I'm from Ohio and I really wanted to like this but the writing was not there. There was a whole lot of religion and judgement and it just didn't work for me. Perhaps the ghost writer needed to step in more. There was a lot of repetition.

When Shawn Grate arrives to Ashland, Ohio, his murder rampage continues. But no one knew what he was doing until a Jane Doe calls 911 as she lies prisoner next to him as he is sleeping. Detective Kim Mager, a real-life detective, shares her interrogations with him as well as his later court appearances.
I thought this true crime was really interesting. I really like reading books about true events, and I hadn't heard of this case. I enjoyed learning about an event that happened in a small town in the Midwest where everyone knew each other. The serial killer was also very disturbing. My only problem with it was how it was told. The story dragged on as it wasn’t told in a story format, but more so a “this happened and then this happened” kind of way.
This was a special book because it's not often we read a book by a detective and get to experience an interrogation. The closest I've come to knowing what that is like in a little section of an ID show perhaps. We got to know her inner thoughts and what she does to gain the suspect’s trust.

“A Hunger to Kill” is a true crime book by Detective Kim Mager. Ms. Mager was one of the police officers who interviewed Shawn Grate, a serial killer, later dubbed “The Ladykiller.” I’d never heard of this serial killer before, but I’m a fan of true crime books. In some ways this book was very interesting - I find the behind the scenes look into what happened plus the police procedures very interesting. What I wasn’t as thrilled about was Ms. Mager’s dips into her own memoir; doing this often adds depth to a book and a person, but I found it took away quite often from the narrative. I wonder if Ms. Mager had done her memoir part separately - or as background material in one spot - it would’ve been stronger. Someone who did that well was Mr. Bugliosi in “Helter Skelter” - giving enough background to the reader in one section and then occasional glimpses of his work procedure throughout the book. Ms. Mager’s writing style was good - at times a bit dry (but sometimes police questioning is dry), but I found myself skimming some sections. I think if you know a bit about this case, a behind the scenes look will be interesting. I do think that Ms. Mager’s questioning/listening abilities are to be applauded.

I enjoyed this book. The writer was a modern day detective similar to Clarice on the fictional Hannibal. Sadly, it is about a disturbed serial killer. Interesting story though not one of the popular most people hear about.

A good true crime book is becoming harder and harder to find as most of them are all written about the same stories. This one is an exception though, I'd never heard of this case and appreciated the research and care that went into this book. Absolute would reccomend.

This is a hard one to review. I like a good true crime. It’s not that I enjoy the pain or suffering and horribleness of the stories. I enjoy the puzzle of it the psychological part of it. The look at how different we are all made and react to similar situations. So having said that, I really liked the unfolding of this story. This is the true story of a modern day serial killer and how he was caught. The events in this book narrated and told by lead detective Kim Mager. Again the story is horrific and just seems straight out of a tv show etc. However I did not like the writing. It seemed almost like someone reading a story or maybe testifying. It also had some tangents about certain people and just details and side notes that seems oddly place or too long. I hate giving it a less than stellar review because of the content and just the experience of this for the author was harrowing I’m sure. I can’t imagine the trauma that occurs police and those that have to show up and help in the worst of situations. Ultimately, if true crime is your thing go for this book when it comes out. Just don’t expect many frills.

A Hunger to Kill
by Kim Mager, Lisa Pulitzer
Pub Date: July 23, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Deeply personal and shocking, A Hunger to Kill takes readers behind the scenes of one of the most appalling criminal cases in American history from the woman who stopped his murderous rampage in collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Lisa Pulitzer.
While this story may be infamous in Ohio, it was the first time I'd heard of this case. As someone who has read numerous true crime accounts over the past year, I was intrigued to hear a book told from the perspective of an investigating detective, particularly focusing on the interviews that took place after the arrest. I thought it was interesting to see how the police went about collecting a confession, and what it takes to get a suspect to trust and open up to a detective.

The book is very detailed in its recounting of the crimes and investigation, It can be graphic in its descriptions, but I appreciated the respect and level of care the author had for the victims.
Overall, I thought this was an interesting and intense book. Worth a read for fans of true crime.

I liked the writing in this book about a fairly recent serial killer, Shawn Grate of Ohio. It’s impressive how Detective Mager was able to gain his confidence and get him to keep confessing to his many crimes. I wish she’d been able to continue with him to see if there were more.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. I thought the authors did a fantastic job of telling us about this serial killer and his victims.

This was a good book. Kim Mager is a detective in Ashland, Ohio. She specializes in abuse and sexual crimes. When a kidnapped woman calls 911 and the police find her locked in a house with a sleeping Shawn Grate. Mager is the detective who interrogates him. As she does, she unwraps a truly chilling thread of crime that wends its way through northeast Ohio and several decades.

Mager weaves her own story into the book also. While she is descriptive in what happened, it is not lurid. She goes into detail without being gory. Shawn Grate was an evil man who did evil things Kim Mager was able to close several unsolved murders because of her instincts and her determination to get to the bottom of what really happened over the years.

I would definitely say this is worth the time to read.

A hunger kills a true crime story that is about a serial killer named Shawn Grate. He was known as the “lady killer”. In 2016, he was arrested after holding a woman hostage. One of the authors, Detective Kim Maher, tells the story of how her skills as an investigator and communicator allowed to bring justice to the victims in this case.

I felt that it was an engaging read that did keep my attention from beginning to end. There was a bit of repetitive lines in the story and it did feel a little drawn out, but overall was a good read. If you’d like true crime books, I’m sure you’ll like this one.

Thank you to Netgallery for the ARC of this book!
This is a true crime story that follows serial killer Shawn Grate. I had never heard of him before, but Detective Mager does an amazing job at getting him to confess all of his crimes.
It starts with a lady calling 911 for help because she is locked in a bedroom. Once she is safe and he is brought in for the crime, it all spirals into confessions of Grate killing more women (a total of 5).
Mager does an amazing job at keeping her cool through hours of interviews with Grate, all while getting him to open up and share everything he has done.
I think she did a wonderful job at telling the story, and she has such compassion for the victims and trying to make sure justice is served. She does a great job at building trust and listening to everything he (and the victim) have to say. It can't be an easy job to listen to all of the things she was told, but congrats to her on getting the info out of him.
I give this read a solid 4.5 ⭐️

True crime is often hit-or-miss for me. Reflectively, I think it is because the individuals that can write the most compelling true crime are often not writers (and I am a stickler for quality writing :)). I realize that these stories are often paired with another writer (in this case, Lisa Pulitzer) but I still find that, most of the time, the story doesn't read as well. That said, this was a very well done. The story of Shawn Grate is horrifying and disgusting. Kim Mager, the Detective that spent 33 hours interviewing, tells her story (and his confessions) in a way that is compelling and emotional. Her distaste for his heinous crimes is palpable, but there is also an undertone of empathy (both in how she interacts with him and also how her Christianity affects her thoughts and opinions of him). I like how she shared what she learned from Shawn, but also speculates on what she might have missed. It's clear that she was/is a successful police officer because she conducts herself with both professionalism and kindness. Her ultimate duty is to her family, then to protecting others. 4.5 rounded up

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me this ARC. Truth be told, I never heard about this serial killer beforehand, however this book helped me learn quite a bit about him. I never found myself bored reading it, and found myself captivated by how it was written. This was a great storytelling of a true crime story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an e-reader ARC of this book.

This was a pretty solid true crime book, detailing the crimes and interviews with the author, officer Kim Mayer, of Shawn Grates.

Overall this was an interesting read, especially as this occurred less than 2 hours from where I lived, and I don’t remember hearing any of this while it was happening. There were some pacing issues: information included that I didn’t think was necessary to include, but the unraveling of Grates crimes through interviews was chilling. It gave you a little bit of insight to the thought process of this serial killer.

I gave this book 3.5 ⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: July 23, 2024
Kim Mager is a real-life SVU detective. Working in Ashland, Ohio, Mager has spent the last twenty plus years dealing with abuse victims and their abusers and has seen all the evil that humanity has to offer. Or she thought she had- until she met a man called Shawn Grate.
When a woman called 911 stating she had been kidnapped and held against her will, repeatedly attacked and raped, Mager was called in to interview her and hopefully obtain pertinent details about what happened to her, and by whom. Very quickly, Mager and her team were able to identify Shawn Grate as the abductor and, after eight days of using her masterful interview skills, Mager was able to uncover that Shawn had not only been responsible for the abduction of this victim, but there were many more that had not been lucky enough to escape.
Mager, along with Lisa Pulitzer, bring the scary details to life in “A Hunger to Kill: A Serial Killer, A Determined Detective and the Quest for a Confession that Changed a Small Town Forever”. The story starts from when the victim, identified as Jane Doe, calls 911, and the drama only escalates from there. Soon, Mager becomes the only person Grate will talk to, and he confesses to at least five more rapes and murders, although it is suspected he was responsible for many more.
This is the kind of true crime I like as, since it’s told from the police investigator’s perspective, I got a front row seat to the criminal interview and was able to learn about his crimes and his motivations first hand. The legal aspects were defined, of course, but only in terms of Grate’s legal consequences. The trial component of the novel did not drag on, and there was no stumbling over investigative procedures or legal jargon to lose yourself in.
As a mother, community member and one of the only women in the police force at this particular time, Mager has a unique perspective and writes with compassion, empathy and respect for the victims and their families. I thoroughly enjoyed “Hunger”, and I really hope that Mager becomes the next John Douglas and is able to bring more of her stories into the world, as I will devour them all.

In 2016, the small town of Ashland, Ohio, made headlines when serial killer Shawn Grate was arrested for the kidnapping of a young woman who miraculously escaped a fate that others before her had not. Interviewed extensively by Detective Kim Mager, Shawn Grate eventually confessed to additional crimes against women, including murder, kidnapping and sexual assault. “A Hunger to Kill” is this detective’s true account of what transpired in her interviews with one of Ohio’s most infamous serial killers that came to be known as “The Ladykiller.”

As a true-crime enthusiast, I was excited to delve between the pages of this book. And while certainly fascinating, the writing was a bit dry for my personal tastes. Instead of drawing me in, I felt like I was on the outside looking in. That said, I give props to Detective Kim Mager for her amazing interviewing skills and her ability to remain calm and steadfast in the face of true evil. What an incredible story she has to tell, even if it isn't told in the most eloquent of ways.

I've read quite a number of True Crime books before and I think this one was the most chilling. It was very well written. I had not of heard of the this Ohio serial killer before even though it is a relatively recent case. It is a chilling read and study into a psychopath's mind. Kudos to the female detective (Kim Mager) for her excellent interview techniques that helped put this abhorrent individual person away. I think I would like Ms. Mager were I to meet her. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

Part true crime account, part memoir, Det. Kim Mager's story of her interactions and interviews with serial killer Shawn Grate really keeps those pages turning! The book is thorough and well-written, and really puts the reader there in the interview room with Kim. We've all seen Dateline and whatnot, showing the detective in the tiny room trying to get a confession out of a suspect and in most cases (or at least my case) I'm fascinated by the interviewee, without giving a lot of thought as to what the interviewer is thinking and feeling. This book changes that. It's riveting!

This happened just shy of 3 hours away from me and I was completely clueless and knew nothing about this story. The courage that Jane Doe had in the beginning is amazing and I wouldn't even know what I would do in the situation, you would like to think it would be the same reaction but you just never know. I enjoyed hearing the story through Kim Mager's eyes and words, I do believe he would have harmed or attempted to harm her if he had the chance and I'm glad he didn't get the chance. I simply hope there aren't anymore victims attached to him and if there is I hope he eventually comes clean and gives more families closure over their missing loved ones.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.