Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Nieuchwytni. Jak rozwiązywałem sprawy z Archiwum X by Paul Holes

33 reviews

ammmiiiii's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

One of those true crime books that is so good that it reads like a fictional thriller. 

Unmasked also doubles as a memoir for Paul Holes’ career in law enforcement, and in addition to the GSK case, he also mentions other cold cases he worked on. Additionally, when detailing the exact genetic testing that led to the identification of GSK (and some of the other killers mentioned in the book), the author takes the time to explain clearly and methodically the science behind it. Holes speaks candidly about the toll this kind of work takes on his mind and marriage, and movingly about the relief it brings when, finally, the person responsible is caught. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Stalking, and Torture

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

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

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

ainwena's review against another edition

It was a memoir and I thought it would be more about the cold cases.  It is what it says it is in the jacket, but apparently I had other hopes for it.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Murder, Rape, and Torture

Memoir

travelseatsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

 Most true crime fans have a case that truly captivates & terrifies them & for me it was the Golden State Killer. It baffled me that someone who kept raging such a widespread & prolonged reign of terror & heinous crimes was still out there. The day it was announced that he was finally in custody a chilling shiver ran down my spine, could it really be true? That day & many more after, one name kept popping up, & after reading the many books & listening to the varied podcasts on the case it was one I was familiar with as being crucial to the investigation & that was Paul Holes. 

Within the pages of Unmasked, Holes gives an honest, enthralling & detailed account of his life, the cases which still haunt him & of course his involvement in catching the GSK. In this part memoir/part true crime story Paul chronicles his career from the early days of wetting his feet in the crime lab, to helping solve some of the most horrific crimes but old & new as Chief Of Forensics. 

Holes gives some pretty gruesome & grisly accounts of the crime scenes, this book isn't for the faint hearted but what he does master is retelling the stories of the crimes while remaining fully respectful & empathetic to the victim & their families. Often in true crime books the voice of the victim is overshadowed by that of the perpetrator but it's clear Holes always holds the victim & justice in the forefront of his mind. 

He also brings the reader along into the fascinating world of forensics & crime scene investigation & gives an insight of the wide-spanning painstaking cooperative effort that is involved in investigating a case, while being very honest about many of the roadblocks & hurdles (from political to human error) that can turn a case upside down. His honesty also reaches past his career and Paul details how his obsessive nature & need to find answers has had a huge impact on his family life over the years.

It's almost impossible to imagine the possibility of DeAngelo currently wasting away in Corcoran State Prison without Holes dogged & obsessive perseverance and even for that alone this book is worth your time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Child death, Child abuse, Rape, and Violence

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

sophier's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Stalking, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Alcohol, Child death, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, and Body horror

stolenwater's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.0

Starts off slow with a lot of exposition on Paul’s early life and career but picks up and becomes more engaging about halfway through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexual violence, Rape, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Gun violence

Minor: Alcoholism

30before30's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring tense slow-paced

3.5

First things first, I greatly enjoyed learning about all of the cases that Paul Holes had been apart of. He had such a profound impact on some many cases including GSK and he is one in a million when it comes to solving cases. And, I was truly amazed by how open and honesty he was about his own life and mental health issues! I’m not sure why 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. For that reason alone I have to give the book a 3.5. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Torture, Stalking, Murder, Rape, and Panic attacks/disorders