The Scientist and the Serial Killer tells the story of serial killer Dean Corll's victims, and the dedicated forensic anthropologist who committed herself to identifying the unidentified remains of some of his victims. For years, the victims of this killer have been largely ignored, but the author did an amazing job of bringing them to life, and telling the stories of these boys, and the people who loved them. She also did a great job showing how Sharron Derrick worked tirelessly to identify some of these boys, who had gone unidentified since the 70's. This book was a perfect balance of compassionate, victim focused story telling, and scientific information. This book is also a very thorough exploration of the crimes of Dean Corll, and the loose ends that were never investigated in this case, while never focusing the book on the killer. Highly recommend.

Thank you @randomhouse for the free copy of this eARC.

I do like reading about true crime and especially ones like this where it’s long past due for being solved. This book I learned about a absolutely atrocious human being Dean Corll, nicknamed “Candy Man” who literally worked at a candy store (terrifying) and ended up murdering 27+ young boys in the Houston area in the early 70s. This book was written in a very informational heavy way with the timelines jumping around a bit. The details to how Candy Man lured these poor kids in and killed them is absolutely disgusting and disturbing. He ultimately met his untimely death by the hands of a teen he was hanging out with and then the hunt was on to find all of the missing identities from the body parts that were discovered later. I am thankful for people that don’t give up and dig for answers like the scientist in this book. These poor kids deserve to be named and returned to their families. Thank you Lise for bringing this story of redemption to light!

4.5 STARS. Engrossing, evocative, and weighty, THE SCIENTIST AND THE SERIAL KILLER is a book that needed writing, and Lise Olsen pulls no punches and delivers.

“When you wake in the morning, the naughtiness and evil passions with which you went to bed have been folded up small.” – from Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up by J.M. Barrie

At one point, the author compares the world of serial killer Dean Corll to J.M. Barrie’s 1911 Neverland (not the Disneyfied version), and it feels disturbingly apropos. As the author says in her opening Author’s Note, her account in THE SCIENTIST AND THE SERIAL KILLER is “a deeply troubling tale that remains relevant and resonates through time.”

Olsen does an excellent job of setting the atmosphere for the scenes, whether it’s one set in Corll’s world or one set decades later in Dr. Derrick’s. In both worlds, there is a battle between the cooperative and the uncooperative. Readers will be angered by the inaction of the Houston Police Department despite a clear pattern of boys from the Heights neighborhood disappearing and their families begging for help. In their time, the missing boys are considered by the police to be hippies or homosexuals or poor or dysfunctional, labeled as runaways, and forgotten. In her time, Dr. Derrick faces sexism and as a women, is discounted. It is disheartening that these same prejudices persist, and families desperate for answers get only despair.

On the other hand, the advances in forensic technology over the years are amazing – triumphant, really -- and Olsen's explanations make for fascinating reading. Just the changes in FACES (Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services) in the fifteen years after its launch are mind-blowing and now allow for highly accurate facial reconstructions that ultimately helped Dr. Derrick identify some of the unknown victims. Her commitment to The Lost Boys and to science gives the dead some measure of justice and their families some measure of peace.

THE SCIENTIST AND THE SERIAL KILLER is organized into six parts, and readers are given a lot of information to process. At times, Olsen writes long sentences and repetitive passages, and we can feel the urgency with which she wants to share this story; she’s deeply invested, and by book’s end, so are we. Though the book understandably jumps back and forth through time, Olsen provides a number of tools to help see the big picture.

One of these tools is "Sharon Derrick’s 2023 Case List," which lists the victims by year, in the order their deaths occurred. The inclusion of a maps and diagrams helps readers visualize events. A particularly powerful element of THE SCIENTIST AND THE SERIAL KILLER is that as each Lost Boy is identified, there’s a portrait of the victim and a summary of his case. I choked up with emotion every time by not only the thought of a life lost in such a violent way, but also because at last, he was identified. Photographs are also sprinkled throughout the book and though some are macabre, the photos are never gratuitous. Even a photograph of a message written on a notepad in 1972 is included, all pointing to Olsen’s meticulous research and reliance on primary sources. The extensive "Notes" and "Selected Bibliography" give readers even further insight into the murder cases and the scientists who solved them.

I read an early ARC from NetGalley last year and was able to compare it to a more recent version. Though some typos were still present, additional editing has clearly taken place and eliminated many of the errors and repetitive paragraphs that I initially noticed. I trust the final version, available for purchase on April 1, 2025, will be clean -- and I highly recommend getting a copy. I may get the audiobook since I’m already familiar with the story.

By the conclusion of THE SCIENTIST AND THE SERIAL KILLER, the bodies of thirty young men are found and nearly all of them identified, thanks to the commitment of one scientist, who felt compelled to seek justice for Houston's Lost Boys. And thanks to the commitment of investigative journalist Lise Olsen, their stories are no longer buried in the past.

I hate having to rate this only because it's a nonfiction true crime based on actual events.
You can tell this is so well researched and studied by the author. They really know their shit when it comes to this horrible serial killer and his victims.
I just wish it were rearranged differently because we skip around a bit chronologically so I got a bit confused at times when we skipped back to a past timeline and then back forward to after certain things happened.
Obviously one can search up and read about this case but it's cool to see it sorta brought forward in this authors writing.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

This is a great read for any true crime fan. While difficult at times because this is non-fiction, this is an interesting read about the Houston Lost Boys. The author does a great job of grabbing your attention right away but with so many perspectives and time jumps, it became a little confusing and hard to follow. I would recommend it to anyone who likes true crime and thrillers, but the writing and organization were not my favorite overall. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

When I Disappear by Amanda McKinney is a gripping psychological thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story follows Sylvia Stone, who starts receiving mysterious letters that cast doubt on the murder conviction she helped secure decades ago. As she digs deeper, long-buried secrets unravel, making her question everything she thought she knew.

I loved the suspense and the twists—McKinney does a great job building tension and keeping the reader guessing. The small-town setting adds to the eerie atmosphere, and Sylvia’s journey was both emotional and intriguing. That being said, some plot points felt predictable, and I wished for a bit more depth in certain character interactions. But overall, it was a fast-paced and enjoyable read that I’d recommend to fans of psychological thrillers!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC.

Serial killer stories are always harrowing. The "Candyman" is no different. Learning about his victims through this lens was difficult to get through, this book is also lengthy, but it was worth the read. I think Lise Olsen handles the victims with care.

This nonfiction book is both a compelling and harrowing read. The subject matter—serial killings and the tragic fates of young victims—is undeniably difficult, yet the author’s skillful storytelling makes for a smooth and engaging narrative. By weaving in cultural context, historical details, and even musical references, the book provides a vivid sense of time and place. The author also takes great care in recounting the lives of the teenage victims, giving them a voice and face beyond the headlines.

What sets this book apart is its thorough examination of those working to identify Corll’s ‘Lost Boys.’ From law enforcement to forensic teams and medical examiners, the layers of investigation are laid out in a well-rounded and deeply researched account.

As a reader, I couldn’t help but feel frustration at how these missing teens were initially dismissed as runaways despite the alarming number of disappearances within a small area. The mishandling of identifications only compounded the suffering of their families, adding to the heartbreak of an already devastating case.

The author approaches these horrific events with a clear intent to uncover as many facts as possible, resulting in a meticulously researched and emotionally powerful read.

This is a very interesting and thorough non-fiction read about the Houston Lost Boys. The author does a great job at pulling the reader in during the first chapter, which continues to have the reader wanting to learn more. At times the jump between POVs could make it challenging for the reader to adapt to a new section of the writing. Overall well written. I would recommend this read to any true crime reader.

"The true story of how one dedicated forensic scientist restored the long-lost identities of the teenaged victims of the "Candy Man," one of America's most prolific serial killers.

Houston, Texas, in the early 1970s was an exciting place - the home of NASA, the city of the future. But a string of more than two dozen missing teenage boys hinted at a dark undercurrent that would go ignored for too long. While their siblings and friends wondered where they had gone, the Houston police department dismissed them as runaways, fleeing the Vietnam draft or conservative parents, likely looking to get high and join the counterculture.

It was only after their killer, Dean Corll, was murdered by an accomplice that many of those boys' bodies were discovered in mass graves. Corll, known as the "Candy Man," was a local sweet-shop owner who had enlisted two teens to lure their friends to parties, where they would be tortured and killed.

All of Corll's victims' bodies were badly decomposed; some were only skeletal. Known collectively as the Lost Boys, many were never identified and some remained undiscovered. Decades later, when forensic anthropologist Sharon Derrick discovered a box of remains marked "1973 Murders" in the Harris County Medical Examiner's office, she recalled the horrifying crime from her own childhood, and knew she had to act. It would take prison interviews with Corll's accomplices, advanced scientific techniques, and years of tireless effort to identify these young men.

Investigative journalist Lise Olsen brings to life the teens who were hunted by a killer hiding in plain sight and the extraordinary woman who would finally give his unknown victims back their names and their dignity. With newly uncovered information about the case, The Scientist and the Serial Killer immerses readers in an astonishing story and reveals why these horrific events remain relevant decades later."

Because as much as we, as a society, focus on the criminal, we should be remembering the lost. This book does the lost justice.

I received a free copy of ‘The Scientist and the Serial Killer’ by Lisa Olsen from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. In the early 1970's, 27 boys disappeared in Texas. This was such a sad read, but also a really good one. Families ripped apart by the "Candyman". What a horrible man. This book has a lot of information, on a brutal time in Texas, and pictures.

While I did appreciate the level of research and passion that went into this project, the organization of the book posed challenges.
The author chose to organize the book based on "the scientists" identification of previously unidentified bodies. The problem this created is that the scientist identified a handful of the thirty-ish boys who went missing. This forced the author to wedge in the stories of the other boys into places they did not fit well. As a reader, this made it difficult to follow the narrative, and to keep to keep the many individuals straight.
I was also thrown a bit by the late (around 3/4 of the way through) insertion of the author as a participant in the quest to identify the boys.
Overall, I feel that a different structure would have made this story easier to follow, and given the narrative better focus.

I started this book and I was immediately pulled in, but then NetGalley removed the option to read on my ereader with 0 warning, forcing me to read this on a phone or computer, and both screens give me headaches. Therefore, I couldn't finish this book.
As soon as it comes out, I will be borrowing it from the library to finish it!

Thank you to Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC, and sorry I couldn't finish it before its release date.

This is a comprehensive reporting on the work of a dedicated forensic anthropologist in her effort to correct past misidentifications and give the right names to murder victims. There's never before been such a detailed rendering of the victimology of this 51-year-old case. It's a valuable contribution, although at times the author indulges in suggestion and speculation about Henley, the serial killer's accomplice, that supports her clear bias. She repeats ideas from older books or articles when current information was available to avoid some misstatements. Showing how this horrific crime was part of a larger sex trafficking operation and adding one more unknown victim to the toll shows how important it is to develop an informed lens on what might otherwise seem like irrelevant past history. It's unfortunate that there remain hindrances to completing this heartbreaking puzzle. Sharon Derrick deserves a place of honor among cold case investigators. Her work was heroic.

The Scientist and the Serial Killer by Lise Olsen is a true crime account of the serial killer Dean Corll, aka the "Candy Man". As a fan of true crime podcasts and other books I was hoping to love this one as much as other recent true crime accounts. But that wasn't the case. Don't get me wrong - this book is a wealth of information and was very detailed. But that might be the problem for me. The book started off with a beginning that pulled me in , but I soon found that the amount of information that was presented was overwhelming. There was so much about the detectives, the location, the families and the victims that I had to put it down a few times just to clear my mind. I think much of the information could have been condensed. The timeline also jumped around a lot, making it hard to follow at times. I really did appreciate the details given about how much Dr. Derrick did to identify the many boys and can appreciate how far DNA testing has improved since the 70s. It was heartbreaking to read about how some of the boys families didn't survive to see a conclusion in their loved ones case. The whole situation was fascinating and heartbreakign. If you are passionate about cold cases, true crime, police procedurals, or the science behind identifying victims, you will really enjoy The Scientist and the Serial Killer. This is one that did not glorify the killer, but really focused on the science and how hard Dr. Derrick worked to help identify the victims.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Lise Olsen’s The Scientist and the Serial Killer is a compelling yet sometimes disjointed exploration of the hunt for justice in the wake of Dean Corll’s horrific crimes. Blending investigative journalism and forensic science, the book highlights Dr. Sharon Derrick’s relentless efforts to identify Corll’s unknown victims and reunite them with their families. While Olsen’s compassionate storytelling and behind-the-scenes look at forensic anthropology will appeal to fans of true crime and the Scarpetta series, the book's organization can feel scattered, with shifting timelines, excessive details, and repetitive elements affecting readability. The inclusion of police archive photos and forensic history adds depth, but some sections may overwhelm readers unfamiliar with the case. Despite its structural flaws, this is an essential read for those interested in the intersection of science, justice, and the human stories behind crime.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Lise Olsen’s "The Scientist and the Serial Killer: The Search for Houston's Lost Boys" is a profoundly unsettling yet compelling exploration of the intersection between scientific inquiry, journalistic tenacity, and human depravity. A blend of true crime and investigative journalism, the book meticulously chronicles the horrifying crimes of Dean Corll a prolific serial killer, 17-year old Wayne Henley who killed Corll and Dr. Sharron Derrick, a forensic anthropologist who found boxes of unidentified remains from Dean Corll's victims and worked with her team to identify the 7 unidentified victims and to reunite them with their loved ones decades after the crime.

In 1973, Dean Corll's murder count was 27, with 7 of them being unidentified. Dr. Sharon Derrick, a forensic anthropologist was determined to bring their stories out of the shadows.

What makes Olsen’s narrative stand out is not just the grotesque reality of Corll's actions but the compassionate lens through which she examines their aftermath. The “lost boys” are not merely victims; they are human beings with families, histories, and potential, which Derrick—alongside Olsen—works to restore to them, posthumously. Olsen’s ability to balance the harrowing nature of the crimes with the dignity of these boys’ stories is a testament to her skill as both a writer and an investigator.

One of the book’s strongest features is its portrayal of Dr. Derrick, the titular “scientist.” Derrick’s tireless work as a forensic anthropologist reveals the often-overlooked field of identifying remains and reuniting them with grieving families. Her role as a quiet yet powerful crusader for justice contrasts sharply with the calculating and manipulative Corll, making their interplay an ethical and philosophical study of humanity’s capacity for good and evil.

Olsen’s writing is deeply empathetic yet unflinchingly honest, sparing no detail in her dissection of Houston’s flawed justice system. As the title suggests, this book is as much about the societal and institutional failures that allowed Corll to operate. Through Derrick’s eyes, readers are forced to grapple with the grim reality of how easily the vulnerable slip through the cracks.

The narrative pacing is deliberate, reflecting the painstaking nature of forensic work. While some readers may find the technical details of anthropology challenging, those who persist will be rewarded with a richer understanding of the discipline and its impact on the living and the dead.

For readers of true crime, "The Scientist and the Serial Killer" offers not only the dark thrill of unraveling a serial killer’s psyche but also a meaningful meditation on justice, memory, and the resilience of the human spirit. Olsen doesn’t merely recount a story; she places readers in the thick of it, forcing us to question how society can better protect its most vulnerable—and how science and determination can help right some of the wrongs when it fails.

In the end, this book serves as a haunting reminder of the delicate balance between progress and negligence, between science and humanity, and ultimately, between justice and injustice. It is not just a story; it is a call to action. A must-read for those brave enough to confront the shadows of human nature.

I thought this book sounded gripping and interesting. Unfortunately it did neither for me. I ended up not finishing the book. I felt like there was way too much information all at once and other times were there wasn’t any. There was no flow and felt too chaotic, not organized in any way. I was so looking forward to this book, sadly it wasn’t for me. Thank you NetGalley for this digital arc.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would! The Scientist and the Serial Killer: The search for the Houston Lost Boys by Lise Olsen is well done. Lise Olsen is a well known investigative journalist who turned her findings into a book. This book centers around Dean Corll a prolific serial killer, 17 year old Wayne Henley who killed him and Dr. Sharron Derrick, a forensic anthropologist.

Decades after the murders took place, Dr. Sharron Derrick found boxes of unidentified remains from Dean Corll's victims and worked hard along herside her team to reunite them with their loved ones. In 1973, Dean Corll's murder count was 27, with 7 of them being unidentified.

Throughour the years Dr. Sharron Derrick was able to put names to 7 previously unidentified remains and reunite them with their families. From 2008 to 2014 she was able to identify Randell Lee Harvey, Joseph Allen Lyles, Michael baulch, Roy "ikie" Bunton, Steven ferdig-sickman, Donnie falcon and Willard k "rusty" branch jr.

I thought the book was really brought together with the inclusion of pictures, taken from police archives and records. It was also interesting to learn that the terms John Doe, Jane Doe and Baby Doe are no longer used as they are considered unprofessional and dehumanizing to the dead.

Thank you to Lise Olsen for partnering with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This book hits stores April 1st 2025

Really interesting story. I have actually watch some documentaries and listened to some podcasts on the Candyman case.
While anyone can know the ending of the story from a quick Google Search or if they follow true crime, the author wrote this in a way that still had suspense.

The author really did a great job of illustrating just how awful the case was, while balancing the human elements of this case.
I really enjoyed this one. I do hope that this book can bring light to an often overlooked case.


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!