a host of clues—including forensic evidence—that conclusively identify his father as the Zodiac Killer, one of the most notorious and elusive serial murderers in history.

For decades, the Zodiac Killer has captivated America’s imagination. His ability to evade capture while taunting authorities made him infamous. The vicious specificity of his crimes terrified Californians before the Manson murders and after, and shocked a culture enamored with the ideals of the dawning Age of Aquarius. To this day, his ciphers have baffled detectives and amateur sleuths, and his identity remains one of the twentieth century’s great unsolved mysteries.

The Most Dangerous Animal of All reveals the name of the Zodiac for the very first time. Mustafa and Stewart construct a chilling psychological profile of Stewart’s father: as a boy with disturbing fixations, a frustrated intellectual with pretensions to high culture, and an inappropriate suitor and then jilted lover unable to process his rage. At last, all the questions that have surrounded the case for almost fifty years are answered in this riveting narrative. The result is a singular work of true crime at its finest—a compelling, unbelievable true story told with the pacing of a page-turning novel—as well as a sensational and powerful memoir.

©2014 Gary L. Stewart and Susan Mustafa (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

The Final Part Will Leave You Speechless

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Most Dangerous Animal of All?

Hearing Author Gary L. Stewart's voice breaking as he fought back tears in a few sections of his memoir.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Read a little smoother.

Did The Most Dangerous Animal of All inspire you to do anything?

Buy my dad a decent Father's Day gift

Any additional comments?

I think the Zodiac killings are fascinating and was exciting to download the newest in the serial killers' saga. I found myself disenchanted with this book until the final part. If you are a fan of true crime and/or the Zodiac killer, stick it out until the final pages of the book and you won't be disappointed.

Interesting, but not what I expected

I enjoyed this book at first, but is seemed to drag on forever before it ended. I am sure it is because they wanted to get all of the facts about the killer in the story. I gave it 4 stars.

Engrossing! I Couldn't Stop Listening.

A moving, engrossing memoir, read by the author in a simple, heartfelt manner. I highly recommend this book.

narrator takes a little getting used to.

Sounds like he's reading a children's book to an 8 year old. Still a good book though.

Cool story

Im not really sure if i believe that his dad is really the zodiac killer but it was a cool and compelling story.

Tough Story

This was a really tough story to listen to. It is the story of a local man who, in looking for his birth parents, finds that his birth father is a serial killer. He wrote and narrated the book himself and did an excellent job. Lots of research and documentation went into creating a deep but troubling story.

Interesting Book!

This book recounts the life of a man who was taken, then abandoned by his father while still a young infant. His birth mother finds him when he's in his thirties and this leads him to learn about his father who, Zodiac Killer or not, was a sadistic sociopath who married his mother when she was 14 and then abandoned her and every subsequent wife and family he acquired after that.

Great Addition to the Zodiac Story

I loved this memoir. It seemed to fly by. I know some people do not like it because they do not believe it is true, but for someone going in with an open mind, it's amazing! Highly recommend!

Zodiac? Probably not...

Fascinating story, well-read by author with too many details. Theory stitched together with circumstantial evidence.

Great Story, Not Really Believeable

This story is very well written and narrated but I'm not sure I can buy what he's selling.