Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Unmasked: Crime Scenes, Cold Cases and My Hunt for the Golden State Killer by Paul Holes

17 reviews

dale1997's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Child death, Suicide, Confinement, Kidnapping, Rape, Violence, Murder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

mahmabaer's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

This was the longest audiobook I have listened to up to date, and it was also the most challenging.  Paul Holes knows his job and he does it well, and he doesn't shy away from some of the more graphic aspects of his work.  There were several times I almost stopped listening because I didn't know if I could stomach the information.  Hearing about

rapes, abuse, dead bodies, murdered children and brutal crime scenes

is not for the faint of heart or the middle of the night.  I found that most times, if I stopped, put on a funny video and gave myself a break, I could get back to the story and make it through the darkness and onto the next chapter.  Though the thing that has been the most unsettling was a brief, passing comment that had no merit in the story, and it hasn't left me since I heard it (

when the marriage councilor told him that most people's spouses dont want to hear about a baby being put in boiling water

), which I assume is a crime scene he had to attend that I hope to God never ever ever happened, and yet, I know it did.

While, surprisingly, I found the scientific and legalistic aspects of Paul's story fascinating and compelling, I struggled a bit with the personal aspects of Paul's story.  I haven't decided if I find Paul to be a man who recognizes his faults and accepts them, specifically when it comes to his family and marriages, or whether I am turned off by the bravado and arrogance that comes through at times in respect to his job and the satisfaction he gets from being so good at it.  I have never met the man, but I suspect the truth falls somewhere in the middle -- that he's just a guy who is another imperfect human, like the rest of us, trying to make up for those imperfections the best way he knows how.  He makes mistakes and tries to fix them, and in doing so, he either fixes things or makes more mistakes.  In short, he puts his pants on one leg at a time like any other man -- his pants just happen to be plastic coveralls, to protect him from the crime scene evidence he has to handle.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Torture, Murder, Mental illness, Gore, Child death, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, Emotional abuse, Blood, Physical abuse, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Child abuse

Minor: Alcoholism

ashley_wohner's review against another edition

dark informative tense slow-paced

3.25

I have to admit, I wimped out on I'll be Gone in the Dark, so I liked this more removed perspective. The pacing felt too slow, and it seemed like awkwardly spaced/timed outside information.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse

danimacuk's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Torture, Sexual assault, Rape, Blood, Murder, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Stalking, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Confinement, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Cursing

Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Body shaming, Cancer, and Animal cruelty

wanna_read's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Alcohol, Torture, Suicide, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Violence, Medical trauma, Child death, Murder, Stalking, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Rape, Gore, Drug use, Death, and Blood

tegivan's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Eating disorder, Murder, Self harm, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Grief, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Rape

princesspunx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Hate crime, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Torture, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Suicide

keelywmson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Rape, Violence, Torture, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, and Mental illness

Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual harassment

krymar13's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Grief, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Confinement, Rape, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Child death, Murder, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Blood, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicide, Torture, and Violence

librarymouse's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative mysterious fast-paced

4.5

Having read Michelle McNamara's perspective on the investigation, it was interesting to read about the search for the Golden State killer from the perspective of another working on the case in a more traditional investigative capacity. Paul Holes is a characteristic writer, and every loss faced by him and the others who's stories he tells are deeply impactful. His work on cold cases gives me hope that others who have suffered without knowing the fate of their loved ones will find closure.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Murder, Stalking, Confinement, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Physical abuse