Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Dey Street Books, and Rick Jervis for the advanced reader copy of the book. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

I was about a third of the way through The Devil Behind the Badge when I had to call my daughter-in-law who grew up in Laredo, Texas, and ask her if it was as bad as this book was making it seem. We all know that drugs are a problem everywhere, but this was making it seem like drugs and prostitution were openly ignored by local law enforcement. She assured me it was not that bad and it was a rather nice city.

The Devil Behind the Badge tells the story of a series of killings in a twelve-day period in 2018 targeting sex workers in Laredo. The perpetrator was a Border Patrol supervisor whose mental deterioration seemed to go unnoticed by those he worked with. Rick Jervis reported on the killings, manhunt, and trial for USA Today and through that coverage and additional interviews has crafted a thrilling story to read. It took me a bit to get into it. That first third of the book set the scene for what was going to happen for the most part, and the book got much better from there.

I read a review that was critical of the author for how he portrayed Juan David Ortiz, the man who murdered four sex workers in a twelve-day period. All I can say is that person must not have read the book. Jervis is fair in that he paints Ortiz as guilty, but also gives background of what might have led him to this point. Ortiz served his country as a Navy Corpsman in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was on the front lines of the Iraq invasion, and as a medic saw a lot of the worst part of the war. He came back from there still wanting to serve his country. Part of his motivation for joining the Border Patrol was to help the migrants who were crossing the border.

How did he go from that to a serial killer? You’ll have to read the book. It seems to be a combination of many factors that led to that point, not the least of which was the residual effects of his service. Having lived through PTSD, depression, and anxiety myself, I can say the portrayal of Ortiz’s mental deterioration resonated with me.

I also liked Jervis’ depiction of the sex workers. Much as I’ve tried to help people understand that drug addicts have people who love them and care about them, Jervis does the same here with the four women who were killed. He gives the background of each and what led them to be on the streets selling their bodies to support their drug habits. A common theme is trauma and a desire to self-medicate to escape it.

I can’t say I enjoyed The Devil Behind the Badge but it was a good read. When writing about the crime, it’s more like a neutral observer seeing the tragedy all around in what happened. I can have sympathy for Ortiz in what he went through that led to the killing spree, and still see him as someone who needs to be behind bars.

This book was too much for me. It's a horror and a tragedy, and Rick Jervis just I'm sorry but Rick you are probably not the author to write this. It's certainly a thing that happened and should be out there in some way, but the writing, it is not polished or absorbing. It has this metronome quality to it, obviously trying to rack up a page count on this one. Rick is a journalist and I have to say, I do not think there's enough of a story here to warrant a book. It's a ton of background information, a lot of speculation unless Juan Ortiz has admitted to saying some very specific things, but it could probably just be a long newspaper article. Maybe a multi part piece or a podcast. It's just misery on a grand scale for way too long. Cut out the gratuitous horror and you've got about 50 pages maximum. There is a lot of biographical information and it's all painful and I just wasn't sure what the point of reading or especially writing any of it was. It feels like Rick was going for Truman Capote but this is just not that, at all. Not by a long shot. I don't think the author was able to interview the killer so we aren't getting any kind of insight into what made him operate. There is conjecture and it boils down to shitty beer and PTSD.

The murderer here isn't saying or doing anything that necessitates a book. It seems like from the beginning the authorities were after him pretty dilligently, there's no conspiracy or a societal failure that needs looking into. It's just tragedy. I hope the proceeds here are going to some kind of outreach program to help people get clean. This story just isn't worth the steady onslaught of despair that you are going to endure. The guy kills a bunch of addicts who are sex workers, and is caught. The end.

This is a well-written true crime book about a serial killer in Texas who is murdering sex workers. After killing 4 people, the twist is that the killer turns out to be a border patrol agent. How could this happen and what was behind it? The author brings the story to life with his details and research.

A border patrol gets the job he wanted. Using all the tools at his disposal. Turns Laredo's residents life’s in danger.

The Devil Behind the Badge is the shocking true-crime story of a U.S. Border Patrol agent turned serial killer, the four sex workers whom he mercilessly killed, and the upended border town of Laredo where his heinous crimes occurred.

Wow, what a sad story to read about the lives of the women who were killed and the coverup and lack of interest in holding individuals with authority to accountability.

The book included interesting background information, the history of the border patrol, and the towns and locations.

The author laid out the story well, giving families the opportunity to discuss their loved ones who died. I felt like I was watching an episode of Dateline or a true crime show, as the story was told so well and in such rich detail.

I would recommend The Devil Behind the Badge not only for its solid storytelling but also for its insight into these individuals' lives and for learning about the history of the town and the border patrol.

#TheDevilBehindtheBadge #NetGalley @deystreet

The Devil Behind the Badge by Rick Jarvis is a very disturbing true crime novel, but part of the crime is how the perpetrator came to be in the story at all. Decorated war veteran, family man, Border Patrol agent for ten years, no outward sign of inner conflict or distress, barring everyday problems. The wife knew differently, however. She began taking their three children for extended holidays to her parents because of Ortiz’s drinking and worsening pill addiction, not to mention his fondness for the girls on Laredo street, who were funding addictions of their own. No one expected the explosion of violence from Juan David Ortiz from September 3 to September 15, 2018 that claimed lives of familiar faces haunting the streets of Laredo looking for momentary relief. Reading the book was like watching a veritable freight train wreck; you see it coming for train and passengers but you can’t look away.