"Just finished Don Stradley's book on Edwin Valero, Berserk. Outstanding. Predictably so because 1) Don is a super writer, and 2) the story is chilling and amazing."

-Steve Farhood, Showtime boxing analyst, and International Boxing Hall of Fame member

"There's no telling what went on during the next few hours, or where his paranoia took him, but in that room something terrible happened. At 5:30 a.m. Valero appeared in the lobby. As calmly as one might order something from room service, he told the staff that he had just killed his wife."

Within the dark pages of Berserk: The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin Valero, author Don Stradley uncovers the gritty details of the undefeated (27-0, 27 KO), troubled, boxer Edwin Valero.

Edwin Valero's life was like a rocket shot into a wall. With a perfect knockout record in twenty-seven fights, the demonic Venezuelan boxer, known as "El Inca" and "El Dinamita," seemed destined for a clash with all-time great Manny Pacquiao. But the Fates had other ideas.

Fueled by cocaine and booze and paranoia, Valero blazed into a mania that derailed his career in the ring and resulted in the brutal death of his young wife Jennifer-and soon afterward, his own. In chilling detail, Don Stradley captures one of the darkest and most sensational boxing stories in recent memory, which, until now, has never been fully told.

Filled with firsthand accounts from the men who trained Valero and the reporters who covered him, as well as insights from psychologists and forensic experts, Berserk is a hell-ride of a book.

Berserk is the first in the Hamilcar Noir series, from Hamilcar Publications. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.

Perfect Gift For Boxing and True Crime Fans!

Berserk, combined with other books in the Hamilcar Noir series, makes a great gift for fans of stories about the darker side of boxing. Books in the Hamilcar Noir series also make for a great gift idea for true crime fans-whether they are a die-hard boxing fan or not, they will devour these quick reads and ask for more!

About the Author
Don Stradley is the author of The War: Hagler-Hearns and Three Rounds for the Ages (Hamilcar Publications), Berserk: The Shocking Life and Death of Edwin Valero (Hamilcar Publications), Slaughter in the Streets: When Boston Became Boxing's Murder Capital (Hamilcar Publications), A Fistful of Murder : The Fights and Crimes of Carlos Monzon (Hamilcar Publications), Schooled, a dual biography of Lebron James and Jim Morris (Scholastic), and a chapter in The Ultimate Book of Boxing Lists by Bert Sugar and Teddy Atlas. Stradley is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in publications, including The Ring, Ringside Seat, and ESPN.com. Along with his boxing coverage, he's written about baseball, NASCAR, and professional wrestling. When not writing about sports, he's written about the movies for such magazines as Cinema Retro and Noir City.

Reviews

"Stradley [has]...a clipped, hard-hitting narrative style that makes no excuses and offers no apologies. Boxing fans interested in this...tragic figure should be captivated. A gritty, absorbing account of a boxer who couldn't defeat his own inner demons."-Kirkus Reviews

"Stradley does well to separate fact from fiction and to dismiss conspiracy theories while recognising the limits of what we can really know about Valero and his relationships. It is a short sharp captivating read and one any boxing fan will find interesting. The punchy style of the book neatly matches Valero's own relentless fighting style."

-All Sports Books Reviews

"Stradley doesn't leave out the action in the ring, but he understands where best to turn his focus in an effort to humanize a man who many now see only as a maniac, a brute, a killer."

-The Fight City

Book Information
ISBN 9781949590142
Author Don Stradley
Format Paperback
Page Count 112
Imprint Hamilcar Publications
Publisher Hamilcar Publications
Weight(grams) 283g
Dimensions(mm) 209mm * 139mm * 6mm