This one was a really interesting case but it was a bit tough to follow. It felt like it jumped around so much and was kind of all over the place !

This book is jam packed with information. If you want to know more about the “Candy Man” killer look no further. As for the flow it was a bit disjointed due to victims’ stories being sprinkled in along with Sharron Derricks attempts to identify all the bodies. Being pulled in and out of the story was a bit hard, but I loved learning all the different ways Sharron and others worked so hard to get the Lost Boy’s home.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Meticulously detailed and researched, while still having a compelling (if appropriately difficult to read at times) narrative, this one strikes a good balance.

The Scientist and the Serial Killer is a must read for fans of true crime. Admittedly, I had never heard of the Candy Man and the lost boys of Houston, but Lise Olsen does a masterful job of portraying the victims while telling the dark, gritty story. Are parts of this book disturbing? Absolutely, given the subject matter, but it's also meticulously researched and sent me down the Google rabbit hole more than once.

This was a chilling yet important true crime book that goes beyond just recounting the horrors of Dean Corll’s crimes—it also highlights the failures of law enforcement, the resilience of forensic science, and the fight to restore dignity to the victims.

What stands out is how deeply immersive the book was, bringing both the victims and their families to life instead of solely focusing on the killer. Too often, true crime narratives become killer-centric, but this one appears to center the victims and the forensic work that helped identify them decades later.

The fact that the Houston Police ignored the disappearances, dismissing these boys as runaways, adds another layer of frustration and tragedy. It’s infuriating how often marginalized victims are overlooked by the justice system—and this case feels like a haunting reminder of that.

Sharon Derrick’s forensic work sounds fascinating and crucial—it’s incredible that a simple box labeled “1973 Murders” led to such groundbreaking identification efforts years later. Science, persistence, and investigative journalism collide in a way that seems both gripping and heartbreaking.

Forensic anthropologist Sharon Derrick discovered a box of remains marked “1973 Murders” in the Harris County Medical Examiner’s office. She remembered the horrifying crimes of Dean Corll (AKA “The Candy Man”) from her childhood. She knew she had to try to identify the remains, and this became an obsession that lasted her entire career.

If you are someone who listens, watches, and reads about true crime you need to read this book. For me it was the forensic anthropology aspect of the story that caught my interest, well and a Texas case. I took a forensic anthropology class in college (with Dr. Gill-King at UNT!), and it was the hardest class I ever took, and probably the class I learned the most in.

Thank you, Random House, and NetGalley for this very interesting ARC. #TheScientistandtheSerialKiller #NetGalley

This is a true crime story of The Lost Boys case in Houston Texas in the mid 1970s. This starts off with a band, great story. The scientist is Dr Sharon Derrick, the serial killer is Dean Corll. Some parts are very disturbing as they should be in dealing with the subject matter. There is some repetition but the overall impact is strong. If you enjoy true crime, don't skip this one.

The Scientist and the Serial Killer tells the story of serial killer Dean Corll's victims, and the dedicated forensic anthropologist who committed herself to identifying the unidentified remains of some of his victims. For years, the victims of this killer have been largely ignored, but the author did an amazing job of bringing them to life, and telling the stories of these boys, and the people who loved them. She also did a great job showing how Sharron Derrick worked tirelessly to identify some of these boys, who had gone unidentified since the 70's. This book was a perfect balance of compassionate, victim focused story telling, and scientific information. This book is also a very thorough exploration of the crimes of Dean Corll, and the loose ends that were never investigated in this case, while never focusing the book on the killer. Highly recommend.

Thank you @randomhouse for the free copy of this eARC.

I do like reading about true crime and especially ones like this where it’s long past due for being solved. This book I learned about a absolutely atrocious human being Dean Corll, nicknamed “Candy Man” who literally worked at a candy store (terrifying) and ended up murdering 27+ young boys in the Houston area in the early 70s. This book was written in a very informational heavy way with the timelines jumping around a bit. The details to how Candy Man lured these poor kids in and killed them is absolutely disgusting and disturbing. He ultimately met his untimely death by the hands of a teen he was hanging out with and then the hunt was on to find all of the missing identities from the body parts that were discovered later. I am thankful for people that don’t give up and dig for answers like the scientist in this book. These poor kids deserve to be named and returned to their families. Thank you Lise for bringing this story of redemption to light!

4.5 STARS. Engrossing, evocative, and weighty, THE SCIENTIST AND THE SERIAL KILLER is a book that needed writing, and Lise Olsen pulls no punches and delivers.

“When you wake in the morning, the naughtiness and evil passions with which you went to bed have been folded up small.” – from Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up by J.M. Barrie

At one point, the author compares the world of serial killer Dean Corll to J.M. Barrie’s 1911 Neverland (not the Disneyfied version), and it feels disturbingly apropos. As the author says in her opening Author’s Note, her account in THE SCIENTIST AND THE SERIAL KILLER is “a deeply troubling tale that remains relevant and resonates through time.”

Olsen does an excellent job of setting the atmosphere for the scenes, whether it’s one set in Corll’s world or one set decades later in Dr. Derrick’s. In both worlds, there is a battle between the cooperative and the uncooperative. Readers will be angered by the inaction of the Houston Police Department despite a clear pattern of boys from the Heights neighborhood disappearing and their families begging for help. In their time, the missing boys are considered by the police to be hippies or homosexuals or poor or dysfunctional, labeled as runaways, and forgotten. In her time, Dr. Derrick faces sexism and as a women, is discounted. It is disheartening that these same prejudices persist, and families desperate for answers get only despair.

On the other hand, the advances in forensic technology over the years are amazing – triumphant, really -- and Olsen's explanations make for fascinating reading. Just the changes in FACES (Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services) in the fifteen years after its launch are mind-blowing and now allow for highly accurate facial reconstructions that ultimately helped Dr. Derrick identify some of the unknown victims. Her commitment to The Lost Boys and to science gives the dead some measure of justice and their families some measure of peace.

THE SCIENTIST AND THE SERIAL KILLER is organized into six parts, and readers are given a lot of information to process. At times, Olsen writes long sentences and repetitive passages, and we can feel the urgency with which she wants to share this story; she’s deeply invested, and by book’s end, so are we. Though the book understandably jumps back and forth through time, Olsen provides a number of tools to help see the big picture.

One of these tools is "Sharon Derrick’s 2023 Case List," which lists the victims by year, in the order their deaths occurred. The inclusion of a maps and diagrams helps readers visualize events. A particularly powerful element of THE SCIENTIST AND THE SERIAL KILLER is that as each Lost Boy is identified, there’s a portrait of the victim and a summary of his case. I choked up with emotion every time by not only the thought of a life lost in such a violent way, but also because at last, he was identified. Photographs are also sprinkled throughout the book and though some are macabre, the photos are never gratuitous. Even a photograph of a message written on a notepad in 1972 is included, all pointing to Olsen’s meticulous research and reliance on primary sources. The extensive "Notes" and "Selected Bibliography" give readers even further insight into the murder cases and the scientists who solved them.

I read an early ARC from NetGalley last year and was able to compare it to a more recent version. Though some typos were still present, additional editing has clearly taken place and eliminated many of the errors and repetitive paragraphs that I initially noticed. I trust the final version, available for purchase on April 1, 2025, will be clean -- and I highly recommend getting a copy. I may get the audiobook since I’m already familiar with the story.

By the conclusion of THE SCIENTIST AND THE SERIAL KILLER, the bodies of thirty young men are found and nearly all of them identified, thanks to the commitment of one scientist, who felt compelled to seek justice for Houston's Lost Boys. And thanks to the commitment of investigative journalist Lise Olsen, their stories are no longer buried in the past.

I hate having to rate this only because it's a nonfiction true crime based on actual events.
You can tell this is so well researched and studied by the author. They really know their shit when it comes to this horrible serial killer and his victims.
I just wish it were rearranged differently because we skip around a bit chronologically so I got a bit confused at times when we skipped back to a past timeline and then back forward to after certain things happened.
Obviously one can search up and read about this case but it's cool to see it sorta brought forward in this authors writing.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

This is a great read for any true crime fan. While difficult at times because this is non-fiction, this is an interesting read about the Houston Lost Boys. The author does a great job of grabbing your attention right away but with so many perspectives and time jumps, it became a little confusing and hard to follow. I would recommend it to anyone who likes true crime and thrillers, but the writing and organization were not my favorite overall. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

When I Disappear by Amanda McKinney is a gripping psychological thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story follows Sylvia Stone, who starts receiving mysterious letters that cast doubt on the murder conviction she helped secure decades ago. As she digs deeper, long-buried secrets unravel, making her question everything she thought she knew.

I loved the suspense and the twists—McKinney does a great job building tension and keeping the reader guessing. The small-town setting adds to the eerie atmosphere, and Sylvia’s journey was both emotional and intriguing. That being said, some plot points felt predictable, and I wished for a bit more depth in certain character interactions. But overall, it was a fast-paced and enjoyable read that I’d recommend to fans of psychological thrillers!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC.

Serial killer stories are always harrowing. The "Candyman" is no different. Learning about his victims through this lens was difficult to get through, this book is also lengthy, but it was worth the read. I think Lise Olsen handles the victims with care.

This nonfiction book is both a compelling and harrowing read. The subject matter—serial killings and the tragic fates of young victims—is undeniably difficult, yet the author’s skillful storytelling makes for a smooth and engaging narrative. By weaving in cultural context, historical details, and even musical references, the book provides a vivid sense of time and place. The author also takes great care in recounting the lives of the teenage victims, giving them a voice and face beyond the headlines.

What sets this book apart is its thorough examination of those working to identify Corll’s ‘Lost Boys.’ From law enforcement to forensic teams and medical examiners, the layers of investigation are laid out in a well-rounded and deeply researched account.

As a reader, I couldn’t help but feel frustration at how these missing teens were initially dismissed as runaways despite the alarming number of disappearances within a small area. The mishandling of identifications only compounded the suffering of their families, adding to the heartbreak of an already devastating case.

The author approaches these horrific events with a clear intent to uncover as many facts as possible, resulting in a meticulously researched and emotionally powerful read.

This is a very interesting and thorough non-fiction read about the Houston Lost Boys. The author does a great job at pulling the reader in during the first chapter, which continues to have the reader wanting to learn more. At times the jump between POVs could make it challenging for the reader to adapt to a new section of the writing. Overall well written. I would recommend this read to any true crime reader.

"The true story of how one dedicated forensic scientist restored the long-lost identities of the teenaged victims of the "Candy Man," one of America's most prolific serial killers.

Houston, Texas, in the early 1970s was an exciting place - the home of NASA, the city of the future. But a string of more than two dozen missing teenage boys hinted at a dark undercurrent that would go ignored for too long. While their siblings and friends wondered where they had gone, the Houston police department dismissed them as runaways, fleeing the Vietnam draft or conservative parents, likely looking to get high and join the counterculture.

It was only after their killer, Dean Corll, was murdered by an accomplice that many of those boys' bodies were discovered in mass graves. Corll, known as the "Candy Man," was a local sweet-shop owner who had enlisted two teens to lure their friends to parties, where they would be tortured and killed.

All of Corll's victims' bodies were badly decomposed; some were only skeletal. Known collectively as the Lost Boys, many were never identified and some remained undiscovered. Decades later, when forensic anthropologist Sharon Derrick discovered a box of remains marked "1973 Murders" in the Harris County Medical Examiner's office, she recalled the horrifying crime from her own childhood, and knew she had to act. It would take prison interviews with Corll's accomplices, advanced scientific techniques, and years of tireless effort to identify these young men.

Investigative journalist Lise Olsen brings to life the teens who were hunted by a killer hiding in plain sight and the extraordinary woman who would finally give his unknown victims back their names and their dignity. With newly uncovered information about the case, The Scientist and the Serial Killer immerses readers in an astonishing story and reveals why these horrific events remain relevant decades later."

Because as much as we, as a society, focus on the criminal, we should be remembering the lost. This book does the lost justice.

I received a free copy of ‘The Scientist and the Serial Killer’ by Lisa Olsen from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. In the early 1970's, 27 boys disappeared in Texas. This was such a sad read, but also a really good one. Families ripped apart by the "Candyman". What a horrible man. This book has a lot of information, on a brutal time in Texas, and pictures.

While I did appreciate the level of research and passion that went into this project, the organization of the book posed challenges.
The author chose to organize the book based on "the scientists" identification of previously unidentified bodies. The problem this created is that the scientist identified a handful of the thirty-ish boys who went missing. This forced the author to wedge in the stories of the other boys into places they did not fit well. As a reader, this made it difficult to follow the narrative, and to keep to keep the many individuals straight.
I was also thrown a bit by the late (around 3/4 of the way through) insertion of the author as a participant in the quest to identify the boys.
Overall, I feel that a different structure would have made this story easier to follow, and given the narrative better focus.

I started this book and I was immediately pulled in, but then NetGalley removed the option to read on my ereader with 0 warning, forcing me to read this on a phone or computer, and both screens give me headaches. Therefore, I couldn't finish this book.
As soon as it comes out, I will be borrowing it from the library to finish it!

Thank you to Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC, and sorry I couldn't finish it before its release date.