I typically enjoy reading books that attempt to explore the workings of the human mind. What makes people choose to do wrong vs right? Are we born as bad seeds or are we a product of our environment? This book deals with a very sensitive topic but didn't deliver. I'm not looking for details on the specifics of the crimes, but more on her interviews which barely skimmed the surface. There was more information on her personal life which I really wasn't interested in and found it distracting from the story. I don't look to give negative reviews but this book left me no choice. Thanks to Netgalley, author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

🚨Please read below before reading my review.🚨

This is a true crime, nonfiction book that highly talks about sex offenders. Trigger warnings include violence, death, abuse, sexual sadism, pure evil, substance abuse, bigotry, racism, self harm, fear, child abuse, sexual assault, psychopath behavior, locations in prisons, domestic violence, sociopath behavior, explicit sexual content, misogyny, religious beliefs and rape.

Knowing these trigger warnings beforehand is a must before reading my honest review of this book. Read my review at your own discretion.


Review:

This was my first true crime, memoir book that I have read. I have watched a lot of true crime on television. It is something that interests me. I’m not sure why, but it does. It gives me anxiety, fear, sadness, etc. However, true crime stories give me insight and knowledge.

This book was extremely hard for me to read. I wanted to throw up at times, cry at times, and ended up having nightmares. I had to put the book down many times, before continuing on reading it. This book is one I did not and could not read straight through. Having said all of that, I did get through the book entirely and will give you my honest opinion on it. This book gives the reader a look into evil and the true horror that happens in real life.

This memoir is based on scientific research and evidence. This is about a woman named Samantha Stein, who has her doctor of psychology degree, and how she digs deep into the minds of sexual offenders. She also discusses her personal life in this book and goes over different ways she overcomes her own fears and struggles with this career. All of the names and places in this book were changed, so she can keep her family’s names and the inmates names she talks about in this book safe and protected. However, all of her stories in this book are all true. Ultimately, she decides whether or not the inmate she speaks to is entirely okay to return to society, after they have done their time in prison. If they are ineligible to return to society, they are condemned to indefinite incarceration. This book is divided into parts and explains why an inmate should or should not be allowed back in our society.

This book is very well written, thought provoking, scientific based and well researched. Even though this book was disturbing to me, it gave me knowledge on what she does in her career. All emotions put aside, I found this to be a great and informative memoir. I rate this a 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Samantha Stein and Kensington Publishing | Citadel for this advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This memoir is expected to be published on August 26, 2025.