A Hunger to Kill: A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and the Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever
by Kim Mager; Lisa Pulitzer, narrated by Jennifer Blom

I remember when news of a horrible crime came out in September 2016. The news was terrible and it only go worse over the next months as more came out about the crimes of Shawn Grate. No doubt that not everything is known or will ever be known but he won't be committing any more crimes out of the confines of prison and even then, his clock is ticking.

Detective Kim Mager, an experienced specialist in sex offenses, was on the case almost immediately after a kidnapped woman was rescued from Grate. This book details Detective Mager's deep dive into the crimes of Grate since he was more willing to speak to her than anyone else. His desire for power over women was probably egged on by Detective Mager being a woman but she was up for the challenge.

Her conversations with Grate and the things she and others found out about his crimes makes for very chilling reading and listening. I was fortunate enough to have both the audiobook and the ebook so could follow along as I listened to the story, well narrated by Jennifer Blom. The ebook made it easy for me to look up names and locations of people I wanted to learn more about while reading/hearing the book.

Detective Mager had the background to handle this job, from her childhood being raised by strong parents to her marriage to a man who knew and understood her job. Even her son plays a part in this story, in a very interesting and helpful manner. There were times when danger was much too close, when Detective Mager didn't have the backup that should have been there for her, and when getting confessions may have clouded the minds of those interviewing Grate. Thank goodness this man was taken off the streets and at least some of his crimes are now known. There is no doubt in my mind that he would not have stopped what he was doing until someone stopped him.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC.

In September 2016, serial killer Shawn Grate was arrested after being caught holding a young woman against her will. Detective Kim Mager was assigned to interview Grate. Also known in the media as "The Lady Killer," Grate had been playing his lethal games with young women for some time. Experienced in sex offenses, Mager began interviewing Grate and found him opening up to her, presuming the reason he was so keen to speak to a woman was that he might be able to manipulate her as he had manipulated so many others. Grate intentionally began peppering interviews with clues and references to other victims. Over eight days, Detective Mager conducted interviews with Grate, putting herself in danger to help uncover five murders, multiple kidnappings, and a large number of sexual assaults on Ohio women. 

Written by Detective Mager and New York Times bestseller Lisa Pulitzer, A Hunger to Kill follows Mager from the arrest to Shawn Grate's eventual conviction, and all the personal and emotional experiences in between. The book is a definite for fans of Dateline or 20/20. The book is straight-forward and highly detailed.  The audiobook, performed by Jennifer Blom, feels like a fascinating true crime podcast.  A Hunger to Kill is a quick and fascinating read. 

A Hunger to Kill is available July 23, 2024.

This book is pretty much an abbreviated transcript of the conversations Mager had with Grate after he was arrested. Since I listened to this, I don't know if reading it would've been better, but the audio narration was read in a monotone voice, speaking grammatically incorrect, as average conversations usually are, with little or no affect, and made for a rough listen. Since this isn't a procedural story of how someone was caught, and was told from the perspective of a cop, it was an oddly flat read about a very heinous individual and his deplorable actions. I realize it's not meant to be a thrill ride like modern crime fiction, but it really needed more meat, so to speak.

First of all, I do not know how I never heard of these cases before. I am a Michigander, who is familiar with some of the locations mentioned. I have family that lives in the Canton area. I, myself, lived in North Carolina for years and made frequent trips driving to and from Michigan- and I am very familiar with Delaware and Marion. I have also read and watched material on plenty of serial killers- I was well versed in the Golden State Killer and Long Island Serial Killer long before either were identified. And I've watched/read a ton of information on all the other famous ones.

Anyway, this book was well rounded. You learned of the victims and the perpetrator. The interviews were written like you actually got to watch them. I also appreciate that it didn't go off on crazy wild tangents as some true crime does.

It could have used some additional editing. I swear a few sentences appear multiple times verbatim. At one point later on, I checked my phone to make sure I didn't accidentally set it backwards. A whole section was repeated.

Jennifer Blom narrates and does a good job for the most parts. There are some mispronunciations.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

In the meantime, I am off down a rabbit hole of research...

I read true crime but to be a voyeur but to understand what “makes them tick” — I want to dig into the psychology. I also want to hear about the investigation and all that was required to bring them to justice. That sorely lacked here or was lost in the authors voice .

For me, this was far far too much “memoor”. I didn’t want to read a memoir and didn’t enjoy the memoir aspect.

This is a chilling account of catching a killer and the police/detective interviews with him to uncover his crimes. I was immediately invested in this story and found it really interesting. You understand more about the detective and her upbringing and why she chose her line of work. This is a good listen.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this audio ARC.

It's scary to think these people are living among us and we have no clue. This is a gripping story that will make you want to cry and scream. It's horrible to think about what these women went through. Kim Mager did a fantastic job, both in the telling of the story and in getting the guy to talk. Jennifer Blom is perfect as the narrator. I can't say I enjoyed the book, because of the subject matter, but it did enthrall me. One of the better true crime books I've read.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan audio, Kim Mager and Lisa Pulitzer for the opportunity to listen to this book.

This book is written from the perspective of Detective Kim Mager and her interviews and time with serial killer Shawn Grate. The book makes you feel like you’re right there with Detective Mager- hearing the interviews firsthand. It is quite terrifying and makes you rethink trusting people. The book also shows aspects of how it was affecting Detective Mager, her family and the community. This book is a good case study on the mind of a serial killer - specifically, how their life experiences and genetics concerning mental development shape the person as they become adults. I listened to this book as an audiobook which also helped to bring the book to life more and feel like you were shadowing the Detective`s prospectives and I even started to feel her emotions myself. The narrator did a great job.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for this ALC. This is my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced reader's audiobook. This was a fascinating yet disturbing look into the life of Kim Mager, a detective from Ashland, Ohio, who worked with the team who helped capture and the get the confession of Shawn Gates, a horrible serial killer. Shawn was found after a poor woman who he kidnapped was able to get away from him for a second while he was passed out and she was able to use his cell phone to call 911 for help. He had her tied up in an abandoned house where he was repeatedly drugging and raping her. After his capture, Shawn Gates confessed to raping and killing multiple women with little to no remorse. It was amazing how the detective, Kim Mager, was able to use her skills and the whole force, to be able to get Gates to confess to all his horrendous deeds by speaking to him in such a calm manner. I don't know that I would have been able to stay in the same room with a person who spoke of doing such things. Praise that there was justice for all the women he hurt.

Well written, interesting and captivating. Great narration. I didn’t want to stop listening I was invested.