Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

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

9 reviews

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

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

sarabook's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Child death, Blood, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Sexual content, Rape, Kidnapping, and Death

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

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

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

micasreads's review against another edition

4.0

Paul Holes is one of America's most celebrated Criminologists responsible for solving some of the most famous cold cases in modern times. As a young Criminologist, Holes comes across the files for the East Area Rapist(EAR), a man who struck fear into the heart of Sacramento as people wondered when he would attack next.

 

Paul has worked on this case on and off throughout his career. He revisits crime scenes, talks to victims, and has pieces of evidence DNA tested. It is thanks to this DNA testing that it becomes known that Sacramento was not this rapist's only area of attack. During his time working on what will become known as The Golden State Killer case, Holes not only loses himself to the case; he loses his first wife and the chance to bond with his children. He comes to regret not giving his family more attention.

 

Twenty-four years go by and Holes retires with his second wife and children. One week into his retirement, his colleagues collect DNA from the main suspect in the GSK case. When tests come back as a match, Paul returns to his office to finally cast his eyes on the man he has spent his life looking for...Joseph J. DeAngelo Jr, an old man who was once a police officer and used his training to keep himself from being caught.

I knew that when this book came out that I would be reading it. I am a huge true crime fan and found myself reading everything I could about the Golden State Killer. Holes worked with Michelle McNamara on her investigation for the book I'll Be Gone in the Dark and developed a true friendship with her. If there were anything I could change about this audiobook it would be not having Holes narrate simply because he has a habit of over-enunciating his letter t sounds and it made my eye twitch every time I heard it. All in all, this was a book well worth my reading time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Cursing, Sexual content, Torture, and Rape

kaileeh28's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

5.0

Amazing read. If you are into true crime and a dark read, this is the book. Holes gives such a deep insight to his life as an investigator. Would definitely recommend this book!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, Gore, Sexual content, Stalking, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

rocketcityreader's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious slow-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child death, Sexual violence, Blood, Sexual content, Child abuse, Gore, and Sexual assault