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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Thorough. So thorough it was boring sometimes. But well structured and interesting.
This was a very interesting look into a very sad case that is still, unfortunately, unsolved.
On one hand, a very humanizing account of the women, their families and a look into a world we know nothing about. It's written with authority, and it's clear the research was done. On the other hand, on the police side, the "nitty gritty," there are so many holes and questions, specifically forensic evidence. Since it's unsolved, that's to be expected, but I was expecting a little bit more. I would give it 3 1/2 stars.
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Really well researched and well written account. I'd watched the movie Lost Girls on Netflix and wanted more information. While the movie focuses on Shannan Gilbert's disappearance, the book covers hers and that of the bodies found during the search for Shannan on Long Island.
Very compelling read for fans of true crime. I found the last third of the book to be a bit tedious but overall it was fantastic.
I liked that the author spent a lot of time on the victims. I haven't read a lot of true crime books that focus so heavily on victims lives before their murder. However, it was hard to keep everyone straight with all the jumping that happened between stories.
It just wasn't the best true crime book I have ever read but I would recommend it to fans of the genre.
It just wasn't the best true crime book I have ever read but I would recommend it to fans of the genre.
I had not heard of this book until the author began promoting his new title **Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family**. While waiting for my hold to come in on the new title I picked up this backlist book. Categorized as true crime, this is not really what I think of when thinking of that genre. First it is an unsolved case and second because Kolker writes with such heart about the young women victims: the lost girls.
There are five young women whose lives are chronicled in intimate detail. The reader learns about their early lives, their hopes and dreams, their downfall(s), and their perceived need to work as escorts in NYC. The author has done his homework well and we are shown the inside of the sex trade via personal ads on Craigslist. The author meets and talks with pimps, boyfriends, mothers, fathers, sisters, grandparents and many of the residents of a community called Oak Beach where the women's bodies were found. Among the denizens of this once prestigious island community are some weird and suspicious characters of interest. However, the case has never received its due: a concerted and successful police effort. Many speculate that it is because these women might have been considered society's throw-aways.
Kolker is an award winning journalist and he can definitely write! This is a sad but fascinating page-turner that had me completely engrossed in the families' lives and those lives lost. It is all about the victims rather than about the details of the crime, forensics, or suspects. My heart broke over and over for the young women who turned to the night life to try to improve their lot.
Fabulous!
Please know when reading this book that there are maps, a timeline, and a list of characters in the back of the book. There is also a 2020 Netflix movie based on this book.
There are five young women whose lives are chronicled in intimate detail. The reader learns about their early lives, their hopes and dreams, their downfall(s), and their perceived need to work as escorts in NYC. The author has done his homework well and we are shown the inside of the sex trade via personal ads on Craigslist. The author meets and talks with pimps, boyfriends, mothers, fathers, sisters, grandparents and many of the residents of a community called Oak Beach where the women's bodies were found. Among the denizens of this once prestigious island community are some weird and suspicious characters of interest. However, the case has never received its due: a concerted and successful police effort. Many speculate that it is because these women might have been considered society's throw-aways.
Kolker is an award winning journalist and he can definitely write! This is a sad but fascinating page-turner that had me completely engrossed in the families' lives and those lives lost. It is all about the victims rather than about the details of the crime, forensics, or suspects. My heart broke over and over for the young women who turned to the night life to try to improve their lot.
Fabulous!
Please know when reading this book that there are maps, a timeline, and a list of characters in the back of the book. There is also a 2020 Netflix movie based on this book.
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
This is one of those fantastic non-fiction pieces that reads like really good fiction! The story is told in a compelling manner and it did a great job of putting all of the events together in a manageable way. He brought the women - the Lost Girls - to life in this one. They were a group of women with very interesting and complex lives. I really appreciated the respect that Robert Kolker gave to them in this book.
I'm not usually a fan of the whole true crime genre but I think this is an outstanding example of true crime done well! The entire case is such a tragedy and I hope that the perpetrators of these crimes is eventually caught.
I highly recommend this particular book to those who enjoy very readable non-fiction and true crime stories!
I'm not usually a fan of the whole true crime genre but I think this is an outstanding example of true crime done well! The entire case is such a tragedy and I hope that the perpetrators of these crimes is eventually caught.
I highly recommend this particular book to those who enjoy very readable non-fiction and true crime stories!