Book review — Unmasked by Paul Holes
Paul Holes's non-fiction book, "Unmasked: crime scenes, cold cases and my hunt for the Golden State Killer" chronicles his career as an investigator with Contra Costa County & his inexplicable obsession towards cold cases. The book delves into cases, both solved & unsolved, investigated by Holes over the years, but primarily with the ever elusive Golden State Killer aka East Area Rapist aka Original Night Stalker aka Visalia Ransacker. It is part police procedural, detailing the step-by-step of the crimes committed & the progress of DNA research and analysis through the decades, from the 80s till the recent times.
The writing style that Paul Holes (with Robin Gaby Fisher) has adopted is such that it grabs you & sucks you right into it from the very first line. This non-fic reads almost like a fictional thriller, where we are aware of the personal tragedies, the personal conflicts of our central character, Paul Holes - the workaholic policeman whose EQ level is at human sub par. It touches on the personal life of Holes at the same time dives deeply into his professional. Having said that I am in awe of the work that Holes has done. The amount of hardwork, dedication, obsession, sacrifice on the personal front that goes into an investigation; at the same time the realisation that dawns on you, a reader, to know the kind of unimaginable evil lurking among us humans, that thrives on its own kind & gets away with the horrendous acts for entire lifetimes is incomprehensible. The perseverance required to chase down a serial killer for 24 years, not to give up or lose sight, to say all this is praiseworthy & commendable is a gross understatement.
When an open case of 20, 30 sometimes more than 40 years is solved at long last & the hunt for the serial killer finally ends after decades, a tornado of emotions comes crashing down on the police force, a mix of satisfaction, accomplishment, emptiness, exhilaration while also completely drained is overwhelming. We the readers get to experience a fraction of this & the admiration for these individuals grows even more.
What can I say, real life Joona Linnas, Cormoran Strikes, Sherlock Holmes or more fittingly, Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole do exist!
