The Last Call Killer stalked the gay community of New York City, terrorizing gay men for years as murders went unsolved. Not only was it a time when the AIDS epidemic was high, but simply being out as a gay man was dangerous enough. Cops targeted gay bars and looked the other way when dealing with crimes against homosexuals. It was the perfect set up for a serial killer to stalk a community.
I love a true crime novel, and while this one had a ton of potential, it lacked in some tighter editing. I felt like I was unable to find my stride with this book as the author really dove into the personal backgrounds of the victims. I’m not opposed to this and appreciated humanizing the victims, but the narrative was jarring and disjointed. Had it flowed a little easier, I would have been able to engage a lot more.
I also thought the story got a bit bogged down by the author’s attention to detail at times. Green mentions a ton of New York landmarks, locations, and street names which just confused me even more. I’m sure for native New Yorkers this will be an appreciated addition, but as someone who doesn’t know NYC well, it challenged my comprehension with unnecessary cross streets and intersections. I feel like there’s an easier way to do this to appeal to a larger (not local) audience.
This book had a ton of potential, but ended up feeling like a first edit vs a finished book. I still glad I read it, but I wish my take away would have been greater.
I love a true crime novel, and while this one had a ton of potential, it lacked in some tighter editing. I felt like I was unable to find my stride with this book as the author really dove into the personal backgrounds of the victims. I’m not opposed to this and appreciated humanizing the victims, but the narrative was jarring and disjointed. Had it flowed a little easier, I would have been able to engage a lot more.
I also thought the story got a bit bogged down by the author’s attention to detail at times. Green mentions a ton of New York landmarks, locations, and street names which just confused me even more. I’m sure for native New Yorkers this will be an appreciated addition, but as someone who doesn’t know NYC well, it challenged my comprehension with unnecessary cross streets and intersections. I feel like there’s an easier way to do this to appeal to a larger (not local) audience.
This book had a ton of potential, but ended up feeling like a first edit vs a finished book. I still glad I read it, but I wish my take away would have been greater.