Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Murder'
Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green
59 reviews
lttlemzsmok2mchweeeeed's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Murder
bookswithmybulldog's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder, and Outing
caidyn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.75
What a wild story. I kept mixing this up with The Exorcist one, tbh. But, a very good book and it's so disappointing that this case isn't more well-known by people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Murder
thesaltiestlibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
RTC
Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.
I have a problem with looking up crime scene photos when a case piques my interest. I think this book has cured that problem.
LAST CALL details several killings in the late 80s and early 90s in and around the NYC area. All the victims were gay men, whether closeted or not, and were particularly gruesome. New Jersey, Manhattan, even Pennsylvania became dumping spots for the Last Call killer's victims. The MO was to dismember and decapitate the bodies, deposit the parts into separate garbage bags, double bad and double tie them, and leave them in 55-gallon barrels along the highways. You can see how that would be easy disposal in such a huge metropolitan area.
Elon Green really does justice to this case with all of the history of the gay communities affected and objective analysis of the police work. He outlines the lives and histories of each victim, painting them in the most human light, and covering wholly the tragic loss of each life. Even though I knew who was going to be murdered, I hated that their life stories came to that end. It's like my brain was beating against the current for a different turnout.
And really, THAT is EXACTLY how true crime should be written. Green knocked it out of the park here. He focused his narrative on the victims and their families, not the killer. People who don't understand the true crime community believe that we're focused on the killer because he or she is fascinating and "cool" in the morbid sense, and that's just not true. (Well, 99% of the time. Sometimes the worrisome fandom pops up, i.e. serial killer crushes.) Yes, the psychology and sociology is a fascinating area of study, but the killers themselves are not the point of the true crime community. The victims are. Their families are. The gaps in law enforcement that show when a unique crime happens, rectifying those deficiencies are the point.
Justice is the point.
Elon Green has crafted a little-known story into a beautiful, heartbreaking, totally human history and case study. True crime books don't usually get under my skin. I've been through a lot of crap in my short life, and it's hard to shock me. But Green's writing--his depiction of brutality against a marginalized community--won't be leaving this ally anytime soon.
Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.
I have a problem with looking up crime scene photos when a case piques my interest. I think this book has cured that problem.
LAST CALL details several killings in the late 80s and early 90s in and around the NYC area. All the victims were gay men, whether closeted or not, and were particularly gruesome. New Jersey, Manhattan, even Pennsylvania became dumping spots for the Last Call killer's victims. The MO was to dismember and decapitate the bodies, deposit the parts into separate garbage bags, double bad and double tie them, and leave them in 55-gallon barrels along the highways. You can see how that would be easy disposal in such a huge metropolitan area.
Elon Green really does justice to this case with all of the history of the gay communities affected and objective analysis of the police work. He outlines the lives and histories of each victim, painting them in the most human light, and covering wholly the tragic loss of each life. Even though I knew who was going to be murdered, I hated that their life stories came to that end. It's like my brain was beating against the current for a different turnout.
And really, THAT is EXACTLY how true crime should be written. Green knocked it out of the park here. He focused his narrative on the victims and their families, not the killer. People who don't understand the true crime community believe that we're focused on the killer because he or she is fascinating and "cool" in the morbid sense, and that's just not true. (Well, 99% of the time. Sometimes the worrisome fandom pops up, i.e. serial killer crushes.) Yes, the psychology and sociology is a fascinating area of study, but the killers themselves are not the point of the true crime community. The victims are. Their families are. The gaps in law enforcement that show when a unique crime happens, rectifying those deficiencies are the point.
Justice is the point.
Elon Green has crafted a little-known story into a beautiful, heartbreaking, totally human history and case study. True crime books don't usually get under my skin. I've been through a lot of crap in my short life, and it's hard to shock me. But Green's writing--his depiction of brutality against a marginalized community--won't be leaving this ally anytime soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism
thatsssorachael's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
I was fascinated by the true crime story this book covers, but the book still struggled to hold my attention. I thought the victimology was thorough and respectful, which is always a big plus in a true crime book.
I found the writing to be a lot of tangents and so many commas. Names are thrown out of nowhere with almost no introduction, and the author moved so fast it was hard to keep up. I know there just isn't much information to go off, but there really isn't a ton of info in this book. I think it would have worked a lot better as a long form article.
Aspects of this book read like a love letter to NYC and queer culture, which I really enjoyed.
TW this is a book on a serial killer who dismembered his victims, proceed with caution
I found the writing to be a lot of tangents and so many commas. Names are thrown out of nowhere with almost no introduction, and the author moved so fast it was hard to keep up. I know there just isn't much information to go off, but there really isn't a ton of info in this book. I think it would have worked a lot better as a long form article.
Aspects of this book read like a love letter to NYC and queer culture, which I really enjoyed.
TW this is a book on a serial killer who dismembered his victims, proceed with caution
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Murder
seriouslybookedup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Easily one of the best true crime books I've read in a while. I think the author does a great job balancing the details of the crime without it being too salacious or too dry and clinical in the storytelling. Sometimes I wonder if it was too gruesome, but I think it's important not to sugarcoat the heinous nature of these crimes especially since they were targeted at gay men. I think the book is also great at providing critical context about the time and place that these crimes took place and how it impacted the gay community (and how the local gay community members organized in response to these crimes).
I was particularly moved and horrified by the court transcript of Harrow who had to relive the trauma of his assault and then had to watch as the perpetrator was set free - despite all the credible evidence. And, I was also surprised by the bizarre connection to Rudy Giuliani and how his indirect (maybe?) involvement may have sabotaged any efforts to investigate similar unsolved murders.
I felt like there were so many coincidences and connections that made this book feel intimate to me (e.g. I live in Orlando and the killer went to school in Florida where suspiciously similar unsolved case took place in Orlando). I was riveted and deeply moved by the spotlights on each victim which I think the author handled with a lot of compassion and care.
I was particularly moved and horrified by the court transcript of Harrow who had to relive the trauma of his assault and then had to watch as the perpetrator was set free - despite all the credible evidence. And, I was also surprised by the bizarre connection to Rudy Giuliani and how his indirect (maybe?) involvement may have sabotaged any efforts to investigate similar unsolved murders.
I felt like there were so many coincidences and connections that made this book feel intimate to me (e.g. I live in Orlando and the killer went to school in Florida where suspiciously similar unsolved case took place in Orlando). I was riveted and deeply moved by the spotlights on each victim which I think the author handled with a lot of compassion and care.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
rachbake's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
biancabuysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
3.0
Last Call was my first true crime novel from Celadon Books. This novel by Elon Green was published in March and was a heartbreaking account of the victims terrorized by the Last Call Killer in New York.
The Last Call Killer preyed on gay men in New York City in the 1980s and 1990s. I mostly listened to the audiobook for this one, and at times I found it fascinating, like watching a true-crime documentary. At other times it almost felt as if I was listening to a history book being read aloud.
The book was truly chilling, and you could tell that Elon Green meticulously researched everything related to these killings. He did a great job focusing on the victims and their families. I think the disconnect for me was with the narration of this story and that it would have been better had I read the physical or ebook copy.
The Last Call Killer preyed on gay men in New York City in the 1980s and 1990s. I mostly listened to the audiobook for this one, and at times I found it fascinating, like watching a true-crime documentary. At other times it almost felt as if I was listening to a history book being read aloud.
The book was truly chilling, and you could tell that Elon Green meticulously researched everything related to these killings. He did a great job focusing on the victims and their families. I think the disconnect for me was with the narration of this story and that it would have been better had I read the physical or ebook copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
aimiller's review against another edition
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Okay right off the bat: I discovered through reading this book that true crime that involves murder is Not for Me. Green is fairly explicit in his description of the violence involved in these murders, which I assume is par for the course in the genre, and while I wouldn't call it disrespectful, I certainly didn't like it and it gave me nightmares for days.
Genre conventions aside, I thought this was a fairly careful examination of the lives especially of the victims, and of a specific bar scene in New York. The brief portion about queer Youngstown, in exploring the lives of the victims, was actually fascinating (I say as a queer person from Ohio...) and Green notes that he tried his hardest to have the voices of actual queer people as central to this at large. The story of queer organizing against violence seemed a little like a sidetrack in the middle of the story, and as a person who is opposed to hate crime legislation as a solution to violence based in bias, it seemed a fairly uncritical representation of queer people being involved with police (which, in a world where NYC Pride just banned cops in the parade, seems a little weird.) But again, I think genre conventions mean there's less room for a critical examination of policing.
So: not a bad book, and I think people interested in the genre will find this a very careful and well-done story. I just am Not the Audience.
Genre conventions aside, I thought this was a fairly careful examination of the lives especially of the victims, and of a specific bar scene in New York. The brief portion about queer Youngstown, in exploring the lives of the victims, was actually fascinating (I say as a queer person from Ohio...) and Green notes that he tried his hardest to have the voices of actual queer people as central to this at large. The story of queer organizing against violence seemed a little like a sidetrack in the middle of the story, and as a person who is opposed to hate crime legislation as a solution to violence based in bias, it seemed a fairly uncritical representation of queer people being involved with police (which, in a world where NYC Pride just banned cops in the parade, seems a little weird.) But again, I think genre conventions mean there's less room for a critical examination of policing.
So: not a bad book, and I think people interested in the genre will find this a very careful and well-done story. I just am Not the Audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Murder
alylentz's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Absolutely loved this. Accomplished the very difficult mission of true crime that examines the killer while really giving us a sense of who the victims were and the sense of loss they left behind. I enjoyed it as an audiobook and I think that would be a great choice for those who already listen to true crime podcasts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder