Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Behold the Monster:
A lot of Little.
Quick synopsis:
The story of Jillian Lauren’s meetings with serial killer Samuel Little.
Fact for Non-History People:
Samuel Little is most likely the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history.
Fact for History Nerds:
Both Little Richard and Malcolm X are in Little’s family tree. I’m sure they both wish they were not.
My Take on Behold the Monster:
If I can guarantee one thing about Jillian Lauren’s Behold the Monster is that you will not feel like there is too little (no pun intended). This book is a lot of everything. Lauren documents her relationship with the most prolific American serial killer, Samuel Little. It also documents Lauren’s interactions with various victims, victim’s families, and law enforcement members. It is, at all times, interesting for various reasons.
I should point out first that there is a set of true crime readers who want their books to stick to the facts and only the necessary facts when telling the story of a crime or criminal. I would suggest to this subset of readers to look elsewhere for a book on Little. Lauren will intersperse her own experiences, will partially invent scenes, and will introduce people who will show up once and never again. She uses various narrative points of view from chapter to chapter. Her use of language can be both crass and vicious. If any of this sounds like it will drive you insane, then go ahead and skip this one.
If you want your true crime to feel lived in and don’t mind the author inserting themselves into the narrative, then you will probably enjoy this immensely. Usually, I hate anything which is invented by the author in non-fiction. Lauren has an interesting enough perspective to make these scenes feel emotional rather than exploitative. She raises poignant ethical questions about herself without trying to force an answer. I will admit the book lost some steam at the end when it should have been reaching a crescendo but overall, I enjoyed it.
(This book was provided as an advance read copy by Netgalley and Sourcebooks.)
Verdict:
A good true crime book provided you are okay with some diversions. Buy it here!
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