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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Interesting case to cover but not enough information about the police work and findings, all that felt rushed. Too much filler information such as useless family facts.. Looking forward to watching the Netflix movie to see how everyone is protrayed.
"A missing girl is missing only to the people who notice."
This is a compassionately written true crime read. Most of us who are interested enough to seek out these types of stories are compelled to find out who did it and why; who the victims were as everyday people is often lost in the chaos of how violently they met their end.
This book dives into who these ladies were, how they grew up, and what circumstances drove them to make the choices they made. It also takes a look into their loved ones that are left behind, heartbroken and searching for answers and justice. I highly recommend this to anyone who reads true crime, it's well written and researched, the author is unbiased and explores each theory. Cant wait to see what Kolker does next , this is an impressive first book.
This is a compassionately written true crime read. Most of us who are interested enough to seek out these types of stories are compelled to find out who did it and why; who the victims were as everyday people is often lost in the chaos of how violently they met their end.
This book dives into who these ladies were, how they grew up, and what circumstances drove them to make the choices they made. It also takes a look into their loved ones that are left behind, heartbroken and searching for answers and justice. I highly recommend this to anyone who reads true crime, it's well written and researched, the author is unbiased and explores each theory. Cant wait to see what Kolker does next , this is an impressive first book.
I’m a true crime Junkie I really liked this book a lot and how much the author went into the girls and their families I do wish it had more information about the police investigation part but I still really enjoyed this.
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Robert Kolker manages to write about the lives of individuals in such a humanizing way. This book tells the stories of the lives, disappearances, and discoveries of the murdered bodies of young women on Long Island, and spares no details on how mystifying and frustrating police investigations can be, especially when closure isn't always found, and especially when there is something "other" about the victims, in this case, sex work. It was encouraging to see the author's dedication to making sex work be a part of who each victim was, rather than a/the defining characteristic of them. It is haunting and hopeful, terrifying and tragic, and the not knowing of it all is confoundingly crushing. The ending was abrupt and left me wanting more, but I imagine that is rather like the experience of going through such a horrendous ordeal on behalf of a loved one, only to end up not far from where you began.
This was a frustrating true crime novel in that so little was resolved. As it’s now 7 years past publication, we have to accept that for what it is.
The author’s writing is clear and captivating across every revolving aspect of this complex narrative.
The author’s writing is clear and captivating across every revolving aspect of this complex narrative.
I appreciated Kolker's objectivity, especially when it came to the families of the victims. Very refreshing after the wild and loose conjecture of True Crime Addict...
Definitely a 4.5. Haunting, meticulously reported, humanizing, harrowing
I don't often read true crime books, but I do love investigative reporting/narrative nonfiction. This book has been getting raves from pretty much everyone, including both highbrow and middlebrow book critics, so I gave it a shot.
Kolker explores the unsolved case of the Long Island serial killer, whose victims had one common characteristic: they were all escorts who used Craigslist to market their services. They all disappeared. Four of their bodies were found along a rural Long Island highway; one was found in a marsh after vanishing from a small, secluded island community. Their murderer has yet to be found. Conspiracy theories abound, and the women's families and friends continue to struggle with their loss.
The first half of the book focuses on the five women, tracing their lives prior to the murder and examining the choices and circumstances that lead them to sex work. For some, it was lack of opportunity--the pervasive cycle of poverty that leads so many into the underground economy. For some, it was drug addiction. The second half focuses on the investigation into the murders--the Internet cranks with their conspiracy theories, the families' search for answers, and all of the things that law enforcement did (or in some cases, didn't) do.
Just about every review I've read of Lost Girls discusses how well Kolker humanizes the five women, letting the readers into their lives and presenting them as real people, not just statistics or criminals or victims. This is true--but the fact that humanizing Shannan, Amber, Maureen, Megan, and Melissa is so noteworthy says something sad about the way we view sex workers--or, for that matter, anyone whose life puts them on the wrong side of the law/conventional morality/etc. =
I hope the murderer is found, and I hope that the families and friends of the victims find the help and support they need.
Kolker explores the unsolved case of the Long Island serial killer, whose victims had one common characteristic: they were all escorts who used Craigslist to market their services. They all disappeared. Four of their bodies were found along a rural Long Island highway; one was found in a marsh after vanishing from a small, secluded island community. Their murderer has yet to be found. Conspiracy theories abound, and the women's families and friends continue to struggle with their loss.
The first half of the book focuses on the five women, tracing their lives prior to the murder and examining the choices and circumstances that lead them to sex work. For some, it was lack of opportunity--the pervasive cycle of poverty that leads so many into the underground economy. For some, it was drug addiction. The second half focuses on the investigation into the murders--the Internet cranks with their conspiracy theories, the families' search for answers, and all of the things that law enforcement did (or in some cases, didn't) do.
Just about every review I've read of Lost Girls discusses how well Kolker humanizes the five women, letting the readers into their lives and presenting them as real people, not just statistics or criminals or victims. This is true--but the fact that humanizing Shannan, Amber, Maureen, Megan, and Melissa is so noteworthy says something sad about the way we view sex workers--or, for that matter, anyone whose life puts them on the wrong side of the law/conventional morality/etc. =
I hope the murderer is found, and I hope that the families and friends of the victims find the help and support they need.