Bingo: Work. This book covers the work of a long-time criminalist.
CW: Sexual assault and murder
I expected more from Paul Holes’s Unmasked. I used to read a lot more true crime in the past, but this book recently caught my eye. I expected a wide variety of case studies, but was disappointed to find mostly one case was discussed, the Golden State Killer.
Holes spends some time discussing his personality and his inability to express emotions in his two marriages and to his kids. I don’t mean to be callous, but I really wasn’t interested in him as a person. I was most interested in his cases, and although he did touch on some, he spent most of the book on his obsession with GSK.
Part of my disappointment with the excessive coverage of GSK is already knowing the outcome and how he was caught. The time spent wading through the dead ends and suspects who didn’t work out was tedious. Because the GSK didn’t ever explain himself or provide any insight into his crimes, it was all rather anti-climactic.
While I know crime is an ugly subject when discussing murders and rapes (which are the only type of cases Holes discusses), I felt uncomfortable with how in depth his imaginations are about what the victim went through, especially when he imagines the details of the sexual assaults. It repulsed me more than usual for some reason. Maybe because it felt salacious.
I wouldn’t recommend this book.