Welcome to Litsy!

Highly recommend Unmasked if you‘re a true crime junkie like I am!

I expected more about his cases.

Interesting book that offers food for thought and breaks some stereotypes about serial killers (notably the one about them being unable to stop). It also shows the real work of the police, the toll this exposure to violence can cause, and unfortunately how bad the judicial system is (petty competition between police forces, the underfunding of the justice system, etc.) It led to an interesting conversation in my book club 📚

#AutumnPlease

Going with the #Mask title that I read last year about the detective who found the Golden State Killer. Talks about the cold cases he investigated as well as their impact on his life.

+6 #Scarathlon points for Team #SpookyGhostClub 👻🖤

This was an interesting read. Its not just about the case but his life as well. It really highlights how all consuming a career like this can be. It's a steady story that comes to an end with the conclusion of the GSK case. It's dark and gory at times but a fascinating read. 4* #Scarathlon #TeamCryptKeepers @LiseWorks

Time for another readathon. #20in4. My goal is twenty chapters as I never manage 20 hours. Hoping to get at least one book finished.
@Andrew65

Here‘s my review for a book I finished reading this afternoon. I read this for my book club that I started on Fable.

My weekend off is all booked 😁 I‘m going the checked out at library route for my Fable books.
With Poe, I‘m only reading “The Fall of the House of Usher” along with What Moves the Dead. These Violent Delights is the book chosen for duology prompt.
⬇️Fable links in the comments⬇️

I started this book. It‘s really good so far.

A solid read if you like true crime, especially the DNA. #MarchMadness

3⭐
Maybe this wasn‘t the best choice as my very first true crime book. If they‘re all sort of similar to this one, I‘m not sure they‘re for me. Although I have a feeling they are not all like this one.

I enjoyed learning about all of the cases that Paul Holes had been apart of. He had such a profound impact on some many cases and he is one in a million when it comes to solving them. I was amazed by how open and honest he was about his own life and mental health issues! I‘m not sure why but this book just didn‘t click for me. There were points that were very easy to read and others that I was dredging through just to finish it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨(3.5/5)

Paul Holes talks about how he got interested in forensics, some memorable cases and how he got in the path of the Original Night Stalker.
He came on the public scene when he helped connect the dots between cases stretching across multiple counties and finally catch the man who became the Golden State Killer.
Finished 7/27/2022

It took me a while to finish but I appreciated Paul Holes account of his cases including the Golden State Killer & his personal account of how his preoccupation in solving cold cases took a toll on his family life & relationships. Having loved I‘ll Be Gone in the Dark, I most enjoyed reading about his working relationship with Michelle McNamara & the other people responsible for bringing the GSK to justice after so many years. Profiling is ⬇️

Holes narration made this feel a bit disjointed but overall I liked it. I appreciated his honest look at how his work affected his personal life and enjoyed the forensic analysis of each case.

#Scarathlon TeamSlaughter

@Clwojick

Finished my 2nd book of the 24-hour readathon. Huge trigger warning on this one. I really like Paul Holes and appreciate his drive (verging on obsessive). However, this book is a bit too graphic with details. Sometimes hard to stomach. @DeweysReadathon #readathon #deweyoct #litsylovereads

Loved it. I appreciate so many things about this. But especially Twitter randos tried to downplay Michelle McNamara‘s role in the arrest of GSK and the way Holes recalls their intersections & what she brought to the table, the credit he gives her was just awesome.
He discusses his home life, &I appreciate that he could have shown himself in a better light but was aware of his flaws.

#scarathlon2022 #31by31 #spookoween #teamslaughter

I‘ll probably finish this today but wanted to give my thoughts so far:
From the other reviews there are some who didn‘t enjoy the personal anecdotes. But I do. I watch a lot of fictional procedurals &think “oh theyd never”, from more common archetypes: choosing work over home life, mental health, work romance to “Paul, why are you at this crime scene, you are the chief of forensics” & using the lab for unsanctioned investigations. Paul would.

I had high hopes for this book, but so far it seems to be more of his personal life and less about the cases he handled.
#currentlyreading.

After reading about Holes in I‘ll Be Gone in the Dark, I had high hopes for this. My library borrow ran out when I was 40% in & I can‘t be bothered to do another hold. It‘s very disjointed with half told anecdotes & I didn‘t care for the tone in which it was told. I don‘t really care about his personal life but if he was going to tell it, he could have done a much better job of it. Very disappointing. #truecrime

🎧 I‘m so far behind in my reviews. 😫 The evil that men do sometimes surprises me.

Then there‘s the men that catch the bad guys and all the lives that are damaged in some way along the way.

This was an engaging read. I find CSI & Criminal Minds fascinating so I was bound to like this. Be careful. True life can be gruesome.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

#ArtfulAugust

Some #TrueCrime (or true crime-ish & labeled as such on GoodReads) books I have read & found compelling.
The tagged book is one of my current reads.

This was a great book! I love a good crime novel, but sometimes, true crime can get a little boring to me. The author injected enough of himself into the book to keep it interesting, while also going over all of the facts of his cold cases.
⭐️: 4/5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
True crime has always been one of my most intriguing reads and this one did not disappoint...and add in memoir as well just makes for the perfect book! It's so sad to see how these criminals not only effect the life of the victim/families but also the many lives of the detectives, officers, etc.and their families. #truecrime #memoir #celadonbooks

Up next...one of our book club summer picks!

#bookspinbingo

A great companion to Michelle McNamara‘s #truecrime book, I‘ll Be Gone In the Dark, the author describes his experience catching criminals during his career, including The EAR that terrorized California. If you are into #truecrime this book is for you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I‘ll Be Gone in the Dark really messed me up, but this memoir‘s premise had me ready to hear about GSK again. Holes, the detective who unceasingly worked this case for 24 years, details his processes, wrong turns and right, and how the obsession unraveled his personal life. It‘s not only about GSK, but it‘s the crux. He speaks of his close friendship with Michelle McNamara and her hand in keeping the case forefront. Science is cool!

🎧👟 My boys are at run training again so I‘m walking on the greenway. I was busy taking a pic of the pretty creek when I almost stepped on this fellow! 🐍#audiowalk

5🌟/5🌟

The subtitle here is quite accurate: Holes tells about his life, how he came to be a criminalist, his single-minded focus on his work, and how that focus impacted his personal life. I like the mix here, and he includes a variety of types of cases. I enjoyed this, but be aware he does describe some details of victims that some might find hard to handle.

Reading this one while waiting in the school pickup lane. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and enjoying it so far

From the Prologue, I knew this book was going to be different. It had emotion to it, not just a statement of facts. Holes has dedicated his life to those no longer able to speak, and to those left behind. And this is often times in detriment to himself and his family. He‘s honest, and open. He‘s real about the excitement of tracking down a culprit, but he‘s also explicit, in the dark side of chasing evil.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This didn‘t resonate with me on an emotional level the way I‘ll Be Gone in the Dark did, but it was still imminently satisfying. I‘m always enraged by the pissing contests that take place amongst various law enforcement agencies when I read books like this. How much time and effort could be saved if people weren‘t chasing glory instead of perpetrators? And I appreciated how honest he was about what this work did to his own mental health. 👍🏼

I‘m surprised at myself, but I didn‘t absolutely love this. I liked the discussion about the cases but I really had trouble with how highly Holes thinks of himself 😆
I mean he‘s great and all, but I prefer a bit more of a humble approach most of the time. 😬
I‘m all about the true crime and this was a really quick read with lots of insight from a criminologist‘s perspective. A pick, with a side of slight cringe.

For all the true crime junkies out there; this was stellar.

Remarkably Bright Creature ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Lovers ⭐️⭐️💫

Siren Queen ⭐️⭐️

Within These Wicked Walls ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hold On, But Don‘t Hold Still ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mouth to Mouth ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Unmasked: My Life Solving America‘s Cold Cases ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Boys ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Foundling ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Damage Done ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Take Your Breath Away ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Continued in comments

In another time and place I'd love to have Paul's job. His honesty while discussing how he started in his job and the difficulty of separating his personal life from his cases was fascinating to me.

This book is very well written and informative. The cases Paul has worked on are some of the most gruesome of our time. His determination and ability to solve these "unsolvable" cases is amazing.

Those of you who enjoy true crime will love this one.

Poole Boys in the pool with their dad, a High Noon and a book in the shade. The best way to spend Memorial Day weekend. ☀️ 📖 🍍

It‘s a late, lazy Saturday morning, so beside the few chores today (laundry), Paul Holes might be keeping me company. 😆

Lunch at my favorite spot, with a book! 📖 🍰

Busy busy day of gardening, soccer, kids birthday party, and laundry….but snuck in a few minutes of porch reading with the man himself, Paul Holes!
(Beside my peonies!🌸)

Man, the things this guy has seen. Holes shares his experience as a witness to decades of unimaginable tragedy. Dark stuff, but really fascinating to follow his journey from crime lab newbie to gifted and obsessive cold case investigator.

Reading this one right before bed (couldn‘t put it down!) was not a great choice. Did not result in a restful slumber.

By Paul Holes. Subtitle: My Life Solving America‘s Cold Cases. He solved the Golden State Killer case. Really loving it so far. Sitting on my porch with my “reading cat” as my buddy.

Perhaps what made this work so well for me was the memoir aspect. This isn‘t a book about crime written from a neutral outsider, but from the heart of someone who had firsthand experience with each brutal scene. Holes was undeniably affected by these crimes, despite how he learned to cope on the job, and his empathetic nature toward the victims and their loved ones shined through in the narrative.

“Law enforcement is often guilty of placing less of a priority on cases in which the victim‘s death resulted from an illicit activity. But it was simple for me: everyone is someone‘s child. They mattered.”

A look into the capture and unmasking of The Golden State Killer and the unmasking of cold case investigator Paul Holes. This book details Paul's journey with anxiety, PTSD, and panic attacks in the aftermath of facing some of the worst crime scenes in history.

Still amazed I got to see him speak live last month at his book talk. He even signed my copy of this book!

A well-witten story focused on the consequences of reality. 4.5 stars

Enjoyed! A heavy read to me. I got a glimpse at what victims and families of violent crimes go through, (really anyone who has gone through any crime), as well as homicide detectives and CSI's. If you like True Crime, mysteries or even police procedurals, I think you would like this book☺️

Read this book in one sitting, now my eyes sting from staring at the pages. Worth it.