I have enjoyed other titles by Phelps. I am unable to provide a review for this title as it was lost when my kindle updated.

This book...hmmm...I'm not sure what to say. I've heard so many good things about this author. I was really excited to get a copy of his newest book to review and I dove in with great expectations. Not sure if I am wowed or let down. I feel like I have definitely met and gotten to know a serial killer, not something I have ever wanted to do. Parts of this book made me uncomfortable, I didn't love any of it, but for some reason, I am still thinking about it weeks after reading the last page. A page turner, though I am not sure if it was because I wanted to be done with it, or because I couldn't wait to see what happened. What I do know for sure is, I will have to read another Phelps' book.

I am drawn to books about serial killers and true crime and I thought this inside look would be eye opening but it just didn't hold me interest. I found my mind often drifting off into space and wasn't able to get past 60 or so pages. I think this book just wasn't a fit for me but others might be enticed by it.

Amazing psychological roller coaster ride! Dark and riveting!

This book was different than other books that M. William Phelps has written. It is about the friendship he has with a serial killer and the murder of his sister-in-law. It is more personal. You get to meet his family, for good or bad. The serial killer he develops a friendship with is "Raven" who was featured in the show "Dark Minds" on ID.. Of course, I was anxious to know who it was, since I love the series. I hope they continue on with it. As with all of Phelps' books, it was well written and it does leave you wanting to know more! Great book and I highly recommend it.

I finished this book a few days ago, and I've since been trying to convince myself that I liked it more than I initially thought. I didn't convince myself. I didn't like the book. I was left... perplexed.

I'm drawn to the kind of true crime books that take us into the minds of the bad guys/girls, showing us how/why they unraveled and what motivated their crimes. Given the nature of the author's relationship with Jeserpson, I expected a lot of that type of insight here. What I got was something else entirely. Sure, we have a sprinkling of insight into Jersperson's psyche, but overall this book includes little of the "7,000 pages of letters, dozens of hours of recorded conversations" the author collected during his five-year relationship with Jersperson.

What I didn't like: The author's tone feels overly dramatic, particularly in regards to what this relationship of sorts does to his physical and mental health. He repeatedly and incessantly tells us about his anxiety attacks, his digestive problems, and his need to take antidepressants in order to manage his symptoms. He claims his "friendship" with Jesperson was destroying his health and his faith. It's like he's desperate for us to believe he sacrificed his soul in order to talk to a killer, all for selfless reasons, and certainly not to sell a TV series or for the material he used to write this book.

Another irritant for me: Phelps uses the term "friendship" throughout the book in describing his relationship with Jesperson. Perhaps he truly feels that way, but, from what he shares, this so-called friendship was nothing more than a business relationship. Never any sort of friendship. In fact, Phelps goes out of his way to insult and ridicule Jesperson, to us, calling him names and ensuring we understand that Jersperson does not deserve even the most basic compassion.

A final complaint: Phelps seems quite proud of the fact that he was able to trick Jesperson into providing information on one of his unidentified victims. Phelps also happily cons Jesperson into believing he'd be using much of the information provided to write a book specifically about Jesperson, his life, and his crimes, helping to dispel some myths. Instead, what Phelps did feels more like taking advantage of a sick mind so that he could write a book in which he calls his confidant a "pathetic creature". When Phelps bled Jesperson of all he could get, he then snidely turns and walks away, severing the relationship with a sense of righteousness.

The killer portrayed here vacillates between emotionally dependent and emotionally void, a dichotomy I could make no sense of, particularly since Phelps made no real effort to show us the humanity behind the killer.

Don't get me wrong; I am not advocating for Jesperson to receive hugs and coddling. But I got a strong sense that the objective here was a little too self-serving. And, ultimately, after reading this book I don't know much more about Jesperson, the man and the killer, than I already knew from the few articles I'd read.

I was so eagerly waiting for this book to come out that I was really excited when I got a chance to get it early to review it. It's a departure from his typical books, Phelps bravely delves into his family's personal history including some members struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. Then, getting the news that his brother Mark's wife Diane has been murdered, and having to tell him when he gets home. It later comes out that she'd likely been killed at the hands of a serial killer operating in the area at the time, but it still hasn't been solved. Phelps writes about the effects this has had on the entire family over the years, especially on the children and Mark. All very emotional and heartbreaking.

The other part of this book is Phelps writing about Raven, the serial killer he kept unnamed on his show on ID, but he finally reveals who he is here. Not only does he tell who he is, but also what he endured for the 5 years of trying to get something meaningful out of this guy, in the way of usable information. Also to write about him in order to try and get him to come clean about any cases he's not told about, especially a Jane Doe case in Florida he'd been holding out on. This was a very emotional book to read at times for me, especially parts of the family stuff I could relate to, and I had to take breaks, just being an overly emotional type. This is an extremely manipulative serial killer, to say the least. Very brave work and book. I hope it results in finding out who the Jane Doe is before long too once it's published, that would be a wonderful payoff for everyone's hard work on it. My great thanks to NetGalley, Kensington, and M. William Phelps for providing the ARC for my review. It's so very much appreciated.

I devoured this book. It is deep, unforgettable, creepy (developing a relationship with a serial killer is scary in it's own right) and ultimately shocking. M. William Phelps is the KING of true crime novels and whatever he writes I will read without even looking at the blurb. This one is different than his other novels though. It is grittier. It's more personal to the author. And it's engrossing to the highest degree. I couldn't recommend it more for fans of the author and those who enjoy true crime novels.

I was very excited when I heard about this book. I was a big fan of the ID (Investigation Discovery) show Dark Minds and was interested to find out the identity of the serial killer “Raven”, and was somewhat surprised that it was a serial killer I had heard of and knew vaguely of his crimes.

Reading this book I got a true sense Mr. Phelps relationship with “Raven” and how difficult that relationship must have been at times. Reading this book you get a real look into the chaotic mind of a serial killer and realize that it is not the one size fits all narrative of a serial killer that is often portrayed of these types of killers.

You also get a look at look at how murder affects a family. If you watched the show Dark Minds, you heard Phelps talk about how his sister-in-law was also a murder victim and you see how that plays into Phelps’ thinking and interaction with “Raven”.

This was a true crime book unlike any other that I have ever read. A true look at a serial killer face to face. Highly recommend for true crime fans or “ID addicts”.

I watched the author's series on the ID channel with Raven. I found the series to be very good so when I found out he was writing a book to name Raven, I was very excited. The book was well written and held my interest, and gave a good look at how a serial killer thinks. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.