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Unmasked - by Paul Holes

Unmasked - by Paul Holes - 1 of 1
$15.29 sale price when purchased online
$28.99 list price
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About this item

Description



Book Synopsis



From the detective who found the Golden State Killer, a memoir of investigating America's toughest cold cases and the rewards-and toll-of a life solving crime.

I order another bourbon, neat. This is the drink that will flip the switch. I don't even know how I got here, to this place, to this point. Something is happening to me lately. I'm drinking too much. My sheets are soaking wet when I wake up from nightmares of decaying corpses. I order another drink and swig it, trying to forget about the latest case I can't shake.

Crime solving for me is more complex than the challenge of the hunt, or the process of piecing together a scientific puzzle. The thought of good people suffering drives me, for better or worse, to the point of obsession. People always ask how I am able to detach from the horrors of my work. Part of it is an innate capacity to compartmentalize; the rest is experience and exposure, and I've had plenty of both. But I have always taken pride in the fact that I can keep my feelings locked up to get the job done. It's only been recently that it feels like all that suppressed darkness is beginning to seep out.

When I look back at my long career, there is a lot I am proud of. I have caught some of the most notorious killers of the twenty-first century and brought justice and closure for their victims and families. I want to tell you about a lifetime solving these cold cases, from Laci Peterson to Jaycee Dugard to the Pittsburg homicides to, yes, my twenty-year-long hunt for the Golden State Killer.

But a deeper question eats at me as I ask myself, at what cost? I have sacrificed relationships, joy--even fatherhood--because the pursuit of evil always came first. Did I make the right choice? It's something I grapple with every day. Yet as I stand in the spot where a young girl took her last breath, as I look into the eyes of her family, I know that, for me, there has never been a choice. "I don't know if I can solve your case," I whisper. "But I promise I will do my best."

It is a promise I know I can keep.



Review Quotes




"Paul Holes takes you on a fascinating and sometimes disturbing journey inside the mind of someone who hunts monsters for a living--and in order to live. And his insights on Michelle McNamara--whose loss I still feel every day--are incredible."
-Patton Oswalt

Paul Holes is a natural criminal profiler with a talent for describing how the process works. In his book, Unmasked, he marches the reader into the real world of criminal behavior and blends his forensic expertise with his unfiltered personal life experiences as he tackles both cold cases and modern crimes. This is a book you will not be able to put down."
-Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, author of A Killer By Design and co-author of Sexual Homicide




About the Author



In 2018, Paul Holes retired as a cold case investigator after spending more than twenty-seven years working in Contra Costa County, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Paul specialized in cold case and serial predator crimes, lending his expertise to notable cases, including the murder of Laci Peterson and the kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard. Most prominently, Paul's career culminated with his identification of the Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, the most notorious and cunning serial predator in U.S. history.

Since the arrest of DeAngelo, Holes has been very involved on the media side, continuing to assist law enforcement and victims' families with their unsolved cases through the television shows The DNA of Murder with Paul Holes and America's Most Wanted and the podcast Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad.

Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Sub-Genre: Murder
Genre: True Crime
Number of Pages: 288
Publisher: Celadon Books
Format: Hardcover
Author: Paul Holes
Language: English
Street Date: April 26, 2022
TCIN: 83981936
UPC: 9781250622792
Item Number (DPCI): 059-01-9435
Origin: Made in the USA
If the item details above aren’t accurate or complete, we want to know about it.

Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 1 inches length x 6.12 inches width x 9.25 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1 pounds
We regret that this item cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.
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5.0 out of 5 stars with 8 reviews
100% would recommend
3 recommendations

5 Stars

5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Anika Cobriana - 2 years ago
This book was amazing! It is a wonderful insight into the mind of a detective and what really goes on with solving crimes. This is a must read for all true crime fans!
Did you find this review helpful?

Great read

5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
Nightfang - 2 years ago, Verified purchaser
Great book, I recommend
1 guest found this review helpful. Did you?

Gripping, fascinating and terrifying

5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
lurkykitty - 3 years ago
In Unmasked, Paul Holes reflects on his life and distinguished career in criminology, from high school until retirement. Although known best for his identification of the Golden State Killer, Mr. Holes was instrumental in the conviction of many violent criminals, and the closure of a variety of cold cases. He describes his commitment to protect the public and find justice and closure for victims and their families. His near-obsessive dedication, unbreakable determination, thirst for knowledge, and gift for investigation and analytical thinking were instrumental in his work. The forensic science is fascinating, especially the evolution of the use of DNA evidence. Those considering a career in forensics and criminology should read this book, as the author reveals the grisly reality of these violent crimes and the hard work it takes to solve them. He also describes his frustration with how interdepartmental politics often created barriers to cooperation and investigation. Mr. Holes is honest about the toll his career and calling took on his personal life and mental health. Not everyone can handle intense proximity to darkness and evil for such a prolonged time. His work shines light on the support needed for those who work to apprehend and convict violent killers. Unmasked is not for the faint of heart. There are graphic descriptions of the crimes; reading about those committed against children is especially disturbing. Thank you to BookishFirst and Celadon Books for a copy of this gripping, fascinating and terrifying book. #unmaskedbook #celadonreads #bookishfirst
2 guests found this review helpful. Did you?

Really Good

5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
Devin - 3 years ago
This memoir, by the detective who solved the Golden State Killer case, is about investigating some of America's hardest cold cases and the rewards and tolls it takes on a person. Paul Holes notices that things in his life have been changing. He's drinking more and having nightmares that leave his heart pounding and his sheets wet with sweat. Solving crimes to Paul is more than just putting the pieces of the puzzle together. He can't stand the thought of good people suffering, which drives him to the point of obsession on a case. Looking back on Paul's long career, there is a lot for him to be proud of. He has caught and brought some of the most notorious killers to justice and given closure to the victims and families. But at what cost? Paul has been distant from relationships, fatherhood, and joy because the cases always came first. He asks himself constantly if he made the right choice? Was it worth it? As he stands in the spot where a girl took her last breath and her family is looking for answers, he knows that he will always do his best to get them answers. I really liked reading Unmasked. It was very interesting to see through the eyes of a detective and what all went into solving some of the most notorious cold cases of the country.
2 guests found this review helpful. Did you?

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