Unmasked
Paul Holes
(288 pages, true crime, 2022)
Part memoir, part true crime documentary in written form, Paul Holes recollects his life entrenched in the dark details of many of America’s cold cases. He is best known for being instrumental in the identification of the Golden State Killer, one of the nation’s most notorious serial killers. There is a very good chance that case would remain unsolved to this day if not for Holes’ obsessive refusal to give up the chase. Throughout the book, Holes provides a fascinating introduction into forensics and how the processes and tools used in an investigation are ever-evolving and becoming more sophisticated. Interestingly, he was one of the pioneers of using DNA and genealogy data to solve crimes. Now, this information is used regularly in crime analysis.
This book, while fascinating, is certainly not for the squeamish. Holes dives into numerous grisly details of the many heartrending cases he’s worked over the years, so if these specifics bother you, “Unmasked” might not be the book for you. To me, these details are important to understand the scope of Holes’ work and how it has affected him.
With his keen intellect and unceasing dedication to his work, Holes’ life has not gone by without a slew of personal struggles. He writes about the disintegration of his first marriage as a casualty of his profession. He feels compelled to constantly ruminate over the details of his cases, much to the frustration of his wife and family, remarking that “for all [his] aptitude for analyzing crime, [he] couldn’t figure out how to be successfully married.” Not surprisingly, his first marriage fell apart, and while his second wife works in a similar field, Holes admits there are still challenges due to his compulsions and the almost gravitational pull he feels toward his work. He ends the book with the hope that he has become more self-aware and reflective of his own shortcomings, to better understand the needs of his family.
I enjoyed the fact that this book was both introspective and informative about the role of a detective in solving cold cases. It strikes the perfect balance between personal history and an enthralling glimpse into the world of forensics and detective work.
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Emily Kosowicz
