This book was an excellent depiction of the investigation into the cold case murder of young nurse and newlywed Sherri Rasmussen. Savagely beaten and killed in 1986 in the condo home she shared with her new husband, John Ruetten, Sherri's death went unsolved until 2009. The book details the mishandling of the case by the Los Angeles Police Department, during a time when the agency was embroiled in controversy for other incidents. The murderer herself, in this case, was none other than an LAPD officer, Stephanie Lazarus, a former lover of Sherri's husband.

Matthew McGough goes into minute details about the LAPD and its history of abuse and nationwide controversy during the years leading up to the murder and afterward. Some may find the book much too detailed, but in my opinion, it was important to document so much about the LAPD and its history to put it into context with what played out during and after Sherri's murder. Many times I've found too much detail in a book to be distracting and boring; in this situation, it was so well-written that I was fascinated throughout. Also, because I didn't remember this case at all, I was enthralled throughout to find out what happened and the outcome of so many years of negligence on the part of the LAPD.

My only disappointment in the story, which had nothing to do with the book itself, was that there was not enough info as to what actually happened in the condo the day that Sherri was murdered. I have many questions about that day, but the only person who really knows is the murderer. And she's still not talking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 5 stars.

I thought the crime and case details for this book were particularly interesting - an ex-girlfriend love triangle and LAPD involvement are sure to lead to some interesting conflict. Details around the case and police misconduct were expertly explored in depth and really led me to become emotionally invested in seeing justice carried out in the end. However, this book was a lengthy read and perhaps could have refocused more on driving the main narrative versus exploring so many background details/subplots. There were things I liked and disliked about the book so this ended up being middle of the road for me, however to the right reader this book might be really great.

Longer review here - https://reneereviews.home.blog/2019/04/11/arc-review-the-lazarus-files/

Thanks to Matthew McGough and Henry Holt and Co., for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For the love of EVERYTHING, edit this book! Please! Repetitive, entirely too detailed. I haven't even finished this book and at this point, I'm just going to skim the rest. I read on it forever last night, some this morning, and again some this afternoon. My Kindle says I'm only 50% through? (!!!) There is entirely too much history on the victim, her family, and Ms. Lazarus. Those parts need to be seriously trimmed down. This is an interesting story, but please delay the publication and put it through three more rounds of editing. PLEASE!!! This book has to be massive in print. I simply cannot recommend this book to my blog followers.

The topic is certainly an interesting one. Similar in the lines to firefighters who set fires (albeit to be the hero at the end of the day), this is a story of a cop gone bad. While the story behind this book is interesting, the book loses traction given its sheer mass. Entire chapters dedicated to minute details about every character involved in this story! I think with some severe editing and chopping 2/3 of this book out, we could have had a 4+ star book. Unfortunately, this reads as a rough draft with little to no editing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

The is such an excellent true crime story about the murder of Sherri Rasmussen back in February 1986. She was a newly married director of critical care nursing at Glendale Adventist Hospital. It is meticulously told, a bit too much so, in that it comes out to six hundred plus pages. Some repetitious areas where really, we got it the first time. But that aside, the cold case gets traction after DNA comes into play and the husband’s old girlfriend, LA cop Stephanie Lazarus is finally suspect #1, as she should have been long ago. Stephanie is a real piece of work, as you will know by reading this book.

My original review went poof, so I’m piecing this together from memory. It’s a good book, but I give a warning for the length. But maybe you’re in the mood for a good long book. There is a chapter on The Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez you could probably skip if you are already familiar with him and want to cut out some filler. Otherwise, enjoy and I can’t wait to see what you think of this book. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Matthew McGough, and the publisher.

I love true crime and this book immediately caught my attention, however the book is way too long. I think the author went a bit over the top with some of the background information and I started to lose interest because of the length. There was just way too much information included in the book and the author even repeated a few things. The true crime story itself is very interesting but for me the author's writing was just too much for me. I really think this book could have been 150-200 pages shorter.

Thank you to the publisher, Henry Holt & Co., and Netgalley for sending me an ARC of this book.

First thank you to Netgalley for a preview edition of this book...I read lots of true crime and it probably is my favorite genre as of right now...This book....was good...but got to the point that I thought it was never going to end...

First the book was extremely long...and there were so many times items were repeated ...there could have been many parts cut...there was a fairly long detailed talk about the serial killer...Night Stalker...it happened in Los Angeles ...at the same time frame ...but other than that had nothing to do with anything...I read it on my phone...and showed it having 512 pages....the background ended at page 490. The last 18 detailed the arrest and the conviction...I personally like to read about the aftermath...the trial...the results....and it just got tedious...There were also several misspellings...

So...why 4 stars...because even though I had to put it down several times...I had no problem going back to it...it was very interesting and kept my attention...I am so glad that I read it and again thanks to Netgalley...I did go on to YouTube and watched the confession and a television show on the murder and investigation...

I guess the saddest part of the whole thing is the poor job of investigation the detectives did originally...but again shows how sad this can be when police investigation decides in advance what the answer is and makes the path fit the solution they have already decided. One part I would love to know more about other aspects but specifically who checked out all the trace DNA and where it went...if this isn't evidence of some sort of cover up I don't know what is....but thankfully the DNA swab was stored in another location...so justice was finally served...

Overall a decent read...and sent me on further investigation on my own...but would recommend to the author...while all the detail was no doubt important to him...there was much that could have been shortened...and please add more of the arrest and such...

Thank you to Net Galley for issuing me an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. This was a good book! I remember the case because I follow a lot of true crime. I was surprised and pleased to find out a lot more about the case than I'd known previously. It doesn't seem that Stephanie ever confessed as to why she killed Sherri, and that somehow makes it more sad. Sherri's dad comes across as thoroughly unlikeable, although it's admirable that he never gave up on finding the killer of his daughter. This is an engrossing read, and I'd recommend it.

This is a true crime book that focuses on the recent DNA evidence that helped solve a crime from the 80s. Sherri Rasmussen was a young newlywed who had made a name for herself with a successful nursing career. She and her husband John had only been married for three months when John came home one night to find Sherri dead on the floor of their condo's living room.

It had been a bit of time between requesting this book and actually reading it. When I went to read it, I did not refresh my mind with the synopsis, which was nice because I didn't know where the story was leading. It became evident early on, but it was refreshing to watch the mystery unfold without any preconceived notions.

I found this to be an excellent narrative for true crime. I'm a true crime junkie, but I tend to gravitate toward true crime that has more of a literary feel to it. Many authors think they can write true crime, but there's not always the finesse present of a true writer. McGough drew me in quickly though, and my attention was held throughout, which is not always easy with a 400+ book. I found myself making excuses in order to put other books aside to come back to this one.

I've read quite a few reviews of this book and I've noticed that quite a few of them mention how long winded it is. That is unequivocally true. McGough leaves no stone unturned. He repeats himself often for emphasis, which did become redundant at times. I also felt that, while I like excessive, mundane facts about criminal cases and homicides, this book went a little overboard. My biggest criticism is the inclusion of the Cathy Braley case. When that portion of the book started, I struggled to see how it fit in with the narrative. I didn't understand until the very end of that portion. I think it's a mistake to include it. It doesn't fit well and it adds to an already lengthy book. I get why McGough wanted to include it--it bolsters the claim that the LAPD may have been actively covering up crimes committed by their own. I don't think it needed to be included at all, but if McGough felt it necessary, it should be limited to a few paragraphs. Perhaps McGough can instead start a series with each book detailing a crime that the LAPD mishandled or purposely covered up. I would certainly read every book! As soon as I finished this one, I looked to see whether McGough had published any other true crime books, but was disappointed to see that he has not.

Overall, I obviously really enjoyed this one. The only other feedback I want to offer is to definitely include pictures in the finished copy.

A crime story so unbelievable you would think it's fiction. The book is extensive, maybe a little too much so, but it still captivates you and will definitely feed into the paranoias of corrupt cops that is fostered from some Netflix series like Making a Murderer and The Innocent Man.. There are multiple point of views for this story and it can get confusing at times but overall very well researched.

I had such high hopes for this book. I got to 5% of the book before screaming in frustration. Where was the editor for this book?????
The author spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME going over the minute details of the murdered girl's life, her parents life, and for gods sake why was there even a MENTION of the speed boat?!
This is a classic take of a skinny book screaming for an editor. This book is dull, boring, and needs help for the author to sift through the debris to tell a story.
I WILL NOT LEAVE FEEDBACK ON GOODREADS!

interesting premise, characters and tone. Unique in many ways.Would recommend to book club or other reading groups.

This book needs a lot of work. There is a lot of repeated information. Example, it talks about Sherri's father, Nels being a dentist in one paragraph, then a few more later it repeats the same information. This happens throughout the whole book. I didn't like how the narrative would veer off into information about friends of friends, etc.

There are sections of Stephanie's journal entries that could be cut down, or just left out all together. It got kind of boring reading through it. I understand the intention is to tell the story of the killer, but it was very monotonous and, honestly, boring.

I know this is an uncorrected proof, so there are some grammatically errors and spelling errors that need to be corrected, but I don't hold that against the book.

I think a better way to work this novel out might be to start from the murder and work backward. Like give us all the case info, then go into the personal lives of the victim, the family of the victim, and the killer. There was just so much information about the family upfront that I felt overwhelmed.

With all that being said, this isn't a bad true crime book. Had I completely hated it, I never would have finished it. I think it just needs some work to become the best seller it has potential to be. While very long, I did like the insight into the Rasmussen family dynamic.

This review will be different than the review I will post on Goodreads, simply because I am hoping there will be edits to the book by the time it is released and I don't want to deter potential readers from this book, as I think it could become a great true crime book.

Thank you for granting me a copy to review!

I live in California and remember hearing about the break in this cold case.The shock that it was a female detective who was the suspect.For readers of true crime this is the book for you.It peels back the facts of the case the investigation and the horrifying truth..#netgalley #the lazarusfiles #henryholt,

Thank you to Net Galley and Henry Holt and Company for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. This was a good book, although, for some reason, it took me awhile to get through it. I remembered the case, and I follow true crime, but I found out a lot more about the case than I'd known previously. It baffles me how Stephanie Lazarus couldn't been hired on the force (I guess being a woman helped. They needed to hire more women.) and more odd- how did she stay on the force. Her journal reads like a course in sort of skating through her career. It doesn't seem that Stephanie ever confessed as to why she killed Sherri, and that somehow makes it more sad. Sherri's dad comes across as thoroughly unlikeable, although it's admirable that he never gave up on finding the killer of his daughter. This is an engrossing read, and I'd recommend it.

This book felt like a very long and redundant book! Not at all what I’d hoped it would be. There are over 600 pages in this book and a lot of the information seems to be repeated so many times that it’s like you’ve read the book twice by the time you finish it. I really was hoping for a more interesting and gripping novel, but instead I felt as if I was reading the world’s longest text book! Not a gripping book and all excitement this book could possibly have is buried in mundane and boring information that made me literally fall asleep at times!

2 stars

Holy buckets, this is a LONG book. The authors went overboard in background information, even repeating certain things deveral times.
I enjoy reading true life mysteries with background information but this book just droned on and on and on. For instance, I was almost 100 pages in and was only 10% done with the book.
The story itself is fascinating, it's the writing that is the issue.
I unfortunately cannot recommend this book. I truly dislike leaving a bad review. I just have no choice..

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

Let me know start by saying I love anything True Crime related. I'm addicted to Investigation Discovery and have seen all of Forensic Files at least three times. So a book about a cold case in LA is the perfect read for me. Matthew McGouch brings to life the lives of Sherri, John and Stephanie in a clear, vivid, manner. You're hooked from the very beginning. I can't thank NetGalley enough for allowing me to read this book before it was released. I've been telling all my fellow true crime junkies about this book and they can't wait for it to be released.