I'll start by saying I didn't finish this book. I wanted to like this book, but I struggled hard. For me the book was very much very hot and cold. There were passages that were really good. For example, some of the detailed murder scenes were done really well. Great detail and pretty believable as far as what could have been going through the victim's head, the descriptions torn clothing etc. Unfortunately, there were other passages that just left me very confused. There were times where there would be a quick description of a conversation Little had with someone. I would read it several times over and still be lost on what the point was or what it was supposed to mean. This occurred mostly when describing short back and forth described by Little, not during conversations with victim prior to or during a murder. The other thing that bothered me and I'm not sure if I just didn't understand the passages or if the author didn't know Martine Luther King Jr and Malcom X were not the same person, but there were at least two times it seemed like there were being used interchangeably. The second time I even had my wife read the passage to see if it was just me. She agreed that it seemed like the names were being used interchangeably but said either way it was confusing. It bothered us to the point we took to doing a little digging to see if the passage was describing something else about when they died that would explain what we were reading. We never did figure it out. This one just wasn't for me.

This was an interesting read. I enjoy true crime and knew a little about Sam Little but not a ton so it was interesting learning about him. I listened on audio and sometimes found it a little hard to follow but still enjoyed the book. The story was extremely well researched. I loved the way the author gave the victims a voice. I was amazed with the way Jillian was able to aid with investigations and help give families some answers. It was interesting hearing about Jillian's relationship with Sam.

This book is difficult and haunting but worth a read if you like true crime.

I usually like true crime, but I just can’t get into
This one. I have tried multiple times and it’s not catching my attention unfortunately. I didn’t like the way it was being told.

True crime at its finest - I love when an author can show me inside the mind of a criminal . Humans are fascinating and I love seeing how a story unfolds .
This one did not disappoint - if you love true crime , serial killers , and bingable reads then this one is for you !

This was such a fascinating true crime novel! There were many similar facts that I already knew, but also new to me information. It was an easy dialogue to navigate and held my attention to the very last page. Highly recommend for all the true crime junkies out there!

Behold the Monster is up there with one of the most compelling and horrifying accounts of the reign of murder and terror Sam Little subjected his victims to.

The author approaches this case with fact and imagination which makes it so much more real. Giving voice to the mostly unloved and forgotten victims made this more than a deep dive into the mind of a psychopath serial killer.

It also highlights the racism and judgement Little's victims were subject to, meaning that their murders were barely investigated. Little's rap sheet was prolific, and he was caught mid attack, and yet still, his sentences were ridiculously lenient.

It is only because of dedicated cold case Investigators and the bravery of those like the author, who faced Little in jail to gain his trust and confessions, that the victims secured some kind of justice.

A difficult read, a haunting story but also a fascinating one.

Behold the Monster by @jillianlauren is a true crime/ nonfiction that will knock your socks off! This book follows the life and victims of Sam Little, Americas most prolific serial killer that no one knew about. This book covers Sams childhood, his victims, his travels, those closest to him, the investigators, the locations important to him, and so much more.

This book was well written, extensively researched, and, on the whole, wild. I can’t imagine what it was like to talk to Sam the way that Jillian talked to him. I’m also amazed and how much she was able to do to aid investigations and even solve cold cases. So many cold cases were solved due to the work on Jillian and the investigators along the way. I loved that Mississippi played a large role in this story being that’s where I’m from and that Hilda and Leila were such strong Mississippi women.

Overall, the focus on victims and continuing to name them was very profound for me. The magnitude of what he did just hits you when you have a page of just names and nicknames because no one knows who these lost victims are. Most of all, it is just wild to me where his body ended up when he eventually died. I won’t spoil it, you’ll have to read it to find out! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

This one was especially interesting to me because there are many mentions of Lorain, Ohio and that's where I was born and raised!

This book features serial killer Sam Little, who was incarcerated when he met the author. He talked to her during visits and on phone calls (which he knew were being reported) and began confessing to her all of his murders.

Sam is disturbing and creepy, but was obviously a little smart about his prey. He focused on women like prostitutes and drug addicts, who were distanced from family.

He has to killing 93 women and 60 have been confirmed by the FBI.

If you like true crime, this is a detailed, interesting telling of Sam Little's life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Very in depth. It was interesting how the author used different perspective, but at times felt a little too fictionalized. If you are a fan of true crime, I would recommend this book. If you’re not really, it is very graphic and may not be for you.

While I think that Jillian Lauren is a fantastic writer, I'm afraid this was a rare DNF for me. There didn't seem to be enough of an interesting angle or throughline to tie together the recounting of these terrible murders, so it seemed like I was just reading about cases rather than experiencing a larger vision about these crimes and what they might express about the location, the time period or society.

I got about 25% in and couldn’t finished the writing is all over the place and hard to follow along.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I did not get to this title, so I don't feel comfortable rating it fully, hoping to get to it at some point soon!

This was beautifully written and such a unique way to portray “nonfiction” in a new away!

It wasn’t what I was originally expecting but was still fascinating and entrancing to imagine the victims stories.

Like Ann rule, this author has jumped right into the mind of a serial killer. Spending time getting to know him and his kills- his manipulation of the system and his victims. This is a dark tale- be warned!

Thank You to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this free digital book.

I usually love true crime and was so excited to read this book. Jillian Lauren's interviews with serial killer, Samuel Little, were a bit creepy. He loved to talk about how he strangled his victims and sometimes some of that information was too hard to read. Jillian did a lot of research to write this book and took the time to contact the victims and their families, law enforcement, and experts to try and understand Sam Little and why he did what he did. Was he born this way? The book is a mix of fiction and nonfiction. The victims stories are based off of Jillian Lauren's her research. It gives details into what the victims were thinking and doing during the interactions with Samuel Little and right up until their time of death. I have mixed feelings about the fictionalized stories. To a certain extent it gives depth to the book, but it seems to throw off the true crime notion of the whole book.

I was really looking forward to a good true crime novel, however I have mixed feelings about Behold the Monster. When I read non-fiction, especially true crime novels, I really want it to be about that...actual events and research. Jillian Lauren mixes fiction within this one, basing the stories of the murdered women off her research. It may not be that way for others, but for me it threw off my non-fiction flow.

I did enjoy the background and history of Samuel Little. Reading her meetings with him were eerie and chilled my entire being. He is pure evil.

Overall, not a bad read and I am sure other readers will wholeheartedly love this one. The format for this one just wasn't my cup of coffee. If you have this one on your radar, I would say to give it a read. You may enjoy a lot more than I did.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Such an interesting book. THe story was so intriguing and I honestly couldn’t put the book down. Ten out of ten would recommend.

BEHOLD THE MONSTER by Jillian Lauren

Summary: New York Times best-selling author Jillian Lauren’s personal, haunting account of confronting serial killer Samuel Little, and her determination to lift up the voices of his victims for the first time.

My thoughts:

The concept of ‘true crime’ media is at an interesting crossroads in American culture, and I was so curious to see how this book would unfold, especially considering that Samuel Little is a relatively ‘new’ serial killer. Lauren’s determination to lift the voices of Little’s almost-countless victims is a highlight of the book. It’s done with compassion, grace, and a holistic lens that is refreshing compared to much other true crime media.

I struggled with the stream-of-consciousness format of this book. At almost 500 pages, it almost felt like there were simply too many directions and material that Lauren wanted to include. Too much material plus no structure to the story made the pacing very inconsistent and the story threads very difficult to track. I understand that such a ‘structure’ is similar to Lauren’s conversations with Little, but this definitely impacted my ability to enjoy this read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I don’t know what I was expecting out of this story but it wasn’t what I got. I think I need to stick to fiction and stay out of the true crime lane. I’ve tried several and they all leave feeling the same - glad to get to the end.

If you’re a true crime fanatic, then this book is for you.

I’m not one to pass up a good true crime story and this one, featuring a POS whose life’s work was to strangle almost a hundred women as a way to get off, seemed like it would be up my alley.
It was pretty interesting, for the most part, but I’ve definitely read better serial killer books. I found myself occasionally spacing out while listening to the audiobook, which is never a good thing, especially given the subject matter.
Thanks to #netgalley and #sourcebooks for this #arc of #beholdthemonster in exchange for an honest review.