Author: Richard L. Carrico
Genre: True Crime
Format: eBook
Pages: 209
Thank you to WildBlue Press for an early look at Monster on the Loose. This is set to be published tomorrow, October 17, and this is one of the saddest books I read this year. What intrigued me about this book is I'd never heard of any of the three cases that Richard Carrico presents in this book. I have yet to learn much about San Diego in the 1930s. So I went into this with little expectation and an open mind.
First, let me say the amount of information jammed into just over two hundred pages was incredible. Not only is this book dripping with research but it's presented in a way that never feels like too much. No info dumps if you will. However, the pacing on this is very quick. Carrico does move from point to point very quickly, and sometimes without looking back. This worked for me personally because then I don't get caught up in the little details. I'm focused on the cases and the outside forces hindering those cases.
Second, I don't think I can pick which of these stories is more heartbreaking. Some part of me even understands why they weren't solved, people were less connected back then before cellphones and the internet. It was harder to track people's movements as well when most didn't even have a postbox. Also, science was still new and fragile back then, not trusted really. But, the way the newspapers treated these cases was nothing but a money grab. Creating false leads, victim blaming, and doing everything they could to sell their paper.
It wasn't helping, it was hurting. And maybe none of the cases would have been solved either way, but you'd think brutal killing would sell enough papers...
Moving back into this book. Personally, I feel like Carrico handled all three of these cases as delicately as he could. He treated all three like humans, and tried to present their cases best he could with how limited it seemed the information pool was. I felt like each girl was treated as a victim and there were no wild jumps to who could have done it. Carrico presented facts as they were, and while he had opinions, he never tried to sway the reader one way or another. He allowed us to form our own thoughts.
This wasn't an easy read for me. Despite being so small it took me a solid week to read. I read each section about each girl, taking a break in between. Mostly because it was a lot of information all at once, and I wanted to make sure I could keep it all sorted correctly on top of a busy schedule. But, also because this isn't a light-hearted read I needed a break between little sections.
It was a good read in the sense it's well put together, full of information about the cases and day-to-day life of 1930s San Diego. So if you're a fan of true crime, definitely give this one a look. It is short, most people could do it in a day. However, it is a good one to sit with and read a little at a time. Maybe not before bed. Did I mention it's very sad?
So if this sounds like your thing, Monster on the Loose hits shelves tomorrow!
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