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Behold the Monster: Confronting America's Most Prolific Serial Killer
He was sitting right across the table...and he would have killed her if he could. Jillian Lauren had no idea what she was getting into when she wrote her first letter to prolific serial killer Samuel Little. All she knew was her research had led her to believe he was guilty of many more murders than the three for which he had been convicted. While the two exchanged dozens of letters and embarked on hundreds of hours of interviews, Lauren gained the trust of a monster. After maintaining his innocence for decades, Little confessed to the murders of ninety-three women, often drawing his victims in haunting detail as he spoke. How could one man evade justice, manipulating the system for more than four decades? As the FBI, the DOJ, the LAPD, and countless law enforcement officials across the country worked to connect their cold cases with the confessions, Lauren's coverage of the investigations and obsession with Little's victims only escalated.
Lauren delivers the harrowing report of her unusual relationship with a psychopath--but this is more than a deep dive into the actions of Samuel Little. Lauren's riveting and emotional accounts reveal the women who were lost to cold files, giving Little's victims a chance to have their stories heard for the first time.
Lauren delivers the harrowing report of her unusual relationship with a psychopath--but this is more than a deep dive into the actions of Samuel Little. Lauren's riveting and emotional accounts reveal the women who were lost to cold files, giving Little's victims a chance to have their stories heard for the first time.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2021
About the author
Jillian Lauren
7 books379 followersJillian is the author of the USA Today bestseller, BEHOLD THE MONSTER: Confronting America's Most Prolific Serial Killer, EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED, and the New York Times bestselling memoir, SOME GIRLS: My Life in a Harem, and the novel, PRETTY.
BEHOLD THE MONSTER: CONFRONTING AMERICA'S MOST PROLIFIC SERIAL KILLER: New York Times bestselling author and lead of the Starz docuseries, Confronting a Serial Killer, Jillian Lauren delivers the harrowing report of her unusual relationship with a psychopath. But this is more than a deep dive into the actions of Samuel Little. Lauren's riveting and emotional accounts reveal the women who were lost to cold files, giving Little's victims a chance to have their stories heard for the first time.
SOME GIRLS, chronicles Jillian's time spent in the harem of the Prince of Brunei, and has been translated into eighteen languages.
EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED is the story of Jillian's most radical act - learning the steadying power of love when she and her rock star husband adopt an Ethiopian child with special needs.
Jillian has an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Los Angeles Magazine, Elle, Flaunt Magazine, The Rumpus, The Nervous Breakdown, Salon, and many other publications. Her work has been widely anthologized, including in The Moth Anthology and True Tales of Lust and Love.
Jillian is a regular storyteller with The Moth and performs at spoken word and storytelling events across the country. She did a Tedx talk at Chapman University in 2014. She has been interviewed on The View, Good Morning America and Howard Stern, to name a few.
She blogs at Today Moms on MSNBC, The Huffington Post and JillianLauren.com, which was named a top 100 mom blog of 2012 by Babble Magazine.
Jillian is married to Scott Shriner, the bass player for Weezer. They live in Los Angeles with their son.
BEHOLD THE MONSTER: CONFRONTING AMERICA'S MOST PROLIFIC SERIAL KILLER: New York Times bestselling author and lead of the Starz docuseries, Confronting a Serial Killer, Jillian Lauren delivers the harrowing report of her unusual relationship with a psychopath. But this is more than a deep dive into the actions of Samuel Little. Lauren's riveting and emotional accounts reveal the women who were lost to cold files, giving Little's victims a chance to have their stories heard for the first time.
SOME GIRLS, chronicles Jillian's time spent in the harem of the Prince of Brunei, and has been translated into eighteen languages.
EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED is the story of Jillian's most radical act - learning the steadying power of love when she and her rock star husband adopt an Ethiopian child with special needs.
Jillian has an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Los Angeles Magazine, Elle, Flaunt Magazine, The Rumpus, The Nervous Breakdown, Salon, and many other publications. Her work has been widely anthologized, including in The Moth Anthology and True Tales of Lust and Love.
Jillian is a regular storyteller with The Moth and performs at spoken word and storytelling events across the country. She did a Tedx talk at Chapman University in 2014. She has been interviewed on The View, Good Morning America and Howard Stern, to name a few.
She blogs at Today Moms on MSNBC, The Huffington Post and JillianLauren.com, which was named a top 100 mom blog of 2012 by Babble Magazine.
Jillian is married to Scott Shriner, the bass player for Weezer. They live in Los Angeles with their son.
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May 7, 2023
I’m not sure, but this book seems to have been previously published in 2020? This might be a revised addition with additional information, nonetheless it is still a very interesting, informative, and disturbing book to read. Any book that details the life of a serial killer is never an easy read.
Behold the Monster, is about serial killer Sam Little. Sam Little was behind bars when he met with the author, Jillian Lauren. It was with Jillian that Sam started confessing all his murders. Sam spoke with Jillian during their prison visits, and most often on their phone calls. Sam knew the phone calls were being recorded, but he still kept on talking. Sam Little often drew pictures of his victims while confessing to Jillian. Sam called Jillian his “best friend”. Jillian was even listed as next of kin for Sam Little, and she was the first person the prison called when he died of Covid-19 complications on December 30, 2020.
This book gives an overview of Sam Little’s victims. We get a clue as to what their last moments on earth were like. The author also interviewed family members of some of the victims, so that their memory could live on. We also hear from the four women who were able to escape and live through their nightmare with Sam Little.
Everything about Sam Little is disturbing! His birth into the world was disturbing. His upbringing was disturbing. His reuniting with his biological mother as an adult was especially disturbing! This book became extremely hard to read at times.
While creepy, I guess Sam was a bit smart on who he preyed upon. He preyed upon women who were on drugs, and who were most often prostitutes. He would ask them questions such as, “Do you have lots of family around? Are you close with your family?” If he knew these women didn’t have anyone, then they were an easy target. He would lure these women into his car and strangle them for sexual pleasure. Most of these women were not missed by anyone. Those that were able to get away and live to tell about it- well, unfortunately no one believed them because they were drug addicted prostitutes.
Sam Little confessed to killing 93 women. The FBI has confirmed 60 cases. Therefore, Sam might be the “most prolific serial killer in American history of record.” In any case, if you are a fan of true crime and especially that of serial killers, then I highly suggest reading this very detailed book about the life of Sam Little.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and the author for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. Publication date: July 18, 2023. (Genre- True Crime, Nonfiction)
Behold the Monster, is about serial killer Sam Little. Sam Little was behind bars when he met with the author, Jillian Lauren. It was with Jillian that Sam started confessing all his murders. Sam spoke with Jillian during their prison visits, and most often on their phone calls. Sam knew the phone calls were being recorded, but he still kept on talking. Sam Little often drew pictures of his victims while confessing to Jillian. Sam called Jillian his “best friend”. Jillian was even listed as next of kin for Sam Little, and she was the first person the prison called when he died of Covid-19 complications on December 30, 2020.
This book gives an overview of Sam Little’s victims. We get a clue as to what their last moments on earth were like. The author also interviewed family members of some of the victims, so that their memory could live on. We also hear from the four women who were able to escape and live through their nightmare with Sam Little.
Everything about Sam Little is disturbing! His birth into the world was disturbing. His upbringing was disturbing. His reuniting with his biological mother as an adult was especially disturbing! This book became extremely hard to read at times.
While creepy, I guess Sam was a bit smart on who he preyed upon. He preyed upon women who were on drugs, and who were most often prostitutes. He would ask them questions such as, “Do you have lots of family around? Are you close with your family?” If he knew these women didn’t have anyone, then they were an easy target. He would lure these women into his car and strangle them for sexual pleasure. Most of these women were not missed by anyone. Those that were able to get away and live to tell about it- well, unfortunately no one believed them because they were drug addicted prostitutes.
Sam Little confessed to killing 93 women. The FBI has confirmed 60 cases. Therefore, Sam might be the “most prolific serial killer in American history of record.” In any case, if you are a fan of true crime and especially that of serial killers, then I highly suggest reading this very detailed book about the life of Sam Little.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and the author for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. Publication date: July 18, 2023. (Genre- True Crime, Nonfiction)
July 22, 2023
Behold the Monster is a true crime book written by Jillian Lauren. It tells the story of America's most prolific serial killer, Sam Little and his many victims. This book also looks into a bit of the psychology of what could have potentially made Little behave the way he did.
I appreciated learning about Little's childhood and upbringing, even though it was at times difficult to read. I also appreciated seeing the victims' stories through their eyes. But again, it was often difficult. What I disliked about the book was the way it seemed to jump from situation and perspective to another. It felt loose and unstructured to me at times. I also felt the author colored it with too much of her own perspective. I'd rather read my nonfiction without the author's added inflections. While I agree Same Little did horrible things, I don't believe anyone would disagree with that. The added commentary is subtle and seldom, but it still knocked me out of my nonfiction mode. It's difficult to describe unless you read nonfiction the same way I do. I just want the information to form my own opinions based on the facts.
With all of that said, I know many will truly enjoy this book! I feel I'm a minority with my criticisms. But I need to be true to my instincts when rating. Otherwise, what's the point in writing reviews? I give Behold the Monster three out of five stars.
I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I appreciated learning about Little's childhood and upbringing, even though it was at times difficult to read. I also appreciated seeing the victims' stories through their eyes. But again, it was often difficult. What I disliked about the book was the way it seemed to jump from situation and perspective to another. It felt loose and unstructured to me at times. I also felt the author colored it with too much of her own perspective. I'd rather read my nonfiction without the author's added inflections. While I agree Same Little did horrible things, I don't believe anyone would disagree with that. The added commentary is subtle and seldom, but it still knocked me out of my nonfiction mode. It's difficult to describe unless you read nonfiction the same way I do. I just want the information to form my own opinions based on the facts.
With all of that said, I know many will truly enjoy this book! I feel I'm a minority with my criticisms. But I need to be true to my instincts when rating. Otherwise, what's the point in writing reviews? I give Behold the Monster three out of five stars.
I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 21, 2023
Behold the Monster: Confronting America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer
Release Date. 7/17/2023
Jillian Lauren gets up close and personal with a monster while interviewing the a prolific serial killer Sam Little.
It goes without saying that this book is a difficult read. A shocking and disturbing look into the final moments of the women he killed. The Author interviewed him while he drew pictures of the women and gave account of their final moments. Little has been linked to over 90 murders.
At times I found it confusing as she flip flopped between names and genders on one particular victim.
While I understand she mixed some fiction to try to give a little more perspective, but at times it came across harsh towards the victim.
It was too much for me, to hear all the ugly details of his kills. I was more interested in the trial transcripts and what makes someone capable of such evil. Disgusting to see how he got away with so much even with his extensive rap sheet.
Release Date. 7/17/2023
Jillian Lauren gets up close and personal with a monster while interviewing the a prolific serial killer Sam Little.
It goes without saying that this book is a difficult read. A shocking and disturbing look into the final moments of the women he killed. The Author interviewed him while he drew pictures of the women and gave account of their final moments. Little has been linked to over 90 murders.
At times I found it confusing as she flip flopped between names and genders on one particular victim.
While I understand she mixed some fiction to try to give a little more perspective, but at times it came across harsh towards the victim.
It was too much for me, to hear all the ugly details of his kills. I was more interested in the trial transcripts and what makes someone capable of such evil. Disgusting to see how he got away with so much even with his extensive rap sheet.
June 4, 2023
I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I was very excited to read this book. As a true crime junkie, I was familiar with Sam Little but was aware that he and his crimes and victims are significantly less well known than less prolific serial killers such as Ted Bundy. In preparation I watched a recent Oxygen special, and a podcast that specializes in covering victims and perpetrators of color to make sure I was up on all the facts so I could truly focus on the story.
Unfortunately, this book was very difficult to read, and at about 40% of the way through I had to surrender this to the DNF shelf. The book started with the author's own experience of domestic violence, which while technically topical felt like a jarring way to start the book and I had trouble connecting the threads of it in the text when her personal story (outside of interviewing Little) kept surfacing. Additionally, the fictionalization of how Little's victims died were difficult to read. While I appreciate that there are a lot of blanks on how potential victims of Little may have died, the fictionalizations were quite dramatic and distracting. I was expecting something more along the lines of "In Cold Blood" which (regardless of its veracity) read like a cohesive narrative of real events. I'm not convinced that this book would be a solid primer on Sam Little and his crimes for someone who was completely unaware of him and his crimes before reading the book.
I was very excited to read this book. As a true crime junkie, I was familiar with Sam Little but was aware that he and his crimes and victims are significantly less well known than less prolific serial killers such as Ted Bundy. In preparation I watched a recent Oxygen special, and a podcast that specializes in covering victims and perpetrators of color to make sure I was up on all the facts so I could truly focus on the story.
Unfortunately, this book was very difficult to read, and at about 40% of the way through I had to surrender this to the DNF shelf. The book started with the author's own experience of domestic violence, which while technically topical felt like a jarring way to start the book and I had trouble connecting the threads of it in the text when her personal story (outside of interviewing Little) kept surfacing. Additionally, the fictionalization of how Little's victims died were difficult to read. While I appreciate that there are a lot of blanks on how potential victims of Little may have died, the fictionalizations were quite dramatic and distracting. I was expecting something more along the lines of "In Cold Blood" which (regardless of its veracity) read like a cohesive narrative of real events. I'm not convinced that this book would be a solid primer on Sam Little and his crimes for someone who was completely unaware of him and his crimes before reading the book.
September 13, 2023
I was really excited for this book, but it honestly felt like a high school essay that had a specific word count requirement. It was all over the place and hard to follow. I ended up skimming through about half of the book, just to finish it. There was even one point where there was a woman named Denise, but the next sentence it was Diane, and back and forth...so confusing, what is going on!?
September 4, 2023
Samuel Little is the most prolific serial killer in American history with an estimated 93 victims....and most people have never even heard of him. I tend to think it's because
1. He's Black and the majority of his victims were Black
2. The media prefers to just retell the same old stories ( Dahmer, Bundy, and Manson) rather than talk about other usually far more horrific killers. BTK is probably the "newest" killer that gets media attention( I'm planning on reading more about him in the future) and I think that's mostly due the show Mindhunter( R.I.P.). In all of these cases Black serial killers are usually forgotten. Serial killers are statically more likely to be white men but that's why I think more attention should be paid to the killers who fall outside of those parameters.
Samuel Little is the third Black serial killer I can remember learning about, Anthony Sowell( the Cleveland Strangler) and Lonnie Franklin Jr( the Grim Sleeper) being the other two. In all three cases these killers were able to roam free stalking for their next victims because of who their victims were. In each case almost all their victims were Black women who were either struggling with drugs and alcohol or they were sex workers. These women were not middle class soccer moms so their lives were considered less important. I can't remember where I saw it but in some cases, murders of sex workers are classified as having " No Humans Involved". Samuel Little even admitted that he chose victims that he knew the police wouldn't care about...he was right.
Behold the Monster is one part history of a serial killer and one part cold case investigation by the author Jillian Lauren. Jillian spent years creating a relationship with the incarcerated Little, in order to identify his victims and bring some peace to their families. She had to listen to him brag in gory detail about how he strangled the life out of his " babies" and did horrific things to their bodies. She's stronger than me because I would have hurt that old monster. She also worked with various law enforcement agencies to help put names to unidentified victims.
This book reads like a Thriller novel more than True Crime Nonfiction. It's not an easy read obviously. Rape, child molestation, torture and murder are the main subjects discussed. This book may also make you question if drowning a newborn baby is okay...don't judge....93 women would be alive if that drowning had happened. I will say that the thing that stopped this book from being a 5 star read was that it felt disjointed at times. A good rhythm was going when she would sidetrack to something completely different. It didn't kill the vibe but it dampened it.
If you like True Crime or want to learn about serial killer who hasn't been covered to death( pun intended) than give this book a try.
1. He's Black and the majority of his victims were Black
2. The media prefers to just retell the same old stories ( Dahmer, Bundy, and Manson) rather than talk about other usually far more horrific killers. BTK is probably the "newest" killer that gets media attention( I'm planning on reading more about him in the future) and I think that's mostly due the show Mindhunter( R.I.P.). In all of these cases Black serial killers are usually forgotten. Serial killers are statically more likely to be white men but that's why I think more attention should be paid to the killers who fall outside of those parameters.
Samuel Little is the third Black serial killer I can remember learning about, Anthony Sowell( the Cleveland Strangler) and Lonnie Franklin Jr( the Grim Sleeper) being the other two. In all three cases these killers were able to roam free stalking for their next victims because of who their victims were. In each case almost all their victims were Black women who were either struggling with drugs and alcohol or they were sex workers. These women were not middle class soccer moms so their lives were considered less important. I can't remember where I saw it but in some cases, murders of sex workers are classified as having " No Humans Involved". Samuel Little even admitted that he chose victims that he knew the police wouldn't care about...he was right.
Behold the Monster is one part history of a serial killer and one part cold case investigation by the author Jillian Lauren. Jillian spent years creating a relationship with the incarcerated Little, in order to identify his victims and bring some peace to their families. She had to listen to him brag in gory detail about how he strangled the life out of his " babies" and did horrific things to their bodies. She's stronger than me because I would have hurt that old monster. She also worked with various law enforcement agencies to help put names to unidentified victims.
This book reads like a Thriller novel more than True Crime Nonfiction. It's not an easy read obviously. Rape, child molestation, torture and murder are the main subjects discussed. This book may also make you question if drowning a newborn baby is okay...don't judge....93 women would be alive if that drowning had happened. I will say that the thing that stopped this book from being a 5 star read was that it felt disjointed at times. A good rhythm was going when she would sidetrack to something completely different. It didn't kill the vibe but it dampened it.
If you like True Crime or want to learn about serial killer who hasn't been covered to death( pun intended) than give this book a try.
June 26, 2023
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: July 18, 2023
Jillian Lauren is an interesting character all on her own. The wife of a rockstar(a member of the band Weezer) and a member of MENSA, her personal life is fascinating. One of her previous novels, “My Life in a Harem” tells the real-life story of the time she spent as the mistress to the Sultan of Brunei. Like I said, Lauren’s life is in no way a boring one. So, when she decides to write a book on Sam Little, cousin of Malcom X and murderer of anywhere from sixty to ninety women, I definitely couldn’t turn down the oppourtunity to read it.
“Behold the Monster” has a strong “Mindhunter” vibe, with Lauren sitting face-to-face with Little in his prison cell, discussing the women he strangled and killed. Samuel Little went years without being captured, although he did spend time in jail for much milder offenses, and was one of the only serial killers to cross racial lines. Even though I am a serial killer expert (and proud of it), Little has never crossed my radar.
“Monster” is unique in that it is a non-fiction, true crime novel, but Lauren adds fictional components, as she describes the last minutes of Little’s victims, and tries to capture what is going on in Little’s mind during his stalking and murdering sprees. Lauren is not a police investigator, so she does not have access to inside information, beyond what is provided to her by either Little himself or the many officers of the law involved with him. This provides for a diverse and unconventional read, and it is unlike any true crime novels I’ve read before.
Lauren did a great job of providing insight into Little’s life and upbringing, while still paying proper respect to Little’s victims. “Monster” does not ignore the societal injustices either, bringing the hard-but-true facts of the racial and gender stereotypes of the American legal system. Little started to kill during a time when Black victims were labeled as “non people”, and when no one would look twice at a missing prostitute. Sadly, not much has changed but Lauren does not sugar coat these issues, and she deserves respect and props for the attempt.
Lauren talks about her meetings with Little, her interactions with various police and law enforcement officers and agencies and adds some snippets of her personal life, all in the five hundred odd pages of this fictionally altered true crime novel. Lauren will occasionally bring up characters from agencies, or incidences from her personal life, that I had no background understanding of, so some portions were a little choppy and confusing. That being said, Lauren has earned all of the writing accolades she has received, and I’m excited to see what other infamous serial killer she introduces to us next!
Expected publication date: July 18, 2023
Jillian Lauren is an interesting character all on her own. The wife of a rockstar(a member of the band Weezer) and a member of MENSA, her personal life is fascinating. One of her previous novels, “My Life in a Harem” tells the real-life story of the time she spent as the mistress to the Sultan of Brunei. Like I said, Lauren’s life is in no way a boring one. So, when she decides to write a book on Sam Little, cousin of Malcom X and murderer of anywhere from sixty to ninety women, I definitely couldn’t turn down the oppourtunity to read it.
“Behold the Monster” has a strong “Mindhunter” vibe, with Lauren sitting face-to-face with Little in his prison cell, discussing the women he strangled and killed. Samuel Little went years without being captured, although he did spend time in jail for much milder offenses, and was one of the only serial killers to cross racial lines. Even though I am a serial killer expert (and proud of it), Little has never crossed my radar.
“Monster” is unique in that it is a non-fiction, true crime novel, but Lauren adds fictional components, as she describes the last minutes of Little’s victims, and tries to capture what is going on in Little’s mind during his stalking and murdering sprees. Lauren is not a police investigator, so she does not have access to inside information, beyond what is provided to her by either Little himself or the many officers of the law involved with him. This provides for a diverse and unconventional read, and it is unlike any true crime novels I’ve read before.
Lauren did a great job of providing insight into Little’s life and upbringing, while still paying proper respect to Little’s victims. “Monster” does not ignore the societal injustices either, bringing the hard-but-true facts of the racial and gender stereotypes of the American legal system. Little started to kill during a time when Black victims were labeled as “non people”, and when no one would look twice at a missing prostitute. Sadly, not much has changed but Lauren does not sugar coat these issues, and she deserves respect and props for the attempt.
Lauren talks about her meetings with Little, her interactions with various police and law enforcement officers and agencies and adds some snippets of her personal life, all in the five hundred odd pages of this fictionally altered true crime novel. Lauren will occasionally bring up characters from agencies, or incidences from her personal life, that I had no background understanding of, so some portions were a little choppy and confusing. That being said, Lauren has earned all of the writing accolades she has received, and I’m excited to see what other infamous serial killer she introduces to us next!
Want to read
May 5, 2024I DNF'd this book somewhere in the page 150 range. I had a little 'ick' about the liberties taken on dramatizing the facts of the case (even though I liked Jillian Lauren's writing). I don't think dramatization is inherently bad, but I think this felt like big leaps Lauren had no business making. Especially leaps as a white lady talking about marginalized communities. I was willing to move past the use of the 'n' word when it was used in direct quotes. But then she stopped using it in direct quotes and used it in the 'internal monologue' that she gave Sam Little at one point. Noooo thank you. I totally understand that those words would have been used in that community and by those individuals, but maybe that's a cue that Jillian Lauren was not the right narrator to tell this story. I get it-- I'm a white lady social worker. I understand the desire to tell a story about a marginalized community because you want the story to be heard. But you also have to know your scope.
I also thought the format was pretty wonky. I was having trouble keeping up with why the story was being told that way.
I also thought the format was pretty wonky. I was having trouble keeping up with why the story was being told that way.
March 5, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up!
I love how this book started with an animated map entitled “Sam Little’s USA”. It was even more horrifying to see his crime spree visually!
I love that the author expressed in the beginning that it is impossible to know the victim’s thoughts and she tried the best she can to give them a voice with her creative liberties. I can’t stand when authors add in fictionalized commentary from the victims in true crime novels and don’t address it from the start.
This novel does jump around quite a bit in the timelines, but I found it surprisingly easy to follow. Jillian does a great job of truly putting you inside his head. This novel almost reads like fiction because of how well Sam Little was actualized and this is why I found it so captivating. I particularly loved the chapters on the Mansfield Reformatory as I have been there!!Also, the chapter on everyday sadism was fascinating and my favorite of the book.
As captivating as it was, I did at times find my mind wandering and that is why I didn’t give it more stars. I think part of this is because of how heavy the content is and partly because of how repetitive it could be. That is not the author’s fault- as his crimes followed very similar patterns over and over. I also found chapter 20 “Marianne” a little confusing. This victim was transgender and as a result the author wove in both her names (Marianne & Curtis) and found myself getting confused.
Overall a solid true crime read that is very informative on the atrocious crimes of Sam Little. Needless to say - I will never look at a neck the same again.
📖 ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ @sourcebooks ᴀɴᴅ @netgalley ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʀᴄ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ 📖
I love how this book started with an animated map entitled “Sam Little’s USA”. It was even more horrifying to see his crime spree visually!
I love that the author expressed in the beginning that it is impossible to know the victim’s thoughts and she tried the best she can to give them a voice with her creative liberties. I can’t stand when authors add in fictionalized commentary from the victims in true crime novels and don’t address it from the start.
This novel does jump around quite a bit in the timelines, but I found it surprisingly easy to follow. Jillian does a great job of truly putting you inside his head. This novel almost reads like fiction because of how well Sam Little was actualized and this is why I found it so captivating. I particularly loved the chapters on the Mansfield Reformatory as I have been there!!Also, the chapter on everyday sadism was fascinating and my favorite of the book.
As captivating as it was, I did at times find my mind wandering and that is why I didn’t give it more stars. I think part of this is because of how heavy the content is and partly because of how repetitive it could be. That is not the author’s fault- as his crimes followed very similar patterns over and over. I also found chapter 20 “Marianne” a little confusing. This victim was transgender and as a result the author wove in both her names (Marianne & Curtis) and found myself getting confused.
Overall a solid true crime read that is very informative on the atrocious crimes of Sam Little. Needless to say - I will never look at a neck the same again.
📖 ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ @sourcebooks ᴀɴᴅ @netgalley ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʀᴄ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ 📖
August 1, 2023
True crime cases are so fascinating to me; especially learning about what makes a criminal do the things they do. This book allowed me to learn about Sam Little, a serial killer who is responsible for decades of killing women in plain sight. My thoughts on this book vary from appreciating the insight of the murders and writing them in first person to absolute disgust in the graphic descriptions of the crimes. Some of it went too far for my taste as I thought some of it was too technical for the average true crime reader. 3.5 stars rounded up.
August 20, 2023
I was really looking forward to a good true crime novel, however I have mixed feelings about Behold the Monster. When I read non-fiction, especially true crime novels, I really want it to be about that...actual events and research. Jillian Lauren mixes fiction within this one, basing the stories of the murdered women off her research. It may not be that way for others, but for me it threw off my non-fiction flow.
I did enjoy the background and history of Samuel Little. Reading her meetings with him were eerie and chilled my entire being. He is pure evil.
Overall, not a bad read and I am sure other readers will wholeheartedly love this one. The format for this one just wasn't my cup of coffee. If you have this one on your radar, I would say to give it a read. You may enjoy a lot more than I did.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
I did enjoy the background and history of Samuel Little. Reading her meetings with him were eerie and chilled my entire being. He is pure evil.
Overall, not a bad read and I am sure other readers will wholeheartedly love this one. The format for this one just wasn't my cup of coffee. If you have this one on your radar, I would say to give it a read. You may enjoy a lot more than I did.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
August 9, 2023
Thanks to Sourcebooks and the author for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Genuinely, I had no idea who "America's Most Prolific Serial Killer" was but I saw this giveaway and since I have an interest in true crime I figured there was no harm in entering.
I praise the author for the work that she did to uncover this story and even solve one of the cases on her own. Some people might find the methods that Lauren used to get the information from Little disturbing as she did have to form somewhat of a friendship with Little to get him talking but I see it as the only way this would have ever happened.
I'm giving this book a one-star review for various reasons:
- It should be emphasized that while this book is majority nonfiction, there are fiction elements that I found to be somewhat disturbing. At the end of the author's note at the beginning of the book Lauren wrote,
- Throughout this book, Lauren went back and forth between the present and the past, and I found that to be a little disorienting and hard to keep track of especially when sometimes it didn't seem related to the previous chapter that I had just finished reading.
- I'm conflicted about giving serial killers the light of day. Some of them want to be known, loved, and adored for their "work".
So yeah, I don't know if I can give so much praise to a book about a man who possibly killed up to 93 (or more) women because he obviously enjoyed the attention to an extent. But then again the police and FBI wouldn't have been able to solve this many of Little's cases without essentially kissing his ass and playing into his game. So yeah I don't know what to make of giving serial killers the limelight.
- Lauren quotes other people using the n-word with the hard r. Specifically, on page 90 . Again, I don't know how much of this is fiction so that makes me even more uncomfortable.
- Less important but in this book Lauren claims that Little is related to .
So yeah, I'm giving this book one star because it was ok but I found some issues with the way that Jillian Lauren chose to write this book bringing down the rating a lot. I felt like there was a way that this book could've been written with more respect.
Genuinely, I had no idea who "America's Most Prolific Serial Killer" was but I saw this giveaway and since I have an interest in true crime I figured there was no harm in entering.
I praise the author for the work that she did to uncover this story and even solve one of the cases on her own. Some people might find the methods that Lauren used to get the information from Little disturbing as she did have to form somewhat of a friendship with Little to get him talking but I see it as the only way this would have ever happened.
I'm giving this book a one-star review for various reasons:
- It should be emphasized that while this book is majority nonfiction, there are fiction elements that I found to be somewhat disturbing. At the end of the author's note at the beginning of the book Lauren wrote,
- Throughout this book, Lauren went back and forth between the present and the past, and I found that to be a little disorienting and hard to keep track of especially when sometimes it didn't seem related to the previous chapter that I had just finished reading.
- I'm conflicted about giving serial killers the light of day. Some of them want to be known, loved, and adored for their "work".
So yeah, I don't know if I can give so much praise to a book about a man who possibly killed up to 93 (or more) women because he obviously enjoyed the attention to an extent. But then again the police and FBI wouldn't have been able to solve this many of Little's cases without essentially kissing his ass and playing into his game. So yeah I don't know what to make of giving serial killers the limelight.
- Lauren quotes other people using the n-word with the hard r. Specifically, on page 90 . Again, I don't know how much of this is fiction so that makes me even more uncomfortable.
- Less important but in this book Lauren claims that Little is related to .
So yeah, I'm giving this book one star because it was ok but I found some issues with the way that Jillian Lauren chose to write this book bringing down the rating a lot. I felt like there was a way that this book could've been written with more respect.
March 18, 2023
I received a free copy of, Behold the Monster, by Jillian Lauren, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Sam Little is a true monster, a serial killer, as bad as they come. The poor innocent women he killed, all the times he got away with his crimes, its maddening. This is a very interesting book about innocent women murdered by Sam Little.
March 22, 2023
"My only source was not just unreliable. He was terrifying."
A wild ride of a book that takes the breath from your lungs while diving deep into a tragic and horrific history.
This book describes horrible, terrible things. However, it does so with true respect for the victims of Samuel Little, and with insight into the human mind. Jillian Lauren really did her homework on this and it shows. I think this will be a defining work of true crime fiction.
There were stories that made me cry- Ninah, Alice, Aggie. There were also moments that made me laugh, like when Lauren sings "Misty" for a man who wants to murder her while on speakerphone with the Texas rangers. As she is taking us into the story of Samuel Little and the stories of many of his victims, Lauren also shows us her life. The overall effect is poignant.
I took away .25 of a star because there were times she gives too much background or detail. Overall though, if you have any interest in true crime, serial killers, or Samuel Little, you have to pick up this book!
Star Rating: 4.75/5
CW: Violence, SA, rape, molestation, language, racism, drugs, alcohol, suicide, mental illness, death of dog, pretty much everything you can think of
A wild ride of a book that takes the breath from your lungs while diving deep into a tragic and horrific history.
This book describes horrible, terrible things. However, it does so with true respect for the victims of Samuel Little, and with insight into the human mind. Jillian Lauren really did her homework on this and it shows. I think this will be a defining work of true crime fiction.
There were stories that made me cry- Ninah, Alice, Aggie. There were also moments that made me laugh, like when Lauren sings "Misty" for a man who wants to murder her while on speakerphone with the Texas rangers. As she is taking us into the story of Samuel Little and the stories of many of his victims, Lauren also shows us her life. The overall effect is poignant.
I took away .25 of a star because there were times she gives too much background or detail. Overall though, if you have any interest in true crime, serial killers, or Samuel Little, you have to pick up this book!
Star Rating: 4.75/5
CW: Violence, SA, rape, molestation, language, racism, drugs, alcohol, suicide, mental illness, death of dog, pretty much everything you can think of
August 16, 2023
Unlike many reviewers, I don’t take issue with the fact that author and journalist Jillian Lauren included herself in the book. I have read several books that blended true crime investigation with personal experience (I’ll be Gone in the Dark is a particularly good one, but We Keep the Dead Close also did this effectively). My issue was with the structure — it jumped all over the place between her personal experiences, her interviews in prison with serial killer Samuel Little, her own investigations and interactions with surviving victims and the families of those who were killed, etc. and it jumped all over the place in time, so it never gelled as any kind of coherent narrative. It read like she had a book deadline and ultimately gave up trying to figure out a structure that worked. She seemed to be trying to center the victims and their families (a worthwhile goal) but she also tried to get in the head of the killer in a way that I found off-putting, crass, and uncomfortable.
Also I really don’t see how her marriage to Weezer’s bassist is relevant to any of this, but she seemed to feel compelled to mention that wherever she possibly could shoehorn it in.
Also I really don’t see how her marriage to Weezer’s bassist is relevant to any of this, but she seemed to feel compelled to mention that wherever she possibly could shoehorn it in.
June 14, 2023
Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own. Like many I was extremely excited for this book. Very little was known about Sam Little before 2020. It seemed as if all his crimes kind of disappeared and he was given a golden ticket. Yes, Little was in prison but his many victims were and their families didn’t have the peace they deserved.
As a woman of color this was particularly hard for me to read as we were his major targets. When these stories and these victims were laid out for us by the author it was not told in typical true crime fashion and the author’s personal experience with abuse started the story which initially confused me. I found that I wasn’t sure if this was more fiction than fact at certain points and I know a lot of inference had to be made because you cannot trust the stories of a serial killer especially not almost 5 decades later.
The parts that really devastated was that after all this time there are still more than 20+ individuals whose stories and whereabouts are still unknown. It is extremely scary and frustrating especially with technological advances but I know that with the proper time and research these cases will be closed and these families will be at peace. I do not see myself reading this one again as it was an extremely vivid and difficult read but I am happy I gave it a try.
Happy reading everyone and if you do purchase this one keep on the bedroom light.
As a woman of color this was particularly hard for me to read as we were his major targets. When these stories and these victims were laid out for us by the author it was not told in typical true crime fashion and the author’s personal experience with abuse started the story which initially confused me. I found that I wasn’t sure if this was more fiction than fact at certain points and I know a lot of inference had to be made because you cannot trust the stories of a serial killer especially not almost 5 decades later.
The parts that really devastated was that after all this time there are still more than 20+ individuals whose stories and whereabouts are still unknown. It is extremely scary and frustrating especially with technological advances but I know that with the proper time and research these cases will be closed and these families will be at peace. I do not see myself reading this one again as it was an extremely vivid and difficult read but I am happy I gave it a try.
Happy reading everyone and if you do purchase this one keep on the bedroom light.
June 14, 2023
Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own. Like many I was extremely excited for this book. Very little was known about Sam Little before 2020. It seemed as if all his crimes kind of disappeared and he was given a golden ticket. Yes, Little was in prison but his many victims were and their families didn’t have the peace they deserved.
As a woman of color this was particularly hard for me to read as we were his major targets. When these stories and these victims were laid out for us by the author it was not told in typical true crime fashion and the author’s personal experience with abuse started the story which initially confused me. I found that I wasn’t sure if this was more fiction than fact at certain points and I know a lot of inference had to be made because you cannot trust the stories of a serial killer especially not almost 5 decades later.
The parts that really devastated was that after all this time there are still more than 20+ individuals whose stories and whereabouts are still unknown. It is extremely scary and frustrating especially with technological advances but I know that with the proper time and research these cases will be closed and these families will be at peace. I do not see myself reading this one again as it was an extremely vivid and difficult read but I am happy I gave it a try.
Happy reading everyone and if you do purchase this one keep on the bedroom light.
As a woman of color this was particularly hard for me to read as we were his major targets. When these stories and these victims were laid out for us by the author it was not told in typical true crime fashion and the author’s personal experience with abuse started the story which initially confused me. I found that I wasn’t sure if this was more fiction than fact at certain points and I know a lot of inference had to be made because you cannot trust the stories of a serial killer especially not almost 5 decades later.
The parts that really devastated was that after all this time there are still more than 20+ individuals whose stories and whereabouts are still unknown. It is extremely scary and frustrating especially with technological advances but I know that with the proper time and research these cases will be closed and these families will be at peace. I do not see myself reading this one again as it was an extremely vivid and difficult read but I am happy I gave it a try.
Happy reading everyone and if you do purchase this one keep on the bedroom light.
March 27, 2023
A Tragic And Horrific Story With A Lot Of Horrific Acts
This book Behold the Monster by Jillian Lauren was an excellent read. Sam Little is a serial killer and a true monster. This is the first book I have read on Sam Little, and it certainly did not disappoint me. The amount of detail Jillian Lauren has written, after spending a year going backwards and forwards to visit Little and from letters and interviews with Little is absolutely chilling to read.
Little has confessed to over 90 murders and becomes the number 1 Serial killer.
Little got away with his crimes for years which is maddening as he flew under the radar. This book is not for the faint hearted as You get to read the haunting accounts of these visits and the phone calls which contain Violence, racism rape, molestation alcohol drugs mental illness and suicide.
You will be thoroughly horrified by this monster and his deed but
This is a very interesting book about innocent women murdered by Sam Little. There are photographs and dates of the murdered women at the end of the book.
A fantastic true crime read! Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book Behold the Monster by Jillian Lauren was an excellent read. Sam Little is a serial killer and a true monster. This is the first book I have read on Sam Little, and it certainly did not disappoint me. The amount of detail Jillian Lauren has written, after spending a year going backwards and forwards to visit Little and from letters and interviews with Little is absolutely chilling to read.
Little has confessed to over 90 murders and becomes the number 1 Serial killer.
Little got away with his crimes for years which is maddening as he flew under the radar. This book is not for the faint hearted as You get to read the haunting accounts of these visits and the phone calls which contain Violence, racism rape, molestation alcohol drugs mental illness and suicide.
You will be thoroughly horrified by this monster and his deed but
This is a very interesting book about innocent women murdered by Sam Little. There are photographs and dates of the murdered women at the end of the book.
A fantastic true crime read! Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 17, 2023
"I live in a deeply divided city. I do not know if Samuel Little was the criminal we deserved. I know he was the criminal we allowed."
I'm giving Behold the Monster five stars, which feels weird, because it feels like applauding Sam Little's story. When in fact this book does an impressive job giving a voice to the victims, and those that worked hard to finally get this monster behind bars.
This was a hard read. It obviously dealt with dark and disturbing subject matter. The murders are described in overly graphic detail, the conversations Jillian has with him made my skin crawl, the graphic description of sexual assault on a child made me have to step away from this for a few days. But what I struggled with most was injustice shown to the victims of his crimes. The hard to wrap your head around knowledge that he could have been stopped sooner, had someone just given a shit. That these women, all someone's daughter, we're brutally murdered and tossed aside like garbage then had to be re-victimized by the very people meant to protect them. It's maddening. It's disgusting. It's heartbreaking.
I enjoyed the chapters where we follow Jillian into the prison. As a true crime fan that's not something I'll ever be able to experience. It was nauseating, but fascinating to read his own words. Jillian's deep research made this book far more informative than your average true crime book. This was welcomed, but I found also bogged down a few paragraphs. I love her writing style, it felt candid and fresh, and I really enjoyed it. But again, what I appreciated most, and is something I require in the true crime podcasts I listen to, she gave the victims a voice. The spotlight is always so focused on the killer, that the victims are forgotten, especially the "less dead" demographic.
I absolutely recommend this book to those used to reading true crime, but even then, have a strong constitution. This book is not an easy read. It's not a cutesy podcast. But it is a very skillfully written book, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.
I'm giving Behold the Monster five stars, which feels weird, because it feels like applauding Sam Little's story. When in fact this book does an impressive job giving a voice to the victims, and those that worked hard to finally get this monster behind bars.
This was a hard read. It obviously dealt with dark and disturbing subject matter. The murders are described in overly graphic detail, the conversations Jillian has with him made my skin crawl, the graphic description of sexual assault on a child made me have to step away from this for a few days. But what I struggled with most was injustice shown to the victims of his crimes. The hard to wrap your head around knowledge that he could have been stopped sooner, had someone just given a shit. That these women, all someone's daughter, we're brutally murdered and tossed aside like garbage then had to be re-victimized by the very people meant to protect them. It's maddening. It's disgusting. It's heartbreaking.
I enjoyed the chapters where we follow Jillian into the prison. As a true crime fan that's not something I'll ever be able to experience. It was nauseating, but fascinating to read his own words. Jillian's deep research made this book far more informative than your average true crime book. This was welcomed, but I found also bogged down a few paragraphs. I love her writing style, it felt candid and fresh, and I really enjoyed it. But again, what I appreciated most, and is something I require in the true crime podcasts I listen to, she gave the victims a voice. The spotlight is always so focused on the killer, that the victims are forgotten, especially the "less dead" demographic.
I absolutely recommend this book to those used to reading true crime, but even then, have a strong constitution. This book is not an easy read. It's not a cutesy podcast. But it is a very skillfully written book, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.
March 5, 2023
If I can guarantee one thing about Jillian Lauren's Behold the Monster is that you will not feel like there is too little. This book is a lot of everything. Lauren documents her relationship with the most prolific American serial killer, Samuel Little. It also documents Lauren's interactions with various victims, victim's families, and law enforcement members. It is, at all times, interesting for various reasons.
I should point out first that there is a set of true crime readers who want their books to stick to the facts and only the necessary facts when telling the story of a crime or criminal. I would suggest to this subset of readers to look elsewhere for a book on Little. Lauren will intersperse her own experiences, will partially invent scenes, and will introduce people who will show up once and never again. She uses various narrative points of view from chapter to chapter. Her use of language can be both crass and vicious. If any of this sounds like it will drive you insane then go ahead and skip this one.
If you want your true crime to feel lived in and don't mind the author inserting themselves into the narrative then you will probably enjoy this immensely. Usually, I hate anything which is invented by the author in non-fiction. Lauren has an interesting enough perspective to make these scenes feel emotional rather than exploitative. She raises poignant ethical questions about herself without trying to force an answer. I will admit the book lost some steam at the end when it should have been reaching a crescendo but overall I enjoyed it.
(This book was provided as an advance read copy by Netgalley and Sourcebooks.)
I should point out first that there is a set of true crime readers who want their books to stick to the facts and only the necessary facts when telling the story of a crime or criminal. I would suggest to this subset of readers to look elsewhere for a book on Little. Lauren will intersperse her own experiences, will partially invent scenes, and will introduce people who will show up once and never again. She uses various narrative points of view from chapter to chapter. Her use of language can be both crass and vicious. If any of this sounds like it will drive you insane then go ahead and skip this one.
If you want your true crime to feel lived in and don't mind the author inserting themselves into the narrative then you will probably enjoy this immensely. Usually, I hate anything which is invented by the author in non-fiction. Lauren has an interesting enough perspective to make these scenes feel emotional rather than exploitative. She raises poignant ethical questions about herself without trying to force an answer. I will admit the book lost some steam at the end when it should have been reaching a crescendo but overall I enjoyed it.
(This book was provided as an advance read copy by Netgalley and Sourcebooks.)
May 26, 2023
“The most common question asked of me is simply what was it like? What was it like to spend time with a psychopath can be summed up in this single, simple story for me…”
Behold The Monster is a powerful true crime book about America’s most prolific serial killer, Samuel Little.
This was a truly fascinating book, the author did a fantastic job with it. It definitely shows how much time and energy she spent working on this book. It was written with true respect for the victims of Samuel Little, they were more than just victims, Jillian descriptions bring them back to life.
This is an absolute must read to anyone interested in true crime, serial killers or in Samual Little. I highly recommend reading this, it was brilliant!
It also includes Little’s drawings of the victims, some with their real photos.
Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for providing me an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.
💫 Publication Date: July 18, 2023 💫
Behold The Monster is a powerful true crime book about America’s most prolific serial killer, Samuel Little.
This was a truly fascinating book, the author did a fantastic job with it. It definitely shows how much time and energy she spent working on this book. It was written with true respect for the victims of Samuel Little, they were more than just victims, Jillian descriptions bring them back to life.
This is an absolute must read to anyone interested in true crime, serial killers or in Samual Little. I highly recommend reading this, it was brilliant!
It also includes Little’s drawings of the victims, some with their real photos.
Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for providing me an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.
💫 Publication Date: July 18, 2023 💫
June 8, 2023
Did not finish…
I don’t give up on books easily but the writing of this was so choppy and hard to follow… I got 40% in and had no idea what the hell was going on.
I don’t give up on books easily but the writing of this was so choppy and hard to follow… I got 40% in and had no idea what the hell was going on.
August 11, 2024
3.75 stars
Behold the Monster is a candid documentary of Jillian's research into serial killer Samuel Little (with whom she had built an unlabelable 'friendship' before his passing), as well as dramatized fiction that sheds light on his victims—writing from their point of views moment before their death.
The overall structure reminds me of I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, where it is as much about the author's personal experience as the researched subject. Perhaps the book's nonlinear chapters resembles more closely the winding path of her investigation, but a clearer organizing structure would've helped making the information more easily digestible, as currently it tends to jump from topics such as the US justice system, deep dive into psychology, interaction with Samuel Little, the victim's POV, and Jillian's personal anecdotes at seemingly random order. Still, as a true crime nonfiction, this is packed to the brim with facts and emotions.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
Behold the Monster is a candid documentary of Jillian's research into serial killer Samuel Little (with whom she had built an unlabelable 'friendship' before his passing), as well as dramatized fiction that sheds light on his victims—writing from their point of views moment before their death.
The overall structure reminds me of I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, where it is as much about the author's personal experience as the researched subject. Perhaps the book's nonlinear chapters resembles more closely the winding path of her investigation, but a clearer organizing structure would've helped making the information more easily digestible, as currently it tends to jump from topics such as the US justice system, deep dive into psychology, interaction with Samuel Little, the victim's POV, and Jillian's personal anecdotes at seemingly random order. Still, as a true crime nonfiction, this is packed to the brim with facts and emotions.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
August 23, 2023
Relatively few know the name of what may be the United States' most deadly serial killer, and even fewer know the names of his victims. Many remain anonymous to this day.
This is the story of a journalist's correspondence with the imprisoned murderer in the months leading up to his death--and a race against time to put names to "Jane Doe" remains before memories disappear forever.
The author puts a lot of her personal life into this book, which not all readers may appreciate. She also fictionalizes narratives around a handful of the victims--imagining what they are doing and thinking in the hours leading up to their encounter with a monster. (This is also proving controversial amongst readers.) A narrative choice I struggled with, however, was listing the states in which the killer operated, the makes of vehicle he drove, and his nicknames for his mostly-anonymous victims in a near-hypnotic way sandwiched within the rest of the text at multiple points in the book. I understand this content is important in case anyone reading has information about the identities of the victims, but I'm not sure this is the most effective or memorable way to do it.
This is the story of a journalist's correspondence with the imprisoned murderer in the months leading up to his death--and a race against time to put names to "Jane Doe" remains before memories disappear forever.
The author puts a lot of her personal life into this book, which not all readers may appreciate. She also fictionalizes narratives around a handful of the victims--imagining what they are doing and thinking in the hours leading up to their encounter with a monster. (This is also proving controversial amongst readers.) A narrative choice I struggled with, however, was listing the states in which the killer operated, the makes of vehicle he drove, and his nicknames for his mostly-anonymous victims in a near-hypnotic way sandwiched within the rest of the text at multiple points in the book. I understand this content is important in case anyone reading has information about the identities of the victims, but I'm not sure this is the most effective or memorable way to do it.
August 11, 2024
This one was not my cup of tea. Keep in mind I prefer to know about the victims more than the perpetrator. I wasn’t a fan of creating conversations based around what someone’s murderer said occurred. I’m also not a fan of books that the researcher has a prominent role in the story.
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May 1, 2023
I have said in many reviews: I don't care for the dramatization of real life murders in nonfiction books. There's no way to know what a murder victim was thinking or feeling at the time of their murder. I understand that the author is trying to personalize and humanize the victim, but some of it just rubbed me the wrong way. For example, in the murder of Mary, the author includes some of "Mary's thoughts" about how gin and tonics aren't having the same effect as they used to, and how many she's had to drink and how fast. It came off as being really judgmental for no reason. The woman is dead. She was murdered. Even if you've uncovered that she was an alcoholic through the course of your research, you can convey that information in a more appropriate, less judgmental way.
The same thing goes for Marianne, the unidentified transgender woman. I was cringing really hard when the author concocted this weird scene where Marianne is separating from her body, who is then referred to by her birth name of Curtis, until the body/Curtis dies, and Marianne flies away, finally in the correct, perfect body. What? Maybe, MAYBE, that would be a nice metaphor for a fictional character you're writing about in a novel, but it felt so weird and disrespectful to do to a real life, transgender murder victim. Referring to her body as a boy's body and flip flopping back and forth between names and pronouns.. big yikes for me.
The author mentioned at one point that when she began, she wanted to write a fiction book. She should have done a separate fiction book then. Don't include your fictionalized, dramatizations in a work of nonfiction. It also makes it hard for the reader to trust what things that could plausibly be based on research are real or invented.
There's even a section where the author can't keep the names straight, when she is discussing Aggie. She flip flops between calling one woman Denise and Diane several times.
The list of things this man did, and mostly got away with, is absolutely horrifying. Even when he did get caught throughout the years, there was almost no punishment at all. It's mind blowing. It's very unsatisfying that, even when he did get caught for murder, he was already so old, and COVID was just about to start.. He really did not get anything remotely close to what he deserved.
I loved that the author included sections of trial transcripts directly into the text. I feel like that really gives you a better understanding of these women than any flowery writing style could. You get to see them in their words right on the page. It also gave you a better idea of the lawyers and the judge and how the legal process played out. This was a really great touch.
Overall, I think that this was a very important story to tell. I'm just not sure I really think that the final product of this book was the best way to do it. The author makes it very clear at multiple points throughout the book that she spent a LOT of time interviewing and researching and traveling and gathering evidence. She spent tons of time checking in on things that Sam told her to try to verify what he was saying. This really gets downplayed by how disorganized the book feels. For example, we hear about the Texas Ranger early on in the book, but we don't get to hear anything about his credentials and experience until 68% of the way through the book? Also, he worked for the DEA, but he was unfamiliar with drugs and how they're used? See above for my thoughts on inserting fiction into a nonfiction story to try to make it more "interesting".
I also felt like the author included a lot of personal information about herself that really didn't add to anything. It made it feel like she wanted to make sure the reader knew how much she had inserted herself into this narrative. What did her night at the Grammy's add to anything? Or her shopping at local stores for felt hats? Being super hungry for grilled cheese? She mentioned probably a dozen times how she was Sam's next of kin. That didn't need to be repeated so often. It felt like a weird brag.
I think the book could've used more editing, and then it would've been much better. This is probably like a 2.5 star book, but I will bump it up to 3 because its important that people know about this man. I also did really love that the author included, not only a list of the victims at the end, but the photographs and/or Sam's drawings when they were available. It really helps to personalize the women so much more. It was a lovely touch.
The same thing goes for Marianne, the unidentified transgender woman. I was cringing really hard when the author concocted this weird scene where Marianne is separating from her body, who is then referred to by her birth name of Curtis, until the body/Curtis dies, and Marianne flies away, finally in the correct, perfect body. What? Maybe, MAYBE, that would be a nice metaphor for a fictional character you're writing about in a novel, but it felt so weird and disrespectful to do to a real life, transgender murder victim. Referring to her body as a boy's body and flip flopping back and forth between names and pronouns.. big yikes for me.
The author mentioned at one point that when she began, she wanted to write a fiction book. She should have done a separate fiction book then. Don't include your fictionalized, dramatizations in a work of nonfiction. It also makes it hard for the reader to trust what things that could plausibly be based on research are real or invented.
There's even a section where the author can't keep the names straight, when she is discussing Aggie. She flip flops between calling one woman Denise and Diane several times.
The list of things this man did, and mostly got away with, is absolutely horrifying. Even when he did get caught throughout the years, there was almost no punishment at all. It's mind blowing. It's very unsatisfying that, even when he did get caught for murder, he was already so old, and COVID was just about to start.. He really did not get anything remotely close to what he deserved.
I loved that the author included sections of trial transcripts directly into the text. I feel like that really gives you a better understanding of these women than any flowery writing style could. You get to see them in their words right on the page. It also gave you a better idea of the lawyers and the judge and how the legal process played out. This was a really great touch.
Overall, I think that this was a very important story to tell. I'm just not sure I really think that the final product of this book was the best way to do it. The author makes it very clear at multiple points throughout the book that she spent a LOT of time interviewing and researching and traveling and gathering evidence. She spent tons of time checking in on things that Sam told her to try to verify what he was saying. This really gets downplayed by how disorganized the book feels. For example, we hear about the Texas Ranger early on in the book, but we don't get to hear anything about his credentials and experience until 68% of the way through the book? Also, he worked for the DEA, but he was unfamiliar with drugs and how they're used? See above for my thoughts on inserting fiction into a nonfiction story to try to make it more "interesting".
I also felt like the author included a lot of personal information about herself that really didn't add to anything. It made it feel like she wanted to make sure the reader knew how much she had inserted herself into this narrative. What did her night at the Grammy's add to anything? Or her shopping at local stores for felt hats? Being super hungry for grilled cheese? She mentioned probably a dozen times how she was Sam's next of kin. That didn't need to be repeated so often. It felt like a weird brag.
I think the book could've used more editing, and then it would've been much better. This is probably like a 2.5 star book, but I will bump it up to 3 because its important that people know about this man. I also did really love that the author included, not only a list of the victims at the end, but the photographs and/or Sam's drawings when they were available. It really helps to personalize the women so much more. It was a lovely touch.
April 27, 2023
This is a difficult book to review. If you read a lot of True Crime, then I suggest picking this one up, but it’s definitely not in the same vein as I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, or The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, or even American Predator.
The writing is at times excellent and other times equally frustrating. Lauren describes the victims (I suspect) how Sam Little sees them, with increasingly crude language, in one case referring to the remains of one as having “a juicy thigh.” I found this not only disrespectful, but frankly revolting. I can understand why Lauren chose this type of literary device, to show that Sam Little was a monster who thought of women as nothing more than meat, but then in another passage she describes one victim running out of her body and becoming an angel as she’s being murdered; surely that’s not Little’s perspective? There were several times I had to put the book down and come back to it a few days later because I just found it disturbing. Maybe that’s an odd thing to say as True Crime usually is disturbing, but I think there’s a difference in reading about what we can learn from these cases versus fetishizing the violence perpetrated upon innocent people.
That being said, for the sake of the many Unknown Women pictured at the end of the book… I still feel this is important to read. Lauren helps shed light on the lives of women who were largely forgotten, who didn’t receive justice because they weren’t deemed important by society. They all deserve to be found, and to have their names returned to them.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
See more of my reviews: Instagram
The writing is at times excellent and other times equally frustrating. Lauren describes the victims (I suspect) how Sam Little sees them, with increasingly crude language, in one case referring to the remains of one as having “a juicy thigh.” I found this not only disrespectful, but frankly revolting. I can understand why Lauren chose this type of literary device, to show that Sam Little was a monster who thought of women as nothing more than meat, but then in another passage she describes one victim running out of her body and becoming an angel as she’s being murdered; surely that’s not Little’s perspective? There were several times I had to put the book down and come back to it a few days later because I just found it disturbing. Maybe that’s an odd thing to say as True Crime usually is disturbing, but I think there’s a difference in reading about what we can learn from these cases versus fetishizing the violence perpetrated upon innocent people.
That being said, for the sake of the many Unknown Women pictured at the end of the book… I still feel this is important to read. Lauren helps shed light on the lives of women who were largely forgotten, who didn’t receive justice because they weren’t deemed important by society. They all deserve to be found, and to have their names returned to them.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
See more of my reviews: Instagram
May 11, 2023
Book : Behold the Monster
Confronting America's Most Prolific Serial Killer
Author : Jillian Lauren
Thanks so much NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review!
Let’s start with the cover! This cover is very eye catching. I love a good cover that is going to start off the books journey.
I am a massive true crime junkie and when I was given the opportunity to read and review this book about the #1 most prolific serial killer I was anxious. I knew baseline information about Samuel Little but this book outlined the details and went into the lives & stories further of the cares and victims. Thank you to the author for taking so much care and time to piecing it all together for this.
This book will be sought after by true crime and crime junkies throughout and I feel as though this book should be on every crime junkies shelf. These women’s stories need to be heard as hard as they are to hear. They heartbreaking and I always sit and wonder if he gave up all of his victims. I am happy to see that hundreds of cases can be laid to rest and families have answers. This man was a very terrible man.
Solid four stars from me! This book is a must read for those who follow true crime and unsolved crime alike.
Confronting America's Most Prolific Serial Killer
Author : Jillian Lauren
Thanks so much NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review!
Let’s start with the cover! This cover is very eye catching. I love a good cover that is going to start off the books journey.
I am a massive true crime junkie and when I was given the opportunity to read and review this book about the #1 most prolific serial killer I was anxious. I knew baseline information about Samuel Little but this book outlined the details and went into the lives & stories further of the cares and victims. Thank you to the author for taking so much care and time to piecing it all together for this.
This book will be sought after by true crime and crime junkies throughout and I feel as though this book should be on every crime junkies shelf. These women’s stories need to be heard as hard as they are to hear. They heartbreaking and I always sit and wonder if he gave up all of his victims. I am happy to see that hundreds of cases can be laid to rest and families have answers. This man was a very terrible man.
Solid four stars from me! This book is a must read for those who follow true crime and unsolved crime alike.
April 18, 2023
A harrowing account of a sadistic, sorry excuse of a human who confessed to murdering over 90 women & the sad truth of how the US justice system failed them over and over and over again.
It would be many, many years, through bullheaded diligence & admirable determination, before this animal would finally land in the California State Prison, where he would die in 2020.
Samuel Little, with his soft hands, who never worked for anything. Self righteous, degrading, intelligent and completely out of his damn mind. He just took what never belonged to him, but claimed as his own anyway. Lives included. Lives, especially.
In ‘96, he murdered a woman in the small city where I was born and raised. I had not known this. Actually, I hadn’t known most things about Little, or his trail of death and destruction until now...
Lauren spent so much time with Little, picking his brain, searching for answers, justice for the victims, that when he died, she was notified as he'd listed her as his NOK. She still has his ashes.
To the true-crime junkies, this one’s for you!
Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Pub date: 7/18/23
It would be many, many years, through bullheaded diligence & admirable determination, before this animal would finally land in the California State Prison, where he would die in 2020.
Samuel Little, with his soft hands, who never worked for anything. Self righteous, degrading, intelligent and completely out of his damn mind. He just took what never belonged to him, but claimed as his own anyway. Lives included. Lives, especially.
In ‘96, he murdered a woman in the small city where I was born and raised. I had not known this. Actually, I hadn’t known most things about Little, or his trail of death and destruction until now...
Lauren spent so much time with Little, picking his brain, searching for answers, justice for the victims, that when he died, she was notified as he'd listed her as his NOK. She still has his ashes.
To the true-crime junkies, this one’s for you!
Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Pub date: 7/18/23
November 13, 2023
Behold the Monster is about one of the most prolific and enigmatic serial killers in United States’ history. I was very excited when I encountered this book, because there are not many published works about this serial killer. I find it fascinating that someone who killed so many women laid undetected for decades, and was found in my hometown as an elderly man.
I actually liked how the author wrote in an imagined point of view from the victims, and for Mr. Little himself. I felt like this humanize the victims, and even Mr. little himself. I could see this, however, for some being very jarring. I also wish that the author dig deeper into the psychological reasons why this man committed all these murders. I know she did talk to some in the psychology field and she herself stated that there is so much more to uncover, and she wished that his brain was preserved for scientific research. I finished the book wanting more.
I actually liked how the author wrote in an imagined point of view from the victims, and for Mr. Little himself. I felt like this humanize the victims, and even Mr. little himself. I could see this, however, for some being very jarring. I also wish that the author dig deeper into the psychological reasons why this man committed all these murders. I know she did talk to some in the psychology field and she herself stated that there is so much more to uncover, and she wished that his brain was preserved for scientific research. I finished the book wanting more.
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