I recently discovered Joe Kenda’s Homicide Detective true crime tv show though there have been 9 seasons. That is what happens when you are stuck at home for months during a pandemic. Much channel surfing exposed this gem and I am now a huge fan. I love Joe’s deadpan sense of humor, his piercing eyes and dedication to solving homicides.

In Killer Triggers, Joe highlights memorable homicide investigations in his 20+ years on the job and the triggers that precipitated these cases. His deductive reasoning is masterful and the cases concise and interesting. Joe sprinkles in funny personal stories along the way including the time he and his wife took in a retired canine for a few months named Harry Von Stroheim. Very entertaining. He also reflects on his incredible career, the toll it took on his family and post retirement fan encounters and reflections.

A most notable chapter related to the canines. Fascinating tidbits about their training, the numerous commands taught and overall performances in catching the bad guys along with their handlers. Will never forget this quote: “Every badass is a badass until a police canine tears into him. Then they squeal like little girls, screaming for help.”

The author of this book, retired homicide detective Joe Kenda, meanders his way through various recollections of heinous murder cases that he helped solve during his long stint at the Colorado Springs Police Department. This nonfiction true crime title is a nice supplement to anyone who enjoys true crime shows particularly Kenda's own show, Homicide Hunter. Killer Triggers expounds on cases similar or the same as the cases featured on the show but provides more in-depth detail and commentary by Kenda. If you're a fan of his humor and personal insight on the show, you will enjoy this book as he has the freedom to showcase much more of his signature personality on the pages. Solid read about a variety of heinous crimes, the process of how they were solved, and of course, Kenda's own personal insight on the inner workings of his mind on each particular case. The book feels like you're sitting at a table with Kenda having a rambling conversation about the events. The last chapter or two has Kenda talking about his actual work on the television show and the strenuous toll that working a job like homicide detective takes.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. Whether you're an intense true crime fan who binges on any format or have a basic interest of dipping your toes in the water like I do on occasion, the content and format of this book would probably be a fit for either on the spectrum.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Lt Joe Kenda is back! In Killer Triggers, Kenda discusses a handful of crimes and the reasons behind them.

I have always liked Kenda's no nonsense style. In this story, he details a handful of murders he worked or oversaw, from beginning to end. Some of them took years to solve. Kenda delivers each story with his lack of frills pattern describing the victim, the crime, and the reason behind it. He details the efforts taken by police to solve it, as well as expressing how every victim deserved respect and care from the detectives.

I think in some ways, Kenda is more personal in Killer Triggers. He discusses how the TV show and previous book were cathartic. He shares stories about his long suffering wife, Kathy. He shares anecdotes about times he had to come down hard on an officer for not caring enough, or come down hard on a suspect who was not being straight with him.

True crime fans will enjoy Killer Triggers because the cases are obscure; these will all be unheard cases not covered by tv shows, podcasts, and other authors. Add in Kenda's flair and you have a true crime delight! The audio is wonderful-Kenda's speech patterns and unique quality are part of what makes him so great!

Nice recap of Kenda's cases. Fans of the show will recognize many of these cases, but Kenda goes into much more detail. Content goes beyond what would have been shown on the show.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a long time fan of ‘Homicide Hunter’ and when I saw this book on NetGalley I couldn’t resist requesting a review copy. I was delighted when I was approved and have read it.

This book is a strange dichotomy of both funny and sad at the same time. There is nothing funny about people being killed but Joe Kenda’s wit, displayed to full effect in the Discovery show, shone through every chapter of this book. Reading this book, I couldn’t help but sort of hear him narrating it in my head. I sincerely hope it’s released on audio and narrated by the author.

I loved "Killer Triggers" by Joe Kenda! It read very much like his old show, Homicide Hunter on Discovery ID - so much so that I could practically hear Kenda narrating the text inside my head! As Kenda leads us through a handful of his memorable cases, readers will find the text rich with his distinctive mix of wit, humor and bada$$ery!

Even those who have never heard of him before will enjoy this in depth look at how homicide cases were investigated during his tenure at the Colorado Springs PD. A must for any true crime fan!

What I enjoyed the most, though, was how Kenda makes himself vulnerable in this book, discussing his own PTSD demons and promoting the importance of cops, EMTs, etc. to reach out and discuss the traumas they experience on the job to keep it from festering and leading to negative behaviors.

Joe Kenda is known for his work with the Colorado Springs Police Department as a detective who cleared an awe-inspiring over 90% of his cases. Anytime he wants to delve into his work, experience and tell a story you’ll be guaranteed a winner.

Well, my, my, my, what do we have here? (In my best Kenda voice impression!)

I have been watching Joe Kenda on ID Discovery for the last few years and I tell you, although Kenda deals with the dark and dreary underworld of murder and mayhem, he truly belongs on a comedic stage. You wouldn’t think there is anything funny to find in the line of work that Lt. Kenda has done for many years, but his snappy comebacks and side note banter is enough to have you falling out laughing. Well, I’ll say this, I couldn’t stop laughing at Kenda’s sarcasm. If you’re a fan of the original Law & Order TV show and familiar with Detective Lennie Briscoe played by the late Jerry Orbach, I believe Dick Wolf got his character’s idea from Lt. Kenda. Kenda is Briscoe hands down with all the Lennie-isms to boot!

OMG, this book was to die for (pardon the pun) although Lt. Kenda would completely understand, it was utterly amazing! Some of the cases he discussed I believe may have been on his show, but what I loved about the book is that Kenda was able to be extremely raw and very real in the book. You get to experience a whole other level of Kenda than what you see on TV. For one, he can use profanity in the appropriate places and describe the scumbags he was constantly searching for with detail, whereas on television he’s extremely censored.

Many of the cases he discusses stick out in my mind, but there were a few that had me in complete stitches. Readers make sure that you do not skip any of the chapters because Kenda gives a lot of insight into the cases than he normally does. I learned so much more than the cases I viewed on TV. There is one chapter where he talks about a suspect named Chuckie. OMG, whatever you do, make sure you read that chapter slow because you are going to fall out when you read what Kenda had to say about that guy. I was completely blown away by that case. Another chapter that stood out is a murdered victim named Eric Houston. What he ends up telling one of his detectives almost made me pee myself I laughed so hard.

Bottom line, if you’ve never watched Homicide Hunter on ID Discovery or watch his newest shows on Discovery+, reading Kenda’s words are just as pleasurable. What I find so ironic is Kenda finished out his final season of Homicide Hunter and after COVID-19 hit America, he was forced out of retirement aah-gain to do a new show for Discovery+. Who knew? Obviously, Kenda would get it! (wink, wink!)

An excellent read for true crime fans. The stories are witty and entertaining. I found them interesting and they kept my attention as a reader. For those who love true crime novels, this is a must read!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I've enjoyed the ID channel show, Homicide Hunter, so I jumped at the chance to read an advanced copy of this book. I recognized some of the cases discussed in the book from the show but it was still interesting to read cases from his perspective and see what triggered the murders. I also enjoyed the last chapter where Kenda discussed his life after the show and how it helped him to release some of the trauma he dealt with as a homicide detective. His writing is as witty as he is on TV. I'm sure that a good sense of humor is an great survival mechanism in that line of work.

Well, well, well… Killer Triggers was an intensely readable book, both compelling and entertaining. The content of the book, of course, is interesting for anyone who finds themselves fascinated by true crime, police procedurals, and yes, of course - Joe Kenda’s show Homicide Hunter on ID. In Killer Triggers, Kenda covers 10 or so primary cases from his career in law enforcement and what drove those killers, as well as how they were caught.

It is, in retrospect, much like Homicide Hunter - one of the best things about this book is how Kenda truly writes like he talks, so it’s very much a situation where you feel that you can hear him recounting these stories to you. The chapters feel very much like a conversation between Kenda and the reader, or at least story time. I love his deadpan humor, his tangents and asides, his step by step breakdown of the cases. It’s fun, and engrossing, and truly a great read for any existing fan but also anyone new to Kenda.

Something I also enjoyed, and found deeply touching, was the last section of the book in which Kenda details how his life has changed since he started Homicide Hunter and touches on mental health and the sometimes devastating effects of working hand in hand with death. It's genuinely nice to see him acknowledge this, of course, especially when he admits that he suffered dearly as a result of his work, taking his cases home so to speak and encountering things that would never leave him. However, it was also comforting to read that he is happy, and doing well, and that he wishes the reader well, too. We need more kindness and understanding like that these days. Joe Kenda is truly one of a kind.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
As a reader of true crime, this book looked interesting. It turned out to be an excellent book. I really love Joe Kenda's sense of humor and that he doesn't sugar-coat anything. He doesn't take BS from anyone either. I feel today's world is too hypersensitive and easily offended so this is so refreshing!
The crimes he tells about are definitely gruesome. He writes the important stuff and leaves out all of the filler that a lot of true crime books generally have.

Thank you @blackstonepublishing and @netgalley for the copy of this book. Having never watched 'Homicide Hunters' before, Joe Kenda's work was new to me. The book uses case studies from Joe's time as head of homicide in Colorado Springs to discuss triggers for killers such as sex, money, greed and revenge.
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I found this to be an easy to read true crime book. The case studies were interesting and diverse and at times humour was used to lighten the mood. I did enjoy this as a quick easy read. My only negative about this one was some of the comments the author made regarding the murderers in his case studies. I found some of the comments unnecessary and off putting. This book is published on 9th March 2021.
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Killer Triggers by Joe Kenda

9781982678357

200 Pages
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release Date: March 9, 2021

Nonfiction (Adult), Biographies & Memoirs, Crime, Police Procedural

In each of the eleven chapters, Joe Kenda details a different case.

Chapter 1: A runner’s fatal walk
Chapter 2: The serial killer next door
Chapter 3: The coming undone of a good man
Chapter 4: The choirboy gone bad
Chapter 5: A killer rental
Chapter 6: Murder in a mom ‘n’ pop shop
Chapter 7: A nest of vipers
Chapter 8: Twisted sisters
Chapter 9: Lowlifes deserve justice too
Chapter 10: A killer pack
Chapter 11: Pulling the trigger

The stories in the book are very similar to the cases on Homicide Hunter. As I read the book, I could hear him narrating it in my head. It is written as if he is telling the stories. These are gritty stories from murders in Colorado Springs, Colorado that took place before he retired. If you like the Identification Discovery channel, Homicide Hunter, or his previous book, I Will Find You, you will definitely like this one. I have read it twice already!

This is an awesome book! I am some what of a True Crime enthusiast and I cannot get enough Kenda! I just love his background and intro to his stories, also love that he writes by the case file. He is so awesome how he just adds in his personal feelings and thoughts as well as humerous things that happened along side the investigation as "side notes"! I will be reading all his books and recommending them to all my fellow true crime readers and lovers!

4.5/5 Stars

Blog Review: https://bit.ly/3oWvK9x

Review on blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads. Will be placed on Amazon after publish date.

Synopsis: Kenda is back with stories from his career. This title focused on murders which occurred due to what Kenda calls the three causes of murder...sex, drugs or money.

My rating: 4.5 Stars

My opinion: I found I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Kenda's first book I Will Find You: Solving Killer Cases from My Life Fighting Crime. As I did a deeper dive into the book, I figured out why I wasn't warming up to it like I did his first work.

First, anyone who is a Homicide Hunter fan and has watched the episodes several times (hangs head) will recognize most (if not all) of the cases from the show. Do we get a deeper understanding of what was going through Kenda's mind? Yes, we do, but it still felt like a "been there-heard that".

Second, we didn't get as much Kenda/Kathy as we did in the first book and I missed that. Kenda/Kathy stories are as hysterical as the tidbits of sarcasm Kenda gives from his cases. Let me give an example. Kenda has been doing a lot of publicity for his new Discovery+ show, AMERICAN DETECTIVE. A fantastic show that Kenda fans will go gaga over, by the way, but I digress. He recently did the podcast Small Town Dicks and told a story about Kathy making him go out with friends from her job. Kenda realizes the stepfather of Kathy's friend from work is sexually abusing the daughter of the friend and ends up having to arrest the guy. As I was reading the book at the time, I said to myself this would be a perfect story for the book!

Third, I read a digital ARC. There is NOTHING like a Joe Kenda narration. Hands down, my absolutely favorite narrator. While I could hear him narrating in my mind, there is nothing like the real deal.

Source: Blackstone Publishing via Netgalley

Would I recommend? Duh. Of course! Following my opinion, though, I recommend investment in the audiobook version. Blackstone Publishing is one of the largest publishers of audiobooks, so I'll bet dollars to donuts there will be an audiobook version with our favorite Lt. narrating.

I will say this will more than likely be the last Kenda book I request to review. I will wait to purchase an audio copy and review from that. While I realize I only marked it down a half star, I don't feel I walked into the reviewing process with what I felt I needed to do to give the review all that it needed. For that, I am to blame.

Stand Alone or Part of a Series: Stand Alone

I have watched Joe Kenda on ID channel and loved the program. I had no idea he also wrote books! Very interesting read with a ton of information. I can not wait to find more books by him!

4 stars

What I love most about Joe Kenda's writing is that it feels like Joe Kenda is in the room with you chatting away about his life and experiences. He has a very distinct voice, which both makes his writing feel authentic AND makes it a bit cringey at times when he throws out a dad joke or ten or - much worse - makes some likely inadvertently offensive reference using terms or language that haven't been reasonable in the general population for...many years. I cracked up often because there are several moments here where the editor's hand is almost visible on the page and others where I thought, "Hmm. So this was the battle you weren't going to fight that day."

Kenda's sometimes questionable descriptions aside, preexisting fans will get what they came for: an entertaining journey through his past cases in the way that only he can describe them. Fans of true crime and Joe Kenda alike will enjoy this immensely.

#NetGalley. Kenda is a homicide detective well known for his high success rate of case closures. His book is a compilation of his most intriguing homicide cases ripe with antidotes of effortless witticism. I’ve followed his cases closely for years, so I was already familiar with most of the cases he details. However, in his book he gives a play by play of case details while adding in interesting psychoanalysis of the perpetrators, details interrogation tactics he used to get them to crack under pressure, and details the fatal mistakes these criminals made that led him to cracking the case. Incredible career and quality book for any true crime aficionado or lover of dry sarcasm.

Joe Kenda never disappoints! I watched the series that he had out, but this book was amazing and full of great information! I could not put it down! I had to read through this in one sitting!
What pushes someone to murder can be hard to ascertain sometimes, especially if that person is unknown to the victim. But Joe Kenda and his team never gave up, working each case to find a solution, and give answers to the families of the victim, giving them a little closure.

This book sure does not disappoint, and if you are a true crime fan, then you have to get this book. Lt. Kenda walks you through the investigation, and you get the frustrations, the good, the bad, and the outcome. I read through his first book and really enjoyed it, and this one did not disappoint either. The humor and the witty remarks are peppered through the story, making you feel as though you are sharing a drink with a good friend, listening to the case from their perspective, and picking their brain a bit more on the details and people involved.

Get this on your read list now, you won't regret it!