Behold the Monster by Jillian Lauren

Behold the Monster

Confronting America's Most Prolific Serial Killer

Jillian Lauren, Michael Connelly

Sourcebooks · Print & ebook · July 18, 2023

Jillian Lauren had no idea what she was getting into when she wrote her first letter to prolific serial killer Samuel Little.

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Who it’s for
A true-crime investigation that leans into psychological explanation without losing its chill.
Genres
Serial Killers, Criminals & Outlaws, Historical True Crime
Published
Sourcebooks, July 18, 2023

About this book

Jillian Lauren had no idea what she was getting into when she wrote her first letter to prolific serial killer Samuel Little. All she knew was her research had led her to believe he was good for far more murders than the three for which he had been convicted. While the two exchanged dozens of letters and embarked on hundreds of hours of interviews, Lauren gained the trust of a monster.

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After maintaining his innocence for decades, Little confessed to the murders of ninety-three women, often drawing his victims in haunting detail as he spoke. How could one man evade justice, manipulating the system for over four decades? As the FBI, the DOJ, the LAPD, and countless law enforcement officials across the country worked to connect their cold cases with the confessions, Lauren's coverage of the investigations and obsession with Little's victims only escalated. New York Times bestselling author and lead of the Starz docuseries Confronting a Serial Killer Jillian Lauren delivers the harrowing report of her unusual relationship with a psychopath. But this is more than a deep dive into the actions of Samuel Little. Lauren's riveting and emotional accounts reveal the women who were lost to cold files, giving Little's victims a chance to have their stories heard for the first time.

The Dark Pull

A true-crime investigation that leans into psychological explanation without losing its chill.

Come here for

  • true-crime investigation with psychological edge
  • serial-killer subject, handled as sustained read

Expect

  • nonfiction crime lens
  • long-form, grimly absorbing pacing

Where it sits

Serial Killers97%
Criminals & Outlaws62%
Historical True Crime20%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Mental Disorders
  • Murder & Homicide
  • Serial Killers
Authors
Jillian Lauren, Michael Connelly
Publisher
Sourcebooks
Published
July 18, 2023
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Mental Disorders