Lol. A Raw Deal. Interesting subject matter. The Cannibal Cop was from my neighborhood, so I've been following this story. Not that I side with him, but the issues at play here aren't as cut-and-dry as they initially seem. He's kind of a knucklehead, though.

An intimate, gory, graphic and chilling true crime book. The biases are clear, so I suggest reading with a critical lens, but I enjoyed this one!

I got this ARC from Netgalley and Wild Blue Press.

From the previews, I could tell that this book was going to be unusual, and it sure is one heck of a journey. The changes happen so fast that it feels like a demolition derby at times. A real life wild ride written by Gil Valle, a NY cop who has a new baby he's crazy about and is going through a rough patch with his wife, who has moved out for a while they work on things. He likes his job and is feeling he's becoming good at it, when one one day he is surprised by a bunch of cops as he's getting ready to leave for work. He's taken for questioning about his dirty little secret habit of going onto the Internet and looking at porn while talking about twisted fantasies with others who share his interests. He gets honest with them after seeing they know a lot and to his shock, he's arrested, not for these things he's only thought about and talked about...but for actually kidnapping women and doing horrific things to them that were only fantasies that he'd made up. So they charged him with being part of a conspiracy. This book shows that thought crimes can and do happen and did happen to this ex-cop in 2012. There is graphic adult language. Very eye opening about intellectual crimes.

A sincere thank you to Gil Valle for having the courage to share his story. This book was not at all what I expected. It was a lot more! When I requested the book I was expecting a story with lurid and graphical sexual scenes and details. The more lurid and gruesome a story, the more I am drawn to reading it. Would I ever personally engage in this kind of behaviour? No! In this sense I was completely able to relate to Gil's story and the divide between 'morbid' attraction/fantasies, and real life. Gil's story really touched me. It wasn't a story about sex. It was his story - his life and the horrific ordeal. I sincerely hope Gil is successful in all the lawsuits he is currently pursuing. Mostly I hope he gets to reconnect with his daughter!

He's the kind of guy who speaks just to hear himself. Sadly an actual writer wasn't able to lend direction.

It seems that other really enjoyed this book, but I had trouble getting into it. Something about the writing style maybe. I made it about half way through and let weeks and weeks pass before I finally decided to let it go.

This book is not for everyone. Right from the prologue you can tell that you are in store for a sick, twisted, perverted tale. Told in his own words, this book recounts Gil Valle's side of the story in this bizarre case, which proves that truth is often stranger than fiction. The main point he sets out to investigate is this: "when, if ever, does 'thought' cross the line and become crime?"

What is so interesting about this case is the fact that everyone - the judge, the US Marshalls, the prison guards, fellow prisoners, members of the media, and even people within the US Attorney's office - thought that the trial was a sham. The only people that actually thought is was true and just were the prosecutors. The US Attorneys in this trial exhibited gross misconduct, going against the judge's pre-trial orders several times. But it is never mentioned why the judge chose to allow it time and again. Maybe he felt like his hands were tied?

Valle sums the situation up nicely in the afterword: "I have come to realize how important the “thought crime” angle is, and how it relates to all of us in society. How full would our prisons be if the government could jail us based on our thoughts, or even upon Google searches when not accompanied by any actions? How many people do you know that have fantasized about doing something that was against the law?"

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of true crime and anyone interested in the shortfalls of the criminal justice system. I received this as a free ARC from WildBlue Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A detailed account of the infamous "Cannibal Cop" case. A quick read that true crime fans will enjoy.

It was a great read and really refreshing how Gil honestly told his story and didn't sugarcoat the gory bits or add any pretentiousness to the book. He has a problem and talks very openly about it. Not something I would recommend for someone under 16, but a must-read in my opinion.

A quick read about a bizarre and complex case. Sure, it's biased to Gil Valle's side, and it's clear that there are some things he's playing down, but it did make me think differently about the issues. However disgusting I find Valle's fetish, it's hard to argue that he's actually done anything wrong. We all have strange thoughts and desires – how would we feel having them revealed to the whole world?

Fascinating look into thought crimes and one man's fight against his conviction.

I first off have to say iv never read a book like this, whilst I read a lot of true life books this is the most intimate one iv read.
It really got me thinking if everything we thought in our head was public knowledge wouldn't we all be in prison at some point? ( Iv certainly thought about of running over people who annoy me ) but to have your sexual fantasies ( however strange) made public then end up in prison over them although they were never acted on is horrifying.
This book certainly gets you thinking both from a moral and legal point of view.
Would recommend to everyone.