Reviews with content warning for Violence - Unmasked: Crime Scenes, Cold Cases and My Hunt for the Golden State Killer

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

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

58 reviews

ktdakotareads's review against another edition

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dark informative medium-paced

3.5

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thereadingraccoon's review against another edition

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dark informative sad medium-paced

4.0

Unmasked is a true crime memoir by investigator Paul Holes. It details his personal life and his involvement in high profile murder cases.

In Unmasked Paul Holes gives us a peek behind the curtain on what it is really like working with law enforcement on tough cases. He details the stress it caused in his marriages and the politics of working alongside other agencies. He also remembers fondly his work with the late writer Michelle McNamara and her efforts to find the Golden State Killer. He also explains how DNA is used to close cold cases and tighten the net around the perpetrator. While a good portion of this book is spent on The Golden State Killer and his crimes it also touches on Mr. Holes‘ involvement on other high profile cases such as Laci Peterson Jaycee Lee Duggard.

I highly recommend this to readers interested in true crime, criminology or law enforcement so they can read first hand what people in the profession sacrifice to catch a killer and the challenges unique to cold cases.

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anintrovertrambles's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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ame_lepage's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

3.75

I picked this book up on a whim. I really had no expectations, so I really didn't know what I was getting into.
I would like to say first that this book has many trigger warnings: very graphic rape and murder scenes, portrayal of depression and PTSD, and just mental health issues in general. I sometimes had a hard time getting through some parts.
This memoir was eye-opening in many ways. I've always been a fan of true crime and getting a behind-the-scenes perspective was interesting. Paul Holes' story is fascinating and I'm glad that I discovered his story.
The end really allowed us to see the deep connexion between Paul and the victims. You could see how emotionally involved he was in the different cases and I honestly teared up a little.
However, I do think that the book ended up being a little bit repetitive. He talks a lot about different cases that he delt with throughout his career, but at the end, they were pretty similar.
The ending was filled with scientific terms that kept me from fully understanding the Golden State Killer case's conclusion. The writer did overall a good job at making the science palatable. But she kind of dropped the ball at the end.
Overall, I'm glad I read this. It's not the best memoir that I have ever read, but it certainly was interesting.

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kaileeh28's review against another edition

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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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taymar23's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

The book was good and I enjoyed learning more about Paul Holes, his life, and his work in law enforcement. It was a little more to do with his personal life than I expected it to be, in comparison - Chase Darkness with Me by Billy Jensen focuses a lot more on the crime aspect of Billy’s life. I’m not sure if it was me, but the descriptions of the crimes really made me uncomfortable.

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geekywoman14's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

2.5

It's not a bad book, but it is a sad and heavy book, which is a strange though somehow appropriate mix of an autobiography and unsolved or cold cases accounting but just an overview of mostly the trauma. Definitely not for the faint of heart or someone wanting a deep dive into an individual story.

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