Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for the free E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My Rating:
2.5 (Rounded down)
My Opinion:
When I requested the story , I thought it would be a true book following truck drivers and the FBI division who chases them, and being the daughter of a truck driver, I was interested. It was more about the cultural of truck drivers and the sex tracking surrounding drivers. I am very much a mood reader and I found myself not wanting to pick up the book. I did think the subject matter was well researched and had several different interviews within the book. I could see the angle the author was taking, having all of theses circumstances around truck drivers, so you can understand how many of them would become a killer.

If you're looking for an "inside the mind of a killer" true-crime book, Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers by Frank Figliuzzi is NOT the book for you. That's not a criticism. This is an interesting, well-reported book that avoids lurid exploitation.

Figliuzzi, a former assistant director of the FBI, gives an insider's view of the bureau's long-running investigation into these serial killers. Readers meet criminologists, advocates for trafficked women, and others involved in the effort. Figliuzzi also rides along with a long-haul trucker to get an up-close view of life on the road. Those sections of the book are especially engaging.

The author's viewpoint is occasionally out of step with the times (all the women are "ladies"), but that's not a deal-breaker. If you're interested in the ins-and-outs of an investigation, or you'd like to know what's really happening to stop human trafficking, this book fits the bill.

I received an early review copy from NetGalley.

An intriguing read that grips your attention. A very well crafted insight into the trucking industry and the crime opportunities it presents and the ways the FBI is combatting it.

This was really interesting book to read! I thought it gave some incredible insight in some of the worst crimes known to man. I did not realize that long haul truck drivers had been seriel killers. This was a great informative book and explored the ugly side of the american highways. There were a few cases discussed that made me feel sick and couldnt believe someone so evil existed.

More than just another true crime book, this is a thorough look at the phenomenon of long haul truckers as serial killers. I was particularly fascinated by the author's description of riding along with a trucker to get a deeper look into their unique lives and lifestyles.

While this book was interesting, it was not what I expected. I was expecting a book that focused on hunting serial killers. Instead I felt like this was a book that focused on what it is like to be a trucker, with a little serial killer talk tossed in. Again it was interesting, just not what I expected.

Interesting book about a fascinating true crime phenomenon. I liked how the author spent a bit of time really researching about trucking, and that made me think twice when I am on the road with them. I do think it’s crazy that I have never seen another book about this topic

The book's premise is about the task force that is looking for serial killers among the long haul truck drivers - given the preponderance of human trafficking at truck stops. The book follows the task force, truckers and a former prostitute. The book does go into a lot of detail of the life/work of a long-haul trucker -- I learned a lot on how tough it is to be a truck driver given time pressure, and tracking speed, drive time, etc. I wonder if the book took on too much -- I did enjoy learning more about truck drivers, but feel it lost the thread of the true crime part of the book. Still overall, a very interesting read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

I have read this author’s previous book the FBI way. His information is spot on and his anecdotes are factual and focused. The story always gives an example that is easily extrapolated to everyday use while also walking you to his point. His choice of sources were unique and original. Figliuzzi is also excellent at presenting his anecdotes in a way you almost step into the scene mentally. Having worked with military and law enforcement his briefings must have been amazing. I wish I could focus information like this. Figliuzzi gets into the minds of who he is researching. In this case long haul truckers with a taste for murder. How they have operated, their motives, how they got caught, and what has been done to stop these types of people from success in the future. Both sides of the story written in a succinct narrative.

Long Haul was a thrilling read. It was a well-told story of highway serial killers and it was presented well without being too overwhelming with facts

I wanted to like this more, but I hadn't bargained for a book that was largely about driving a truck. This was supposed to be about the hunt for serial killers among the nation's long-haul truckers, but there was little of that. More than anything, this was about driving a truck.

Some excerpts:

"In case you're wondering how many CDL holders barreling by you on the freeway flunked their mandatory drug tests..."

"Mike points out his dashboard to show me his special trucker's GPS..."

"How many overweight trucks are out there right now? Maybe one of them is that truck in front of or behind your own family's car."

'Mike enlightens me on the correlation between showers and earnings. 'If I hit four thousand in a week, I guarantee you I haven't showered. That's a tough week, a rare week. Also, I don't like paying for showers at these mom-and-pop truck stops when I know my company gets them for free at certain big-name stops.' Whenever I bring up showers, toilets, toothbrushing, Mike replies, 'We live like animals out here.'"

"Mike sees this as a teachable moment for the less experienced trucker."

"There was more to reefer trucking than simply steering a rolling refrigerator. That's because the driver became part of the ripening process. Dale received daily instructions to carefully adjust the temperature so his tomatoes--or whatever fruits or veggies he hauled--would appropriately ripen as they rambled across the country.."

This would all be fascinating if I were deeply interested in what it's like to be a trucker, but the truckers were supposed to be part of this story--at least, the murderous ones were--and they're practically the whole story and there's very little about the dangers to women along the I-40 corridor and way too much detail about day-to-day trucking.

There's also some information about human trafficking, prostitution and how that feeds victims to the serial killers, but the mention of actual killings and how law enforcement is working to track down the many killers the author says are out there committing these murders is almost an afterthought. He'll throw in mention of a killing and killer in a paragraph or two here or there. But this really isn't a true crime book.

While I very much enjoyed this, it was not at all what the cover would lead you to expect. This is not an investigation into crime, at all. It's really not until the epilogue that Figliuzzi tells you this is about his "quest to understand the cultures beneath the killings. The truckers and the trafficked...".
Although certain trucker serial killers are mentioned, what you will learn is everything you ever wanted (?) to know about trucking, and how the trafficked find themselves there, and occasionally find their way back out

This book is a solid 4 stars. It explores a very tough subject: serial killers who prey on sex workers along our highways and truck stops. The author says that he became aware of the FBI's Highway Serial killings (HSK) Initiative. The FBI has complied a list of 850 murders linked to long haul truckers, of which hundreds are unsolved. There may be more than 850 as some police departments don't know about the FBI VICAP(Violent Criminal Apprehension Program) database which allows the FBI to look for commonalities in murders.
A relevant quote: "Long haul truckers exist for days or weeks at a time in a world of their own. They speak their own language, eat at their own establishments, sleep in their own rigs. Part cowboy, part fighter pilot, part hermit, long haul truckers glide along the edge of a certain seam in our society--the seam that separates their reality from ours."
The author spent a week riding with a long haul truck driver. He learned their language, and came to understand the rewards and difficulties these drivers face. He interviewed many people who study this issue, including an Oklahoma State investigator who was the first to recognize a pattern of murders along interstate 40 and several people who are working to help sex workers try to get their lives back on track.
I read this book because I read a lot of murder mystery fiction. Some of the cases cited in this book have made national tv shows. One of them my wife watched on Dateline. I am retired now, but was a "border bear" to use a trucker term. I encountered thousands of truck drivers in my career.
Thank You Mariner Books for sending me this eBook through NetGalley.

Are you a fan of true crime? I am and I love to listen to true crime podcasts. Long Haul is a true crime story by former assistant FBI director Frank Figliuzzi. The FBI put together the Highway Serial Killer Initiative to hunt for those responsible for 850 homicides across the country that are linked to long haul trucking.

My thoughts on this non-fiction book:
• There is a great map at the beginning of the book that shows the victim locations. It visually shows what a real problem this is across the United States.

• The author interviews long haul truckers and does a ride along to get a sense of the road. I thought this was very interesting to learn more about long haul trucking in general.

• The book includes details on trafficking victims and survivors.

• The book also features how the FBI profiles serial killers.

• It also specifies the mentality of the victims as well as the predators.

• I learned that long haul trucking is the most likely occupation for serial killers, which I had never heard of before.

• The book focused mostly on the overall culture of long-haul trucking and trafficking with short summaries of true crimes that had occurred.

• Overall, there was a look at truck stop culture, the history of long hauling and how it included the sex trade. It even detailed very aggressive prostitutes and pimps trying to meet quota by banging on truck windows trying to engage truckers that were sleeping. Drugs are highly involved in this culture. It makes it an environment ripe for serial killers.

• Times have changed and trafficking and the sex trade has gotten higher tech and has moved away from truck stops to meet ups with truckers elsewhere.

• I learned a lot and I will never look at a truck stop the same way again.

• This was a short and easy read.

If you are looking for a true crime book to learn about long haul trucking and how it has been used by serial killers in the past and present, Long Haul is an interesting and unique read.

Thank You to NetGalley, Mariner Books, and Frank Figliuzzi for the advanced copy of this read!


I ended up giving this a 3 star read because I was disappointed that this book is not actually about Long Haul serial killers. While the subject of long haul serial killers was touched on, this books is well more about sex trafficking and long haul truckers in general.

The subject covered is well written and I was interested in the topics, but if I had known that the book was not actually going to go into depth about long haul serial killer cases, I would not have read this.

Three stars for me.

This book was perfect for any true crime addict. Well written and gripping, and told from several perspectives.

What a page-turner! Figliuzzi looks at long haul trucking serial murders from 3 persepctives: The victims, the killers, and the law enforcement and others who try to prevent the murders. I was fascinated!
I was especially interested in the everyday life of a truck driver, as Figliuzzi travels with "Mike" on some fairly frustrating trips. I'll bet most of us have no idea what their lives are like on the road. I was interested in the profile of a truck driver who is a loner and intends to kill. It is easy because of the interstate nature of the killing.
But for me the most interesting was the women themselves and how they end up knocking on a truck driver's window at a truck stop.. The role of drugs and instability of family life is heartbreaking. The people and organizations that try to help are well intended, but the problem seems so much larger than they can handle. It's all about structural poverty and misogyny.
Figliuzzi "talks the talk" of the drivers, too. It was fast paced and well written.

I will be thinking about this book for a long time. It was haunting, and addicting. This book was so well written. Highly highly recommend!

I'm a fan of the true crime genre, and typically prefer more in depth accounts from all the players involved, as for example the many books by Ann Rule. When I saw the title of this book I was intrigued. I was completely unaware, first of all by the scope of crimes perpetrated by truckers who are serial killers, their prey and the whole eco-system surrounding them. It was fascinating and disturbing. The author has made people aware with this book that there is reason to be concerned for a little talked about area. He talks with victims who are invisible, and one of the most vulnerable of society and how easy it is for justice to be swift. The book was enticing, and educational. I would highly recommend this book. Thank you for the opportunity Net Galley.

I liked this book!! I found it very informative! It’s a perfect true crime for the next true crime fanatic! I would definitely read it again