Many thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley! I was able to read a copy on publishing day.

Last Call is the riveting story of a serial killer who preyed on members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the New York metro area in the 80’s and 90’s, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. It acts as an expose of the homophobic culture of the times that enable these senseless killings. Well research and well written, I highly recommend a read.

If you are a true crime fan and also like a bit of New York City LGBTQ history with your story - this novel is for you. This is a well-written and quick, but pretty thorough, overview of the Manhattan guy bar scene in the 70s, 80s, and part of the 90s. The author provided a little taste of some of the most famous bars’ history, and I really enjoyed that a lot (it made me want to learn more). Surprisingly, there was also a brief history of the gay scene in Youngstown, Ohio in the 1950s and 1960s. I loved that little tidbit of Ohio LGBT history (I’m from Ohio). This book is definitely more true crime than history, but I most enjoyed the history and background parts than the actual information about the crimes.

I don’t really read a lot of true crime, so I was surprised at the detail the author used in describing how the victim’s bodies were mutilated and then autopsied. I am pretty squeamish with blood and guts sort of stuff, so I mostly skipped over the gory descriptions. The book also included a good description of how violence done to queer people has been handled by the NYPD and court system. I liked the history of the NYC Anti-Violence Project. From its humble beginnings, it has formed into an important advocate and resource for queer people experiencing violence and/or legal issues.

I am giving this book four stars. I really liked it, but I just couldn’t get past the descriptions of the victim’s bodies and their autopsies. For someone who is a fan of true crime and serial killer buff, this book will satisfy their cravings. When you read this book, brace yourself because it is pretty heartbreaking at times. I felt for the victims, their stories were mostly tragic and they really didn’t deserve their gruesome ends (of course). I would recommend this book to people that are interested in LGBTQ cultural history, police/courtroom dramas, NYC gay nightlife in the 70s and 80s, and detailed serial killer profiles.

I really enjoyed this true crime book! Although I thought it started a bit slow, the author does a great job of explaining how things were back in the 1990s when the murders occurred. He talks about what homosexuality in NYC looked like back then and discusses the AID/HIV epidemic. The author also does a good job giving very detailed background information regarding the different cities or towns that the bodies are found in and all the locations that are relevant to the cases. The victims lives are also very detailed, which was in my opinion, a great thing. Most true crime books focus on the killer, for obvious reasons, but this book really wants readers to know the victims, to know about their lives before they crossed paths with the Last Call Killer and what their future goals may have been. Although it started slow, the book picked up about halfway through when more information is discovered about the killer. From there, I sped through to see how things would come tougher and to find out how this case ends.
I really enjoyed this book so anyone who love true crime, this one is for you!
Thank you so much to @celadonbooks, @bookishfirst and @netgalley for both my physical and digital advanced reading copy!

Absolutely riveting story of the Last Call Killer serial who preyed on victims of the gay community in the 1980's and 90's. Well researched and well written.

I vaguely remember reading in the gay papers ca. 1992-94 about the suspicion that there was a serial killer of gay men about, who would pick up tricks at various upscale piano bars in Manhattan, kill and dismember them, leaving their remains in plastic garbage bags in remote locations. By the time the culprit was apprehended in 2001 and convicted in 2005, interest in the case had waned, so it is nice to have this meticulously researched and fast paced true crime volume to satisfy one's curiosity on the particulars.

Green has obviously done a thorough job of sifting through the clues, synthesizing information from a vast array of sources, and putting it out there for readers in a forthright fashion - but be warned - much of this material is NOT for the faint of heart. If occasionally it gets bogged down in superfluous details, or becomes momentarily difficult to follow (there is a plethora of 'characters', since there were at least four separate jurisdictions working the cases), many of these details enrich the story, and Green does an exemplary job of foregrounding the histories of the five known victims, showing what was lost with their untimely deaths.

If the book leaves one with a lot of questions about the perpetrator and his motives, that is by no means the fault of the author, who tried but failed to get any cooperation from the murderer. And Green himself graciously acknowledges that, not being a member of the LGBTQ+ community himself, perhaps his perspective is not quite adequate to parse out some aspects of the case - he does upon occasion over explain things for the 'straights' that are self evident to queer readers.

Be that as it may, the book is riveting; I raced through it in a day, and it also does a yeoman's job of demonstrating the of lack police protection for the LGBTQ+ community until very recently.

My sincere thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Celadon books for providing me with BOTH eBook and print ARCs of the book, in exchange for this honest review.

Last Call is an excellent, victim-centered exploration of a true crime that also provides a deep look into the homophobic cultural climate that enabled these tragic murders.

Thank you to Celadon books and Netgalley for gifting me both a physical ARC and e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Elon Green's Last Call details the true story of the Last Call Killer and his victims.. The killer's MO was to pick up gay men in bars in NYC; he would then murder and dismember them, oftentimes discarding their bodies at rest stops along major highways as if they were trash. Despite the threat to the gay community in the tri-state area and the gruesome nature of the crimes, the case received little attention then and now, due in part to societal perceptions of homosexuals at the time of the crimes.

I was really drawn in by the description of this book. I am very interested in reading true crime nonfiction books and was truly surprised that I had never heard of the Last Call Killer or any of his victims, despite having grown up near to some of the dump sites. Green's exposition was gripping and heartbreaking. He paints a detailed portrait of the social climate of the city in the 90s and builds a solid foundation to tell this story, helping the reader to understand how the killer was allowed to commit such crimes. In addition, he offers fleshed out accounts of each victim's personal history, as well as what brought them into the Last Call Killer's path. I've read many true crime accounts that focus so much more on the killer than his/her victims. I appreciated Green's efforts to honor each victim's life and to present a balanced view of events. This story needed to be told, and Green was definitely the right person for the job.

I would have liked to learn more about the killer's motivation to commit the crimes, as I don't feel that this information was explicitly provided in this text. From what I understand, however, the killer was not forthcoming with much of this information, so this may explain its absence from this book.

This is an interesting read for any fans of true crime and nonfiction, along with those looking to educate themselves about LGBTQ+ attitudes in the late 80s and 90s on the East Coast.

This examination of a serial killer that preyed upon gay men in 1990s New York City is creepy, powerful, and deeply political in how it approaches its tale. Green not only gives a lot of time and page space to contextualize the time that it was happening, but he also really focuses on the victims and their lives, showing that they were people with hopes, dreams, heartaches, and people who cared about them. It really makes it so that they aren't relegated to victim status as their only defining feature, which is a very easy trap to fall into when dealing the true crime and stories of murder. I had never heard of the Last Call Killer before this book, and given that Richard Rogers was a man who murdered gay men during the AIDS epidemic it doesn't really surprise me that this story was not as hyped, as the political and social climate of the time lent to stigma towards the victims for being who they were. Green avoids over the top soap boxes in this regard, but certainly makes it clear that the way these cases were ignored or back burnered by many in power is unacceptable. I love a true crime tale the contextualizes the components based on what was going on in society at the time, and Green does this in an impactful way. Also, there are SO MANY notes in the back of the book, and I love a good notes section!

LAST CALL is sad, dark, and upsetting, but it's finally giving voice to victims who have been forgotten by many. True crime fans should definitely pick it up.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Elon Green , and Celadon Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

There’s nothing better than a riveting piece of true crime, especially when it’s written by someone who can artfully present the story. Elon Green does well with Last Call, where he explores the murder of a handful of men whose connection to a gay bar in New York City eventually led to locating a killer no one suspected. Full of great descriptions, both of the victims and the LGBTQ+ scene in New York in the 1980s/90s, Green keeps the reader wanting to know more until the final reveal. Likely a piece true crime fans will want to add to their collection.

It all began with the discovery of a dismembered body along a Pennsylvania highway. When the authorities discovered the body, cut into pieces and bagged multiple times, they knew this was something that needed their undivided attention. With the help of some identification, found in a trash can up the road, the search began to better understand the victim and why he might have been targeted.

Green explores the victim and his ties to the LGBTQ+ community, which he colloquially calls the ‘queer scene’, and some of the local establishments in the early 1990s. This was at a time when gay rights were still not prominent and the police had less respect for an overall protection of citizens, no matter their orientation. There was also a comprehensive discussion to the ‘secret life’ lived by the victim, likely part of the veiled persona gay men presented at the time, while also holding down a job in a profession where homosexuality was not as accepted.

When a man is found killed and dismembered in New Jersey, officials are equally as baffled, but also quite intrigued at the attention paid to dispose of the body. This was not a simple slash and dump, but a detailed understanding of the body and how it is ‘assembled’, thereby providing key steps to cut and properly package a body before leaving it to be collected. The authorities noted this attention to detail could only have come from someone in the medical profession, or with access to the various tools.

Green circles back to explore gay rights and the LGBTQ+ scene in the early 1980s, particularly in the early years of HIV/AIDS. The detail offered about how medical professionals were downplaying it and then labelling it as a disease of homosexuals offers the reader some insight into how the community was treated and branded by the larger American society. Green depicts this so well and keeps the reader wondering as he slowly discusses progress and the emergence of gay rights amongst local and state politicians.

Green comes around to explore how one man’s long history of luring and attacking gay men as far back as the 1970s played a role in the identification of a person of interest. The meticulous planning and playacting to lure victims to his home helped to create a sense of calm, only to be destroyed after drugging and attacking these men. While the ending came together quickly in the final few chapters, the reader can see how a single lead, in the form of an expunged record of forensics, brought the case together, providing a termportary sense of relief to those who felt themselves constant targets.

While I am not a regular reader of true crime, I can respect those who enjoy the genre. Elon Green does a decentr job of piecing together the story and filling in many of the gaps he discovered in news coverage. Many of these cases are from close to three decades ago, when reporting was less thorough and not as easily accessed. As Green stresses throughout, it was also a time when ‘gay crimes’ were seen as more ‘unfortunate events’ than being on par with those of the heterosexual community.

While discussion of the crime scenes was great (who does not like to hear how the body was discovered in eight layers of bags?), it was the social commentary on gay rights and the HIV/AIDS situation in New York that had me quite intrigued. I wanted to see how things would progress and how little was done at a time when America (and much of the world) was still trying to come to terms with violence against some, while the authorities did nothing. Green effectively presents the struggles and issues with class, educating the reader throughout the book.

Green writes very effectively and efficiently, providing the reader what they need to understand how things fit together. There is some great social commentary on the legal acceptance of gay rights and how hate crimes were slow to catch up, all while HIV/AIDS became the face of the LGBTQ+ community. With chapters that vary from overviews of the situation to highly detailed, Green offers the reader what they need, told with a strong narrative that pushes the story along.

If I had to find a downside to the book, it would have to be the abrupt end to things. The last few chapters became more of a halting train than the smooth ride that the book presented beforehand. Once the killer’s identity became known, it was a rush through the legal process and the reader was left to sigh that this was not added to a pile of cold cases. Green’s great build up seemed almost trumped by that anti-climactic end.

Kudos, Mr. Green, for an interesting look into this series of crimes. I will have to see what else you’ve penned that may be of interest.

This is a different sort of true crime book. It really is about a community and the outright discrimination the LGBTQIA community faced from society and the criminal justice world. We don't get many answers about the motivation of the crimes, instead, we're left with just sadness.

This was a great read of what was going on in New York. Although things are not perfect, acceptance is much more commonplace. I did find it difficult to read. Not sure if it was the content or the style of writing.

Book summary

New York City, July 1992, in the Townhouse Bar. As the pianist plays, a hunter hunts. He's bland and forgettable...even people who know him hardly register his presence.

Preying upon gay men in New York in the 80s and 90s, the Last Call killer has all of the traits of the most known serial killers of the same era...yet his victims are nearly lost to the outrageous murder rates of the time, the AIDS epidemic, and the fact his victims were gay men.

Through interviews and newspaper accounts, Elon Green weaves this riveting True Crime tale of victims who were suppressed by the times and ultimately silenced by a monster.

So how was it?

Elon Green grabbed my attention right out of the gate. With every chapter, I felt like I made friends with the each man he told about; because of this, I grieved for each unique man taken too early by the Last Call killer. He masterfully paints the time and places, second only to the way he brings the victims back to life. I have serious respect for a true crime novel that spends the most page space on the victims and their lives before they become a victim; it brings home the tragedy of each death in a way that is lost when the killer is the focus.

The killer lurks in the background of Green's narrative. He is hiding in the shadows of the pages as the world is woven for the reader and is finally named in the last third of the book; only then is the story of the killer told. Perhaps it's because I had never heard of him, but I believe this is the first true crime novel I've read that has done this and I really like it. It's another way to remove the focus from the killer while still telling the story.

There are so many questions left with this killer that I doubt will ever be answered, but Green has given those taken by the Last Call killer a voice they otherwise would have lost.

Read-alikes: Maureen Callahan, Erik Larson, Steve Miller, Maureen Orth

Wow. I have come to life narrative non-fiction because of writers like Elon Green. This book was fantastic, moving, engrossing, sad as hell, and thought provoking. Having had two gay family members in the 1980’s, both of whom died due to AIDS, this book had a special spot in my heart from the beginning. Green captures the hell of being in the closet for a gay person. The way that society saw them as less than. “ Where queer-related crime was concerned, the tenth’s response tended to be, what did you do to deserve this?” That line struck a chord with me- and I thought about how women who are beaten, attacked, raped, and killed are often blamed instead of helped by our justice System and the media. The old what was she wearing...and I connected with that quote.
Green discuses the struggle on activists part to get the NYPD to take them seriously. The courts didn’t take the crime seriously either. A gay man who was attacked was told to go to court to face their attacker in mediation. A victim of a HATE crime was expected to sit in a room and talk it out with their attacker. Insane.
I could go on all day- I really could I made so many notes. The police investigation storyline is fascinating. There were times they found something out that I actually said out loud, “Wow!”
But I don’t want to make this too long. Elon Green did something deliberately that makes the book for me. He chose to introduce us in a deep way to each of the victims. Who were they before becoming a victims of this serial killer? And by doing this we learn not just about the victims- but about how extraordinarily hard it has always been to be a gay man in America. I loved the way Green wrote this book. Read it today! #arc #netgalley

This book is extremely well researched, with much attention to detail, and the writer does an excellent job not only of sharing the details of this case but also of bringing to light the era in which these murders took place.

Green really illuminates what life for homosexuals was like in the late '80s and early '90s, when many gay men were living closeted lives and feared being outed; fear of AIDS ushered in new levels of homophobia; and even policemen sometimes exhibited a lack of concern about such hate crimes. These heartbreaking details are hard to read, but they are truly enlightening.

Where the book ends up disappointing, sadly, is in illuminating us on the case itself. Given the amount of detail over even the smallest aspects (a complete history of every bar mentioned, even the ones mentioned in passing...the name and history of every policeman to find evidence over 4-5 different cases)...it's a surprise when the book ends rather abruptly, with a bit of an anticlimax once we actually find out who did this. We're still left to speculate on much in the end (no possible motivations?). As a result, the story itself is lost in all the details.
Pared down, I think this would have made for a fascinating extended article in a magazine or journal. As a book, it was just too long and drawn out.