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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
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!
From McDonald’s to drug analyst. Paul Holes definitely grew in his career. However, his aim was to become a criminalist. It didn’t take him long to decide that he wanted to become a criminal for profiler may have taken him three years, but that’s the goal he had. Meanwhile newly married, his wife Lori wanted children.
So many victims. So many shattered lives. So many scars. How one feels about such things is subjective but the scars never fade in the pain it’s always about the way it’s a terrible way to spend your life.
Holes retired young at the age of 50, but there was one case he could not forget. There was someone who was a psychological terrorist, known as the East Area Rapist. Then Paul considered the case of the Golden Gate Killer…a cold case for over 40 years
In the decades that passed, DNA technology grew by leaps and bounds, and this included DNA segment triangulation. DNA results and research get better every year. DNA that failed to convict 20 years ago can be used with today’s advanced scientific methods.
Unmasked reminded me of the television show, Quincy, with Jack Klugman. Hole's personal life played into his professional life as he experienced panic attacks that began when he was 15 years of age. With Holes always seeing the dark side of humanity it started to have a terrible consequence on his marriage. It began to fall apart the more he saw the dark side of humanity. He could not balance a happy family life with the things that he saw on the job.
This book illustrates Holes' amazing investigative process. But then there is the fact that he wanted answers to questions that might never be found. Even this question - how could a loving God allow such cruelty in this world we live in?
He could never not rest well with cold cases and his determination to find as many of these serial killers as he could was of primary importance. Finding closure for families of victims was paramount to him.
How did Paul Holes feel about cold cases? He said as long as someone is looking, there’s a chance for the case to be solved. So he left no stone unturned. Every cold case was a challenge, however, there were times when he had to move onto the next challenge. He never viewed victims as just a name or a file number. They have were people with stories. People whose stories deserved to be told with justice. People who deserved to be found. EchoStar
Paul Holes was gifted. He was able to combine science and his incredible instinct to prove or disprove the theories that he was developing in his career. Truly a compelling, unforgettable read.
Many thanks to Celedon Books for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
So many victims. So many shattered lives. So many scars. How one feels about such things is subjective but the scars never fade in the pain it’s always about the way it’s a terrible way to spend your life.
Holes retired young at the age of 50, but there was one case he could not forget. There was someone who was a psychological terrorist, known as the East Area Rapist. Then Paul considered the case of the Golden Gate Killer…a cold case for over 40 years
In the decades that passed, DNA technology grew by leaps and bounds, and this included DNA segment triangulation. DNA results and research get better every year. DNA that failed to convict 20 years ago can be used with today’s advanced scientific methods.
Unmasked reminded me of the television show, Quincy, with Jack Klugman. Hole's personal life played into his professional life as he experienced panic attacks that began when he was 15 years of age. With Holes always seeing the dark side of humanity it started to have a terrible consequence on his marriage. It began to fall apart the more he saw the dark side of humanity. He could not balance a happy family life with the things that he saw on the job.
This book illustrates Holes' amazing investigative process. But then there is the fact that he wanted answers to questions that might never be found. Even this question - how could a loving God allow such cruelty in this world we live in?
He could never not rest well with cold cases and his determination to find as many of these serial killers as he could was of primary importance. Finding closure for families of victims was paramount to him.
How did Paul Holes feel about cold cases? He said as long as someone is looking, there’s a chance for the case to be solved. So he left no stone unturned. Every cold case was a challenge, however, there were times when he had to move onto the next challenge. He never viewed victims as just a name or a file number. They have were people with stories. People whose stories deserved to be told with justice. People who deserved to be found. EchoStar
Paul Holes was gifted. He was able to combine science and his incredible instinct to prove or disprove the theories that he was developing in his career. Truly a compelling, unforgettable read.
Many thanks to Celedon Books for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Hats off to Robin Gaby Fisher for the careful handling of very difficult topics. Thank you Paul for the work you do. Very interesting read as I was particularly invested in the GSK for years and celebrated Joseph DeAngelos arrest.
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
While I'm not one to read much non-fiction, growing up I've always been fascinated by CSI and murder mysteries that were usually glorified due to TV shows. Unmasked unveils what the everyday person doesn't see. Being a criminalist, you have to have a strong stomach for and also be meticulous with details and evidence collecting, and be able to connect the dots - who, how, why with motive and intent being a huge factor. Trying to picture what the victims go through is terrifying and gutwrenching. These people are brutally murdered and Paul doesn't just do his job, it becomes his obsession finding out who so they can be brought to justice and bring peace to the victims families and the community.
There were a few things that really stood out to me and I found upsetting. But I guess it's the reality we live in. I think it's something that needs to change. Yes, I'm all for police REFORM.
1. We already know that the news only wants to show is what THEY want to show. To the media, it's not news when it's a poor neighborhood, people of color, or gang violence, etc. But it's news when it's people from affluent neighborhoods who are murdered.
2. The department's budget doesn't always allow for all cases to be worked on to be solved. So after some time or when the statute of limitations has expired, those cases go cold so they would focus on more recent homicides instead. While that's understandable, but it's not an easy feeling knowing that a serial killer still has not been caught and there's no point after a certain amount of time because any new evidence can't be used.
3. People within the department complaining they are being given too much work so it takes months, even years to get results. This would coincide with budget issues. Not enough employees in the lab or working on the case. By then the statute of limitations could have expired and all that previous work is now moot.
4. Department and county jurisdiction and territory. Instead of working together when a serial killer is moving around the state, sometimes they don't work together because they want to be the ones to solve such a huge cold case. The egos of *some* of these people who work in law enforcement need to get over themselves. It's disguisting and the power trip *some* have these days is astounding. Especially when these atrocities are done by either one of their own or by a former law enforcement officer. These are the types of people who don't care about other people, only themselves and getting the credit and recognition is more important. That's scary to me.
5. The politics. Interoffice relationships, coworkers you think you were good with are actually jealous and feel so and so is getting preferential treatment. Being told which cases they can and cannot work on because the "higher ups" want you to work on a "more important" case. This is all of the points above combined.
I thought that this was a very informative and personal story from Paul. He also talks about his personal life and how his job and his focus on his job leads him to unintentioanlly neglecting his family. The sacrifices he has made to find the killers is noble in my opinion. While there were parts that can be hard to read due to the graphic nature of his job, I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to BookishFirst and Celadon Book for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
There were a few things that really stood out to me and I found upsetting. But I guess it's the reality we live in. I think it's something that needs to change. Yes, I'm all for police REFORM.
1. We already know that the news only wants to show is what THEY want to show. To the media, it's not news when it's a poor neighborhood, people of color, or gang violence, etc. But it's news when it's people from affluent neighborhoods who are murdered.
2. The department's budget doesn't always allow for all cases to be worked on to be solved. So after some time or when the statute of limitations has expired, those cases go cold so they would focus on more recent homicides instead. While that's understandable, but it's not an easy feeling knowing that a serial killer still has not been caught and there's no point after a certain amount of time because any new evidence can't be used.
3. People within the department complaining they are being given too much work so it takes months, even years to get results. This would coincide with budget issues. Not enough employees in the lab or working on the case. By then the statute of limitations could have expired and all that previous work is now moot.
4. Department and county jurisdiction and territory. Instead of working together when a serial killer is moving around the state, sometimes they don't work together because they want to be the ones to solve such a huge cold case. The egos of *some* of these people who work in law enforcement need to get over themselves. It's disguisting and the power trip *some* have these days is astounding. Especially when these atrocities are done by either one of their own or by a former law enforcement officer. These are the types of people who don't care about other people, only themselves and getting the credit and recognition is more important. That's scary to me.
5. The politics. Interoffice relationships, coworkers you think you were good with are actually jealous and feel so and so is getting preferential treatment. Being told which cases they can and cannot work on because the "higher ups" want you to work on a "more important" case. This is all of the points above combined.
I thought that this was a very informative and personal story from Paul. He also talks about his personal life and how his job and his focus on his job leads him to unintentioanlly neglecting his family. The sacrifices he has made to find the killers is noble in my opinion. While there were parts that can be hard to read due to the graphic nature of his job, I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to BookishFirst and Celadon Book for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
dark
informative
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
I was so excited to get an advanced copy of this book, since I am a true crime fanatic, and also a big fan of Paul Holes. We read the book for my book club, which I always appreciate, because I enjoy taking my own experience of reading and adding different context and opinions from some intelligent women. We all really enjoyed the book (which is INCREDIBLY rare). The book did a good job of sharing details of some important cases in Paul's career, as well as give a painfully honest glimpse into his personal life, the struggles he had as a husband and father, as well as his coping skills in such a tragic and sometimes horrific job. It solidified my place as a Paul Holes fan, ever #hotforholes.
Definitely a huge trigger warning. I love the insight that this book gives into the lives of those solving America’s cold cases. I like how it highlights taking care of yourself while dealing with the trauma of others.
Super interesting. As someone who lived in the Bay Area the majority of my life, it was interesting to hear all the mentions of local towns and the terrible things that happened there. So thankful to him for pushing through and staying dedicated for the families of the victims, despite the pain it may have cause him and his family.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced