I knew some about Samuel Little, but not all the detail in this book. The author had many meetings with the Samuel Little and had a lot of material to work with. I struggled with the story being told from the perspective of everyone involved. I felt like it was jumping around a lot. I have mixed feelings about the fictionalized versions of what the victims were thinking in their final moments. I appreciate the attempt to focus more on the victims than the killer. I

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Good book but way too long. It would have been just as good of a story if it was about 100 pages shorter. I’m sure the author felt everything in there needed to be said, but some parts felt repetitive. Interesting story though. Pretty amazing thing this author did.

Behold the Monster is a fascinating story of a serial killer. I never read books like this but the depth of this book is intriguing. There is a lot of information about how DNA testing began and has progressed through time. It also has quite a bit on how law enforcement goes about tracking and capturing a killer.
The book is true crime and written as somewhat of a narrative as Jillian Lauren writes to and befriends Sam Little in jail. Their talks are eye opening and lead to how he murdered so many woman. These woman are forgotten people ( mostly prostitutes) and Sam travels all over the country murdering them. The justice system failed over and over allowing Sam Little to continue his carnage.
This book is not for the faint of heart as it is very descriptive.

Behold the Monster is a true crime book written by Jillian Lauren. It tells the story of America's most prolific serial killer, Sam Little and his many victims. This book also looks into a bit of the psychology of what could have potentially made Little behave the way he did.

I appreciated learning about Little's childhood and upbringing, even though it was at times difficult to read. I also appreciated seeing the victims' stories through their eyes. But again, it was often difficult. What I disliked about the book was the way it seemed to jump from situation and perspective to another. It felt loose and unstructured to me at times. I also felt the author colored it with too much of her own perspective. I'd rather read my nonfiction without the author's added inflections. While I agree Same Little did horrible things, I don't believe anyone would disagree with that. The added commentary is subtle and seldom, but it still knocked me out of my nonfiction mode. It's difficult to describe unless you read nonfiction the same way I do. I just want the information to form my own opinions based on the facts.

With all of that said, I know many will truly enjoy this book! I feel I'm a minority with my criticisms. But I need to be true to my instincts when rating. Otherwise, what's the point in writing reviews? I give Behold the Monster three out of five stars.

I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ever wonder what it would be like to talk to a serial killer? Jillian Lauren knows. She spent years talking and investigating the United States most prolific serial killer, Sam Little.

Surprisingly I didn't know much about Sam Little when I started this book. I had heard the name but that's about it. So I was super excited when I saw this book! While I think Jillian did an amazing job at investigating and researching this book, it wasn't what I expected. I was wanting something a bit more.

Behold the Monster has a killer premise (no pun intended). The author became the world’s only journalist to extensively interview the U.S.’s most prolific serial killer, Samuel Little. She helped solve several cold cases by getting Little to speak about them. For this, she should be commended.

As to the actual writing of the book, the author took way too many fictionalized liberties. She imagined what his victim’s were thinking about when they were killed. She also imagined that some of them used detestable language about other human beings. It was understandable when she’s put herself into Little’s shoes, but she didn’t know what the women thought. It felt disrespectful when she decided they’d have negative opinions of one group or another.

The author also reduced herself to doing favors for Little, including letting him call her one of his girls. Their relationship was definitely odd. However, I wish she’d have written more about what she actually heard instead of musing over what the women might have said, thought, and gone through. I get that she wanted to humanize them, but still. It could have been done in a different way.

Since Behold the Monster is true crime and told from the viewpoint in a non-fictional way, I always find it somewhat difficult to rate a book like this since it’s literally the authors first hand experience. They can’t exactly change how an event unfolded.
I enjoyed the formatting and how all the information was laid out. I found it very informative and would recommend this book because I feel not many people know of Sam Little. In terms of notorious serial killers, he’s pretty much flown under the radar in comparison to others. I felt at first, it was a little hard to get into because it was so dense but once you go the hang of the writing style, it was smooth sailing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC (possibly re-edit?) of this book!

Fascinating and brutally-factual non-fiction work about serial killer Samuel Little. The writer sat with the man for years inside prison asking questions and listening to his recounting of every detail of every murder. I appreciated and found the author’s research about his childhood fascinating as well as background and information about sociopaths and serial killers. Every true crime person will like this book.

As a huge true crime fan, I’m surprised Sam Little isn’t talked about more. Jillian Lauren shares her experience interviewing Little and honoring his victims. As gruesome as his crimes were and was sometimes tough to read what he did, the book was very interesting.

Wow! I can't believe that I have never heard of Sam Little! He was a true monster, truly. How did he slip justice for so long??? It's so sad that b/c he chose to victimize prostitutes he got away with murder over and over again! This was truly a wild read, reading about what Jillian Lauren went through to help get the names and details of victims to help law enforcement convict him.

Behold the Monster is a chilling and thought-provoking true crime masterpiece that delves into the terrifying realm of Samuel Little, one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. With meticulous research and a compassionate narrative, Lauren skillfully navigates the disturbing and complex world of a man whose heinous acts sent shockwaves through society.

From the opening pages, the book grips readers with its unflinching portrayal of the crimes and the lives they forever altered. Lauren masterfully weaves together the haunting accounts of Samuel Little's victims, their families, and the tireless investigators determined to unmask the enigmatic killer. With a profound sense of empathy, the author ensures that the victims are not mere statistics but real people, humanizing their memories and emphasizing the tragic impact of their untimely deaths.

Overall, this is a haunting and compassionate true crime book that confronts the darkest aspects of human nature while celebrating the strength of those who refuse to be silenced. Jillian Lauren's powerful storytelling and dedication to honoring the victims make this book a must-read for anyone seeking to comprehend the depths of evil and the resilience of the human spirit.

This was a well researched well written true crime. Engrossing and Engaging. Though provoking, Creepy. All the good stuff you want from True Crime

Behold the Monster is the story of one woman's interviews with the most prolific serial killer in the modern era. Samuel Little isn't as well know as names like Gacy or Dahmer, but his murderous life is far worse. Jillian Lauren wrote this book based on interviews she conducted with Little, so you get a peek behind the curtain into her thoughts on what it is like to speak with someone like Little.

As a fan of true crime and a psychologist,  I find the life of killers to be a fascinating tale. Samuel Little fits the mold-horrible childhood, abuse, antisocial personality. While he initially denied the accusations, he eventually confessed to 93 murders while talking to Lauren, knowing the conversations were recorded. He picked women to prey on that were easier to overlook and difficult to determine a motive for-addicts, prostitutes, etc. He made sure to find out if they had people who would come looking for them. Little is very open with Lauren and you get a glimpse-a dark and twisted one-into the mind of a killer. However, you also have to remember that this is coming from the mind of a killer, so you can't trust everything he says. I think this is where the author could have done more in attempting to verify some of his claims.

This is not a light read and the entire thing is disturbing, but it is fascinating. I believe that studying people like Samuel Little is crucial in understanding how to keep people safe in the future. It is also an important study for those who want to understand the mind better. My only criticism of the book is that it does make the victims seem "less". Lauren's writing sometimes paints them as bad people, when the bad person is their killer. At times, the story feels more like fiction because things are based on inference and "imagining". I prefer my true crime to be factual all the time.

Behold the Monster by Jillian Lauren ⭐️⭐️💫

A big thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the ARC. Pub date is today! 🎉

This book lacked focus and was hard to get through as it felt like multiple books crammed into one. There was 1) the author’s relationship with Little, 2) the author’s personal story, 3) fictionalized recreations of the victims, and 4) thorough descriptions of court processes, investigative practices, and anyone who was involved even remotely.

The most successful portion was the author’s relationship with Little. If the book was edited to just include these bits with a little bit of added detail, it could have been really successful.

As for the recreations of the victims, I found many of them distasteful and judgmental. I could see that the author was trying to make the victims seem like real people, but offering fictionalized accounts in a true crime nonfiction novel made it hard to figure out where the fiction ended and nonfiction began. Also, I’m not sure why the author decided to use what I can only assume is Little’s POV in some of the descriptions.

Many of the details included in this read felt unnecessary and attributed to the book feeling disjointed. For example, when talking about how DNA had changed cold case files, the author walked readers back all the way to when DNA was discovered.

With some editing, this could have been enlightening and could have helped bring justice to the victims. The author clearly was passionate and had done the research; I just wish it was more organized and focused so I could have gotten more out of it.

Behold the Monster is the terrifying story about the most prolific serial killer in the US. Author Jillian Lauren conducted years of research and spent several hours interviewing the killer in California State Prison Los Angeles. Samuel Little had been convicted of three murders, and Lauren was convinced he was good for many more.
Lauren is a true crime expert and writer, and was the only journalist to extensively interview Little. She describes this book as a hybrid of memoir, journalism, true crime and audacious invention.
Little preyed on women, mainly prostitutes. He knew the police would not spend too much time trying to identify their murderers. He eventually confessed to ninety-three murders.
I have huge admiration for this author, who dedicated years of her life to ensuring Little was exposed for the murderer he was. I also loved that she gave these murdered girls a voice, telling their stories, and ensuring they didn’t simply disappear from memory. As bestselling author Michael Connelly says in his foreword to the book: “Under Lauren’s skillful and empathetic eye, they [the murdered women] become real to us…”
She spent hours with this despicable murderer who she describes as a liar, unreliable and terrifying. She never knew which version of him she would find when she visited him. She also interviewed/interacted with a few of his (rare) survivors, the policewoman who worked on cold cases and the Texas Ranger attached to the case.
I did find the book a little disjointed as it switched between different time periods and people. It was also a little repetitive — inevitable I guess as Little’s modus operandi was essentially the same each time.

What amazing book about this man named Sam? How she did different case studies where he killed these different women all over the country. And how she Told a story about each one of them and how they had a life. They had a lot of trouble, and this man prayed on people like this and she gave them a human voice. Another amazing thing about this book. How each chapter and a storage where they were murdered. How each chapter was told in that part of the country where this murder actually happened. The author also talked about how many people or serial killers do psychiatry from the past?. That was interesting because you could see how she minds were. Having problems with coping mechanisms and it stems from their childhood.. I never looked at serial killers through psychology but it does make sense. These women fart for their lives but sometimes they just didn't have a chance. The woman who survived were very brave to talk about what happened to him. His main lover named jane who he abused, but she still stayed with him. She also talked about his His car is and where he would go to pick up these women. The native american woman who was killed was a saddest for me because she was trying to get her life back together. Sam looked at these women. Like damage goods so he tried to make me feel pretty and important. You had a really easy way of doing this, and you could see this through the boo The author was pretty amazing how she kept doing this. Her research and she
What all over the country to do this? And how she kept pursuing this until the end. And kept pursuing this until la And



















that ta

This one lacked focus and needed a good editor, it could have been really good the story was very interesting but I ended up DNFing

Behold the Monster is one of the most unique true crime books I've ever read! The way it jumps back and forth in time, and from killer to victims to the intrepid writer digging deeper and deeper into the crimes, is dizzying, but mostly in a good way, a way that grips you tight and keeps you hanging on every word. It's a large book, and it needs to be to do all the things that it does.

I have rarely seen a book, or really any media content, that so accurately encapsulates this truth: that there is a world of difference between knowing the reason someone does something vile, and making an excuse for it. By lifting the veil on his past, Jillian Lauren shows us why Sam Little killed women, but leaves the blame squarely where it ought to be, on his shoulders. By opening up about her own past, she lets us see why she was uniquely qualified to play the player, to worm the details out of him that helped convict him of unsolved murders and give families closure.

Unlike a lot of true crime writing, Behold the Monster, despite its name, doesn't maintain a focus solely on the criminal, but introduces you to the victims and makes them real people you feel for. Sam Little, too, is rendered a real person by Lauren's deft storytelling, and that's important too for a different reason. We often talk about 'evil' as if it's only an abstract thing, but we need to be reminded that it's something every person is capable of.

This book is a big, tall, fast, twist roller-coaster ride of a read and I hung on every word! highly recommend.

A true crime novel on the infamous Samuel Little. Serial killer linked to over 90 murders. Author J. Lauren does a great job detailing her account of her personal interview with Little. Told vividly, she describes his mindset, thought processes, family history and his lack of remorse. Not to mention his thoughts for each fatal encounter and his insidious infatuation with necks.. A sick and sadistic monster, preying on those unsuspecting women.

As a true crime enthusiast, I had high hopes upon requesting this book. As it gives you the chills, frights, and gory details. However, it did not "flow" well for me. It seemed a bit "choppy" in certain parts and I had a little difficulty following and keeping up with certain facts dropped in different places. More particularly the facts on the criminal databases. I do, however, appreciate the different accounts from other detectives, and their encounters with Little. He slipped through the cracks for a VERY long time.

If you also get absorbed by true crime, I would recommend you pick this one up... soon!

It was a good read overall. I appreciate NetGalley, and Sourcebooks publishing for a complimentary advanced ready copy, in turn for my honest review.
3.5 stars

I can't believe I had never heard of Sam Little before reading this. Scary to find out that he killed 2 women in a town I lived 20 minutes from. I found this book very interesting but would have liked it more if the timeline would have been more in order. All in all I'd say it is a must read for all true crime fans.