Magnetized

An InsideHook Top 10 Book of the Year

“Haunting and unsettling, Magnetized is a narrative that reminds us how little we know about the inner workings of serial killers.”
—NPR, One of the Best Books of the Year

“A chilling look inside a disordered mind.”
—People

“A chilling but fascinating portrait, and a must-read for true crime fans.”
—Buzzfeed

“Unsettling, penetrating … This is a book that will subtly haunt its readers.”
—CrimeReads

“In Magnetized, Argentine writer Carlos Busqued tosses aside … conventions to write a vivid, consuming and unnerving account of the case of Ricardo Luis Melogno, who murdered four taxi drivers in Buenos Aires in the space of a week in 1982 … In Busqued’s writing and Samuel Rutter’s outstanding translation, Melogno speaks with a clarity that makes it easy to forget he’s speaking about himself.”
—Michael Stein, B O D Y

“Serial killers will never not be compelling, but we risk much when we seek in them entertainment and diversion, without considering what the darkness means, or where it comes from. In Magnetized, Carlos Busqued seeks after some of that meaning in his conversations with Argentine serial killer Ricardo Melogno, who was convicted for the 1982 murders of four Buenos Aires taxi drivers, each one committed with cold precision. Busqued bolsters his conversations with forensic reports and newspaper stories, revealing a life lost before it has really begun, and the tragedy it visits upon the world.”
—Jonny Diamond, Literary Hub

“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 … Artfully rendered … 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.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Magnetized is a piercing and merciless book: at its center is the voice of Ricardo Melogno, a man imprisoned for murdering taxi drivers. But there is more to his words than the horror of crime: traces of a prison system incapable of dealing with mental illness, memories of a haunted childhood, and echoes of daily life in a sinister city. Carlos Busqued listens and records Melogno’s story with a sangfroid as hair-raising as his novel.”
—Mariana Enriquez, author of Things We Lost in the Fire

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.

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