"I feel it in my bones, you ache to know my name, and so I'll clue you in..."

By Fire - By Gun - By Knife - By Rope

Many of you know that I'm a pretty big fan of the Zodiac killer and his work in the Bay Area.

I've been to every one of the confirmed murder sites...each one at the appropriate time of day for maximum immersion.

It's not because I'm callous or some kind of misanthrope.

(I am, in fact, both of those things)

But because I am a fan of mystery. And the world is losing its secrets at an alarming rate.

Every day I wake up, it feels like some part of the unknown is explained and neatly filed away on a shelf somewhere, never to be puzzled over again.

Golden State Killer? ...Got'em, and he's a geriatric drooler.

Somerton Man? ...Just some dude.

Next thing you know, Bigfoot will have an Onlyfans page, and I'll have a gun in my mouth.

So yes, I'll take sad families and frustrated law enforcement for $500, Alex.

It's worth it.

Zodiac itself is probably the best portrayal of the subject matter ever to grace the silver screen.

Sure, I disagree with Graysmith's theory, and I think he's an awful boob, but damn if the facts of the case aren't laid out perfectly here.

In its considerable runtime, Zodiac pretty much covers almost all of the right bases.

If not focused a little too hard on Arthur Leigh Allen.

For those of you who don't know, ALA is the darling suspect for much of the media and Graysmith himself.

He's also the most ruled out suspect according to the evidence...

Besides, murdering teenage 'neckers' wasn't Allen's M.O.

Molesting children was.

No, ALA might have been smart, but he'd have had to have been Keyser fuckin' Söze to mislead every police department from Riverside to Napa...

Personally, I don't think the Zodiac is or was ANY of the named suspects.

Many of them are interesting, but none of them are convincing. So perhaps he's still out there somewhere...

The old dude you see at the coffee shop every day?

Maybe that Walmart greeter that always gives you the side eye?

Shit, maybe he's your grandpa.

Who knows?

...and that's the fun part.

Post Script: Click this link to hear what is possibly the most comprehensive coverage of the Zodiac case.