Unmasked: My Life Solving America’s Cold Cases by Paul Holes
Reviewed by: Beth Weimer, Communications Specialist
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the Book About?: Retired criminalist investigator Paul Holes recounts his remarkable career solving cases and catching criminals in Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay area in this true crime memoir. Holes started out as a forensic toxicologist and worked his way up through the next 27 years, specializing in cold cases and serial predators. Some of his notable cases include Laci Peterson, Jaycee Dugard, and Philip Joseph Hughes, but he dedicated just as much effort to the unnamed or overlooked victims. Holes is most famous for ingeniously using genetic genealogy to identify Joseph DeAngelo as the brutal Golden State Killer 2018, and this story reveals the science and the obsession behind the relentless pursuit that began when he opened a forgotten East Area Rapist file on his first day as a deputy.
My Review: If you’re interested in true crime, you’re probably aware of Paul Holes because of the GSK case, his podcast, or his investigative shows on Oxygen. Aside from his Contra Costa career and media presence, Holes’ idea to utilize DNA and genealogy technology to solve cold cases has truly revolutionized the investigative field, and will continue to have an evolving impact. As a bit of a fan and someone already familiar with his private, straight-shooting tendencies, I was surprised at how much personal info and case details he includes in the book. I assume everyone who regularly encounters violence through their work takes on trauma, but I was staggered by how just deeply that trauma has impacted him (maybe because he conducts himself so professionally and ethically). He’s especially frank about how his obsessiveness and ability to detach emotionally have ruined his relationships with his family, but those qualities – and his devotion the science and empathetic connection to victims and their families – make him so singularly effective at solving these cold cases. It’s heartbreaking how much he’s sacrificed, and yet he still can’t stop, continuing to work as investigator and consultant to help victim’s families find closure. (I also appreciated the chapter about his relationship with Michelle McNamara, who tragically died before they could catch GSK together.)
Three Words That Describe This Book: Driven, Unflinching, Fascinating
Give This a Try if You Like… I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, Chase Darkness with Me by Billy Jensen, Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Rating: 4/5
