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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I don't read a lot of true crime, but this was a NYT notable book so I thought it should be exceptional. Indeed, the title of the book lets you know there's no solution to the mystery, which makes it unsatisfying. Moreover, the book seemed really padded, like it really could have been a piece of long form journalism instead of a book. I did appreciate the backstories of the victims, and it is thought provoking to see what sex work is like in NYC during a time I lived there. There's a deep sadness to killers who pick sex workers as their victims, and that does come across strongly in the book.
As a tip, I would recommend anyone reading this to read a paper copy and not an e-copy for ease of flipping between maps and dramatis personae because there are A LOT of similar-sounding names to keep track of.
As a tip, I would recommend anyone reading this to read a paper copy and not an e-copy for ease of flipping between maps and dramatis personae because there are A LOT of similar-sounding names to keep track of.
3.5 - 4 stars out of 5? Not sure exactly how to rate this.
I really enjoyed this true crime account of the unsolved murders of Long Island. Would recommend for fans of Michelle MacNamara's I'll Be Gone In the Dark. Especially appreciated is Kolker's empathetic and complete depictions of the victims and the family members they left behind and they struggle to find closure and move past their grief. Readers more interested in gruesome autopsy details and conjecture about the killer's possible identity or motives will want to give this one a miss.
While there were aspects of this book I enjoyed, particularly how well it fleshed out the victims and their families, giving a certain aspect of humanity that is often missing when discussing serial killers, I still can’t give this more than 3 stars (maybe 3.5). I don’t think this is helped by me reading it immediately after I’ll Be Gone In The Dark. But, I just think there are so many unconfirmed and unknown details to the case that makes it hard to find reading the story of it satisfying. While it seems that might not have been the goal of this book, instead to tell the stories of these five young women, it was not what I was looking for and I was not completely satisfied.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Although it feels slow at times, this is also a tremendously sad story that made me really mad