Behold the Monster is a book about a prolific serial killer and his victims both for which he was convicted fir and victims he is suspected of. I like the investigation side of the book. I do not like the fictional aspect of what the victims or friends may have thought in their last moments of death. I can handled documented accounts of crimes and what was done to a victim. I find it disrespectful and offensive to play out how it happened as if the author had a first hand account from the victim and doing it from their point of view. Although the of the crimes most likely happened in a fashion similar to what is described. There is no way the author could know how the victims felt or how they reacted to their impending death. Most of this I can only assume is the perspective from the killer himself through conversations with the author. But it should say that and explain it’s how the death and encounter was described from the perspective of the killer nit as if it was the actual mindset of the victim. It portrays most of the victims in a negative way. Where most of them addicted to drugs and engaging in prostitution? Yes but that makes them no less of a human being than anyone else and I feel the story should be told but not in the addict if this is what they thought, said or did m. But rather in the aspect I’d from the best of the known facts from friends, families or witnesses that last saw the victims and due to there injuries we believe that this occurred before death.

There is a lot to unpack here and I applaud the author fir enduring so much to try to find out about new victims. I can’t say I didn’t like the book and I do understand how much time and effort went into both interviews m, investigating leads and other things involved in prosecution if this heinous individual.

I just wish it had been recounted differently. But don’t let my personal feelings get in the way if reading the book. It had its merits and exposes crimes from one of the must prolific serial killer known to date. So if you can handle the darkness give it a try.

Jillian Lauren had no idea what she was getting into when she asked LAPD homicide detective Mitzi Roberts about the case she was most proud of. It was when she put Samuel Little, the now deceased serial killer, behind bars for killing 3 women in Los Angeles. In fact, Little had murdered approximately 90 women over 6 decades, but many were cold cases and Mitzi didn't have enough evidence (or jurisdiction) to prove it.
After doing more digging, Lauren was obsessed. Following months of exchanging letters with Little, Lauren finally got a face-to-face meeting. In the hundreds of hours of interviews that followed, Little confessed to dozens of murders for the first time.
Little gave Lauren a terrifying window into the psyche of a serial killer, and as she delved deeper, she realized she needed a way to survive these encounters. To balance out his evil, Lauren illuminated the lives of Little's victims, making sure they would be remembered as more than mere props in the drama of his life.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this e-arc.*

I could not finish this book. I tried and stuck it out for nearly 50%, but the recreations of the victims’ deaths was gross and disrespectful. I read a lot of true crime so I am, for better or worse, pretty desensitized. This was still no good and I do not recommend it at all.

I initially had a hard time getting into this book, even though I enjoy true crime. Almost immediately I felt that this book was a perfect example of an author trying too hard to do too much. The author tells the story in three main parts - firsthand accounts of her interviews with Sam Little and other individuals connected to the case, detailed explanations of the investigative and court process, and fictionalized narratives of the victims. While I think this can be an effective way to tell a story, it felt fragmented for most of this book. It almost felt like reading three separate books that were randomly put together. Once I got used to the writing styles, I was able to shift from one chapter to another with more ease and enjoyed the book overall.

In my opinion, the best part of this book was the first person accounts. The author really shines when sharing about her own experiences with Little and other individuals, including family members of the victims and federal and state investigators. Lauren somehow manages to come across as both relatable but also aspirational and shares both her own levity and horror as she first met and then continued an association with Sam Little. I laughed out loud when her underwire bra set off the metal detector at the prison, and I cringed at the disgusting comments Little made to her. It was through these portions that I really felt her commitment to telling the victims’ stories and finding justice - not just for the story itself, but to tell the stories of women who have been silenced both through an unjust system and a psychotic killer for decades.

Then there were the fictionalized accounts of the victims interspersed with creative retellings of Little’s life. These were sad at best and cringey at worst. I do think that these chapters shed light to the reader that these women were not only a victim of a serial killer but also of a systemic biased legal system that considered some individuals (read: Black addicts and/or prostitutes) less worthy of justice. However, I wish these chapters had been written more artfully - they included a lot of specific details that grated on my nerves because there was no way they could be confirmed. Additionally, they were quite graphic - which is to be expected in this genre, but the way in which it was written felt very sensationalized and fake.

Finally, my least favorite parts of the book were the chapters focusing on the investigations and trials. These jumped around from 2014 to 2022 and all over the place in between. It was really difficult for me to keep track of what happened at what point. While the timeline felt vague and messy, some of the details were way too involved. For instance, when detailing how DNA sampling has changed cold case investigation, Lauren goes as far as to explain how DNA was discovered in the first place. She mentions all sorts of databases and technical jargon that could have been omitted for a more seamless reading experience.

As I mentioned earlier, once I got used to the changes in writing style, I was able to enjoy the book more. The story itself is chilling and compelling, and kudos to the author for working so hard to give voices to these victims. Unfortunately, the book as a whole missed the mark for me.

Sam Little is one of the worst serial killers ever but I knew nothing about him until Behold the Monster, and he is a monster indeed. This was well written and interesting, but difficult to read.

I read a lot of true crime, but I couldn’t continue on with this book. This one was very difficult to read. I couldn’t stomach the fictionalization of how Sam Little’s victims died and their final moments. The author admits to doing this and provides an explanation, but even still, it didn’t sit right with me at all. DNF

I have to admit that I found this book disturbing and hard to read. Mostly because I could not imagine sitting across the table from someone who killed at least 93 women, maybe more. It just chilled me to the bone.....but I couldn't stop reading.

Jillian Lauren skillfully paints a picture of the time she spent as the "best friend" of serial killer Samuel Little. Their relationship started with a letter and blossomed into recorded phone calls, prison visits, a docuseries, and a strange almost-friendship. Lauren wanted to know how many women he killed and to give those women a voice. And Samuel wanted to talk. And....talk, he did.

Yikes. Kudos to Jillian Lauren for bringing many of these women's deaths to light from out of cold case files. And for her dedication to research and interviews with Samuel before his death from Covid in 2020. She tells a graphic and disturbing tale....but tells it well.

This book is disturbingly real and frightening, but I read every last word. The story is also told in the television series "Confronting a Serial Killer." I haven't watched it yet, but since I read the book I will definitely watch the series.

I'm up for whatever Jillian Lauren chooses to investigate and write about next!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Sourcebooks. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I want to start this review by saying I was not able to finish this book. I’m a true crime reader. But this book was very hard to read. I felt very uneasy with the dramatization and almost romanticization of the awful things that happened to the victims. Writing in their POVs was not a very sensible choice, and it really made it impossible for me to finish the book.

A killer who knew how to get away — until he didn’t. Until he felt the need to relive the glorious never-ending kills by sharing details, true and false, to two police detectives and a journalist. Each of whom will likely have nightmares until they die. The exact number of kills are unknown, but given the storytelling could be either a greater or lesser number than those named. The book itself is a mix of relevant and irrelevant facts but describes well his predilection for the hunt and the disregard for social mores beyond his desire to achieve his momentary goals. This is not a man who escaped police. He was caught frequently committing a number of crimes, including murder. Instead, this is somewhat of a primer on how to escape serious legal consequences by choosing disposable victims.. Disposable by him, disposed too by a society which couldn’t care less. Disposed by police and DAs who perceived his victims as something less than human. The book is a complex mix of autobiography, biography of a killer, and a novelization of the experiences of his victims. It is as much an indictment of what society treats as important as it is in the injustice of justice. Justice denied simply cost many more people their lives. Although police condemned those victims with the dubious acronym, NHI, no human involved. It truncated serious efforts to stop him sooner in his murderous career. Luckily not every officer felt the same.

This was really fascinating. informative, and horrifying. Obviously, from the cover and title alone, I was expecting a nightmare but I really didn't know much about this man before reading this. While I also find true crime interesting, I do worry sometimes about the cultural fanaticism around the genre, and I was hoping this would do more than sensationalize him. Lauren pulled through! There were a few things I didn't love (the sort of dramatizing of the victim's experiences) but I figure the intent behind it was to give more attention to these women's perspectives. All in all, very good! I'm glad I took a chance on this.

Interesting, but a bit dry. Informative, but not intense or exciting. I would still recommend to true crime readers. I expected this to be a fantastic read.

I’m a huge true crime fan and looked forward to reading this story. I have mixed feelings about how this story was presented and told. While not giving away too much because I like readers to form their own opinions. Especially when I’m of mixed opinion. Give it a read if you love true crime and tell wha you think.

This was definitely an interesting book. I’ve previously read books about other serial killers like Ted Bundy, Charles Manson and others, but this one caught my attention because I remember when he was arrested and the news coverage.
The book is written in different timelines and perspectives. The victims perspectives are based on family testimony and what they were going thru at the time. From Samuel, different timelines from the past and the present telling his story. Also told from the author and the different law enforcement agents and investigators involved.
The book is very well written and provides a map of the United States pointing out where all the victims were murdered and located as well as other information that backs up the story. The author did an amazing job telling us the story of who Little was how he became this monster and giving the victims the respect and voice that they never had.
Overall, I found this to be an interesting read and different from other true crime books. I enjoyed learning more about Little, how he was caught and the forensics behind it, which I liked how the author broke down everything down for those not familiar with the different databases involved in law enforcement. I definitely recommend this book for those fans of true crime.

This book was so perfect for my little True crime loving heart! I absolutely loved that chapters from the victims' POVs were interwoven with the interview segments. It breathed life into the women, who are usually glossed over as names and pictures.

I loved this novel so much! I would absolutely recommend it for every True Crime fan!

Jillian Lauren is a force to be reckoned with. I don’t know any woman who would willingly sit with a known serial killer days on end and become his emergency contact. But she did that with Samuel Little who has killed between 60-90 people (depending on who you ask). She wrote an in-depth book covering their conversations, his crimes and attempting to analyze his behavior. It’s truly fascinating and brings something fresh to the true crime literary boom.

I like her openness and her confidence to not back down from the task at hand. Most women would have backed off when a Texas ranger told her to let the law do their job, but she was determined to be present and get as much information from Little that could also be shared with law enforcement. The chapters and flow seem disjointed because they’re not in chronological order. I had a difficult time keeping facts and names together because of the time jumping. I think this took a lot away from pieces that could have been more impactful to the reader. She adds quite a bit of her personal life into the book. While it helped put her view point more into perspective, her role in assisting with the crime solving, and how she was able to form a relationship with Little, a lot of it was completely unnecessary. Yes, I see that her life was consumed by the facets of the case, but I don’t need to read how she asked people at the Grammys about sadism. Her conversations with Little were fascinating to read, more interesting than the chapters surrounding his crimes. His thought process behind his actions and her pointed questions pulled more out of him. She also turns situations back around on him to put things into perspective for him.

I’m not a fan of the author’s writing as the victim, attempting to write something from their perspective as the crime is unfolding. It’s understood that the author received information about the victims from their family, friends and Little to build these perspectives, I just appreciate a more direct line of information rather than something created to resemble what could have happened. When she writes from Little’s perspective there are a lot of derogatory words used to describe the victims. Again, it’s supposedly from Little’s POV but I don’t think it would have taken away from the narration to not use those words or at least include an aside that she doesn’t agree with the use of categorizing women this way. She’s already writing about her personal life, her acknowledgement of these words wouldn’t have taken away from what she was describing.

I liked that the author goes behind the scenes giving the reader information on DNA profiling, Codis, the brain science behind criminal deviance. It provides a much fuller picture of Sam Little and his actions while highlighting the time and care put into the book. The strongest parts of the book are her interactions with Little, the court cases and her own involved in helping to solve some of the murders. This is definitely the definitive book on Samuel Little because of the all the facets she put into the book and because of her personal relationship with him.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The turns out to more of Sam Little’s memoir written by a highly prestigious investigator. In my past history I watched a number of true crime investigations surrounding this criminal/ murderer. The book shares the same similarities as the other investigations. The book shows the readers that the writer definitely came prepared with facts and research.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Special thanks to SOURCEBOOKS and NetGalley for the ARC of thus book.

I really love to read about serial killers, but unfortunately this one wasn't for me.. the c author seemed to put in a lot of work and I have to give her credit for that. I think the strong part of this book was thar author Jillian Lauren spent time with Sam Little, labeled the world's most prolific serial killer and bravo for it leading into solving more crimes.

Anyhow, I'm torn, although the book was touted to center on the victims and I don't believe that's true. More was focused on Little and I'm still not sure how she gave voice to the women who have passed bc of this killer and I think it's assumptions that may do harm to families and friends of the victims and their last minutes

3 stars!

Behold The Monster, by Jillian Lauren

Short Take: The real monster here is the author.

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

Guys, this is where I’d normally put some kind of fun intro about what’s going on in my life, but at the moment, I’m too disgusted and dispirited, so I’m going to go ahead and just talk about this book.

In writing Behold The Monster, Ms. Lauren had many interviews and nearly unprecedented access to Sam Little, possibly the most prolific serial killer in American history. She was able to form a connection to him (however uneasy) and provide the police with leads on unsolved murders Little may have committed. She also learned a lot about Little himself, his difficult childhood and relationships.

Now, before I go any further… I love true crime. I’m equally fascinated by the psychology of the criminal, and the way the authorities unravel the puzzle and capture them. But I’m also aware that writers (or tv producers or whoever) need to walk a fine line. On one hand, they want to expose the Shocking Details that will make good content and draw eyeballs. On the other hand, they need to be respectful of the victims and their families, and to not glamorize the criminals who care so little for human life.

For whatever reason, Ms. Lauren had no such moral dilemma. She chose to tell Little’s story in a variety of ways - she jumps between the factual (interviews with a Texas Ranger, for example, or Little’s criminal record) and her own bizarre flights of fantasy, and it’s the latter that is the real horror show here.

The author describes several of Little’s murders from the point of view of the victims. She lingers lovingly on the details of their tragic lives of prostitution and addiction, and goes into graphic detail of their last moments as they struggle and die. Which, I mean, everyone who hears about these crimes spends a shuddering moment imagining what it was like, but these are REAL PEOPLE. They have families and friends and in some cases children. There’s no respect for them at all here, just pure exploitation. No mention of the impact of a tragic death, just how turned on Little was by the act.

She does the same thing with the sexual abuse and incest that Little suffered, writing those chapters with so much disgusting detail that they are like some bizarro Letters To Penthouse. An allusion to Little having a sexual relationship with his mother would be difficult, descriptions like this: “The loose, lazy folds of her skin, its clammy texture, the thick yellowing in the corners of her eyes…” are just ick.

I only lasted about 40% of this book before quitting, and I regret every page. What could have been interesting and insightful is really just a deep dive into someone’s disgusting fetish. Whether it’s the serial killer’s or the author’s, the result is the same.

This book gives trash a bad name, and I say that as someone who loves trashy books. The book is bad and the author is bad for writing it.

The Nerd’s Rating: ONE HAPPY NEURON (and I wish I could kill that neuron and destroy all memory of this book, it’s quite possibly the worst thing I’ve ever read.)

DNF at 42%. I typically enjoy true crime books but this was a major miss for me.

The writing style is not clear. The chapter are in not in a set order with me reading about a woman murdered, then the author speaking with someone, then accounts of Sam Little’s life outside of his crimes. There are entire chapters that I have no idea what’s going on or who the person is who the writing is focused on.

This book read more like a fiction than nonfiction. The whole thing is a narrative with emotions and tiny details that could never be confirmed. Honestly there were barely any “facts” here. Sure it’s very in depth about Little’s life and the life of women he murdered. But can we really prove how the victim felt in the moment or how the laughter at the bar sounded? It was very sensationalized writing than the dry straight to the point nonfiction I prefer.

Also, this book is very graphic. I didn’t get to the halfway mark but there are graphic descriptions. And not facts from autopsy reports but straight up retellings of very detailed abuse from the POV of victims (that again were never interviewed so we can’t take these as true). I’m not into reading this type of stuff and didn’t enjoy it or find any use from it.

This book may be for you if you enjoy a more narrative/ fiction style of nonfiction. If you like very detailed telling of true crime check this out. If you prefer books that are straight forward and super fact based with no author POV or embellishment, skip this one.

**3.5/5 Stars**

I go back and forth on how to rate Behold the Monster by Jillian Lauren. When I read the warning near the beginning, I was giddy with anticipation. Call me crazy, but I thoroughly enjoy--and watching--anything related to true crime. Particularly murders/serial killers. Now, if you were to come across me in person, that isn't something you'd expect by any means. But give me something on murders, and I get tunnel vision. I tune in, and nothing can distract me. Jillian Lauren, unquestionably, chilled me to the bone with her book. I knew a bit about Sam Little prior to reading Behold the Monster, but this book takes things to an entirely new level.

Holy smokes, Jillian Lauren's book is...well, chilling, like I already mentioned. I cannot say I enjoyed this one, but you don't have to ENJOY a book for it to be a good one. In fact, I'd be worried if anyone said they DID enjoy Behold the Monster. This book is not happy. It isn't one you tell your kids or parents to read. It's raw. It's real.