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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I got really caught up in this - note to self: I find most any crime story compelling. Still this is hard because though Kolker is upfront that this case has no answers, the title lets you know the case is unsolved, I couldn't help but hope at the end of the novel the killer would be revealed. My mom grew up in Babylon, so it was also weird to be familiar with the place the bodies were found. I liked home much focus there was on the lives of the girls - even as their stories began to blur together, which might be part of the point. Still for a story with so few answers, Kolker makes this both compelling and relevant.
This book does a really great job of centering the story around the victims and their stories. The author doesn't come in with an obvious theory about who has committed these crimes, but instead seems to have wanted to give names and faces to the girls who have been found.
This was such a heavy book. Lost Girls focuses on the Long Island serial killer who targeted sex workers as their victim. Also, I should've realized I was going to be slightly irked by the end, since this is an unsolved murder case. Isn't part of the gratification of murder mysteries when they're solved and the "villain" is locked away? I think yes. I am half tempted to google this and see if any answers were found by now.
Overall, I liked that Kolker told the story of the girls, though it did feel a little judgy at times. If you learn anything from this book, it should be that sex workers are humans too, and they deserve protection and to live their life how they want to. If you want to know about how these girls got into the sex worker field, and how sex working moved to online, this is the book for you. If you want answers about how these crimes were committed and who did it, this is not that book.
Overall, I liked that Kolker told the story of the girls, though it did feel a little judgy at times. If you learn anything from this book, it should be that sex workers are humans too, and they deserve protection and to live their life how they want to. If you want to know about how these girls got into the sex worker field, and how sex working moved to online, this is the book for you. If you want answers about how these crimes were committed and who did it, this is not that book.
DISTURBING and impossible to stop reading because it's true! Well written and detailed investigative look at recent Long Island serial killings. I had no idea this was an area of multiple serial killings all involving women. His "fictionalized"(from extensive interviews)chronicles of the womens lives made me incredibly sad.
I picked this up after seeing an interview with the author on Tits and Sass, and getting a sense that he wanted to explore how the internet has changed the work of sex workers, and escorts in particular.
Unfortunately, while the author clearly has an interest in how the killers victims came tom their work, and survived within it, it is still pretty firmly a true crime book, with the accompanying impending-doom tone, and a focus pretty tightly on the case and the broad cast. It was well done enough for what it was, but just not the book I wanted to read.
Unfortunately, while the author clearly has an interest in how the killers victims came tom their work, and survived within it, it is still pretty firmly a true crime book, with the accompanying impending-doom tone, and a focus pretty tightly on the case and the broad cast. It was well done enough for what it was, but just not the book I wanted to read.
Investigative reporter, Robert Kolker, has assembled within LOST GIRLS an account of the true-life search for a serial killer who still remains unknown on Long Island. The book is a detailed look into the world of online escorts and the dangers associated with this profession.
Within the pages of LOST GIRLS Kolker has managed to open the door into one of the most fascinating unsolved crimes in America. The book is broken down between the victims and the investigation into their deaths. Often while reading true crime I find the focus to fall predominantly on the killer and details have been sparse on the victims. I greatly appreciate that Kolker took the time to break down the background of each victim. Throughout their individual sections you were able to see their similarities, which likely drew them to be targets for our unknown killer.
Each of the women who fell victim in Long Island were working in the sex trade via Craigslist and online escorting. This is something I’m not too familiar with and it was fascinating to learn how the process works. I did feel that there were stereotypes of each of our victims dropped throughout the story, which unfortunately reflect the way the country at large feels about sex workers.
The fact that our killer is unknown makes it hard for Kolker to be able to provide the reader with extensive investigative details. I certainly believe that this is caused by the simple lack of available evidence and is not a reflection on Kolker’s work. Readers who chose to pick this book up should understand that they won’t find all of the answers.
Within the pages of LOST GIRLS Kolker has managed to open the door into one of the most fascinating unsolved crimes in America. The book is broken down between the victims and the investigation into their deaths. Often while reading true crime I find the focus to fall predominantly on the killer and details have been sparse on the victims. I greatly appreciate that Kolker took the time to break down the background of each victim. Throughout their individual sections you were able to see their similarities, which likely drew them to be targets for our unknown killer.
Each of the women who fell victim in Long Island were working in the sex trade via Craigslist and online escorting. This is something I’m not too familiar with and it was fascinating to learn how the process works. I did feel that there were stereotypes of each of our victims dropped throughout the story, which unfortunately reflect the way the country at large feels about sex workers.
The fact that our killer is unknown makes it hard for Kolker to be able to provide the reader with extensive investigative details. I certainly believe that this is caused by the simple lack of available evidence and is not a reflection on Kolker’s work. Readers who chose to pick this book up should understand that they won’t find all of the answers.
I love unsolved mysteries, and I loved this book! It was really intriguing to learn about the various victims of this unsolved case, and all the facts surrounding the investigation.
This was a really good true crime book. I remember hearing about the Long Island Serial Killer but it was only in passing. This book caused me to learn more about it, and the fact that at this time it still remains unsolved.
I really appreciated the lengths the author took to tell you about these 5 women who were murdered. Show them for the human beings that they were, not just escorts. Their stories were all sad and tragic in their own ways. I did get a little confused at times, through no fault of the author, because with the exception of two girls (Shannan, Amber), their names all started with an M (Maureen, Melissa, Megan). Then their working names were used sometimes, and it muddied things a little. But, that can't be helped.
I truly hope that the killer of these women can be found. I wish their families left behind can attempt to get some peace. I have my own thoughts on who it might be, but I guess time will tell.
I really appreciated the lengths the author took to tell you about these 5 women who were murdered. Show them for the human beings that they were, not just escorts. Their stories were all sad and tragic in their own ways. I did get a little confused at times, through no fault of the author, because with the exception of two girls (Shannan, Amber), their names all started with an M (Maureen, Melissa, Megan). Then their working names were used sometimes, and it muddied things a little. But, that can't be helped.
I truly hope that the killer of these women can be found. I wish their families left behind can attempt to get some peace. I have my own thoughts on who it might be, but I guess time will tell.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced