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Summary
Summary
NPR, One of the Best Books of the Year
A "chilling but fascinating portrait"of a serial killer, and"a must-read for true crime fans" who enjoyed My Dark Places , The Stranger Beside Me , or I'll Be Gone In the Dark ( Buzzfeed )
One of Argentina's most innovative writers brings to life the story of a teenager who murdered 4 taxi drivers in 1982 Buenos Aires-without any apparent motive.
Over the course of one ghastly week in September 1982, the bodies of 4 taxi drivers were found in Buenos Aires, each murder carried out with the same cold precision. The assailant- a 19-year-old boy, odd and taciturn, who gave the impression of being completely sane. But the crimes themselves were not- 4 murders, as exact as they were senseless.
More than 30 years later, Argentine author Carlos Busqued began visiting Ricardo Melogno, the serial killer, in prison. Their conversations return to the nebulous era of the crimes and a story full of missing pieces. The result is a book at once hypnotic and unnerving, constructed from forensic documents, newspaper clippings, and interviews with Melogno himself. Without imposing judgment, Busqued allows for the killer to describe his way of retreating from the world and to explain his crimes as best he can. In his own words, Melogno recalls a visit from Pope Francis, grim depictions of daily life in prison, and childhood remembrances of an unloving mother who drove her son to Brazil to study witchcraft. As these conversations progress, the focus slowly shifts from the crimes themselves, to Melogno's mistreatment and misdiagnosis while in prison, to his current fate- incarcerated in perpetuity despite having served his full sentence.
Using these personal interviews, alongside forensic documents and newspaper clippings, Busqued crafted Magnetized , a captivating story about one man's crimes, and a meditation on how one chooses to inhabit the world, or to become absent from it.
Author Notes
Carlos Busqued was born in Presidencia Roque Saenz Pena, Chaco, Argentina, in 1970 and lives in Buenos Aires. His first novel, Under This Terrible Sun , was a finalist for the 2008 Herralde Prize and later adapted for film ( El Otro Hermano , Adrian Caetano, 2017). Magnetized is his second book.
Samuel Rutter is a writer and translator from Melbourne, Australia. His work has appeared in Harper's Magazine , The Paris Review , and McSweeney's , and he is a regular contributor to T, the New York Times style magazine. He lives in Brooklyn.
Reviews (3)
Kirkus Review
In his second book, Busqued unnerves and entertains readers with this forensic tale synthesized from more than 90 hours of dialogue with a serial killer. The author's interviews with Ricardo Melogno detail not only his crimes, which took place during one week in 1982, but also his motivations--or lack thereof--and the killer's fascinating, disturbing psyche. When asked by the narrator, Melogno readily admitted to shooting four taxi drivers at point-blank range. However, when pressed about why he did it, he was unable to offer a satisfying answer. According to the court investigator who arrested Melogno, he waited until "something indicated 'that one' to him. He could sense it, but he didn't know how or why. He couldn't say why he killed them, or how he chose them." From there, readers embark on a dark journey into Melogno's childhood, when he was largely neglected but occasionally accompanied his abusive mother to spiritual and healing ceremonies. "My mother used religion as a weapon: she beat the living daylights out of me, but she'd say it wasn't her who was beating me, it was God punishing me through her." Due to his upbringing, Melogno developed superstitions and beliefs in certain dark arts: "In all those places my mother took me…well, everyone said that I had this strong ability for channeling that I had inherited from her." Due to his presence and his behavior, described by some as an "evil streak," many inmates and guards feared him, a situation Melogno describes with particular intensity. Though this book is short, it packs a hard punch, from the first page--Busqued's first comment to Melogno: "I was told that someone saw you levitate"--through the artfully rendered interview process with criminal, arresting officers, and psychiatrist. The narrative is perfect for anyone fascinated by the criminal mind, the distinctions between mental illness and possession, or the concept of predestined evil. A truly visceral read that will not let readers look away. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In Argentina, 1982, four Taxi drivers are murdered and two injured in a week's time. The victims all suffer .22 caliber bullet wounds. The alleged gunman is 20-year-old Ricardo Luis Melogno. Turned in by family, Melogno acquiesced quietly when apprehended. Seeking answers to the mysteries surrounding these senseless shootings, Argentine author Busqued interviewed Melogno decades later. Their conversations, interspersed with details of psychiatric evaluations performed on Melogno, and interviews with doctors who examined him over the decades since his crime spree, comprise this book. Melogno assumes his own narrative as he details an abusive early childhood, a fantasy world he sought shelter in, and emotions he experienced before and after his homicidal actions. Melogno's life in prison in the wake of sentencing provides compelling stories about the brutality he witnessed along with coping mechanisms necessary to insure survival. This is a true-crime book that pulls no punches in covering a killer, but doesn't skimp on humanity, either. A solid effort not to be missed.
Library Journal Review
Over one week in 1982, 19-year-old Ricardo Melogno killed four cab drivers on the streets of Buenos Aires. After shooting his victims while they were in the driver's seat, Melogno smoked cigarettes in the backseat until he was sure they were dead, then walked to dinner. Busqued (Under This Terrible Sun) condenses 90 hours of interviews with Melogno into a coherent dialogue. Melogno, no criminal mastermind, details his childhood, his crimes, his incarceration in prison and institutionalization in a psychiatric hospital, his struggles with reality, and his experiences with prison-based religion. It's a fascinating profile, with details of young Ricardo embracing Santeria to escape his abusive mother's spiritualism. His murders were truly as senseless as they seemed; Melogno acted on a compulsion he's unable to articulate. Diagnosed with a variety of mental illnesses, he bounced around the Argentinian penal system, where he remains even though his sentence has been served in full (because of his mental illness, he is considered too dangerous to release). Busqued provides additional context with newspaper clippings and an interview with Melogno's former psychiatrist. VERDICT Not as lurid as the title suggests, this is a chilling look at a prison system unable to meet the needs of mentally ill inmates.--Terry Bosky, Madison, WI
