Paul Holes

From the detective who found The Golden State Killer, a memoir of investigating America’s toughest cold cases and the rewards--and toll--of a life solving crime. 

I order another bourbon, neat. This is the drink that will flip the switch. I don’t even know how I got here, to this place, to this point. Something is happening to me lately. I’m drinking too much. My sheets are soaking wet when I wake up from nightmares of decaying corpses. I order another drink and swig it, trying to forget about the latest case I can’t shake.

Crime-solving for me is more complex than the challenge of the hunt, or the process of piecing together a scientific puzzle. The thought of good people suffering drives me, for better or worse, to the point of obsession.

People always ask how I am able to detach from the horrors of my work. Part of it is an innate capacity to compartmentalize; the rest is experience and exposure, and I’ve had plenty of both. But I had always taken pride in the fact that I can keep my feelings locked up to get the job done. It’s only been recently that it feels like all that suppressed darkness is beginning to seep out.

When I look back at my long career, there is a lot I am proud of. I have caught some of the most notorious killers of the twenty-first century and brought justice and closure for their victims and families. I want to tell you about a lifetime solving these cold cases, from Laci Peterson to Jaycee Dugard to the Pittsburg homicides to, yes, my twenty-year-long hunt for the Golden State Killer.

But a deeper question eats at me as I ask myself, at what cost? I have sacrificed relationships, joy—even fatherhood—because the pursuit of evil always came first. Did I make the right choice? It’s something I grapple with every day. Yet as I stand in the spot where a young girl took her last breath, as I look into the eyes of her family, I know that, for me, there has never been a choice. “I don’t know if I can solve your case,” I whisper. “But I promise I will do my best.”

It is a promise I know I can keep.

My Life Solving America's Cold Cases

Unmasked

From the detective who found The Golden State Killer, a memoir of investigating America's toughest cold cases and the rewards - and toll - of a life solving crime.For a decade, The Golden State Killer stalked and murdered Californians in the dead of night, leaving entire communities afraid to turn out the lights. The sadistic predator disappeared in 1986, hiding in plain sight for the next thirty years in middle class suburbia. In 1994, when cold case investigator Paul Holes came across the old file, he swore he would unmask the Golden State Killer and finally give these families some closure. Twenty four years later, Holes fulfilled that promise, identifying a 73-year-old former cop named Joseph J. DeAngelo. Headlines blasted from the U.S. to Europe: one of America's most prolific serial killers was in custody.That case launched Paul's career into the stratosphere, turning him into an icon in the true crime world. Everyone knows Paul Holes, the gifted crime solver with a big heart and charming smile who finally caught the Golden State Killer. But until now, no one has known the man behind it all, the person beneath the flashy cases and brilliant investigations.In this memoir, 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 the Zodiac Killer, Laci Peterson's murder and Jaycee Dugard's kidnapping. 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. Paul opens up the most intimate scenes of his life: his moments of self-doubt and the impact that detective work has had on his marriage. This is a story about the gritty truth of crime solving when there are no flashbulbs and "case closed" headlines. It is the story of a man and his commitment to cases and people who might have otherwise been forgotten.

Teresa Bonifácio

I've been listening to Paul Holes podcasts (the murder squad and burried bones) and he always seemed to be a very interesting man with a lot to tell. When I found out about this book I had to listen to it. 

I loved it. I'm a murderino and listening to all the cases and science behind it and at the same time about Paul's life was the best!

Denaiir

I was quite excited to get more insight on the Golden State Killer's case, but it didn't hit the mark, I much preferred I'll Be Gone in the Dark. The writer who help M. Holes put his life into words did it in a dull way, despite the insights on many fascinating cases the book itslef wasn't that fascinating. I didn't care much about M. Holes' personal life, he seemed to try to convince himself that sacrificing his family for a good cause was ok. I don't judge him, but he seemed to seek validation, oscillating between being extremely proud of his work and trying to explain himself. Good job on the cases, but the book wasn't what I was looking for in the end.

Lara Engle

Unmasked tips slightly more toward memoir than true crime, but that's okay with me. I've been a listener of Paul Holes's podcast from beginning to (apparent) end and I find him to be a sincere, dedicated investigator. Holes's struggle with work-life balance will be relatable to anyone who works in a helping profession. There's always a problem to be solved and more to be done. But we have to care for ourselves and our loved ones, too. I hope Paul finds his balance and happiness while still doing his valuable work.

Nash

All the stars.
Seriously. 


Many of us true-crime aficionados are well acquainted with the case o the Golden State Killer that remained unsolved for so long. Captivating the most seasoned sleuths and the most seasoned detectives. No one, and I mean no one, was more into this case than our very own, Paul Holes. The life and career of the detective with the sharpest mind ever. His trajectory is a remarkable one. The journey of a lifetime and I feel honored that he decided to share all of this with us readers. 

This is the real deal guys, the real monster hunt. The one we cannot even begin to imagine. We have the opportunity to see a small fraction of the depravity in this world, the one that only the ones in law enforcement get to see. 

The dedication to giving the victims and their families some well-deserved justice is palpable in Hole’s story. It certainly is so well written that you might even feel like you are reading a crime fiction book. Well, this is not the case. You have to stop and remind yourself that what you’re reading is 100% real. 

This book has everyone hooked for a reason. I suggest that you get yourself a copy and just sit back and enjoy. I was glued to the pages when I was well aware that I should’ve been getting enough rest for my 12hr shift. I even hear he is breaking some hearts now! 


I would like to thank Celadon Books and Mr. Paul Holes for the opportunity to read this amazing book before the pub date. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Izzy Judy

Thank you to @celadonbooks for sending me an ARC of this true crime memoir in exchange for an honest review. 

First, I think there is a bit of housekeeping we need to do here before I jump into my thoughts on this.
1-My degree is in Criminal Justice with special focus in Law Enforcement
2-I’m married to a LEO
3-Over the course of my degree I took, & excelled in, both Cold Case Investigation & Evidence & Criminalistics (Forensics), which are really the two big things discussed in this memoir 
4-I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, but I when I do, it’s usually either in the true crime genre, or in autobiography/biography.
So, while I don’t consider myself an expert on any of this, I do have more knowledge & understanding than the average person off the street. I do feel like that played a large role in how I felt about this book. So, with that out of the way, let’s dive in.

WHAT I LOVED:
-All the criminalistics talk & lingo. It reminded me a lot of my college days, & parts of it felt like a refresher course.
-Any mention of active investigations or cold cases Holes worked. 
-Holes was very open about how this job took a toll on his mental health, marriage, & personal relationships. In fact, I would say the majority of the book was about his personal life & how it was impacted by the job & less about the cases. 
-He didn’t hold back much when describing crime scenes, which was one of the things I loved most about forensics in college. The nitty-grittiness of it. The gore. The horror of it. The shock factor. Holes painted a picture of what he saw at the crime scenes.

WHAT I DISLIKED:
-Pacing felt like it was all over the place. While Holes did let you know what year he was in, it still felt like it jumped & skipped around to the point that it was infuriating to keep up with
-Not nearly enough about the actual crimes. I know this memoir was meant to be about his *life* but considering he worked some massive cases, having more detail about the cases would have kept me engaged.
-He refers to the body of a raped & murdered 17yo as ‘it’
-The writing style. I know that Holes is an ex-cop & not a writing expert, but his voice was personally hard to deal with. 
-Holes, I hate to say, seems incredibly narcissistic. He spent a lot of the time discussing his work partnerships & relationships as opportunities to brag on himself, which felt old after a while. We get it. You’re smart. You don’t need to tell us every few pages that you’re the best criminalist Contra County has ever seen. 

Samantha Kalany Hughes

First of all, I just needed to thank Celadon Books and Paul Holes for sending me this Advanced Reader Copy of Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases. I was truly flattered to be chosen to get the chance to read and review this book before its April 2022 publish date, and I'm here to say that Paul Holes' narrative didn't disappoint. 

I first discovered Paul Holes from one of my favorite True Crime Podcasts, My Favorite Murder, where Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff invited Holes on to both congratulate and discuss his role in unmasking the Golden State Killer or Joseph James DeAngelo. I remember listening to that episode and being so fascinated with this man and his findings, and then rejoicing in the fact that he was getting his own podcast alongside Billy Jensen, in coordination with the Exactly Right Studios, titled 'Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad' where the duo dives back into Cold Case files, and encourage the listeners to step up if they know something -- really allowing Holes to further navigate his purpose as he liked to put it, referencing the premise of the last chapter of this thrilling non-fiction.

For those who don't know the background of the EAR/GSK, this serial r***** stalked the northern regions of California for nearly 20 years, frightening women, children, and families who grew up in an era when locked doors and windows was a rarity. Sexually assaulting and eventually taking the lives of several, the Golden State Killer claimed the livelihood and well-being of too many. Unable to be caught decade after decade due to mishandling of evidence, the lack of DNA equipment/software capabilities, and just random bad luck, the GSK was nearly unreachable, until the masterfully determinedness of Paul Holes came around, eagerly riling through file after file, lead after lead, DNA sample after DNA sample -- sacrificing friendships and familial relationships to put his search at the top of priority's sake to hunt this aggressor and deliver justice where it was due. 

I was entirely captivated by this book and look forward to more retellings in True Crime History that helped to shape the judicial and evidential systems that we have today. 

5/5 It was an incredible read!

Unmasked My Life Solving America's Cold Cases

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