🔪 T R U E C R I M E T U E S D A Y 🔪

Wow, it’s been a hot minute since I read some true crime & this one’s a doozy …

“A Hunger to Kill: A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and the Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever” by Kim Mager and Lisa Pulitzer.

This book follows the investigation and conviction of Shawn Grate “The Lady Killer” who is one of Ohio’s most infamous serial killers. Detective Kim Mager had no idea what her work day would turn into on September 13, 2016.

As a specialist in sexual offences, Kim was assigned to Grate’s case upon his arrest and became the only investigator that Grate would let interview him. Grate thought he could manipulate, empower and control Kim as a woman and much like all his previous victims.

Kim spent full days interviewing Grate for over a week, uncovering new victims one at a time! This book takes you behind the scenes into Grate’s confessions of such heinous and horrific crimes. If you are true crime junkie, then you need to read this one! I had chills the entire time while reading, and although the subject matter was dark and hard to stomach at times, the exceptional writing and careful handling of the victims’ stories kept me 100% invested throughout!

🚨Check the trigger warnings before reading if you are sensitive to sexual crimes.

Thank you kindly to Kim Mager, Lisa Pulitzer, St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book releases on July 23, 2024!

I am a fan of true crime but this one was a small let down. My hat goes off to the author for her amazing work and getting this killer where he belongs. The story was interesting. I felt like I was in the room sitting in the corner watching and listening as it took place. That was exciting for me but other than those scenes, I found too much of the author patting herself on the back. That didn't sit well with me and took away from the story. If you're a true crime fan, give it a read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book and offer my honest review.

As a connoisseur of true-crime, I have listened to untold hours of true crime podcasts. I’ve watched more documentaries than is probably healthy, and I’ve read a few really stellar true crime books. I recall hearing the basic details of the Shawn Grate case, but hadn’t seen anything comprehensive come out about the case so seeing that there was a book written about it was really intriguing.

The case itself and the horrific things Grate did to his victims is harrowing. The book doesn’t skimp on details, but it also doesn’t go overboard with gore. If you know much about violent crime, murders and decomposition, the details in this book shouldn’t shock you. If you don’t like this subject matter, this is not the book for you.

With that said, it’s clear that the detective and author, Kim Mager, spent a lot of time and focused expertise interviewing Shawn Grate. She was able to peel back the layers with Grate and get him to confess to five murders, kidnapping and sexual assaults throughout the state of Ohio.

While she is an accomplished investigator, Mager isn’t a gifted writer. The writing of this book was quite flat and at times it became repetitive. Reading this, it felt like the straight-forward , dispassionate testimony given at a trial. There wasn’t much of a “story” told with a clear beginning, middle and end. It felt like an unending statement of facts interwoven with a couple chapters that felt more like a memoir. I can appreciate and enjoy true crime that is told from the author’s personal point of view and includes parts of their lives (Michelle MacNamara’s I’ll Be Gone In The Dark comes to mind here), but something about this author’s style just didn’t bring it all together into a cohesive story about her experience with a serial killer. With some editing and polish, this could shine brighter.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. All thoughts above are my own

The most engrossing true crime I've read since American Preditor. The hunt and discovery of a midwestern serial killer in relevant time. I found it very interesting and I liked Kim's writing style.

A Hunger to Kill is an intense read that is well written and has you reading just one more chapter.

The book is the true story of Detective Kim Mager who is given the job of interviewing a man accused of kidnapping a Jane Doe, local woman.

Kim is a very skillful interviewer and she quickly realizes that Shawn Grate is beyond a disturbed predator.

Shawn thinks he controls the narrative as he is smarter than everyone.

Kim in the book makes it abundantly clear that she was only part of the team that got Shawn .

The story is told simply and well and is a very compelling read.

I am thankful for people like Kim and the rest of the police services that are able to get predators off our streets.

A Hunger to Kill would make an excellent documentary

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the privilege of reading and reviewing A Hunger to Kill.

Right from the start Kim Mager tells you she’s but one of numerous people who worked on the case against Shawn Grate and she’s written this book on behalf of a victim’s mother. While there have been numerous podcasts, articles and documentaries about the case, Mager actually spoke with Grates for 33 hours and is able to provide a first hand account. A portion of the proceeds from the book will go toward the benefit of crime victims and that says so much about Mager’s character and motivation before the book even begins.

Mager writes a beautiful picture of Ashland, Ohio and its residents; consistently reinforcing that they’re a strong Christian community that will not be defined by one terrible man’s actions. I liked that rather than a biography starting from the time Grate was born to the end of his trial, casually weaving in the victim’s lives, Mager writes strictly from her point of view. She details the numerous interrogations with Grate, how something he would say would lead her to another crime and why she led with a certain line of questioning. Mager plays the role of good cop and the outcome is successful. It was fascinating to read why she goes into an interrogation a specific way, what makes her change tactic and when to press on. Because of her interview style she was able to form trust with Grate and assist in solving additional homicides. Rather than focus on Grate and his crimes, I recommend reading this because Mager is a strong detective with a unique perspective and she should be celebrated for the peace she was able to bring to the victims’ families.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I did not finish this book. I found the subject matter interesting but felt the writing style was too slow and couldn't hold my attention.

Thank you for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

The book was well written in the sense that when I finished reading it felt I had just started the book. I had not known of Shawn grate prior to reading this book, he was a horrific person, like most serial killers, his poor victims.

Thank you to @stmartinspress, the authors: Kim Mager with @pulitzerlisa as well as @netgalley for e-arc. All thoughts are my own.


Kim Mager is the only female detective, so is therefore tasked with all the women and abuse related crimes. She is the one who performs the interviews for all these victims. So when she gets called into an interview with a woman who was repeatedly attacked and raped, it’s just another day in the office. But thanks to Mager’s interview skills, they track down the perpetrator. Mager earns his trust, and soon, she’s the only person he’ll talk to. He confesses to at least five more rapes and murders though suspicious are there are more. Shawn Grate is known as “The Ladykiller” and is one of Ohio’s most infamous serial killers.


Reading about Kim Mager and her skills was truly fascinating. She found her niche within the police force and honed her skills over the years. Thanks to her efforts, she was able to gain this brutal criminal’s trust, and as a result, ensure he faced jail time. The story is told in a very engaging and fascinating way, and at many points, it reads more like a fiction novel versus the non-fiction that it is. After reading about Mr. Grate, I do wish this was fiction. It isn’t uniquely different per say than anything I’ve read, there’s no secret formula to be found, but what it does do is lay out the story in a compelling fashion and hook the reader in with details that make you want to keep reading. I also appreciated that this book talked about the victims appropriately. I feel that often when we read true crime, the victims are often forgotten all together or just glossed over in favor of the criminal. I think that this human element is what really pushed this book from a four-star read into five star read for me.

I am thankful for strong women like Detective Mager to ensure we put men like Shawn Grate away.

This book was ok. It seemed more about the,author than the crimes themselves, which is ok but I prefer more of the actual topic itself.

Good read, regardless.

#netgalley
#stmartinspress
#kimmager

I don’t rate true crime books, but this one read more like a memoir at times. This book is basically a play by play of every interaction the detective had with this serial killer along with sharing pieces of her life and background. I found myself skimming towards the end because I was overwhelmed with all the interviews.

I'm way too into true crime so I'm pretty picky about it. I typically prefer it to come from an author or journalist, not a cop from the case. I hate to say that but I'm just being honest. I don't always feel comfortable with their hot takes on people. This was disturbing but I also didn't really like the storytelling and would probably prefer a documentary or podcast if I had the option.

So very, very disturbing. And so sad. What turns a man into a monster? What makes him think the things that Grate did and allowed him to do the things he did to these poor women? And being homeless just allowed him to fly under the radar and to also victimize those who could not defend themselves. The whole religious aspect just made things all the creepier. Also, to realize that there could be other missing victims that he hasn't admitted to, families seeking closure that may never get it, just makes it all the more horrifying and depressing. The book was well written, though at times got bogged down in the history of the detective. I understand her need to share her background so that you understand her story and her disgust, outrage, horror, alongside the criminal story she's relating. The end of the story and the book came so quickly! You really get wrapped up in the interviews and the reveals. I'm glad he's off the streets. I rather wish he'd wave the appeals and just get the deed done, as he himself referred to so often in their interviews. He's not someone prison will rehabilitate. This book will give you nightmares.

I'm from Ohio and I really wanted to like this but the writing was not there. There was a whole lot of religion and judgement and it just didn't work for me. Perhaps the ghost writer needed to step in more. There was a lot of repetition.

When Shawn Grate arrives to Ashland, Ohio, his murder rampage continues. But no one knew what he was doing until a Jane Doe calls 911 as she lies prisoner next to him as he is sleeping. Detective Kim Mager, a real-life detective, shares her interrogations with him as well as his later court appearances.
I thought this true crime was really interesting. I really like reading books about true events, and I hadn't heard of this case. I enjoyed learning about an event that happened in a small town in the Midwest where everyone knew each other. The serial killer was also very disturbing. My only problem with it was how it was told. The story dragged on as it wasn’t told in a story format, but more so a “this happened and then this happened” kind of way.
This was a special book because it's not often we read a book by a detective and get to experience an interrogation. The closest I've come to knowing what that is like in a little section of an ID show perhaps. We got to know her inner thoughts and what she does to gain the suspect’s trust.

“A Hunger to Kill” is a true crime book by Detective Kim Mager. Ms. Mager was one of the police officers who interviewed Shawn Grate, a serial killer, later dubbed “The Ladykiller.” I’d never heard of this serial killer before, but I’m a fan of true crime books. In some ways this book was very interesting - I find the behind the scenes look into what happened plus the police procedures very interesting. What I wasn’t as thrilled about was Ms. Mager’s dips into her own memoir; doing this often adds depth to a book and a person, but I found it took away quite often from the narrative. I wonder if Ms. Mager had done her memoir part separately - or as background material in one spot - it would’ve been stronger. Someone who did that well was Mr. Bugliosi in “Helter Skelter” - giving enough background to the reader in one section and then occasional glimpses of his work procedure throughout the book. Ms. Mager’s writing style was good - at times a bit dry (but sometimes police questioning is dry), but I found myself skimming some sections. I think if you know a bit about this case, a behind the scenes look will be interesting. I do think that Ms. Mager’s questioning/listening abilities are to be applauded.

I enjoyed this book. The writer was a modern day detective similar to Clarice on the fictional Hannibal. Sadly, it is about a disturbed serial killer. Interesting story though not one of the popular most people hear about.

A good true crime book is becoming harder and harder to find as most of them are all written about the same stories. This one is an exception though, I'd never heard of this case and appreciated the research and care that went into this book. Absolute would reccomend.

This is a hard one to review. I like a good true crime. It’s not that I enjoy the pain or suffering and horribleness of the stories. I enjoy the puzzle of it the psychological part of it. The look at how different we are all made and react to similar situations. So having said that, I really liked the unfolding of this story. This is the true story of a modern day serial killer and how he was caught. The events in this book narrated and told by lead detective Kim Mager. Again the story is horrific and just seems straight out of a tv show etc. However I did not like the writing. It seemed almost like someone reading a story or maybe testifying. It also had some tangents about certain people and just details and side notes that seems oddly place or too long. I hate giving it a less than stellar review because of the content and just the experience of this for the author was harrowing I’m sure. I can’t imagine the trauma that occurs police and those that have to show up and help in the worst of situations. Ultimately, if true crime is your thing go for this book when it comes out. Just don’t expect many frills.

A Hunger to Kill
by Kim Mager, Lisa Pulitzer
Pub Date: July 23, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Deeply personal and shocking, A Hunger to Kill takes readers behind the scenes of one of the most appalling criminal cases in American history from the woman who stopped his murderous rampage in collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Lisa Pulitzer.
While this story may be infamous in Ohio, it was the first time I'd heard of this case. As someone who has read numerous true crime accounts over the past year, I was intrigued to hear a book told from the perspective of an investigating detective, particularly focusing on the interviews that took place after the arrest. I thought it was interesting to see how the police went about collecting a confession, and what it takes to get a suspect to trust and open up to a detective.

The book is very detailed in its recounting of the crimes and investigation, It can be graphic in its descriptions, but I appreciated the respect and level of care the author had for the victims.
Overall, I thought this was an interesting and intense book. Worth a read for fans of true crime.