Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-10-23 15:22:17
- Update Date：2025-09-13
- Status：finish
- Author：Paul Holes
- ISBN：1250622808
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Summary
**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**
"It’s a mark of the highest honor when I say it’s even more riveting than an episode of 'Dateline'。"
―The New York Times
From Paul Holes， the detective who found the Golden State Killer， Unmasked is a memoir that "grabs its reader in a stranglehold and proves more fascinating than fiction and darker than any noir narrative。" （ LA Magazine ）
I order another bourbon， neat。 This is the drink that will flip the switch。 I don’t even know how I got here， to this place， to this point 。 Something is happening to me lately。 I’m drinking too much。 My sheets are soaking wet when I wake up from nightmares of decaying corpses。 I order another drink and swig it， trying to forget about the latest case I can’t shake。
Crime solving for me is more complex than the challenge of the hunt， or the process of piecing together a scientific puzzle。 The thought of good people suffering drives me， for better or worse， to the point of obsession。 People always ask how I am able to detach from the horrors of my work。 Part of it is an innate capacity to compartmentalize; the rest is experience and exposure， and I’ve had plenty of both。 But I have always taken pride in the fact that I can keep my feelings locked up to get the job done。 It’s only been recently that it feels like all that suppressed darkness is beginning to seep out。
When I look back at my long career， there is a lot I am proud of。 I have caught some of the most notorious killers of the twenty-first century and brought justice and closure for their victims and families。 I want to tell you about a lifetime solving these cold cases， from Laci Peterson to Jaycee Dugard to the Pittsburg homicides to， yes， my twenty-year-long hunt for the Golden State Killer。
But a deeper question eats at me as I ask myself， at what cost？ I have sacrificed relationships， joy―even fatherhood―because the pursuit of evil always came first。 Did I make the right choice？ It’s something I grapple with every day。 Yet as I stand in the spot where a young girl took her last breath， as I look into the eyes of her family， I know that， for me， there has never been a choice。 “I don’t know if I can solve your case，” I whisper。 “But I promise I will do my best。”
It is a promise I know I can keep。
"It’s a mark of the highest honor when I say it’s even more riveting than an episode of 'Dateline'。"
―The New York Times
From Paul Holes， the detective who found the Golden State Killer， Unmasked is a memoir that "grabs its reader in a stranglehold and proves more fascinating than fiction and darker than any noir narrative。" （ LA Magazine ）
I order another bourbon， neat。 This is the drink that will flip the switch。 I don’t even know how I got here， to this place， to this point 。 Something is happening to me lately。 I’m drinking too much。 My sheets are soaking wet when I wake up from nightmares of decaying corpses。 I order another drink and swig it， trying to forget about the latest case I can’t shake。
Crime solving for me is more complex than the challenge of the hunt， or the process of piecing together a scientific puzzle。 The thought of good people suffering drives me， for better or worse， to the point of obsession。 People always ask how I am able to detach from the horrors of my work。 Part of it is an innate capacity to compartmentalize; the rest is experience and exposure， and I’ve had plenty of both。 But I have always taken pride in the fact that I can keep my feelings locked up to get the job done。 It’s only been recently that it feels like all that suppressed darkness is beginning to seep out。
When I look back at my long career， there is a lot I am proud of。 I have caught some of the most notorious killers of the twenty-first century and brought justice and closure for their victims and families。 I want to tell you about a lifetime solving these cold cases， from Laci Peterson to Jaycee Dugard to the Pittsburg homicides to， yes， my twenty-year-long hunt for the Golden State Killer。
But a deeper question eats at me as I ask myself， at what cost？ I have sacrificed relationships， joy―even fatherhood―because the pursuit of evil always came first。 Did I make the right choice？ It’s something I grapple with every day。 Yet as I stand in the spot where a young girl took her last breath， as I look into the eyes of her family， I know that， for me， there has never been a choice。 “I don’t know if I can solve your case，” I whisper。 “But I promise I will do my best。”
It is a promise I know I can keep。
Reviews
Rachel Egolf
，
Tough read about a notorious serial criminal and the man who wouldn't stop searching for him。 Tough read about a notorious serial criminal and the man who wouldn't stop searching for him。 。。。more
Kendrik Icenhour
，
probably deserved 3 stars， but i really like Paul so 4 stars。 was a little too surface level。 paul had a chance to get deeper into his emotions and the trauma endured by homicide investigators but played it a bit safe。 however， it was a very nice read。 definitely could’ve been another 100-200 pages longer。
Brigitte Schentag
，
I would have rated this 4 stars had Paul Holes not been so insufferably into himself。 There is no doubt that he had an amazing career and was good at what he did。 He could have let his work speak for itself， but instead， he chose to remind the reader how incredible he is at every opportunity。I can't help but feel sorry for his children。 He made it clear time and time again that he was fully aware of how he hurt his family with his obsession with his job， but also made it clear that his job was m I would have rated this 4 stars had Paul Holes not been so insufferably into himself。 There is no doubt that he had an amazing career and was good at what he did。 He could have let his work speak for itself， but instead， he chose to remind the reader how incredible he is at every opportunity。I can't help but feel sorry for his children。 He made it clear time and time again that he was fully aware of how he hurt his family with his obsession with his job， but also made it clear that his job was more important to him than his family would ever be。 That was gross to read。 Aside from the writing being unnecessarily graphic at times， I did find the cases fascinating， and the narrative was not at all disjointed and confusing as many true crime books can be。 The pacing was perfect， and although I didn't find Holes particularly likable， I think the inclusion of his personal life and how it was affected by the investigation was a good choice。 Overall， i would recommend it to fans of true crime on the caveat you feel capable of seeing past the writer's distracting ego。 。。。more
Jen Mink
，
Loved this book！ It was a little dark at times， but considering his profession， totally understandable。 I was intrigued from the beginning and the way he described the cases was just unmatched。
Bonnie Miller
，
Easy and informative read。
Zosia W
，
Read in a couple sittings— I’ve been listening to Paul’s podcasts and heard him mention his book。 Would recommend to someone who is very into crime。 Contains lots of details。
Dena
，
I enjoyed listening to the audiobook read by the author。 True crime is fascinating and to hear how they finally got the Golden State Killer was amazing。
Ai
，
Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases by Paul Holes is a gripping memoir and true crime story that will keep you on the edge of your seat。 Holes， a retired cold-case investigator， shares his insights into the minds of criminals and the challenges of solving decades-old crimes。 A must-read for fans of true crime！ Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases by Paul Holes is a gripping memoir and true crime story that will keep you on the edge of your seat。 Holes， a retired cold-case investigator， shares his insights into the minds of criminals and the challenges of solving decades-old crimes。 A must-read for fans of true crime！ 。。。more
Adam
，
Holes is a wonderful storyteller， and his memoir is both thrilling and enlightening。 He talks openly about the difficulties of cold case work， the toll it may have on investigators and their families， and the satisfaction of bringing victims and their loved ones closure。
Irma Sincera
，
4。5*Knyga turėjo viską， ko man norisi iš nonfiction。 Autoriaus darbo specifika， konkrečios bylos， ne abstrakčiai， o labai detaliai ir konkrečiai。 Kartu įmaišyti asmeniškumai， nepabijota pasirodyti netobulam， pripažinti savo klaidas， pasiknaisioti po savo demonus。 Koks žiupsnelis dark humor ir būtų buvę perfection。Kam patiko McNamara knyga apie Golden State Killer， tai ši puikiai papildo ją ir dar naujų bylų įtraukia。
Amy
，
Chilling， still creeped out by this one。
Rae Coppenhaver
，
This book was such a great balance of the career and famous cold cases that Paul Holes has worked on as well as a surprisingly intimate look at how that affected his personal life。 He's refreshingly self-aware that his obsession with many of these cases negatively impacted his mental health and family and that he often was not a great husband or father。 He realized that， he's working on being better， and I appreciated that honesty and reflection。As far as the cases go， of course， the most famous This book was such a great balance of the career and famous cold cases that Paul Holes has worked on as well as a surprisingly intimate look at how that affected his personal life。 He's refreshingly self-aware that his obsession with many of these cases negatively impacted his mental health and family and that he often was not a great husband or father。 He realized that， he's working on being better， and I appreciated that honesty and reflection。As far as the cases go， of course， the most famous one is the East Area Rapist， later dubbed the Golden State Killer。 If you've read or watched 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark'， you're familiar with the case and his friendship with Michelle McNamara。 While I didn't feel the book was gratuitous， there are details of real cases of violent crimes， so keep that in mind if you're not used to true crime。 There's also very interesting tidbits about how DNA is processed and how advances in that science can solve cold cases。Overall， I found this to be a fascinating read and I'm glad I had both the physical and audio。 There's photos in the book， and it was often helpful for me to flip around to understand various dates and cases。 But the narration is well done and easy to listen to， so it was nice to listen occasionally as well。 。。。more
Victoria
，
I have listened to Paul Holes on his podcasts he's been on or hosts and have followed the Golden State Killer stories in which he solved， but this book gives us insight to the life of Paul Holes。 It seems that viewing dead bodies and working with victims in criminology issues， really can affect you and your family。 I feel like the end result of this is that Paul Holes needs to rest and spend more time with his family。 It was sad to listen to the outcomes of his marriages and how he handles his r I have listened to Paul Holes on his podcasts he's been on or hosts and have followed the Golden State Killer stories in which he solved， but this book gives us insight to the life of Paul Holes。 It seems that viewing dead bodies and working with victims in criminology issues， really can affect you and your family。 I feel like the end result of this is that Paul Holes needs to rest and spend more time with his family。 It was sad to listen to the outcomes of his marriages and how he handles his relationships。 I think he is one of those guys who is just married to his job。 。。。more
Kristen
，
Too much of "I was a terrible husband and father because I was work obsessed"。 I would have liked a little more crime。 In the end it feels like he wrote this because he didn't feel like he got enough credit in solving the Golden State Killer case。 Too much of "I was a terrible husband and father because I was work obsessed"。 I would have liked a little more crime。 In the end it feels like he wrote this because he didn't feel like he got enough credit in solving the Golden State Killer case。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
Meh。
Kris Dickinson
，
Facinating and horrifying at the same time
Oxy
，
Really， really enjoyed this。 As someone who dabbles in true crime， this kept me gripped。 However， I don’t know how well I’ll be sleeping now since I finished this book at 2:30am… yikes。 Lots of break ins and nastiness happening to women being described in this book。
Alayna
，
i love buried bones with paul holes and kate winkler dawson so i knew i had to pick this up， and thankfully my library had a copy！ i enjoyed this way more than i thought i would as someone who doesn’t love non-fiction。 really fascinating and loved to hear how the GTK case unraveled
Ashley
，
I really liked this。 Full review later。
Arlene
，
One sitting read。 Wish there was more about the Lacey/Connor Peterson case。 That one moved me real time back in the early 2000’s。
Ctmurrays
，
Well， now I’m suspicious of everyone and every strange cat in the neighborhood。
Jacque Dalton
，
My annual spooky October read！ Pauls voice does not match his face。 I’m not much of a true crime gal， and Paul’s description of the murders almost scared me away in the beginning — but I’m so glad I stayed。 Im grateful for this vulnerable look into his day to day life。 Im grateful for people like Paul who bring closure to families for the sake of caring for them as people， so they might able to move on with their lives。 I do wonder though， why he had more children in his second marriage if he di My annual spooky October read！ Pauls voice does not match his face。 I’m not much of a true crime gal， and Paul’s description of the murders almost scared me away in the beginning — but I’m so glad I stayed。 Im grateful for this vulnerable look into his day to day life。 Im grateful for people like Paul who bring closure to families for the sake of caring for them as people， so they might able to move on with their lives。 I do wonder though， why he had more children in his second marriage if he didn’t feel attentive enough to the first set of kids。 Nonetheless， thank you Paul！Check the content warnings on this one。 。。。more
Olga
，
I discovered Paul Holes through the podcast Buried Bones about 2 years ago。 So if you love all things history and true crime and you enjoy a good podcast， give Buried Bones a try！ I get the feeling that Paul definitely has more to share。 I hope he decides to write another book。 I’m definitely interested in the case he mentioned at the very end！
Kelsey （kels。reads）
，
PAUL HOLES！！！！！！！ This was great on audio！
Karen （kmo。reads）
，
Thank you to @celedonbooks for the #gifted copy。 If you are a true crime fan like me， then you already know who Paul Holes is。and what he is famous for like catching the GSK （Golden State Killer） and working with Michelle McNamara （I'll Be Gone in the Dark）。 Another awesome book。 Paul has had one amazing career， but what this book showed us the toll his career had on his personal life。 I don't think any of us ever realize how that comes at a cost to people that spend so much time hunting killers Thank you to @celedonbooks for the #gifted copy。 If you are a true crime fan like me， then you already know who Paul Holes is。and what he is famous for like catching the GSK （Golden State Killer） and working with Michelle McNamara （I'll Be Gone in the Dark）。 Another awesome book。 Paul has had one amazing career， but what this book showed us the toll his career had on his personal life。 I don't think any of us ever realize how that comes at a cost to people that spend so much time hunting killers。 。。。more
This is V！
，
This book reads more like a Biography and a little bit like a crime book。 You can find a lot of info on some of the most brutal serial killers while reading a bio of one of the most prolific profilers。 4 stars
Rachel Poppers
，
a must-read for anyone who enjoys true crime。
Katiekate
，
A legend。
Meulemans
，
Too much interpersonal relationship problems and not enough crime。
melissa
，
Perfect combination of a memoir and true crime recap。 Incredibly compelling。 I did find myself glossing over the areas where DNA sequencing was being explained since I just didn't understand。 Perfect combination of a memoir and true crime recap。 Incredibly compelling。 I did find myself glossing over the areas where DNA sequencing was being explained since I just didn't understand。 。。。more
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