This. Was. Everything. I have followed Luka's story for awhile now after hearing about his case on a podcast. I obviously went into this book extremely biased and I don't feel like my opinion on Luka has changed. I think I have more of an understanding because of the words his mom wrote and it was nice to hear from someone close to him but I felt like a lot of what she said was excuses for a very insane behavior. The courts proved a lot of the defense's point as false but it seems like she truly still believes them even though there is clear evidence to the contrary.

This book is perfect for people who are interested in true crime. I appreciated hearing so much of what the mother said because I was worried at the beginning that I was going to mainly hear from the author but he did a wonderful job of only stepping in to give facts about the case.

This is different than anything I've read because of how close the mother is to Luka and hearing the behind the scenes ordeal. I would recommend this book to ANYONE who loves true crime.

I understand that a mom would generally stick behind her child but when do you say en is enough? I know that he got the wrong end of the deal here and so many idiots were strictly riding on his coat tails. They only wanted the publicity that was going to be following him. They did not care two cents for him but you as a mom still needed to stand up for him.
He needed to stand up for himself!
You can't do it all, he is over 18. Why take the crap he did.? Why did you? Why were you guys accepting the role of pasties?? Where was your voice!!!

What better way to start the year than one of my favorite genres? True crime. Not a terrible read. Impressed with the team of Whitney and Anna Yourkin, the killer's own mother. 1 Lunatic, 1 Icepick, anyone? I didn't expect to feel as much sympathy for her as I did, since I usually reserve the majority of my sympathy for the victim and their family, and I still do here, but she is somewhat of a sympathetic figure. This isn't too detailed of a read, it doesn't delve head first into the nitty gritty of the crime, this is more of a background tale than anything else. It's obvious that this poor (can I say that?), woman is still in deep denial about her son. She uses the word allegedly multiple times, first says that he should have gotten the obvious mental help he needed and should have been arrested for the kitten video, and then at the end of the book says he was completely misdiagnosed and doesn't need any of the medications they improperly had him on for years. Lord help the world if that monster (yes, you may not find it to be true mother of said, but the rest of the world recognizes him for what he is) gets back out, needed medication, and isn't on it. The only thing I know for a fact walking away from this book with is that the lies upon lies upon lies that are layered through his entire life make it impossible to know whether he's truly sick and in need of some kind of mental health help, or whether he's just a master manipulator and was acting out some bizarre script as Whitney points out in the book. Thankfully, from what I understand of the Canadian justice system, a life sentence is just that, even with parole availability. The vicious violence and disregard for human life showed to his victim means when he comes before a board (do they call them that there?) is just a formality and he'll never see free light again.

Being a true crime fan, I really enjoyed this one. Interesting to read this from a mother's point of view. Recommend for anyone who loves true crime.

DNF

This book, I really have no words. It wasn’t written very well and bored the hell out of me. I honestly couldn’t read it. I got to 23% and couldn’t carry on.

I’m a big lover of true crime stories and have read hundreds, but this was so bad, I’m sorry to say.

Luka Magnotta placed an ad on Craigslist looking for a hookup with a random, anonymous man. Unfortunately for college student Lin Jun, he responded to the ad, meeting Magnotta and going back to his apartment to smoke weed and engage in intercourse. Lin never made it out of Magnotta's apartment alive. After killing and dismembering Lin's body, Magnotta put the video of the whole attack online and titled the video '1 Lunatic 1 Icepick'. Magnotta mailed parts of Lin's body around Canada then flew to Paris, leading Interpol on a manhunt that finally ended in a cyber cafe in Berlin.

This book is extensively researched by author Brian Whitney and has added chapters written by Luka Magnotta's mother Anna Yourkin. While it was fascinating to read about this case from the point-of-view of Anna's, I felt like she has not fully come to terms with the horrible tragedy that her son committed. (To be fair, I have no idea how I would act if I were in her shoes.) There was quite a bit about Magnotta and his life, what he did, and his life incarcerated, but very little about the victim. Granted that this is a story about Luka that was primarily written by his mother, I would have liked to see more about Lin Jun. After reading this, I am not sure if Magnotta is mentally ill or just a horrible person and I doubt any of us will ever know what was going on in his mind when he committed this horrible act. I feel terrible for Anna and her family but I mostly feel terrible for Lin Jun's family. While Anna is able to visit her son in prison, call him on the phone, and write him letters (and even be present for his wedding), Lin Jun's family lost their child in the worst way possible.

Thanks to NetGalley and WildBlue Press for the ARC.

Anna's perspective was interesting to read about, but I wonder if she has truly come to terms with what her son did to another human being. Luka, for that matter, is someone I don't think is credible himself. I first heard about this case on the Sword and Scale podcast, and this book provided a little more to the story. Interesting read for sure.

Absolutely mesmerizing true tale of a very sick mind in a very attractive body. Yes, similar to Ted Bundy, except this guy was much more perverse. Recommended for anyone who loves true biographies in the crime genre.

A really interesting true crime book, told from the perspective of the perpetrator's family. Informative and fascinating, the details revealed in this book are especially shocking as the criminal has remained quiet and not been interviewed since the crime. Great for anyone interested in true crime and a different perspective on the genre.

I was familiar with this case going in to reading this book. I have to say the book is very interesting because in terms of stories like these sometimes you do not get to hear the families side of the story. At some points I would stay the story did not transition as smoothly from chapter to chapter but overall I would recommend the book to fellow true crime readers.

The premise of this book was interesting, but the final product was unorganized. I felt that it was all over the place as I was reading and just couldn't get into it. I would have enjoyed it much more if it had some sort of order to it.

This is one of the best written true crime books I have read in a long time. Very informative story of the before and after the crime. It shows how a mother deals with having a son for a killer and how her son is still her son. At times I thought her to be not very likeable or very realistic but I would never want to be in her shoes or judge her. Highly recommend for true crime fans. Thanks to netgalley for letting me give an honest review of this book.

This was a interesting read, it was written by his mother who I didn't really care for but it was interesting to read from her perspective. There is no doubt that he did it but I do agree with her that the mental health system did fail him but it fails a lot of people. I also agree the Canadian government did treat this as a media frenzy, If you like true crime I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wild Blue Press for this advanced copy.

I am a fan of True Crime books.
Thanks netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As a mother myself I I found it interesting to see what it was (and still is) like for Luka’s mother. I completely understand standing by our children....I just didn’t find her to be likeable at all. She seemed to find fault with a lot of people.
I know why she stands by her son....but he is where he should be...the situations in which the Doctors or Lawyers we inappropriately seeking fame were Lukas observations, I don’t find him to be credible at all.
I didn’t really learn much more about the case that I didn’t know going in, but I appreciate Anna needing to tell “her” story.

"People’s lies make me feel different from the rest of society. The lies separate me from them"— Luka Magnotta

In 2012, the Canadian Press ignited a firestorm of criticism by naming killer Luka Magnotta as its “Newsmaker Of The Year.”
Magnotta had earned his notoriety by videotaping himself stabbing Chinese student Lin Jun to death with an ice pick and dismembering the body, before posting the video online. he then led Interpol on a manhunt that ended when he was arrested at an Internet café in Berlin where he was reading news stories about himself. Magnotta was brought back to Canada, convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to prison.

This is an exclusive look inside the mind of this “social media” killer. Joining Whitney to tell this unique true crime story is his mother, Anna Yourkin. The book also contains exclusive photos provided by Yourkin. It was interesting to read about a true crime and seeing the photos. Luka is a truly evil person. Anna describes what it was like to raise a son that could do something this horrific. This would be a great book for people who are fans of true crime stories.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #MySonTheKiller
Pub Date: 06 Nov 2018

My Son, the Killer: The Untold Story of Luka Magnotta and “1 Lunatic 1 Ice Pick”

A true crime book about Luka Magnotta, the Canadian killer that was all over the news after the murder video of him killing Jun Lin was posted to a website. Following that, dismembered body parts were sent through the mail to several government=locations around Canada, which many may remember on the news a few years back. It is co-written by Magnotta’s mother, Anna Yourkin, who writes her separate chapters, and there are also quotes written by Luka himself in italics. It covers the story of his life before and after the murder. It’s a very informative book from the family’s perspective and gives Luka’s side of things to an extent. I found it rather interesting and I think most true crime readers would also as he’s kept quiet since the incident and not given interviews. My thanks for the advance electronic copy that was provided by NetGalley, authors Brian Whitney & Anna Yourkin, and the publisher for my fair review.

RATED: 3.5/5 Stars