Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers is former FBI agent Frank Figliuzzi’s second non fiction work, and an in depth dive into the prevalence of serial killers in long haul trucking. Though not an examination of any one individual, or any one case, the book covers the culture of trucking. That includes not only the drivers themselves, but the prostitution rampant at truck lots, and the kind of trafficking that leads to an unfortunately thriving industry. Truckers are primarily men alone for weeks at a time, isolated and often unaccounted for, and combined with vulnerable and often intoxicated women, this doesn’t lead to good things.

Of course, most truckers are not killers. Figliuzzi is careful to make sure to be clear on that point. Most truckers are merely people working a difficult job. However, there is a proven statistical prevalence in this field, and many have never been caught. Many victims are still left unidentified.

For anyone interested in what it’s really like to be a long haul trucker, this is a great book for understanding the lifestyle. The author rides with a trucker and observes everything he does for a whole week, and he tells the reader about it. Mike, the trucker in question, seems like a decent person. He has plans after life on the road, and he has never taken part in the sex trade aspect of the lifestyle. For the most part, he serves as a good counterbalance to the killers whose stories are peppered throughout the book.

With interviews on every side of the issue, including law enforcement, Figliuzzi’s is a nuanced take on a serious issue. Though he manages to cover a lot of information, he does take care to parse all of it. Sometimes, especially in the individual stories of victims who were able to escape, the reader is left with wanting more details. These are all people and they don’t always feel like much more than a piece of a puzzle.

That being said, this is an interesting read. This is a larger issue than likely most realize. Figliuzzi also provides enough names and information for someone curious to do further reading on the topic. For anyone looking for a true crime book that is a little different, and a good overview of this subject, pick it up. – Margaret Agnew

When I requested this book, I thought it was going to be a true crime book focused on the serial killings along truck routes, and the people who committed those acts. Instead I found it to be more of a cultural exploration of human trafficking involving trucking and the routes they use to not be caught (or discovered as well). It also dove into parts of the psychological aspect of it, trying to connect the industry and how it is used for human trafficking. It was an interesting read, but not what I had expected it to be from the description I was given.

This book explored three main topics: (the FBI's Highway Serial Killings Initiative, huma trafficking, and the lives and culture of truck drivers) in order to investigate why there are such high levels of crime surrounding long-haul trucking.

I think this book is mislabeled. Its title and description made me expect a true crime book focused on serial killings along truck routes, but that is the least-explored topic in the book. This is more of a cultural and psychological survey of both trucking and human trafficking, and why people become involved with either of the two, plus how the two are connected.

Overall, interesting, but not what I thought I was getting.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. Overall I thought this was well written but I would have to have had a bit more information about the killers.

The FBI created the Highway Serial Killers Initiative (HSK), a task force to investigate murders happening along our highways. The initiative created a list of 850 murders believed to be linked to long haul truckers which was the catalyst for this book and its research. While you think the book will discuss various unsolved and solved crimes, the author actually gives you a more societal glimpse of the culture of truck driving and human trafficking.

The books shines a light on the trucker lifestyle. The author spent a week riding along and learning the ins and outs of what it’s like to be a long haul trucker. Truckers are essential to our way of life and the author highlights the complexities of the job and reminds us of all manner of items being transported. The author wants us to admire and respect the skill it takes to haul and all the different ways items are hauled. We rely on these men and women to drive goods across the US every day. He explains the rules truckers have to follow and how the trucks works; what safety features are included. All of these insights are sandwiched between stories of highway killers and what is being done to investigate and stop these crimes. While only a few truckers are serial killers, it’s important to highlight these crimes and how few have been solved because of the ability to cross state lines so quickly.

The book also details how women become victims of these killers. He shares how some women have escaped being trafficked and how they’re helping women in similar situations. He writes respectfully of the sex workers and addicts he discusses in the book. He writes without judgement to allow the reader to understand why women in these situations don’t often find a way out or continue the cycle after receiving help. He really places the reader in these truck stops and envelopes the reader into life on the road for the trucker. He gives a clear picture from both sides. It’s truly an incredible look at truck stop culture and the resources available to women who need a way out.

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

This book is an attempt to study long haul truckers who are killers, Or, killers who get into long haul trucking as a way to kill without getting caught. The book and it's premise are very interesting.
But it's tough to stay with it, to keep on reading. That's because the author spends an inordinate amount of reading time and space discussing the business of trucking itself. I would recommend a serious edit.

I like true crime stories. That is what drew me to this book. Stop. I will warn you that if you are looking to read this book so that you can read a lot of stories about the numerous murd@rs that truck drivers have committed, you will be disappointed. This book does feature a few of the famous stories but the stories are short only lasting a few pages.

This book is more of an investigative piece. While, I would have liked to have read a bit more about some of the true crime stories, I also did appreciate hearing from some of the victims, the organizations that help to stop human trafficking, and Mike. Mike is a long-haul truck driver and who Frank rode with for a week to see what life on the road is like for truck drivers.

As my husband is a truck driver but works in the logging industry driving truck in the mountains, I appreciated the commitment more that truck drivers do. I did laugh when I Mike spoke about learning to drive in Colorado during winter. I live in Colorado and driving the wintery roads in the mountains is the norm for him.

"From the FBI's former assistant director, a shocking journey to the dark side of America's highways, revealing the FBI Highway Serial Killings Initiative's hunt for the long-haul truckers behind an astonishing 850 murders-and counting.

In 2004, the FBI was tipped off to a gruesome pattern of unsolved murders along American roadways. Today at least 850 homicides have been linked to a solitary breed of predators: long-haul truck drivers. They have been given names like the "Truck Stop Killer," who rigged a traveling torture chamber in the rear of his truck and is suspected to have killed fifty women, and "The Interstate Strangler," who once answered a phone call from his mother while killing one of his dozen victims. The crisis was such that the FBI opened a special unit, the Highway Serial Killings Initiative. In many cases, the victims - often at-risk women - are picked up at truck stops in one jurisdiction, sexually assaulted and murdered in another, and dumped along a highway in a third place. The transient nature of the offenders and multiple jurisdictions involved make these cases incredibly difficult to solve.

Based on his own on-the-ground research and drawing on his twenty-five-year career as an FBI special agent, Frank Figliuzzi investigates the most terrifying cases. He also rides in a big-rig with a long-haul trucker for thousands of miles, gaining an intimate understanding of the life and habits of drivers and their roadside culture. And he interviews the courageous trafficked victims of these crimes, and their inspiring efforts to now help others avoid similar fates.

Long Haul is a gripping exploration of a violent, disordered world hiding in plain sight, and the heroes racing to end the horror. It will forever unsettle how you travel on the road."

True Crime written by Frank Figliuzzi!?! Oh yes please, I need more from this zaddy in my life.

Long Haul was very well researched and was filled with information about serial killers that are long haul truckers but it also had some great information about the trucking industry. It wasn’t what I expected but at the same time I fully appreciate the information and thought that went into researching this book. It was a great read and I learned a great deal.

Thank you to the author and Mariner Books for an advanced reader copy. I learned a lot from this book and not just about murders…there was a lot of information about truckers and the trucking industry that I thought was very interesting. There was also a lot about trafficking since the majority of victims were sex workers that frequented truck stops. The writing was accessible and quick: 4.5⭐️

As a fan of Mr. Figliuzzi, I really wanted to read this book. As expected, it was very well written, detailed without being boring & very interesting. The book briefly covers several murders of sex workers which were perpetrated by truck drivers. It also delves into the backgrounds common to the women who are likely to become trafficked, drug addicted, abused & ultimately destroyed by a lifestyle which is extremely difficult to walk away from, without help. Another fascinating aspect of the book was the trucker's point of view, on everything from the technology involved in operating an eighteen wheeler, to the laws which govern all aspects of the vehicle's operation. The difficulties in managing to pick up & deliver the loads they are paid to transport, safely, profitably & on a timely basis, was eye-opening. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more of the backstory about how our goods get moved all over our country, as well as how well-meaning individuals are working to help those who get caught up in the quicksand of drug addiction & sex work.

Not what I expected slightly but that ended up being a very good thing. I thought it would just be another collection of a certain kind of killer but this is a well researched book that actually involved going out on the job with truckers and the people on the cases and gives you a good look into how the cogs in this system function.

Although this book is described as a book about serial killers that are truck drivers, it really is much more. I learned a lot about what it takes to be a long haul trucker and it is not an easy life. Different and unique book.

Not quite sure what I expected this to be but this wasn't it. A very difficult read but a sobering look into sex workers and truckers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher.

Absolutely fascinating, who knew trucking was so interesting???

The author, a former FBI Assistant Director, does a week long ride along with a 28 year old flat bed truck driver. He wants to experience the life of truckers so that he can better understand why the profession might attract or create serial killers. In between the ride along chapters, he details the culture of sex workers, specifically at truck stops - who they are, how they work, and how they ended up there. He gives some detail about specific truck stop murders, but this is not about individual cases. It's about understanding the connections between trucking, sex trafficking and serial killing.

I read this in a day. The trucking chapters had me hooked. I loved learning about different kinds of trucking, the regulations and schedules truckers follow, and the culture of the drivers. It gives both an interesting perspective of the psychology and sociology of trucking in general, and a good summary of the day to day grind of the job. The book also does a good job of portraying victims and sex workers as people who matter and are worth fighting for. It highlights organizations helping to bring women out of that life, shares stories of success, and gives hope.

If I was a trucker reading this book I would be so absorbed in it that I wouldn’t even want to stop for a piss.
The author integrates himself into the long haul trucker world as well as these trafficking world. Parts of this book should be required reading when testing for a CDL.

Easy to follow and looks at multiple aspects of the Long Haul Killers. From the social workers who work with trafficked women to truck drivers every angle is covered.

Very well written and researched. I would recommend this book to library patrons interested in true crime books. This book touches on topics including, long haul truckers, prostitution, sex trafficking, drug use, and serial murders.

Predators will always find access to prey - and marginalized populations who won't blip the radar are often targets. An interesting insight into the subculture of long haul trucking. A physically and mentally demanding job, with it's own rules and language - and trafficked populations to fill the void. Multiple views and interviews from drivers, analysts, and trafficking victims give a well rounded and deep insight into this life. And yes, miles of empty road with no one watching can provide opportunity of all kinds - and can attract all kinds.

I received a free copy of, Long Haul, by Frank Figliuzzi, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is not your average book about long haul truckers, this book is about the long haul truckers who kill, at least 850 homicides. This is a very interesting book about long haul truck drivers, victims, sex trafficking and more.