An interesting and thorough breakdown of the Shawn Grate case told by Detective Kim Mager. Mager illuminates the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication when obtaining confessions and information about Grate's life and crimes. Mager writes that as an investigator, "your survival is your ability to communicate", and she is able to utilize these skills under tremendous amounts of pressure. By "creating an environment, both physical and emotional, where a suspect feels comfortable", Mager was able to bring justice to five victims in this case. I appreciate her work and her ability to show that "being a girl should never stop you from reaching your goals."

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this ARC!

While I'm far from a true-crime connoisseur, I had an empty spot in my review schedule and was intrigued by this story of an Ohio serial killer of whom I'd previously been unaware.

"A Hunger to Kill" is written by former Ashland, Ohio police detective Kim Mager along with Lisa Pulitzer.

The story kicks off on September 13, 2016. Emergency dispatchers in the small town of Ashland, Ohio (population under 20,000) received a 911 call from a whispering, obviously terrified woman who was claiming to be kidnapped. Against remarkable odds, police were able to rescue the woman and capture her kidnapper, Shawn Grates. What first seemed like a horrific kidnapping and sexual assault quickly became even more as Ashland, Ohio became yet another city in America to experience their very own serial killer.

Detective Mager was tasked with interviewing Grate over a period of eight days. With a combination of police-like precision and small town hospitality, Mager gained Grate's trust and extracted recorded confessions for five murders, kidnapping, multiple sexual assaults and more. Grate is currently on death row in Ohio with a current execution date of March 19, 2025.

While I'm not a connoisseur of true-crime writing, I was captivated by Mager's storytelling with a combination of matter-of-factness and quiet humanity. While we certainly get a strong focus on Grate himself, Mager makes sure we also get to know the women that Grate killed and their stories.

True crime writing is, of course, naturally dramatic. However, Mager really humanizes this story by allowing us to get to know her, her professional peers, the victims, and all that she learned about Grate along the way.

Mager powerfully captures the twisted and depraved mind of a killer, his interviews revealing a dark logic for his actions and a sort of exploitative sense of remorse. Mager, rather remarkably, captures the charm he was able to use to gain the trust of his victims and also how the littlest thing could alter the course of their interactions.

Similarly, Mager powerfully portrays the lives of these women. In most cases, they had a very specific vulnerability and Grate simply was able to exploit them. Yes, some of them had troubling backgrounds but Mager captures their humanity and reminds us very vividly that there isn't a poor choice that justifies Grate's actions.

Along the way, Mager also captures the challenges of small town police work and the frightening times she was actually in danger while interviewing him. This became especially true once he truly latched on to her and began making request after request to speak to her.

As is always a reality in true crime writing, "A Hunger to Kill" has its share of violence and graphic descriptions of sexual assault, violence, and murder. Remarkable in its detail of both top-notch police work and in capturing the very foundations of one man's hunger to kill, "A Hunger to Kill" is deeply personal, absolutely heartbreaking, and unforgettable.

I received a free ARC, and this review is voluntary

The synopsis describes the story well. In-between discussions of the case, and subsequent interrogations, we also find a story about the area of Ashland itself. The author does a great job at focusing on the community, and the impact this situation had.

The book was highly impressive. In terms of intelligence gathering, the author showed a masterclass through the interrogations. The random tidbits about Ashland were also welcomed. Overall, a suspenseful, and amazing addition to true crime category.

WOW! this book is so good.

IF the author wants to get away from police work, she has a second career as a writer.

With a great blend of speed and restraint the author takes the reader on the way in which she connected with the serial killer Shawn Grate. She was the lead detective handling a sexual assault and kidnapping that would turn into so much more.

The author is the detective and with determination she pulls the reader along as she feigns a partnership with the serial killer. She is honest, she is patient, yet she needs information.

Due to her interrogation skills, the serial killer eventually confesses to at least 5 murders of women around the area.

The book winds its way from the 911 call, to the interview, to the jail, to places in which the bodies would be found, to the trial.

I could not put down this book. This is a great add to the true crime genre.

Ok this gave me goosebumps! What a captivating read. So much I did not know. I was addicted the moment I picked this book up! A strong recommended book for those seeking more information!

Synopsis (From Netgalley, the provider of the book to review)
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In this fascinating & profoundly chilling account, Detective Kim Mager, a real-life version of Clarice Starling, reveals how she closed in on―and broke―one of Ohio’s most infamous serial killers.

On September 13, 2016, in the small town of Ashland, Ohio, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from a terrified woman who claimed to be kidnapped. The man holding her hostage was Shawn Grate, a serial killer whom the press later dubbed “The Lady Killer.” A key to his conviction and death sentence were Grate’s extensive recorded confessions―all extracted by one Detective Kim Mager.
As an experienced specialist in sex offences, Detective Mager was assigned to Grate’s case upon his arrest. Grate immediately latched onto her, refusing to speak to any other law enforcement officers, convinced that he could somehow exercise his power over her in much the same way that he’d overpowered and controlled his female victims.

He was wrong.

Over a period of eight days, Mager conducted one interview after another, risking her life by sitting alone in the interview room with a malevolent predator. Using brilliant psychological strategy in a lethal game of wits, Mager successfully elicited his damning confessions to five murders, kidnappings, and multiple sexual assaults of women across Ohio.

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.

Oooooooh what a book --- I want and can see a Netflix series based on this. Mager is a rockstar of a cop – tenacious and determined and we can thank her for catching this animal and him being put in a cage…he deserves some painful euthanasia. Well written, it will appeal to individual readers and book clubs alike with its subject as it is just a fascinating book. Highly recommended. #shortbutsweetreviews

BTW LinkedIn continues to refuse to link (ironic) ... but posted there as well