In the Name of the Children
An FBI Agent's Relentless Pursuit of the Nation's Worst Predators
by Jeffrey L. Rinek; Marilee Strong
BenBella Books
Biographies & Memoirs , True Crime
Pub Date 17 Jul 2018
I am reviewing In the Name of the Children through BenBella Books and Netgalley:


This book gives us an unflinching look at what its like to fight a never ending battle against the one who terrorize children, the predators who lurk among us wanting to hurt children.

Retired FBI agent Jeff Rinek worked many investigations, hundreds involving children everything from stranger abductions to serial homicide as well as ritualized sexual abuse. Like all who find themselves doing this kind of work Jeff Rinek was required to plumb the depths human depravity he was forced to see things no one wants to see. The job is both the most brutual as well as the most important job in Law Enforcement, Rinek had a great success rate in solving these cases.


Most famously he is known for getting Cary Stayner to confess to killing the four women and girls in the Yosemite Park Murders. This was made more extraordinary by the fact that the FBI nearly pinned the murders on the wrong suspects.


This book is both painful to read and powerful it speaks of one mans quest to bring the victims of monsters the justice they deserve.


I give In the Name of Children five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

In a conscious effort to read books outside my comfort zone, I chose to read In The Name of the Children by Jeffrey L. Rinek and Marilee Strong. Jeffrey Rinek is a former FBI agent working in the missing and murdered children’s section of the department. This true crime memoir is not something I would normally pick up. In fact, it’s something I normally avoid. This story is about Rinek’s time at the FBI following some of the cases that most made an impression on society or him. Rinek shares heart-breaking and harrowing stories about the literal scum of the Earth. There are stories of eye-opening betrayals, parents who lack love towards their children, manipulations, and also the story of the emotional strain it caused him over the years. There were moments that made me angry and also well up with tears. This is Rinek’s apology letter to his family for the way his role affected them, and a love letter to the FBI for the relationships he has made and the lessons he is learned. Told through the writing of Marilee Strong, this book has a strong identity sure to move anyone who chooses to read it.

Strong has carefully constructed the writing to convey Rinek’s mournful tone. It is clear that this individual is in pain over what he has witnessed over the years. It is written with so much emotion, and it captures the feelings of all the people who cross into the stories. I appreciated the look into the FBI and the way it had changed over Rinek’s time there. The evolution of technology will never cease to baffle me, and the way it has affected these cases is nothing short of a miracle. Rinek could easily tell the story of his glories, but humility remains as he carefully shares stories of failure as well as when he was kicked off a case. A unique aspect to the novel is the attention paid to one particular (monumental case) which included pictures (not gory).

I feel closer to Rinek after reading this novel. His interrogation technique involves opening up to the people he is interrogating. He gets personal with them to gain their trust, and the novel is reflective of that technique. The beginning starts with his personal biography before it sets into the heavy cases. We, as readers, feel like we know Rinek, and we start to open up our minds and emotions to the story he has to tell. I have to give this a 4/5 for Rinek’s touching stories and Strong’s precise and ingenious writing technique.

So hard to put down! I thought for someone who isn't an author this was well written (and they had a good editor!) This is a must read for true crime fanatics and I really enjoyed the written form as I feel true crime gets a great presentation in film/tv but the books are harder to come by. Loved it all around!

I'm actually not able to review this book because I didn't realize there was no .mobi version. I am purchasing the book though.

A fan of true crime I thought I would try this book. It was a very difficult book to read due to the subject matter but was well written and praise and thanks need to be given to the author and his colleague's who investigate these crimes and interview the monsters involved. Thanks to them for keeping our children safe x

This was a difficult book to review. It's excellent as far as true crime books go. Often they lag or have places where the terms get so technical only someone who went to law school can decider them. Not so here. The only remotely slow point in my opinion is the build up at the beginning, which establishes the author, his passion for justice, his journey to becoming an agent, and some background information on the history of the FBI. After that it sinks it's teeth into his many unsettling cases, several of which I have read about in my life time in the headlines. Details are not spared and you grasp fully how deeply this man's life has been effected by his calling to work on the cases of abused , missing and murderd children. Often the graphic crime scenes or retelling of the events that lead to a crime are heartbreaking and , while not gore fest by the standards of modern horror, are still intense and very disturbing, sometimes sickening. I also enjoyed the explainations of various interrogation technics used to secure a confession, many of which I have seen on television, but never fully grasp what the "tell" was that the detectives keyed in on prior to having it broken down for me. I like that while the book is intelligently written, it is fairly easy for someone with very little raining in psychology or law to understand, and deeply poignant rather that carrying a tone of superiority.

Interesting and captivating book. The author truly has one of the most difficult jobs ever and dealt with the scum of the earth - child molesters, predators, and murders - throughout his career. The subject matter was extremely difficult to read about at times, so much so that there were a few times I just had to take a break from reading, as he went into great detail about the crime scenes and interviews with the perpetrators about the commission of their crimes on children. However, the details provided gave incredible insight into the horrors of these crimes and what it was like to be in his shoes as an FBI agent. Each chapter is based on a different crime he investigated and he occasionally deviates from the telling of the crime to explain relevant information such as the inner workings of the FBI, REID interrogation techniques, and the evolution of the use of DNA evidence. He interwove everything very nicely. You can tell the author truly cares about his work and has been forever impacted by it.

This was a really interesting read. I am majoring in Psychology and want to assist trauma victims, so it was interesting to read this former FBI agent's account of his experiences dealing with the horrible individuals that commit crimes against children,

“To handle the horrors we must deal with on a daily basis, many in law enforcement become hardened and compartmentalize their emotions, which has its own deleterious effects. I was not able to do that, nor could I stand at a clinical distance and rely on some technique or one-sixe-fits-all theory of criminality and remain untouched by the horrors I saw.”

During his 30 year career working as a FBI agent, Jeff Rinek witnessed the most vile crimes against children from sexual abuse, torture, abduction, murder and child abuse, sometimes from their family members. I had to read this book in parts, human depravity is beyond belief at times and I had the option of putting it down until I could catch my breath, Rinek and other’s in his line of work don’t have that privilege. I have the utmost respect for the brave men and women that work in this particular field. Not many have the stomach for it, and it isn’t surprising that the work he has done has stayed with him, for how could it not? This is the stuff of nightmares, but Rinek isn’t writing in the vein of sensationalism. This is a man who has kept every victim and their families within his heart, everything he has experienced has touched his own wife and children. Jeff shares not only the horrific cases he has helped solve, but the troubling ways it effected his family life. How could he not be overwhelming concerned for the safety of his own sons, having seen the darkness that befell so many innocent children? How could he sleep peacefully at night with the images of crime scenes floating in his mind, just as horrible the confessions of child molesters and serial killers thundering in his ears? It’s impossible to truly separate the two worlds.

Jeff Rinek had a way about him that made the criminals feel comfortable enough to confess, I think it is most evident in his dealings with Cary Stayner. Not many could keep their emotions in check enough to empathize with someone who has committed monstrous acts. I know when we label something evil or monstrous it makes it impossible to understand how someone can commit such atrocities and maybe prevent them, but it’s hard not to feel this way. Without his ability to reach into whatever humanity resides in the criminal, we may never know the truth. It is important to be able to understand the psyche of man as much as we can, whether we’re repulsed or not. It matters to the victim’s family, particularly when bodies are missing. Maybe there is truly no such thing as closure, maybe the ‘knowing’ is more horrifying than what the mind can imagine, but living without answers is to be further victimized.

In reading about these tragic, horrifying crimes, it made me think about why it is so important for people to report crimes that happen to them, or things they witness that don’t sit well within them. Nothing truly happens in a bubble, and often in abusive relationships, be they physical or sexual, often men or women go further in victimizing others, especially children (the most helpless and vulnerable of us all). The hard truth is, if someone has harmed you, you aren’t the first, nor likely to be the last. One of the most shocking realities is how often child molestation is enabled by other adults, such as wives. I’m not surprised children don’t come forward more often, the feelings of shame involved, the stigma boys in particular (especially as they become adults) are met with in coming foreward about sexual abuse is heartbreaking. I’m reading another book right now about Evil, it’s more from a psychological standpoint, but when I read true crime books, or listen to a victim recount their harrowing experiences it is damn hard to want to understand the psyche of criminals. How do you remain removed from cases, its human nature to empathize, particuarly being a mother or father yourself. Of course seeing the body of a child that has been defiled in every way imaginable one would think of their own son or daughter, fear would be rooted inside your being. Rinek dealt with the worst of human nature, how could he not imagine the worse if a phone line home is busy, or his child doesn’t get off his bus?

The violence, ritualized sexual abuse, physical, and mental trauma, torture the children suffered under the ‘religion’ Allen Harrod (their own father) started is as hard to stomach as every story within yet it is with the tenderest of care Rinek, along with others, helped the children find their strength to seek justice and have kept watch over the children long after the case ended. The bravery of Harrod’s eldest daughter in coming forward is incredible, though shocking that it took her going through three different police agencies to get anyone to look into the matter. Without her, who knows how long Harrod and Labrecque’s crimes would have continued, under the guise of religion. Much like the people involved in seeing justice served, it’s gut wrenching to know the truth of how the children suffered, but worse to imagine being the children involved. Human depravity is boundless but it’s knowing the children (their victims) will carry not just physical evidence of their nightmare for the rest of their lives, but have to cope with PTSD, have to navigate the world without an example of healthy family relationships, and in a sense deprogram from what for them was ‘normal’ that remains with you long after reading their story. That these things happen in our so-called ‘modern times’ is worse than any fictional horror I can conjure. You don’t have to be close to the case to feel the frustration and anger at the justice system, how easy it seems for criminals to continue their abuse once captured, still victimizing everyone involved through ‘legal manipulation.’ Then there is the game of going to trial. Evidence is a peculiar thing, what is left out as to not ‘prejudice the jury against the defendant.’ Ridiculous in many cases, such as pictures of adults raping children in this situation shouldn’t it be admissible, doesn’t the victim deserve to see justice served? It’s one thing to hear it, but when there are photos to back the child’s confession, well? Statute of limitations is infuriating in and of itself, if a child comes into adulthood and finally has the ability to seek help, to expose the abuser only to find out they can’t be charged anymore, how is that just? Something is certainly broken. It’s hard not to feel like children don’t matter enough, it certainly feels like criminals often get a slap on the wrist, are released only to commit even more gruesome crimes. But I feel heartened that men and women like Rinek work hard for them, it seems to even the balance, at least a little.

Retired now, Rinek remains just as passionate about making the world a safer place for children and for us all, as he did when he was working full-time. He has remained in contact with the children victimized by Harrod and Labrecque. It is obvious his job was his life, and he is the sort of agent the world needs, someone who puts all of his being into solving crimes, and caring for the victims. It’s hard to review this type of memoir, because it comes from a deeply personal part of Rinek’s life. It’s enough to say that if you can’t even read it, because it’s our natural instinct to close our ears and eyes to terrors, imagine how the victim’s loved ones feel, how the men and women in law enforcement have to go home every night with the knowledge of such horrors branded in their minds. It’s important to be a voice for those who have been silenced, and to see those who have harmed children caught, so they can’t leave more families destroyed.

This truly is an unflinching look into the life of FBI Special Agent Jeff Rinek and how his job effected every facet of his life.

Out today!

BenBella Books

There's not much I can say about this book except for every parent should read it. Every person should it but especially parents! This book was brilliantly written and one of the best books I've read. It really hit home for me in a lot of ways but I can't say much more than that. Read this book!

Jeffrey Rinek, retired FBI agent and owner of a truly standout mustache, writes a memoir detailing some of the major cases he worked during his career, particularly in the area of child sex crimes and the infamous Yosemite murders, where three female tourists (Carole and Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso) were abducted and murdered, leaving behind a particularly bizarre trail of evidence.

He gives a quick description of his background before spending most of the book going in-depth on several of his major cases, explaining the scope of the investigations and how he worked towards resolutions. The look into his childhood and beginnings with the FBI is enough to see what makes him tick and why he chose this line of work that is at best unsavory and at worst, completely traumatizing.

His biography is revealing in that some of the same kind of problems that plagued him, the same difficulties and bullying that he endured, are similar to those that often crop up in stories of the people who turn in a different direction than he did, choosing to commit crimes instead of work to stop them, unable to channel anger into something productive and meaningful.

"I still struggle today with anger to some degree, but over time feelings that had once been so self-directed and self-destructive became the gifts and signposts that would help me along the particular career path I chose. Free-floating, useless anger transformed into a passion for seeking justice. I no longer wanted to "get back" at my own victimizers but to bring to account those who would victimize others - especially predators who chose children...The vulnerability I felt as a kid produced a deep sense of empathy for child victims and the desire to protect them from exploitation and abuse."

Although Robert Ressler was brilliant in his profiling work and the contributions he made from this, as Rinek acknowledges here, I found his book to be a little too arrogant and macho sometimes. I worried Rinek's would be similar, but he comes across as so humble. I didn't even expect to like him as a narrator, like with Ressler, I'm more curious about what the work entailed - but that's what happened because he's incredibly likable (he uses the word "squirrelly", for one). Most importantly, he makes it clear his focus was on victims - which is what all of this should be about, of course, but which sometimes seems to get lost in the shuffle.

The personal details he shares are also sweetly charming - really, I just liked him so much - like that he moved to his first FBI posting in Chicago with his two cats in tow, and that he and his family settled in a town aptly named Rescue in California. He chalks that up to having seen a lot of funny coincidences in his line of work. And he succeeds in humanizing an agency that's often faceless and opaque. It's hard to hear how much he suffered - and continues to, with nightmares and the psychological aftereffects of what he's witnessed and known - in order to bring justice, closure, and in the best of cases, victims home alive.

It goes without saying, but reading this is incredibly difficult at times. He doesn't shy from relating details that are devastating. The stories are told unflinchingly. But I think that just because these things are hard to know doesn't mean we should pretend they don't exist and avoid knowing anything about them. It doesn't mean we should dwell on them either, but there's nothing about this telling that's sensationalized or for shock value. Rinek admits repeatedly how difficult the work has been for him and the strain it took on his marital and family life.

I ended with so much respect for him and what he's contributed through his public service. Just reading about it was hard enough, I can't imagine what he endured emotionally and mentally to live it, then to keep on living with that knowledge, those images, afterwards. This put such a human face on an agency that gets a bad rap and often a lot of blame, especially lately.

Rinek had originally been removed as lead investigator on the Yosemite cases after clashing with higher ups about case theories. It rankled him, understandably, and combined with some other somewhat unorthodox behavior (he admits he was a prankster, and sick of missing endless birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays for work, would often have suspects in custody call his wife to apologize) he reached some disillusionment with the Bureau.

Then he was spontaneously called in to interview an alleged witness to another murder in Yosemite - Joie Armstrong, a naturalist, had been found brutally murdered. The FBI insisted they already had the perpetrators of the Sund/Pelosso murders in custody.

He drove to pick up Cary Stayner - one of those weird coincidences being that Stayner's brother had survived a hellish kidnapping as a child, and their family history was rife with various abuses - and take him to the office for questioning, ostensibly by someone else. Instead, they started talking during the long car ride and Stayner started to trust him. Enough to open up and confess that he could give "closure" on all the Yosemite cases.

What followed was an unexpected confession with details only the killer could know. It was clearly one of the highlights of his career, not to mention an important moment in providing closure for those affected by the case. But for Rinek, as he explains it, his "success on the case caused a lot of resentment from a lot of corners." It seemed to herald the beginning of the end of his FBI career.

What I loved so much when he discussed his work was his attention to confessions and the danger of false ones. Near the beginning, he mentions that part of what he was known for during his tenure at the FBI was obtaining confessions and I was immediately uncomfortable, knowing what we know about false confessions and intense, persuasive interrogation tactics.

Instead he criticizes the Reid technique, frequently used in interrogations today and responsible for many of the false confession narratives we're familiar with.

"Rather than asking the interviewee to tell his story or explain what happened from the outset, the suspect is told that evidence already in hand clearly indicates guilt. This may be a complete lie. Interrogators following the Reid method may falsely tell a suspect that he failed a polygraph, or may lie that they have fingerprints."

Rinek's methodology was much more humane, and it's no wonder he was successful while maintaining integrity. He credits this behavior with Stayner's willingness to open up to him with little provocation.

I gave something of myself and others gave back to me in return. In many instances I was able to show the offender that in spite of what they had done they still had the capacity to help, which meant they had value. I am not a social worker or someone who believes that everyone is redeemable. I just know that on some occasions I was able to get through to someone, which enabled us to recover victims, answer anguished questions, and prevent others from being harmed.

What Rinek also does well is to cover some ground in humanizing the FBI and law enforcement in general, admitting his own struggles - he closes the book confessing that the stress and nature of the work he did left him with PTSD, even suicidal at times. That's hard to hear, considering what he's contributed, but it's not hard to believe, because he comes across as so empathetic and sensitive despite the admirable strength he shows in his work. And not only sensitive towards victims, but towards perpetrators as well. We know this narrative already too, but it's one sometimes purposely ignored:

"Perhaps one of the hardest truths we need to confront is how many victimizers were once victims. We need to break the code of silence that still shrouds childhood abuse, face the full ramifications, and intervene to break this awful, perpetual cycle."

"People expected me to see all offenders as monsters, but I saw people suffering in their own right."

Personal, emotional account of the truly remarkable work Rinek accomplished throughout his career, well told and with a commendable, heartfelt focus on the victims. It reshaped a lot of my own thinking about aspects of law enforcement - not that I see them so negatively, but Rinek reveals so much of what the work was like for him that I couldn't help but feel like I'd taken something for granted before. Excellent true crime accounts with a nuanced analysis of legal and interrogation techniques, and a completely winning memoir of a funny, thoughtful detective to boot. We don't deserve him!

This was a real life CSI story and it was riveting. Rinek took us to places that most people hope to never, ever go. He saw parts of humanity that most of us didn't even know existed and he handled it with the care that it deserved. Rinek was in the FBI for 30 years working on cases that involved crimes against children - abduction, sexual abuse, etc. In the book you learn his interview techniques, delve into some of his most grisly cases, and come to understand the toll that this work took on his life and his psyche.

Not only did I enjoy learning more about the cases themselves, but I grew a whole new respect for the art of interrogation. In the shows and movies, you're lead to believe that a killer will spill his/her guts the second they are in the interview room. In reality, it's much, much different. Understanding the mind of a serial killer was interesting while also horrifying. Sitting in the same room and breathing the same air as a sadist seems intriguing while also nauseating. After reading this book, I can now imagine the mountains Rinek had to climb to not only get what he wanted out of these killers but also keep his emotions in check at all times. The killer and the interrogator are both walking a tightrope and neither wants to be the person to look down first.

This was an eyeopening read and I am so happy that there are dedicated men and women who work tirelessly to keep our world safe from the monsters hiding in plain sight.

Many thanks to Netgalley for my copy of In the Name of Children in exchange for my honest review.

Jeffery Rinek is very good. He has helped so many families. Lots of his case's have haunted him and continue to haunt him .His Wife and Children Stuck by him. These is so many of the case's I really an not put them all here but they will stick with me as well just reading about what these families went through. It is so sad that people do this to children. What Cary did to that Mother ,daughter and her friend was very frightening. I am however glad that Jeff was able to get Cary to confess every thing.. This is a hard book to read.. If you like this thype of stuff as I do then Yes I recommend this.

This book is a hard one for me to review. As a huge lover of true crime books I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. My rating is more like 2.5 stars and I'm rounding up. The subject matter of the book gives it 3.5 stars, the writing is what brings the rating down for me.

Jeffrey Rinek has one of the toughest jobs ever. Not only is he an FBI agent, but he specializes in kidnappings and horrific crimes against children. What he had to see every day and help solve is what makes horror movies. I cannot even begin to imagine what it takes to handle that kind of job and keep focus to find these missing children and bring their abductors and murderers to justice without breaking down emotionally. For that I want to give him credit and admiration.

The stories themselves were fascinating and at times hard to read. As a mother, this is my worst nightmare. If you are a fan of true crime, even a fan of the CSI type shows on tv then you will appreciate the stories. He even gives a little background into a fundamental shift in the FBI that put tactical teams in place for these type of crimes. The cases he worked are haunting and his instincts and superb detective work lead to the arrest and capture of some of the world's worst monsters.

Here is where I had a problem with the book - I felt that the author spoke too much about the "politics" behind decisions made with cases. In some instances it felt like he had a bone to pick with the higher ups and was airing those grievances versus focusing on telling the story of the case at hand. Each case was a child's face, a child's memory, their story. Some the FBI won and some they lost. Those grievances he speaks about takes away from the true story - the children.

The title of the book is spot on, the author did relentlessly pursue the nation's worst predators. He didn't give up, even if it took 15 years. Had the book been scrubbed a little tighter to remove some of his personal commentary on people he worked with and focused more on the heart of the story - the children and the pursuit, then this would be a 4 star book for me.

My thanks to Netgalley, authors Jeffrey L. Rinek, & Marilee Strong, and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book by a former FBI agent Jeff Rinek was really eye-opening as to what he went through while he performed his job. It’s really informative about many things agents go through as they learn their duties, become agents, and depending on what area of the job they end up in, some of the stresses that they can face. This particular agent ended up dealing with some of the worst, and he detailed how it affected his life. He shares some of his cases in his book, and they are really gut-wrenching as he takes you along. It’s a hardcore trip, so be prepared. He has quite a knack for getting bad guys to confess, and his interviews often got amazing results. He also was able to talk to victims and get them to open up with gentle empathy, taking great care not to do further damage, but elicit what was needed to help put their accused behind bars for as long as possible. A very moving story that I was rather blown away by, and glad I had read. My thanks to Netgalley, authors Jeffrey L. Rinek, & Marilee Strong, and the publisher for providing me the ebook in return for my fair review.

BenBella Books
Pub. Date: July 17th, 2018

A good read about a Jeffrey Rinek, a dedicated servant who works hard to get into the FBI after some physical limitations and a tough path to get where he ended. A lot of awful stories about child abuse which are hard to read for anyone with children. A little slow going as I had wished to get straight to the stories I opened the book for but eventually we get there and it is a good read. Thank you to the authors and Netgalley for the ARC in excgyfor my review.