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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
3.0
The topic was interesting but the author's writing was a bit repetitive and I zoned out a lot while reading it. Part of that was my messed up sleep and part of it was the writing. It just seemed to drone on a lot. The author was a great narrator. He has a podcast I listen to, but I prefer his co-host's books to his.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, Murder, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Child death, Stalking, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Domestic abuse and Drug abuse
gimmiiie's review against another edition
5.0
This is a heavy, real, and informative book. Paul Holes is honest, real, and personable. I have been a fan of Paul Holes and his work to bring justice to victims. Reading his experiences and struggles with mental illness.
Graphic: Rape, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Violence, Body horror, Grief, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Medical content, Torture, Suicide, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Death, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Violence, Addiction, Gore, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Torture
Minor: Alcoholism
anintrovertrambles's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Violence, Blood, and Gore
ame_lepage's review against another edition
3.75
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.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Blood, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, Body horror, Gore, Rape, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
kaileeh28's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, Gore, Sexual content, Stalking, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
geekywoman14's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Rape, Hate crime, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Gore, Murder, Child death, Child abuse, Blood, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Sexual violence
beccaboo2216's review against another edition
4.0
Cases are described respectfully and from Paul's perspective with facts sprinkled in. I thought it well done.
Still amazed I got to see him speak live last month at his book talk. He even signed my copy of this book!
A well-written story focused on the consequences of reality and of following a career you were designed to fulfill. 4.5 stars (rounded to 4)
This lost half a star for me because I struggled with the writing a bit. The memoir hit all the main points throughout Paul's life and his career but some sections felt rushed, confusing, and seemly popping out of nowhere. I had to read multiple paragraphs over to understand what was happening.
Overall, I recommend this to any true crime fanatics and those who have or are looking to have careers in criminal justice.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Blood, Rape, Sexual violence, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Torture, Stalking, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical trauma
Minor: Alcohol
lexi_paws_and_pages's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol
motleybooksandtea's review against another edition
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Child abuse, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Body horror
Minor: Eating disorder