I have said in many reviews: I don't care for the dramatization of real life murders in nonfiction books. There's no way to know what a murder victim was thinking or feeling at the time of their murder. I understand that the author is trying to personalize and humanize the victim, but some of it just rubbed me the wrong way. For example, in the murder of Mary, the author includes some of "Mary's thoughts" about how gin and tonics aren't having the same effect as they used to, and how many she's had to drink and how fast. It came off as being really judgmental for no reason. The woman is dead. She was murdered. Even if you've uncovered that she was an alcoholic through the course of your research, you can convey that information in a more appropriate, less judgmental way.

The same thing goes for Marianne, the unidentified transgender woman. I was cringing really hard when the author concocted this weird scene where Marianne is separating from her body, who is then referred to by her birth name of Curtis, until the body/Curtis dies, and Marianne flies away, finally in the correct, perfect body. What? Maybe, MAYBE, that would be a nice metaphor for a fictional character you're writing about in a novel, but it felt so weird and disrespectful to do to a real life, transgender murder victim. Referring to her body as a boy's body and flip flopping back and forth between names and pronouns.. big yikes for me.

The author mentioned at one point that when she began, she wanted to write a fiction book. She should have done a separate fiction book then. Don't include your fictionalized, dramatizations in a work of nonfiction. It also makes it hard for the reader to trust what things that could plausibly be based on research are real or invented.

There's even a section where the author can't keep the names straight, when she is discussing Aggie. She flip flops between calling one woman Denise and Diane several times.

The list of things this man did, and mostly got away with, is absolutely horrifying. Even when he did get caught throughout the years, there was almost no punishment at all. It's mind blowing. It's very unsatisfying that, even when he did get caught for murder, he was already so old, and COVID was just about to start.. He really did not get anything remotely close to what he deserved.

I loved that the author included sections of trial transcripts directly into the text. I feel like that really gives you a better understanding of these women than any flowery writing style could. You get to see them in their words right on the page. It also gave you a better idea of the lawyers and the judge and how the legal process played out. This was a really great touch.

Overall, I think that this was a very important story to tell. I'm just not sure I really think that the final product of this book was the best way to do it. The author makes it very clear at multiple points throughout the book that she spent a LOT of time interviewing and researching and traveling and gathering evidence. She spent tons of time checking in on things that Sam told her to try to verify what he was saying. This really gets downplayed by how disorganized the book feels. For example, we hear about the Texas Ranger early on in the book, but we don't get to hear anything about his credentials and experience until 68% of the way through the book? Also, he worked for the DEA, but he was unfamiliar with drugs and how they're used? See above for my thoughts on inserting fiction into a nonfiction story to try to make it more "interesting".

I also felt like the author included a lot of personal information about herself that really didn't add to anything. It made it feel like she wanted to make sure the reader knew how much she had inserted herself into this narrative. What did her night at the Grammy's add to anything? Or her shopping at local stores for felt hats? Being super hungry for grilled cheese? She mentioned probably a dozen times how she was Sam's next of kin. That didn't need to be repeated so often. It felt like a weird brag.

I think the book could've used more editing, and then it would've been much better. This is probably like a 2.5 star book, but I will bump it up to 3 because its important that people know about this man. I also did really love that the author included, not only a list of the victims at the end, but the photographs and/or Sam's drawings when they were available. It really helps to personalize the women so much more. It was a lovely touch.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this advance reader copy. This story is riveting and not for the weak at heart. A couple times I had to stop and take a break from the book. It is the true story of one of the most prolific serial killers.. I applaud this author, for facing this man in the prison. I pray for the families of the victims that were identified. This book stay with you for a long time..

This is true crime at its grittiest. I wasn't familiar with the killer Samuel Little but at the end of the book one thing is clear, evil is evil. Be prepared to be shocked and grossed out. The mind of a serial killer is not for the faint of heart.

Wow! Behold the Monster is a fantastic true crime thriller that is not for the faint of heart. I read some bad reviews about the book being disturbing. Well, it's a true crime book about the most prolific serial killer Sam Little... That said, I thought it was fascinating. I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. I stayed up way too late for several nights glued to this book. It has The Silence of the Lambs kind of vibe. Jillian Lauren spent months cultivating an understanding between Sam Little and herself. She was able to get him to open up about dozens, upon dozens of unsolved murders. This is the ultimate true crime book.

I think I can sit comfortably at 3.5 stars, so for this I'll round up to 4 ⭐️.

I just finished, and I wonder if I should sit on this for a night before I review, but I also don't want to forget a single thing. Whether or not you agree with her style, Jillian got the job done. She makes herself clear - you don't get anything for free. Whether that's bringing a bag of quarters or fluffing an old perv grandpa's ego, she needed information only Samuel Little had. And I respect the hell out of her for it.

What made this a frustrating read, logistically, was the order of information we're given. As in any true crime / nonfiction narrative, the order of information delivery is a delicate balance of keeping the reader engaged, maintaining a level of mutual understanding of events, and saving the best for last. This was especially tricky here, and I think it could use some improvement. We flip back and forth a lot, from his crime days, the present, the near-ish past during his trials, and then somehow back into his crime days in LA. It got confusing, especially with so many names and locations.

Additionally, Jillian takes what feels like a lot of artistic license with the victims' last experiences. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. She doesn't paint them negatively, but it still feels a bit presumptuous. One that sticks with me is Marianne. It was visual and visceral, like a scene out of The Lovely Bones. How she arrived there with only Little's detached and somewhat foggy recollection is beyond me.

Read through the generosity of Netgallery.
I do read a lot of crime books, both true and fictional, and this one had a slight edge to it. The narrator herself was a prominent character in the book as she contemplated the interviews she had with what is now considered to be the most prolific serial killer in America, Sam Little.
She brought to life more about what a violent psychopath does to act in his world and how he must perceive himself—not as a killer but as a lover. No rapes, he said, but he did own them. They were his babies. Creepy as hell to think about that kind of person in the world.
I’m going to go off and read about a boy and a horse and a fox and look at beautiful pictures for a while to get past it.

I maybe not familiar with Samuel Little name, but true monsters can come with any name and action. And I am glad this book make me knew one of them. He was a serial killer who in out the prison but always get away with his crimes. He was brilliant criminal who smart enough to keep himself under the radar until series of interviews make him want to confessed, the real number of his victims. Ninety three and half of the cases not even close yet.

This is my first read from the author, and the details of it leave me with appreciation and chills.
The book offers some gruesome details, investigation, interviews, personal chats, reconstruction histories even some "retelling" from Little and selection of victims I enjoyed so much.
Several parts of this book feel like too much uneccesarily background details. I actually love the part when the POV take the retelling format. It is easier to dive into the narrative and make me feel more into both brains, Little and his victims.

Thank you Sourcebookexplore NF and Netgalley for provided my copy. My thoughts and opinions always become my own

This is a difficult book to review. If you read a lot of True Crime, then I suggest picking this one up, but it’s definitely not in the same vein as I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, or The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, or even American Predator.

The writing is at times excellent and other times equally frustrating. Lauren describes the victims (I suspect) how Sam Little sees them, with increasingly crude language, in one case referring to the remains of one as having “a juicy thigh.” I found this not only disrespectful, but frankly revolting. I can understand why Lauren chose this type of literary device, to show that Sam Little was a monster who thought of women as nothing more than meat, but then in another passage she describes one victim running out of her body and becoming an angel as she’s being murdered; surely that’s not Little’s perspective? There were several times I had to put the book down and come back to it a few days later because I just found it disturbing. Maybe that’s an odd thing to say as True Crime usually is disturbing, but I think there’s a difference in reading about what we can learn from these cases versus fetishizing the violence perpetrated upon innocent people.

That being said, for the sake of the many Unknown Women pictured at the end of the book… I still feel this is important to read. Lauren helps shed light on the lives of women who were largely forgotten, who didn’t receive justice because they weren’t deemed important by society. They all deserve to be found, and to have their names returned to them.

Behold the Monster
By Jillian Lauren
Pub Date: July 18, 2023
Edbury
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Unfortunately this was not a hit with me. I thought being a true crime I would love it. Sam Little was a very disturbed man.
3 stars

If you enjoy true crime, you will enjoy this book. It details the murders done at the hands of Sam Little. I would give a content warning to those that cannot handle gruesome details. I don't think they were all needed but it did help you understand just how horrific the crimes were. The number of murders this man committed was insane but during this time in history it is easy to see how he could maneuver around and never be caught. He chose victims he thought no one would miss or that society did not care about which aided him in his madness. I enjoyed this book but again if you cannot handle a ton a detail this may not be the book for you. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

It's hard to put thoughts together after reading all the despicable deeds Sam Little committed over the course of his life. I would say this this isn't for the faint of heart. There are detailed conversations with Little about the murders. There is a lot of violence, racism, sexual assault, child molestation, alcohol, drugs, mental illness and suicide involved. It's very hard to read about at times.

This book is full of overwhelming tragedy and anger. It was absolutely maddening how many times he was caught and then released, before finally being convicted of murder. I just couldn't get over how many women would have possibly been saved if he'd been caught faster. I did like the interspersed chapters that the author included from the perspectives of the victims. It was heartbreaking to read what could have been their last thoughts and regrets. The author's focus on the victims and their lives and trying to prove that Little's confessions were true to give the families closure was the bright spot in this book for me.

Overall, this was an insightful and well written true-crime read. I was surprised to have not heard a lot about him before reading this book. Especially since he had confessed to over 90 murders which would make him the number 1 Serial killer in the United States.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the arc of this book!

This is a perfect book for a true crime junkie. This book outlined all of the facts and details related to the Sam Little case. I enjoyed the chapters that read like a story when describing what happened. Sam Little was a very disturbed man.

Unfortunately, this one is going to be a DNF for me. I couldn't get into it, and truly I was looking for a true crime book, but Lauren's interspersed personal stories detracted from the rest.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC in exchange for an honest review. The title of this book perfectly captures the description of serial killer Sam Little. He is a monster and doesn't seem to upset about. A work of non-fiction about who may likely be the most prolific serial killer of all time. Little claims to have killed at least 93 women. The FBI has confirmed a fraction of that. There are some victims that may never be known. One of the unique aspects of this work is the research done by author Jillian Lauren and the fact that she devotes a lot of the book to a study of the victims lives - to show that they were real women, whether they were flawed or looked up by society as less than worthy of the attention.

I love listening to true crime podcasts. That being said, when offered the chance to read this book, I jumped at the chance. I had heard about Sam Little and looked forward to learning more about him. The book is extremely well written and draws you in. The victims become more than victims. The authors descriptions bring them to life. I greatly admire her efforts and tenacity to get through to Sam and help to bring the lost ,and previously anonymous home and give them back their names.

I follow true-crime, and I had never heard of Sam Little. This is not only the story about Little and how he managed to continue his terrible crimes against women over a 35 year period, but it is also about the woman who befriended him in order to get a story, not knowing that her story would be so expansive and provide closure to so many cold cases. First off, I find Lauren's actions admirable. She did things for Little that made her sick in order to get information for law enforcement. She put herself in sketchy circumstances in order to verify Little's accounts. And she persistently ran down details to connect memories to victims. All this while also raising a family. She is amazing! As for Little, he was apparently a monster with a charming face. The ease at which he found his victims ... the ease at which he discarded his victims ... the ease at which he walked away from charges against him! It is an incredible story about one man's sickness and society's discrimination. I was amazed at the detail in which he was able to recount his crimes. Considering the time span and the number of his victims, this is no small feat. Lauren gave an amazing account of his family origin and his life growing into the monster he became (although, I think he was broken from his start). Chilling tale but spellbindingly told.

As a true crime fan who watches the shows and listens to podcasts, I had to read this book. Jillian Lauren has written a book about serial killer Sam Little and has done it in a way that brings a voice to the victims. They aren’t just names any longer. She gives us details from the police, families, and the killer, but also goes into detail about what it takes to solve these cases and bring a monster to justice. This book was well written and a must read for all true crime fans!

Uhhhh wow. I am not one for true crime but I read the golden state killer- but this is not that. This is quite good. It’s a little Wes Moore meets serial killers which I appreciate, and although I’m glad I read it, some parts were very gruesome. 😬

If true crime excites you and you like knowing about real-life serial killers, this one will keep you up at night. So well done, thought out, and the victim list at the end makes you want to barf…or donate to a charity. It’s hard to review this because this guy was a loon and it’s amazing how he was able to slip through the cracks, but bravo- a solid book.

DNF at 28 percent.

This book is exhausting. The author uses WAY TOO MUCH detail—much of which is opinion based. Stop adding information to a so called true book that you’re using to embellish. Stick to facts. Then we have all of the adjectives used. Some paragraphs had more adjectives than other words. It seemed like the author was trying too hard. But only about 3 percent of the 28 I read was at all interesting. On top of that, so much information that’s unhelpful and just congested the book.

My final straw? A detailed sexual assault of a five year old boy. I’m sorry. I can’t.

This book and author are a no go for me. Maybe I’ll try again in the future, but right now I’m done.

I received this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my review. First, I am a true crime nut. I love true crime books and podcasts and documentaries. So Samuel Little was not a new concept to me. However, the way this book was written was. At first I was expecting a very factual, non-fiction, true crime book. Nope! But I mean that in a good and interesting way. The author gives us a chapter/section of facts when she meets with detectives, victims families, and Samuel Little and then we get a chapter/section of where the author brings the victim and Samuel Little to life. It is like the author is in both the victim and the killer's head - and that, my friend, is no place that I want to be.