This book is about The Last Call Killer who murdered and dismembered at least 4 gay men in New York City between 1991-1993 and disposed of them all in the same way, tipping off the police that they had a serial killer on their hands. This is not a well-known case and Green stumbled upon it accidentally while doing an internet search.
I think Green did a wonderful job of telling the story of the crimes, the victims, and what was happening during that time in New York City. The murders were taking place during the height of the AIDS epidemic and there was a lot of anti-queer violence happening and not much being done about it. Most police officers were anti-queer to the extent of not wanting to work with fellow officers who were gay or lesbian so they didn't take gay hate crimes all that seriously. Many gay men at the time were not out and many hid their secret lives in marriages or by living as single men and not disclosing their sexual preference. They did have some refuge in the gay bars of New York City, but unfortunately, this is also where they were preyed upon.
I really like how Green told a lot about the victims and their lives. It really humanized them which is something that is sometimes lacking in true crime books that mostly focus on the killer. I also like how the information he gave about what it was like to be a gay man during that time period, the things they had to deal with, and all the prejudices against them. The inclusion of the maps with where the victims were found was a nice addition. There was also a lot of time spent on the investigation. There wasn't a ton of time spent on the actual killer, but I thought that definitely worked in this case. Luckily, there were some good policemen who did not give up on this case. The only thing this book was lacking, and it's just a personal preference, are some photos of the victims and the killer. I won't give away who the killer is or how he was caught in this review. Please, read for yourself and find out.
Let's take a moment to remember the known victims: Peter Anderson, Thomas Richard Mulcahey, Anthony Edward Marerro, Michael J. Sakara, and Frederic Alan Spencer.
I think Green did a wonderful job of telling the story of the crimes, the victims, and what was happening during that time in New York City. The murders were taking place during the height of the AIDS epidemic and there was a lot of anti-queer violence happening and not much being done about it. Most police officers were anti-queer to the extent of not wanting to work with fellow officers who were gay or lesbian so they didn't take gay hate crimes all that seriously. Many gay men at the time were not out and many hid their secret lives in marriages or by living as single men and not disclosing their sexual preference. They did have some refuge in the gay bars of New York City, but unfortunately, this is also where they were preyed upon.
I really like how Green told a lot about the victims and their lives. It really humanized them which is something that is sometimes lacking in true crime books that mostly focus on the killer. I also like how the information he gave about what it was like to be a gay man during that time period, the things they had to deal with, and all the prejudices against them. The inclusion of the maps with where the victims were found was a nice addition. There was also a lot of time spent on the investigation. There wasn't a ton of time spent on the actual killer, but I thought that definitely worked in this case. Luckily, there were some good policemen who did not give up on this case. The only thing this book was lacking, and it's just a personal preference, are some photos of the victims and the killer. I won't give away who the killer is or how he was caught in this review. Please, read for yourself and find out.
Let's take a moment to remember the known victims: Peter Anderson, Thomas Richard Mulcahey, Anthony Edward Marerro, Michael J. Sakara, and Frederic Alan Spencer.