The true-crime novel “Behold the Monster” tells the story of Sam Little (AKA Sam McDowell), widely considered “America’s most prolific serial killer”, as the cover of the book states. The author spent a lot of time interviewing Little in jail for the book. Little’s upbringing is similar to Ted Bundy’s, and his MO is strangulation, similar to Gary Ridgeway. He also chose prostitutes as his victims, like Ridgeway. However, different from Ridgeway is that Little travelled throughout the United States killing women instead of staying in one general area, making it difficult for law enforcement to make an actual determination as to how many he actually killed. Throughout the book he is adamant to those who interview him that he never raped his victims, but rather he sexually enjoyed the act of strangulation, watching his victims take their last breath. Prior to his death in 2020, he admitted to killing 50 women, but there is the potential that he killed many, many more. This novel takes the reader through Little’s life as well as some of his victims’, both those who lived and those who died.

I’ve read a lot of true-crime novels from authors such as Ann Rule (whom I consider the best true-crime author ever), Vincent Bugliosi, Truman Capote, and Gregg Olson, to name just a few, but I have never heard of Jillian Lauren. After reading this book, I would not include her in the category of best true-crime authors. I had a difficult time getting through the entire novel. Lauren’s style of writing, for me, was not engaging; she used rather crude words such as “ho” instead of prostitute and “boosted” instead of stealing, as well as other cruder ways to describe certain body parts, which to me did not appear professional or respectful. Further, she kept jumping around in the timeline, which I found to be troublesome to follow the story. When I read true crime, I like the novels to have chronology to them. This book jumped around from 2018 for one chapter and then the next one set in 1971, and that type of jump continued throughout the whole novel. In addition, for me she lacked some credibility in that she occasionally referenced being high; so, if that is the case, how do we know whether the information she is putting forth in the book is accurate, particularly when she noted that she did not use a tape recorder, but relied on her memory?

All in all, I would not recommend this book for diehard true-crime fans.

This book was great, though the format is unusual. The parts of the book that are more factual in nature are written in a way that are engaging and keep the readers attention, instead of like a textbook. The chapters that are fiction are very difficult to read, in part because they are mostly true and in part because its fictionalizing the truth. I think this could put off some people and potentially offend people as well. I hope the author gained permission from the victim's families to do this. The book itself was fascinating and is a must read for any true crime fan!

While a bit gruesome and heartbreaking, this true crime book was thoroughly researched and well written. I’m not sure if I had heard of Sam Little before….I used to be a huge true crime fan… I want to say that I have but definitely not to this extent. The author did a great job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

Before reading this I had never heard of Sam Little, so this was a very interesting, albeit upsetting, read. Lauren obviously put a lot of research into this book, and some parts a quite graphic.

I’m not sure, but this book seems to have been previously published in 2020? This might be a revised addition with additional information, nonetheless it is still a very interesting, informative, and disturbing book to read. Any book that details the life of a serial killer is never an easy read.

Behold the Monster, is about serial killer Sam Little. Sam Little was behind bars when he met with the author, Jillian Lauren. It was with Jillian that Sam started confessing all his murders. Sam spoke with Jillian during their prison visits, and most often on their phone calls. Sam knew the phone calls were being recorded, but he still kept on talking. Sam Little often drew pictures of his victims while confessing to Jillian. Sam called Jillian his “best friend”. Jillian was even listed as next of kin for Sam Little, and she was the first person the prison called when he died of Covid-19 complications on December 30, 2020.

This book gives an overview of Sam Little’s victims. We get a clue as to what their last moments on earth were like. The author also interviewed family members of some of the victims, so that their memory could live on. We also hear from the four women who were able to escape and live through their nightmare with Sam Little.

Everything about Sam Little is disturbing! His birth into the world was disturbing. His upbringing was disturbing. His reuniting with his biological mother as an adult was especially disturbing! This book became extremely hard to read at times.

While creepy, I guess Sam was a bit smart on who he preyed upon. He preyed upon women who were on drugs, and who were most often prostitutes. He would ask them questions such as, “Do you have lots of family around? Are you close with your family?” If he knew these women didn’t have anyone, then they were an easy target. He would lure these women into his car and strangle them for sexual pleasure. Most of these women were not missed by anyone. Those that were able to get away and live to tell about it- well, unfortunately no one believed them because they were drug addicted prostitutes.

Sam Little confessed to killing 93 women. The FBI has confirmed 60 cases. Therefore, Sam might be the “most prolific serial killer in American history of record.” In any case, if you are a fan of true crime and especially that of serial killers, then I highly suggest reading this very detailed book about the life of Sam Little.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and the author for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. Publication date: July 18, 2023. (Genre- True Crime, Nonfiction)

Jillian Lauren is a fantastic writer! This true crime novel is beautifully heartbreaking and horrifying. I knew barely anything about Sam Little, until now. Even though I had to put the book (kindle) down sometimes, I always wanted to keep going. Thank you Jillian Lauren for taking the time to write these haunting tragedies. Thank you NetGalley, the publishers and to Jillian Lauren for this incredible ARC!

I had never heard of Sam Little before reading this book, and was astonished after learning more about him. He is one of the most prolific serial killers, having admitted to 93 murders, with the police confirming 60. Not only did he murder an astounding number of people, but he had an impressive rap sheet, covering burglary, rape, theft, grand theft, breaking and entering, armed robbery, assault, assault on a police officer, shoplifting, driving under the influence, and resisting arrest, among others. But what's most astonishing is the fact that he was arrested and tried multiple times, getting away because of a lack of evidence. On those few cases where he was convicted, he served a paltry amount of time, and was back out on the streets to continue his reign of terror.

The author holds nothing back, going into detail the crimes he committed and the suffering these women went through. There is a lot of talk of police procedure and investigations which can be a little dry at times, but the story easily draws you back in when it turns back to Sam. The author spent many hours with Sam, trying to get into his mind and understand what made him do it, but there is no answer. Many times he professes that he didn't do it, other times that he was chosen by God to cleanse the Earth. There is no way to understand why he did what he did, only that he was a monster to the extreme.

For those interested in true crime and serial killers this will be a hit. However, be warned that it is not for the faint of heart.

Wow!!! What a book. I was so excited to get this one as an advanced copy through netgally. It did not disappoint! Wow, is all I have to say.

"Behold the Monster" is a nonfiction reckoning with one of the most prolific serial killers in history, if not THE most... and yet I had never heard of him. "Sam Little" and his fame have yet to really take hold in the poplar consciousness, at least in my realm, but "Behold the Monster" is a brutal, horrifying takedown of our justice system and the concept of who counts as a "victim" as much as it is about Sam Little. Ninety-three women - many Black, all desperate - are suspected to have died beneath Sam's vicious hands. And yet he kept getting away with it, year after year. He's an old man by the time author Jillian Lauren catches up to him.

Oh, Jillian Lauren. She writes with such confidence, snark, empathy and clarity. I had never read a true crime book in such an intriguing, unapologetic voice. Her tenacity and dedication to the lost is the backbone to this book, the much-needed center of morality in a story that threatens to be too gruesome to digest.

It's an extraordinary, awful tale. HIghly recommended to fans of true crime and criminal justice.

Jillian Lauren basically has my dream job in another universe. Through watching SVU pretty much my entire teen into adulthood life and now at 32, I have always wondered what it would be like to pen pal with an inmate. My small hometown has two cold cases that have been featured on unsolved mysteries if JL needs an idea for a book 2; totally want to be the assistant!

A truly difficult read at times, the author does not shy away from the gruesome details of this sickening true-life horror. I can see how some may find this a blatant exploitation, but you can’t deny the bright light it shines on homicide cases that have been marginalized or completely ignored.

I appreciate the hard work that was done by all involved to help provide closure to Sam Little’s victims and to seek some semblance of justice on their behalf. My heart sincerely goes out to anyone left still wondering what happened to a loved one who crossed paths with such evil.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Behold The Monster for my unbiased evaluation.  3 stars

Very detailed (to a fault) at times. Long and wordy. I felt more engaged when the author visited the prison for the interviews. I like reading more of a novel style true crime. Obviously the author is intelligent, she put a huge amount of work into the book. I personally thought it was a bit in your face graphic or maybe just disrespectful to the victims. The language was over the top. (I will say if the negatives I have are how he spoke I understand why she wrote the book in this way, it's just not my taste) I seem to be in the minority with my review.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are strictly my own!

BEHOLD THE MONSTER
BY: JILLIAN LAUREN

My first review got erased and I was initially giving this book three stars. After sleeping on it, I can't give this comprehensive non-fiction book, which is about true crime, about America's most prolific serial killer named Sam Little less than Five Stars. My first reaction after reading the final pages, was that I felt like I needed a shower. That's because the author Jillian Lauren, did such a top notch job of painting a picture of how this vicious serial killer thought. She also made this account of all of her research very multi- layered by including psychology, and the forensic science easy to understand by explaining the details of my favorite parts of the book so accessible to every one who reads this book. It isn't for everybody or the faint of heart because she really gives you enough details, which made me reconsider my rating because she really did her homework about the way law enforcement works to solve cold cases.

I thought that Sam Little was a vicious, monster who felt that he could get away with murder, which he did because he started his killing spree as far back as the 1970's through 2005. He really felt entitled to kill without getting caught, because he targeted his victims with the idea of choosing those that would be less likely to be missed. Jillian Lauren by visiting him in prison, and interviewing him was a brave woman, because she had her purpose of identifying those that he murdered to help bring closure to Sam Little's victims by giving them a name. I would think that it must have been scary for her to visit such a depraved individual in prison. She helped his victims families find closure, also.

He admitted to killing at least 90 something people, but the FBI has confirmed approximately somewhere between fifty or sixty. He was in my opinion a sexual deviant. His methods were to get his sexual gratification only when he strangled his victims to death. He couldn't most of the time get off unless he was strangling his victims. I don't think he got punished enough, because he would only admit to his crimes unless he got something in writing saying that the death penalty was not going to be inflicted on him. Also, I feel like justice wasn't served because by the time he was put in prison he was already an old man. I am in no way excusing him, because I think he was a despicable coward, who was sexually abused himself by an Uncle. He went to live with his grandparents, and when he reconnected with his mother they had a sexual relationship.

My favorite sections were the court transcripts, the explanation of forensic science, and the psychology. I applaud the author Jillian Lauren for her courage in all of her efforts to help law enforcement by putting her life on the line by obtaining her hundreds of taped interviews with such a dangerous murderer. I loved how at the end of this book she included the victims faces, and when they were murdered. I did think that this book could be improved by some editing, because it skipped around a lot. Overall, this author did a stellar job, and like I said she potentially put herself in harms way to get involved with such a depraved human being. I would also like to mention it must be difficult for her to be unable to have in her mind images that would be hard to forget. I don't know how someone could not being affected by being unable to forget the information about the murders. It definitely for me as a reader going to be difficult to not have nightmares about getting in the mindset of such a vicious murderer, to which Jillian Lauren was able to accomplish by her brilliant writing.

Publication Date: July 18, 2023.

Thank you to Net Galley, Jillian Lauren and SOURCEBOOKS for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#BeholdtheMonster #JillianLauren #Sourcebooks #NetGalley

First I want to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book. What follows is my original unbiased review.

Behold the Monster is best classified (to me) as a true-life crime drama. The book was originally published in 2021; this is apparently an updated version detailing what I guess are new events.

This is a gritty book to read, describing the life of America's most notorious serial killer Sam Little, aka Sam McDowell. The author estimates that Little killed at least 93 people and the FBI has confirmed over 60 of these murders. Little was a true monster, driven by sexual fantasies and showing little to no mercy to his victims.

His primary mode of murder was strangulation, and he enjoyed (if you can bear with me using that word) strangling his victims while manstrubating. Author Jillian Lauren tells the disturbing life story of Sam Little and many of his victims in gory detail, which may turn off some readers. Still, it is a captivating read.

What is sad from reading this book is to learn about how many times this serial killer was allowed back on the streets for numerous murders and other infractions due to the failure of the criminal justice system in many states. Little murdered women across the country and only towards the end of his life was he finally incarcerated until he died.

The author interviewed Little on several occasions, as well as many other principals involved in Little's life. She did a remarkable job pulling this story together.

This book is not for the squeamish. It left me feeling sad for the many victims and anger towards the failure of the court system to keep this animal locked up. I found the narrative to be a bit disjointed jumping from decade to decade and got lost in a couple of points until I figured out the structure. If you like true-crime drama then I recommend this book.

Behold the Monster: Confronting America's Most Prolific Serial Killer by Jillian Lauren is a gripping and chilling true crime book. Lauren shares her experience of corresponding with Samuel Little, one of the most prolific serial killers in American history, who ultimately confessed to the murders of ninety-three women.

The author's writing style is captivating, and her thorough research and interviews provide readers with a detailed insight into the mind of a serial killer. Lauren delves into Little's past and the systemic failures that allowed him to evade justice for so long. She also explores the victims' stories and the impact of their deaths on their families and communities.

The book is not for the faint of heart, as it contains graphic descriptions of violence and murder. However, it sheds light on the importance of law enforcement agencies' cooperation and the need for justice for the victims and their families.

Overall, Behold the Monster is a haunting and thought-provoking read that will leave readers both fascinated and disturbed. The author's compassionate approach to the victims' stories adds a humanizing element to an otherwise terrifying subject matter. True crime fans will find this book hard to put down.

I think the premise of this book is incredibly important. This isn’t the most well known serial murderer case, but it’s absolutely one of the most haunting. We get into the mind of Sam Little, the country’s most prolific serial killer.
If you’re a true crime explorer, this book will absolutely do it for you. The details of some of the accounts are just absolutely horrendous, it is terrifying to know there are people like this out there, even still today. The research done for this book was incredible, it’s hard to believe how much time and energy goes into a book like this and I appreciate the efforts so much, as will most readers Im sure.
The author did a great job at respecting the victims and their families. The dramatizations of the victims’ accounts did throw me off slightly, but I think it was done tastefully.
Unfortunately, Sam did not even get a pinch of what he deserved, due to a failed justice system. Books like this are so needed though, it brings light to the darkness of our world and pays tribute to all those who suffered under the (abnormally large) hands of Sam Little.

I commend the author for the HUGE amount of effort they put into the research for this book. This has to be one of the most exhaustive serial killer books I've ever read, and I'm a true crime researcher myself. This is an incredibly detailed account into one of America's least known but most prolific serial killers, and I am glad to finally see him finally be scrutinized.

This book was SO long. I had a hard time getting through it. I love true crime and devour tv shows. This was my first true crime book so maybe it just wasn’t what I was expecting. So many details that I feel could have been left out to shorten the length of the book.
I can’t imagine getting to know a man like that on such a personal level. I do understand the value it brought to helping bring Justice for so many victims.
Keeping his ashes in your garage? 🫣 I wouldn’t want them anywhere in my possession.
Our system is incredibly flawed and as a result Sam was able to kill many many woman. Sad.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Publish date: July 18, 2023

A deftly handled retelling of a true-crime encounter with a prolific serial killer. Well-researched with also a strong focus on the victims, both known and unknown.

Behold the Monster is about a true monster, by the name of Sam Little.  Sam is serial killer who confessed to over 90 murders after getting away with the murder for many years.  There are times when the facts are quite horrific and I had a hard time reading about the terrible things Sam did to his victims.  The details the author put into the book and the research that had to be done on this monster are all brought together to make a story that you will not forget.  The interviews and letters, the pictures of the victims at the end of the book, make this true crime story all the more difficult to read, yet I could not put it down.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Advanced Copy of this book.