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  • Unmasked

  • Crime Scenes, Cold Cases and My Hunt for the Golden State Killer
  • By: Paul Holes
  • Narrated by: Paul Holes
  • Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (276 ratings)
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Unmasked cover art

Unmasked

By: Paul Holes
Narrated by: Paul Holes
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Summary

From the detective who helped catch the Golden State Killer, a memoir about investigating America's toughest cold cases and the rewards—and toll—of a life spent solving crime.

For a decade, from 1973, the Golden State Killer stalked and murdered Californians in the dead of night, leaving entire communities afraid to turn off the lights. Then he vanished, and the case remained unsolved.

In 1994, when cold-case investigator Paul Holes came across the old file, he swore he would unmask GSK and finally give these families closure. Twenty-four years later, Holes fulfilled that promise, identifying 73-year-old Joseph J. DeAngelo. Headlines blasted around the world: one of America's most prolific serial killers had been caught.

That case launched Paul's career into the stratosphere, turning him into an icon in the true-crime world. But while many know the story of the capture of GSK, until now, no one has truly known the man behind it all.

In Unmasked, Paul takes us through his memories of a storied career and provides an insider account of some of the most notorious cases in contemporary American history, including Laci Peterson's murder and Jaycee Dugard's kidnapping. But this is also a revelatory profile of a complex man and what makes him tick: the drive to find closure for victims and their loved ones, the inability to walk away from a challenge—even at the expense of his own happiness. This is a story about the gritty truth of crime solving when there are no 'case closed' headlines. It is the story of a man and his commitment to his cases, and to the people who might have otherwise been forgotten.

©2022 Paul Holes (P)2022 Headline Publishing Group Ltd

What listeners say about Unmasked

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Brillent

Great narratation great listen too about the GST glad he can retire now happy knowing he caught him 5 star

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Stranger Than Fiction

Well narrated. Was this man the inspiration for Michael Connolly's Harry Bosch character? Intriguing though that character is, truth is always stranger than fiction.

Being of similar age to the author, I recall all the developments in tech, DNA, police methods. I saw Starsky and Hutch, Miami Vic etc on tv, but I have no allusions of what real police work is about. This book is gripping with a fast pace that made it compulsive listening.

APPLAUSE and CONGRATULATIONS to this author for his opus vitae.

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If you're a Murder Squad fan, you'll love this

I'm a big true crime fan, and The Murder Squad is one of my favourite podcasts. I also loved the audio book of Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark, which is also about GSK and the hunt to find the killer. Paul takes a few chapters to settle into reading his own words aloud, but once he warmed up I was completely gripped by his story of how he became the world famous (retired) detective we all know and love today.

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Brilliant

From the first sentence I was hooked on this book. It’d been on my list to listen & read for a few months and I finally bought the paperback and started it straight away with the audiobook

Paul is a star…a star amongst millions of others who spend their lives trying and failing or actually succeeding in bringing closure to families who have suffered at the hands of killers and not just The Golden State Killer.

Paul’s involvement with the Golden State Killer is interwoven with other cases he has worked on with some incredible people and he bravely lets us know about how it impacted his family life chasing leads.

Overall it’s an amazing story and brilliantly narrated by Mr Holes himself. I wish he had more audiobooks to listen too.

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Well written and narrated

I have listened to the book twice now with a gap of 6 months between, the story is a good insight into the way DNA has enabled cold cases to be resolved and tells the story of a man passionate about his work and his role in bringing murderers to justice. A good book.

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Great listen for lovers of true crime

A fascinating audiobook which I couldn’t stop listening to. A great but also sad insight into the life of someone who put everything into solving these cases as well as the grizzly details that you’re expecting

Paul Holes is great at solving crimes and many other things, one thing he is not great at is narration. Testament to his life story that this is still difficult to stop listening to in spite of the very poor delivery. Ironic that in one passage he gets frustrated that his wife thinks he is unemotional and exclaims that he is “not a robot” but sounds exactly like a robot - couldn’t help but take his wife’s side on that

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Still hot for Holes

What an amazing career, and personal insight into the life of a criminalist
Thoroughly enjoyable listen

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Great!

Absolutely fascinating, a great mix of discussing the case and life. Would love to hear about more of his cases

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Incredible book!

His narration is excellent and the content is fascinating. The only disappointment was coming to the end of it!

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Fascinating Career

I came to this book after having listened to the Podcast Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson. She and Paul dissect historical cold cases together and they are both such likeable characters! Paul’s insights are always fascinating and it’s been sonInteresting to learn more about his career; the science and the personal cost. It takes a very unique person to take on this kind of work and this book may not be suitable for everyone as much of this is very traumatic and Paul displays real compassion for the the victims and families.

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