It's New York City in the early 90s. The AIDS epidemic is running rampant around the world and its spread being blamed almost exclusively on homosexual males. At this same time, there is someone murdering gay men in the New York area.....and yet, no one has ever heard about these crimes. It is a serial killer very few people have ever heard of, the Last Call Killer.
I love a good true crime story. I have always enjoyed true crime shows and have more recently become way more interested and invested in true crime novels as well. When I received a copy of this ARC, I was super excited to get to read it. The crimes were gruesome and spread out over time and geography. It was completely fascinating that I have never heard of this crime spree and, it seems, neither has anyone else I know. In that regard, the book met my expectations and I was captivated by the whodunnit and the characters within.
However, I was not expecting the political statement this book definitely was. I enjoyed the exploration of the gay scene and how being homosexual impacted not only the victims' lives but also others around them. I also thought it was a compelling exploration of how law enforcement, political figures, and the like interacted with the gay community in that era. What I struggled with was the mixing of the two. The true crime portion was good and the political statement was equally powerful, but I felt that putting them together did justice to neither as fully as could have been.
I love a good true crime story. I have always enjoyed true crime shows and have more recently become way more interested and invested in true crime novels as well. When I received a copy of this ARC, I was super excited to get to read it. The crimes were gruesome and spread out over time and geography. It was completely fascinating that I have never heard of this crime spree and, it seems, neither has anyone else I know. In that regard, the book met my expectations and I was captivated by the whodunnit and the characters within.
However, I was not expecting the political statement this book definitely was. I enjoyed the exploration of the gay scene and how being homosexual impacted not only the victims' lives but also others around them. I also thought it was a compelling exploration of how law enforcement, political figures, and the like interacted with the gay community in that era. What I struggled with was the mixing of the two. The true crime portion was good and the political statement was equally powerful, but I felt that putting them together did justice to neither as fully as could have been.