I read the True Crime genre fairly frequently, can’t say I ‘enjoy’ it, rather I find it interesting and satisfying assuming the perpetrator comes to justice. I remember this particular case when it was in the news. All the same this was a painful read mainly because this monster’s, murders, and yes, the book is aptly titled, spanned decades.

I did not care for the author’s writing, many times I felt there was an assumption that the reader already knew facts we did not. I also did not like the way the book skips around time-wise, I felt it could have been better organized and less confusing.

I liked that the author interviewed the murderer at length prior to his death, in the process becoming ‘his buddy’. Hats off to her for being able to stomach that for the sake of telling the victims’ stories.

My first impression of this was that it really is an exceptionally written book. Jillian Lauren's brusque, gritty, no-holds-barred, borderline stream-of-consciousness-lite writing style really worked for the subject matter, elevating BEHOLD THE MONSTER from a run-of-the-mill true crime title into something much darker and more absorbing. The only reason it's getting three stars is because it broke two of my cardinal true crime writing rules: 1) Lauren's dramatized record of Samuel Little's victims' end-of-life moments crossed into slightly inappropriate territory for me, as both a reader and true crime obsessive -- obviously there is not a single person on this planet who could presume to know exactly what these women were thinking or feeling when he murdered them, and I'm not a fan when writers choose to represent these moments on the page for the sake of a narrative rather than, you know, maybe just not; and 2) Whole. Pages. Of. Court. Transcripts.

Intense, horrific, mind boggling. You could use a hundred other words to describe the feelings of this book. It was an interesting and very detailed book that our author very clearly knew a ton about. The details you read are not for the faint of heart. I think it was super informative and I appreciated the look you’re given into this world of chaos and violence. Definitely give this one a read if you’re a fan of true crime.

This reads like a first draft. This writing is riddled with random sentences inserted into paragraphs and crude, and sometimes vulgar, word choice. It rambles at points with a plethora of useless detail that weigh down the reading. At times this seemed the writer intended to write an autobiography or memoir rather than a true crime piece. I am a fan of true crime and understand it is a difficult genre to work in. But this was so laborious to read.. I very, very rarely give up on a book but I did so after reading about 40% of this one. The author even insinuated that her family founded ShopRite. Her family may have been A stakeholder but ShopRite was founded by 8 different grocery owners who formed a co-op. In any event, I would recommend seeking a different true crime title; this one is probably the worst true crime piece I have ever read.

This book was something I discovered outside of what I normally read. It was part memoir part something I cant think of the word for. It was interesting. The author interviewed the most prolific serial killer in history of US. The stories told and the grief. It was a very interesting read.

This book gave excellent insight into the crimes that Samuel Little committed. Before reading I had never heard of this man but now I can’t believe I never had since he killed so many people. The book is written partially from the writer, Jillian Lauren’s point of view as she was able to interview Little while he was in prison. I kind of wish the book stayed from her point of view and she didn’t fictionalize the events. I understand she discusses this in the beginning of the book and that it helped convey some of the stories better. I also found some of the events hard to read as they go into the details of the murders and Samuel Little’s thoughts. The book was interesting and helped gain insight into the mind of the killer but at some points was kind of boring and could’ve been shortened. If you are into true crime and don’t know much about Samuel Little then I’d suggest picking this one up.

I’m new to the true crime obsession but I really liked this one. I wasn’t familiar with the case but was quickly engrossed by the writing style. I would recommend for anyone who enjoys these type of books.

3.5 stars
Serial killer Samuel Little may not be as well known as Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer, but his crimes are no less horrific.  Little confessed to murdering over 90 women, and author Jillian Lauren heard the gruesome details in her jailhouse interviews with the murderer.  Along with the events that she recorded and witnessed, Lauren also adds fictionalized accounts from the victims, and this is where I had issues with the book.  I understand why she chose to do this (she explains in her introduction), but it just felt so over-the-top at times, which would have been fine for a fiction book (something she said she originally wanted to write).  As a true crime junkie, I appreciated the nonfiction aspect, I just wish there had been more of that and less fiction.

This is a true story about the serial killer Sam Little and Jillian Lauren’s interviews with him. The author does use some liberties as she explains the victims interactions with Sam. The numerous interviews she had with him and the victims families probably provided a pretty clear picture of each victim. It is disgusting to see how many times he was arrested for some of these cases but fairly quickly released to kill again! He chose women who would not be missed, loners, prostitutes, drug addicts, the lowest of society, so that there would be no massive search for him. Thanks to Detective Mitzi Roberts for recognizing that Little most likely had many more victims and Texas Ranger Holland for getting Little to spill his secrets. The story tends to jump around chronologically. The author spent a lot of time researching and interviewing Little, the victims families and the few survivors Certainly makes one wonder what causes such deviant behaviors. There is a list of the 93 victims at the end of the book. Sam Little drew pictures of the women and gave details. Many have yet to be found/identified. If you are a true crime enthusiast, you should read this book.

This is a really creative way to tell the story of a prolific serial killer, Samuel Little, that includes multiple points of view. Fans of true crime will likely love this book! However potential readers should know that the book does get pretty graphic, so this could be triggering or upsetting to some.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read/view this book. I must admit that I could not finish it; I found it boring. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's not a good book; it just wasn't a good fit for me. I wasn't a fan of the run on about the police investigation. I was more interested in words from the killer, how he justified his killings and what was going on in his mind. I did get a bit of that but was just tired of all the extra info that I wasn't interested in.

A very intriguing read that differs from other true crime I've laid eyes on. I felt it was similar to Michelle McNamara's "I'll Be Gone In the Dark", only a tad less obsessive, intense. It still felt as driven, but perhaps in a more casual sense, maybe? I mean, McNamara's project lead to her tragic and far too soon demise, so...

I appreciate that she goes into exploring and explaining the justice system, that this book isn't solely about the serial killer. I'd even go so far as to say there is an attempt to humanize Sam a bit at some point. Or, if not humanize, an attempt to explain. I am grateful she took on this daunting project, as I hadn't heard of Sam prior. And to be able to interview the killer at length was a benefit to more than just the morbidly curious.

At times, Lauren's writing choices left me confused, so while I'm in love with her and her style, those bits that made me tilt my head did leave me frustrated. Like I was reading an inside joke or some unknown short hand, despite re-reading and even coming back. STILL! That said, I do want more from her; I will check out her harem memoir. My favorite part was the phone conversation between Jillian and Holland. I didn't mind the decision to attempt to flesh out some of the victims; it felt genuine and possibly even necessary.

"I saw a glimmer of opportunity to make a meaningful change, bringing to light stories from which most people turned their heads. I had a strong stomach, insatiable curiosity, and the dead calm afforded me by PTSD." - Jillian Lauren

Included at the end of Lauren's book are the victims' information with pictures when available (alive, nothing crime scene or postmortem related), plus the survivors. There will also be a reading group section at the back, a conversation with the dedicated and awesome author (these were not in the ARC), a bibliography, resources (like ViCAP.), and lastly, the marketing and publicity campaign.

Behold the Monster is an engaging and enticing book. I have applaud the author for being strong enough to ask the deep questions and more importantly listen to the answers. What an extremely horrifying individual as he did not ever seem to have remorse for what he did.

Not only was it engaging book to learn more about the author story, but also about how easy it is for these monsters to get into our lives. This is the definite read not just for the information held inside it's pages about the killer, but also a warning to guard ourselves.

Behold the Monster by Jillian Lauren

I have read quite a lot of books about real crimes, in the first person how the victim survived her ordeal, or how the investigation took place, this book was kind a bit of all of those in one, but while trying to reach all it kind of ended up lacking a bit, at least for me, I ended up making of this book a task that I just wanted to finish, while it dragged away… it felt much more as fiction, I didn’t connect with how the story was told, while I am sad that all of Sam Little victims were terrible wronged and deserved a lot better, I didn’t connect or enjoyed reading this book, time jumps between chapters did not help… something is missing but I cant put my finger on it… it was ok, maybe you’ll like it much more than what I did…

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS (non-fiction), for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

Immediately going into this read I was enthralled and so hyped up because it's been awhile for me to read this genre. But as the story went on I was a bit confused. It seemed so real and I assumed it was based off a true story, so AMAZING job because you fooled me!!! Lol I'm pretty sure this author is a highly skilled writer. It really threw me in this story and played out like a movie. I enjoyed the flashbacks the most and absolutely loved being in Sam's past. It was chilling because it is all true. A true monster. I was a bit shocked. Couldn't believe this was being told in such a great detail. That's when I paused and Googled it hardcore. If I'm being honest I'm still not 100% sure. I really liked learning his past/murders in his eyes. Definitely strange. Jillian character is very detailed and I feel like I know her personally. This author did a great job. Her details in writing are spectacular!!! I highly recommend!!! I felt like Jillian is obsessed a bit with finding out these cases and will do whatever. Kinda cutthroat. A true journalist ! Very well written. Now I want to watch her docuseries on Starz.
Thank you Netgalley!!

Ugh! I love true crime and this was part reality, part divulging of facts and it felt like part fiction describing Sam’s “dates”
I loved the book, I hated the book, I wanted it to end. I truly hope the cases can be solved with time and tenacity.

I was intrigued by this book because I had never heard of Sam Little, but I honestly had a very hard time finishing this book. It just seemed so all over the place, I could not keep the timeline straight.

This is not typically my style since I don't usually read true stories. Serial killer stories do interest me though so I enjoyed reading this as far as that goes. Of course this subject is always hard to read especially when it's true or based on truth. Thank you for the opportunity to read this

This is a very interesting book. It very thoroughly covers the story of Sam Little and his victims as told to Jillian by the killer himself. It can be a difficult read at times since it really details what those victims experienced when killed. What makes this book different for many others about serial killers is the the Jillian tells it as she was told from Sam Little.

This book sits in a strangely grey area — on one hand, being that obsessed with a singular serial killer is a little unhealthy and risks glorifying the horrific things they’ve done, toeing the line of tipping into gratuitous violence and glorification . On the other hand, that obsession helped to find the truth about almost a hundred innocent women. Serial killers and crime are a morbidly curious subject for many people, but we need to always remember that the stories we read or watch are about real lives, real people
Who’ve lost their lives and people who’ve loved them left behind.

This book does try to bring these women into the frame and most of the time does so is a respectful and graceful way while also telling a simply harrowing account of a first-hand experience through accounts, logs, and multimedia to paint a startling picture of the sheer brutality of a real monster.

The layout was simple and easy to read despite the heavy content — bringing visual maps and first hand accounts along with the authors own thoughts and speculation about the unknown aspects of the story.