Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases

What a fascinating book. Exciting, thrilling, and scary if you live in the very area author Paul Holes writes about. He is a natural investigator, criminologist, groundbreaker and crime solver. He is bursting with intelligence and ingenuity, and you can feel his passion for his work, his dedication to the victims, his at times Don Quixote-like quest for the truth and justice. And you can see and feel through his own words how this passion and determination became an obsession and harmed nearly everything in his life: his work standing and work relationships, his family and personal relationships, and his own mental health and well-being. He recognizes it and makes some adjustments but it appears even after his retirement from Bay Area show more law enforcement his quest continues. He just can’t help it.

When I told my co-workers in the early 1990s that I was buying a home in Antioch they raised their eyebrows and one asked if I had bought a gun. After reading this book I understand why. I came into town the back way on the tree-lined streets where orchards had been, but it turns out the roads I took to go shopping or the neighborhoods on the other side of town that did seem a little seamy were a lot more dangerous. As in, “Antioch a Bay Area suburb. Antioch had a seedy reputation, fueled mostly by crime-infested neighborhoods and street gangs.” Author Paul Holes has lots of stories about lots of Bay Area suburbs like Antioch, and they are riveting. He tells the story of his entry into crime-solving and the world he found himself in. It’s a fast-paced book full of facts I knew and other little bits that had me wide-eyed. He tells of the successes and of many frustrating failures to catch the criminal. Of his frustration and disappointment and refusal to do anything but continue to revisit those crimes over and over to look for any little thing that might have been missed or come to light.

And with the Golden State Killer he succeeded. Amazing – and sobering – to realize just how unglamourous this work is, how much attention to detail, patience, perseverance it takes. And how much luck.

Thanks to Celadon Books for providing an advance copy of Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases for my honest review. I could not put it down. While I was aware of many of the cases detailed in the book, Holes provides a unique viewpoint, an insider look at what it’s like on the law enforcement side and what can be happening in our neighborhoods all around us. Unmasked is well written, smoothly laid out so the chronology flows and the timelines are easy to keep track of. Holes is relentless, brave, admirable. And often a sad figure because of how his obsession with crime-solving has affected the rest of his life. I recommend Unmasked without hesitation. All opinions are my own.
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I like reading true crime books. What I really loved about this book seeing the various crimes featured in this book from Paul's perspective. The way that he assessed each case with his scientific and analytical mind was very intriguing. I think a lot like him and thought about pursuing forensic science as a career.

So many true crime books focus on the crimes and not so much on the details on how the cases are solved. Getting to see this side of things was interesting. I flew through this book as I could not read it fast enough. It must not have been easy to share personal details about your personal life but Paul did. With these insights, into his life, it brought me closer to him as a person. Thank goodness for people like Paul who show more dedicate their lives to solving the "cold" cases, so that the victims get justice. Fans of true crime books will want to pick up a copy of this book to read for themselves. show less

Paul Holes is a retired cold case investigator who has worked some of the most notorious cases in the country, including the Golden State Killer, Laci Pederson, and Jaycee Dugard. Unmasked is the story of how he unraveled the mysteries surrounding several murders as well as the emotional toll it took on his life and relationships.

I didn't expect to be so drawn into this book. It's a tough read--Holes pulls no punches with the graphic nature of his work, so if you are squeamish about reading of the trauma inflicted on others, this might not be the book for you. But I was pulled into it immediately when I got the opportunity to check out the first look on BookishFirst. Listening to Holes describe his passion for solving these cases, for show more bringing justice to those who no longer had a voice, even while it destroyed his marriage, was heartbreaking. I had to learn more.

Sadly, humanity has no shortage of evil--history books are littered with both brutal rulers and the average people committing horrific acts. But we seldom think about the men and women behind the scenes who work tirelessly to bring them to justice (unless, of course, you watch a lot of Bones and Law and Order and the like). You don't often stop to think what it must do to the family relationships of men like Holes, who investigates terrible homicides during the day only to have to go home to the dinner table and pretend all is normal. This narrative was so compelling I finished it in a day. Not only was it fascinating to learn some behind the scenes information of how these crimes were solved, but it was also interesting to hear the human story of Paul Holes himself.

I'd highly recommend this for anyone with an interest in true crime out there--but it's not for the faint of heart.

Special thanks to Celadon Books for giving me a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review through BookishFirst. show less

Those have read the McNamara novel on the Golden State Killer need to read this one! This is a deep dive into the life of Paul Holes- some of the cases he has worked and the time and years he put in to be determined to solve the GSK case. This novel really gives a good look into the life of a detective and cold cases. How slow the system is and really can be to solve crimes, and how easily cases do go cold because of the lag of labs or evidence or other facilities refusal to share or cooperate together to get the bottom of cases. The was a fascinating read and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and how he used outside of the box thinking to often solve cases. It is nothing like what's dramatized on the tv shows. True crime fans- pick show more this one up! Thank you to Celadon Books for the free arc! show less

This was such a fascinating memoir, perfect for lovers of true crime! Thanks to @bookishfirst and @celadonbooks for an early copy!
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In his memoir, Paul Holes tells about how he got involved in criminology, and his fascination with and work on cold cases. This was absolutely fascinating. It does a really great job of blending the background on the cases with Paul's personal story, and showing how he managed a career in such a field (and ultimately the price he paid for having a career in such a field.)*I really liked how it intertwined anecdotes of cases that he successfully solved immediately, with the cold cases he later cracked, with the cases that were ultimately never solved. It showed that he was a real person, not a superhero able show more to solve any case that came his way.
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It was also a really great look at how DNA testing has changed over time, and how law enforcement has been able to change their approach to have more success in solving cases.
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I loved how this incorporated some very well-known cases, including the Golden State Killer (I'd read Michelle McNamara's book, and this continues her story wonderfully), Laci Peterson, and Jacee Dugard. There's so much he has been involved in, and it was so exciting to see how these famous cases were handled.
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I'd definitely recommend to any fan of true crime! You get so much out of this book! show less

Unmasked: My Life Solving America’s Cold Cases by Paul Holes is a 2022 Celadon Books publication.

I may be the only true crime fan that has never gotten into podcasts. But even you aren't aware of Paul's wildly popular True Crime podcasts, you may still recognize him from his many appearances on true crime television shows. You might also be familiar with his name in connection with to the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer case- which was the case for me.

While this is a memoir- it might be better described as a 'true crime' memoir as, for the most part, the book is focused on his career path, the cases he worked and the outcomes, but does delve into personal life, as well.

The main criminal case the book is centered around is the show more East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer case, but he tells of many other cases he helped to solve and described how his career started, how he got bitten by the 'cold case' bug and why he often had to work those cases 'off the clock'.

Unlike some of his crime solving buddies, Paul is not an amateur sleuth. He has a background in criminology, having worked in the Sheriff's department in Contra Costa. But, it is his work on cold cases that he seems the most proud of.

If not for Paul’s dedication, and near obsession with cold cases, many of these cases would still be sitting in an unsolved folder somewhere, I’m sure. Now, though, many families finally got the answers they deserved, justice was served, and some people were exonerated from suspicion.

That said, I admit I do have some misgivings, if that is the right word, about the 'obsessive' mentality of folks like Billy Jensen, Michelle McNamara, and Paul Holes. On one hand, I greatly admire their tenacious dedication, but on the other, I see a lot of collateral damage.

When it came to Paul's personal life, he was not as heroic, in my opinion. With memoirs it can be hard to keep an unbiased view or maintain neutrality if one disagrees with the writer's perspective, though I really did try to talk myself down and keep it in perspective.

In this case, Paul's work/family balance was hard for me to fully accept and speaks to the 'obsessiveness' he seems to deliberately chose over his loved ones. He also blames the wrong entity for all the evil in this world, and I felt offended by his critical views on faith and God.

I also grew weary of the dissection of his first marriage, which basically felt like defensive grievance airing, with one instance in particular resulting in a hard eye roll on my part. I think I would have preferred hearing more about his current wife, who works in the same profession, and appears to be a much better match for him.

All that said, most people are going to buy this book for the true crime stories, and on that front, Holes delivers wholeheartedly.

Despite my reservations in some cases, and my concern about glorifying and monetizing this manic lifestyle, I am glad we have people like Paul who are willing to go the extra mile, and I’m glad to see that his hard work has morphed into a second career for him.

There is no question that many of us breathe a little easier now that a truly horrifying monster has been identified and is off the streets, and that the victims and their families can finally stop looking over their shoulders, and will get some long overdue justice. For that peace of mind, we can thank Paul and his partners in crime, so to speak, and of course I have utmost respect the people who sacrificed much, and who refused to give up on these cold cases.

Overall, a very interesting glimpse into the life of a cold case investigator. The cases highlighted are well-chosen and have all the elements true crime fanatics want to read and hear about. If you are a fan of Paul’s podcasts, and of the true crime genre, you won’t want to miss this book.

4 stars show less

I read this from start to finish in one day. Like most of America, I am completely enthralled with the dark parts of history, namely the crime and the murders - especially those that remain unsolved. Paul Holes uses his memoir to write not just about his life, but mainly his fascinating career solving cold cases. He writes about his involvement in the following cases: Lacie Peterson, Jaycee Dugard, and the Golden State Killer. There are lots of other cold cases peppered throughout - but those were some of the notorious cases he worked on during his career. The one he obsesses over the most (causing strains in family life) is of course The Golden State Killer. His insight and behind the scenes knowledge of these infamous cases will keep show more readers on edge. At times a little braggy, but how can you not be when you have a career like his under your belt. A perfect book for those interested in cold cases and forensics. show less