Behold the Monster

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What to expect

'Fearless and fierce ... transcends a crime story to be a story that threatens social order' - Michael Connelly

'Bewitching . . . a tale of horror that is also humane and self-aware' - Jennifer Egan

'[Lauren] writes in film-noir ... American prose, so you feel you're in the seamy backstreets in the Rust Belt' - Daily Mail, Book of the Week

'Wildly original... true crime fans will find this a unique and disturbing thrill ride' - Publishers Weekly

'Blending gruesome forensic details with tender domestic moments . . . a panoramic tale of America's worst serial killer' - Daily Telegraph

'Chilling' - the Sun

Jillian Lauren set out to research a serial killer for a novel. Instead, she put one at the centre of her life.

Months of exchanging letters with Samuel Little in prison landed her a face-to-face meeting - and the trust of a monster. In the hours of harrowing interviews that followed, Little confessed to the murders of ninety-three women, making him America's most proli­fic serial killer. As the investigations escalated, the disturbing relationship took its toll on Lauren, both psychologically and legally - but she couldn't stop.

Conversations with a psychopath, intertwined with intensely personal experience and the stories of those killed told for the ­first time, result in an unforgettable true crime account. Behold the Monster is a journey into a mind and murderer that shocked the world, but one that ultimately lifts the lives of the victims with such grace that we cannot look away.

Critics Review

  • Sam Little is the monster in this story and Jillian Lauren is the slayer. She is the one who stuck her nose into it, saw something was not right, was dreadfully wrong, in fact, and did something about it.

    Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  • Jillian Lauren employs a bewitching blend of empathy and brio, deep imagination and cold curiosity, to unleash a tale of horror that is also humane and self aware. This is a hard book to read, and even harder to put down.

    Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Candy House

  • Jillian confronts the man with the dubious honor of being America’s most prolific serial killer. His revelations were gleaned due to Jillian’s work with Little, law enforcement, the Texas Rangers, and the FBI…she got this murderer to confess.

    Joe Berlinger, award-winning true crime documentary filmmaker and producer

  • You can go to hell, but you can’t come back clean. Jillian Lauren made the trip for us and the result is a gripping personal thriller, a true crime confessional. Lauren steps up to the monster and tells it straight, in dancing prose by turns lyrical , hard boiled, confessional, and encyclopedic. This story introduces us to scores of victims, previously unknown and unnamed. Women who society forgot… but their killer never did. Lauren brings them into the light.

    Charlie Graeber, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Nurse

  • It’s always been on my mind. How my sister died, who killed her and why. But now we know, thank the Lord. After all these years, the Lord has answered our prayers.

    Deborah Duvall, sister of Alice Duvall

  • The serial killer speaks?and so do his victims. Behold the Monster is a rare gem of a true crime narrative. Author Jillian Lauren pushes away spiders and cobwebs to take you deep inside the torturous mind of an apex predator while also adding a heart-wrenching dimension to the many lives he destroyed. The writing is crisp, disturbing and ultimately terrifying!

    Casey Sherman, New York Times bestselling author of Helltown

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