Utterly fascinating

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It’s a cliche, sure, but after I picked up this memoir, I was simply unable to put it down. It was glued to my hand until the very last page. Paul Holes is only 54 and yet he has already lived a remarkably full and eventful life. It takes a very special person to entrench themselves in the horrific world of cold case investigation and I truly believe he was made for that very job. His brilliant and honest storytelling reveals how his obsessive thinking has led to both success and failure in his professional and personal lives. He is not one to give up and in many ways his thought style mirrors that of the monsters he spends days, years, and decades tracking down. As I powered through his story, I came to view him as the antithesis of the criminals he uncovers. There are some very disturbing descriptions of rape and homicide in this memoir, and, although they sickened me, they also made me even more appreciative of Paul Holes’ devotion to uncovering the identities of the perpetrators. I was also pretty shocked by how many high profile cases he has worked while reeling from the loss of a close colleague or dealing with the destruction of his marriage. There is plenty in here about the Golden State Killer and Paul Holes’ partnership with Michelle McNamara, but the other cases were equally as fascinating to me. Anyone with a remote interest in true crime will be sure to appreciate this dark and engrossing memoir. A huge thank you to Celadon Books and BookishFirst for providing me with an early copy!!