I remember with vivid clarity the day that Giovanni Maria “Gianni” Versace (1946-1997) was shot and killed in front of his home in Miami, Florida.  My friends and I were in shock and in the wake of the shooting, we kept hearing the name Andrew Cunanan (1969-1997).  None of it made sense but from the news we did learn, Cunanan was a one man crime spree and through fate, he crossed paths with the world-famous fashion designer.  Twenty-one years have passed since Versace’s death but the fashion line that bears his name continues to remain strong.  Several days after Versace was shot and killed, Cunanan took his own life aboard a houseboat that was eventually seized by the City of Miami.  In the days after his death,  more information about his erratic and deadly lifestyle came to light and also revealed how law enforcement missed vital clues contributing to what Maureen Orth calls the largest failed manhunt in U.S. history.   By all accounts, Cunanan should have been caught long before he walked up to Versace on July 15, 1997.  However, miscommunication and in some cases prejudice against homosexuals, resulted in investigations crippled from neglect, allowing Cunanan to remain at large before committing his final murderous act.  The world now new the name Andrew Cunanan and it would never be forgotten.  But just who was Andrew Cunanan and how did he make the FBI’s Most Wanted List?  The list is reserved for the most dangerous of criminals and typically a suspect such as Cunanan would not normally be found on the list. His use of extremedly deadly force rightfully earned him a place among the most deadly killers on the run in America at the time.  Maureen Orth, a journalist for Vanity Fair, covered Versace’s murder and was familiar with Cunanan before the final events in Miami.  In this chilling account of Cunanan’s path of rage, she recounts his life helping us understand how and why he descended into madness.

Orth takes us back in time to the Cunanan home were Modesto “Pete” Cunanan (1930-2005) and his wife Mary Ann (1938-2012) raise their several children.  Andrew quickly becomes his dad’s favorite, but even his charm would not be enough to keep the family together as his father fled to his native Philippines in 1989.  The event would have a profound effect on the young child and unbeknownst to many, the seeds of chaos had already been planted. What is evidently clear in the book is that from an early age Cunanan displayed many of the characteristics that would be shown in adulthood and vividly remembered by those he encountered.   And as he makes his way to manhood, he becomes more immersed in his homosexuality and it is at this point in the book picks up speed and Orth takes us deep inside the world of gay men.  I should point out that Cunanan was not a “gay killer”.  While he did commit murder, it was not based off of his orientation nor were his victims targeted because of their orientation.   And I also believe that readers uncomfortable with homosexual subject matter should avoid the book altogether.  But for those who have been fascinated by the Versace murder and Cunanan’s story, it is necessary to understand this world to understand Cunanan.  Further, the misunderstanding of this world is one of the factors behind the failure of authorities to capture Cunanan earlier in their investigations.

If Bret Easton Ellis had not written American Psycho in 1991, he could have easily used Cunanan as the model for the book’s central character Patrick Bateman, but with a few minor tweaks.  Every killer has that one moment where something snaps and they begin their rampage.  Cunanan was no different and once he began his murder spree that would spread across several states,  he left a trial of violence that will undoubtedly shock many readers.  At times the book may seem like a Hollywood production but this is not fiction, the events were real and the aftermath devastating.   Selfishly, Cunanan chose suicide instead of standing trial for his crimes.   He did not leave behind any journals or notes explaining his motives.  In fact, it seems that his own goal was to kill.   Orth does an incredible job of taking us through the events as we follow him across the U.S.  From one city to the next,  he adds a new victim leaving law enforcement in the dark as to why and how he was able to keep evading authorities.  Tensions ran high and even the FBI, drawn into the case through cross-state crimes, found itself deeply wanting to apprehend the monster. When Cunanan was found dead, authorities and the public breathed a sigh of relief.  His death would not bring Versace back but it did mark the end to a path of destruction that surpsisingly did not claim many more victims.

If you want to know the story behind the hunt for Cunanan and the crazy yet glamorous lifestyle he lead, then this is the book for you.  It is not a biography of Versace although she does include a good of information on the Versace empire.  This is Cuanan’s story and the deadly path he took as he slowly made his way to the home of the world’s most popular fashion icon.

ASIN: B004478APW