Unmasked
My Life Solving America's Cold Cases
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $19.42
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Paul Holes
-
Written by:
-
Paul Holes
-
Robin Gaby Fisher
About this listen
2022 Audible.com Best of the Year, Long-listed
2022 Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year, Long-listed
2022 Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, Long-listed
This program is read by the author.
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 have 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.
A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books
©2022 Paul Holes (P)2022 Macmillan AudioYou may also enjoy...
-
All That Is Wicked
- A Gilded-Age Story of Murder and the Race to Decode the Criminal Mind
- Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
- Narrated by: Kate Winkler Dawson
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edward Rulloff was a brilliant yet utterly amoral murderer—some have called him a “Victorian-era Hannibal Lecter”—whose crimes spanned decades and whose victims were chosen out of revenge, out of envy, and sometimes out of necessity.
-
-
Excellent
- By Heidi Gerrits on 2023-12-04
Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
-
American Sherlock
- Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI
- Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
- Narrated by: Kate Winkler Dawson
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Berkeley, California, 1933. In a lab filled with curiosities - beakers, microscopes, Bunsen burners, and hundreds upon hundreds of books - sat an investigator who would go on to crack at least 2,000 cases in his 40-year career. Known as the "American Sherlock Holmes", Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of America's greatest - and first - forensic scientists, with an uncanny knack for finding clues, establishing evidence, and deducing answers with a skill that seemed almost supernatural.
Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
-
22 Murders
- Investigating the Massacres, Cover-up and Obstacles to Justice in Nova Scotia
- Written by: Paul Palango
- Narrated by: Matthew Hawkins
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As news broke of a killer rampaging across the tiny community of Portapique, Nova Scotia, late on April 18, 2020, details were oddly hard to come by. Who was the killer? Why was he not apprehended? What were police doing? How many were dead? And why was the gunman still on the loose the next morning and killing again? The RCMP was largely silent then, and continued to obscure the actions of denturist Gabriel Wortman after an officer shot and killed him at a gas station during a chance encounter.
-
-
Way too long
- By Jacqueline on 2022-06-12
Written by: Paul Palango
-
The Delphi Murders
- The Quest to Find ‘The Man on the Bridge’
- Written by: Nic Edwards, Brian Whitney
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On February 13, 2017, two Indiana teenagers, Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, went for a walk in the woods near the abandoned Monon High Bridge. They never returned home.
-
-
Too much time spent on pointless topics
- By T. N. Lima on 2024-02-16
Written by: Nic Edwards, and others
-
Mindhunter
- Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit
- Written by: John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker
- Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bonus material! Includes an excerpt from John Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s Obsession! Discover the classic behind-the-scenes chronicle of John E. Douglas’ 25-year career in the FBI Investigative Support Unit, where he used psychological profiling to delve into the minds of the country’s most notorious serial killers and criminals - the basis for the upcoming Netflix original series.
-
-
Fantastic look into abnormal minds
- By John on 2018-09-19
Written by: John E. Douglas, and others
-
Chase Darkness with Me
- How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders
- Written by: Billy Jensen, Karen Kilgariff - foreword
- Narrated by: Karen Kilgariff, Billy Jensen
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Chase Darkness with Me, you’ll ride shotgun as journalist Billy Jensen identifies the Halloween Mask Murderer, finds a missing girl in the California Redwoods, and investigates the only other murder in New York City on 9/11. You’ll hear intimate details of the hunts for two of the most terrifying serial killers in history: his friend Michelle’s pursuit of the Golden State Killer which is chronicled in I’ll Be Gone In The Dark which Billy helped finish after Michelle’s passing, and his own quest to find the murderer of the Allenstown 4 family.
-
-
True Crime with So Much Heart
- By Taylor on 2019-04-16
Written by: Billy Jensen, and others
-
All That Is Wicked
- A Gilded-Age Story of Murder and the Race to Decode the Criminal Mind
- Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
- Narrated by: Kate Winkler Dawson
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edward Rulloff was a brilliant yet utterly amoral murderer—some have called him a “Victorian-era Hannibal Lecter”—whose crimes spanned decades and whose victims were chosen out of revenge, out of envy, and sometimes out of necessity.
-
-
Excellent
- By Heidi Gerrits on 2023-12-04
Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
-
American Sherlock
- Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI
- Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
- Narrated by: Kate Winkler Dawson
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Berkeley, California, 1933. In a lab filled with curiosities - beakers, microscopes, Bunsen burners, and hundreds upon hundreds of books - sat an investigator who would go on to crack at least 2,000 cases in his 40-year career. Known as the "American Sherlock Holmes", Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of America's greatest - and first - forensic scientists, with an uncanny knack for finding clues, establishing evidence, and deducing answers with a skill that seemed almost supernatural.
Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
-
22 Murders
- Investigating the Massacres, Cover-up and Obstacles to Justice in Nova Scotia
- Written by: Paul Palango
- Narrated by: Matthew Hawkins
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As news broke of a killer rampaging across the tiny community of Portapique, Nova Scotia, late on April 18, 2020, details were oddly hard to come by. Who was the killer? Why was he not apprehended? What were police doing? How many were dead? And why was the gunman still on the loose the next morning and killing again? The RCMP was largely silent then, and continued to obscure the actions of denturist Gabriel Wortman after an officer shot and killed him at a gas station during a chance encounter.
-
-
Way too long
- By Jacqueline on 2022-06-12
Written by: Paul Palango
-
The Delphi Murders
- The Quest to Find ‘The Man on the Bridge’
- Written by: Nic Edwards, Brian Whitney
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On February 13, 2017, two Indiana teenagers, Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, went for a walk in the woods near the abandoned Monon High Bridge. They never returned home.
-
-
Too much time spent on pointless topics
- By T. N. Lima on 2024-02-16
Written by: Nic Edwards, and others
-
Mindhunter
- Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit
- Written by: John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker
- Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
- Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bonus material! Includes an excerpt from John Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s Obsession! Discover the classic behind-the-scenes chronicle of John E. Douglas’ 25-year career in the FBI Investigative Support Unit, where he used psychological profiling to delve into the minds of the country’s most notorious serial killers and criminals - the basis for the upcoming Netflix original series.
-
-
Fantastic look into abnormal minds
- By John on 2018-09-19
Written by: John E. Douglas, and others
-
Chase Darkness with Me
- How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders
- Written by: Billy Jensen, Karen Kilgariff - foreword
- Narrated by: Karen Kilgariff, Billy Jensen
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Chase Darkness with Me, you’ll ride shotgun as journalist Billy Jensen identifies the Halloween Mask Murderer, finds a missing girl in the California Redwoods, and investigates the only other murder in New York City on 9/11. You’ll hear intimate details of the hunts for two of the most terrifying serial killers in history: his friend Michelle’s pursuit of the Golden State Killer which is chronicled in I’ll Be Gone In The Dark which Billy helped finish after Michelle’s passing, and his own quest to find the murderer of the Allenstown 4 family.
-
-
True Crime with So Much Heart
- By Taylor on 2019-04-16
Written by: Billy Jensen, and others
-
The Ghost Club
- A Penguin Audiobook Original
- Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
- Narrated by: Kate Winkler Dawson
- Length: 4 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than a century, some of the world’s most important thinkers and leaders—men like Arthur Conan Doyle and William Butler Yeats—gathered once a month and discussed the supernatural at The Ghost Club in London. In the early 1900s the club's chairman was Harry Price, the world’s most well-known ghost hunter. He and other members, like Harry Houdini, sought to debunk the charlatans who preyed on vulnerable people with fake seances, tarot readings, and spiritual encounters.
-
-
Pretty good
- By Roberta W on 2024-09-02
Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
-
I'll Be Gone in the Dark
- One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
- Written by: Michelle McNamara
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, Gillian Flynn - introduction, Patton Oswalt - afterword
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A masterful true crime account of the Golden State Killer - the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California for over a decade - from Michelle McNamara, the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case.
-
-
Confusing as an audiobook
- By Odell Saliga on 2018-05-17
Written by: Michelle McNamara
-
On the Farm
- Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver's Missing Women
- Written by: Stevie Cameron
- Narrated by: Erin Moon
- Length: 25 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Verteran investigative journalist Stevie Cameron first began following the story of missing women in 1998, when the odd newspaper piece appeared chronicling the disappearances of drug-addicted sex trade workers from Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside. It was not until February 2002 that pig farmer Robert William Pickton would be arrested, and 2008 before he was found guilty, on six counts of second-degree murder. These counts were appealed and in 2010, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered its conclusion.
-
-
Narration is bad. “You know, Like really bad ‘eh”
- By k on 2022-08-24
Written by: Stevie Cameron
-
I Will Find You
- Solving Killer Cases from My Life Fighting Crime
- Written by: Detective Lieutenant Joe Kenda
- Narrated by: Detective Lieutenant Joe Kenda
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joe Kenda investigated 387 murder cases during his 23 years with the Colorado Springs Police Department and solved almost all of them. And he is ready to detail the cases that are too gruesome to air on television, cases that still haunt him, and the few cases where the killer got away. These cases are horrifyingly real, and the detail is so mesmerizing you won't be able to turn it off.
-
-
My favourite book of the year!!!
- By Marco Hernandez on 2017-12-11
Written by: Detective Lieutenant Joe Kenda
-
Whoever Fights Monsters
- My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI
- Written by: Robert K. Ressler, Tom Shachtman
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Face-to-face with some of America's most terrifying killers, FBI veteran and ex-Army CID colonel Robert Ressler learned from them how to identify the unknown monsters who walk among us - and put them behind bars. Now the man who coined the phrase "serial killer" and advised Thomas Harris on The Silence of the Lambs shows how he has tracked down some of the nation's most brutal murderers. Join Ressler as he takes you on the hunt for America's most dangerous psychopaths. It is a terrifying journey you will not forget.
-
-
I was brought to this by MFM #ssdgm
- By Hunter Belfer on 2018-06-07
Written by: Robert K. Ressler, and others
-
Death in the Air
- The True Story of a Serial Killer, the Great London Smog, and the Strangling of a City
- Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A real-life thriller in the vein of The Devil in the White City, Kate Winkler Dawson's debut, Death in the Air, is a gripping, historical narrative of a serial killer, an environmental disaster, and an iconic city struggling to regain its footing. In winter 1952, London automobiles and thousands of coal-burning hearths belched particulate matter into the air. But the smog that descended on December fifth of 1952 was different; it was a type that held the city hostage for five long days.
-
-
Not much crime
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-01-17
Written by: Kate Winkler Dawson
-
Journey into Darkness
- Written by: John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the number-one New York Times best seller Mindhunter, John Douglas, who headed the FBI's elite Investigative Support Unit, told the story of his brilliant and terrifying career tracking down some of the most heinous criminals in history. Now, in Journey into Darkness, Douglas profiles vicious serial killers, rapists, and child molesters. He is straightforward, blunt, often irreverent, and outspoken, but takes pains not to glorify any of these murderers.
-
-
Great book hate the narrator
- By Robert K Laws on 2019-08-18
Written by: John E. Douglas, and others
-
The Killer's Shadow
- The FBI's Hunt for a White Supremacist Serial Killer
- Written by: John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker
- Narrated by: Holt McCallany
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Worshippers stream out of an Midwestern synagogue after sabbath services, unaware that only a hundred yards away, an expert marksman and avowed racist, antisemite and member of the Ku Klux Klan, patiently awaits, his hunting rifle at the ready. A riveting, cautionary tale rooted in history that continues to echo today, The Killer's Shadow is a terrifying and essential exploration of the criminal personality in the vile grip of extremism and what happens when rage-filled speech evolves into deadly action and hatred of the “other" is allowed full reign.
-
-
Intriguing, informative, Well written!!
- By bill on 2020-12-19
Written by: John E. Douglas, and others
-
Murder, Madness and Mayhem
- Twenty-Five Tales of True Crime and Dark History
- Written by: Mike Browne
- Narrated by: Mike Browne
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mike Browne, host of the popular Canadian podcast Dark Poutine, chronicles some of his all-time favourite stories of true crime and dark history from Canada and around the world.
-
-
If you love True Crime podcasts, you'll like this
- By Crystal Riegert on 2022-10-15
Written by: Mike Browne
-
Lost Girls
- An Unsolved American Mystery
- Written by: Robert Kolker
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One late spring evening in 2010, Shannan Gilbert - after running through the oceanfront community of Oak Beach screaming for her life - went missing. No one who had heard of her disappearance thought much about what had happened to the 24-year-old: She was a Craigslist escort who had been fleeing a scene - of what, no one could be sure. The Suffolk County police, too, seemed to have paid little attention - until seven months later, when an unexpected discovery in a bramble alongside a nearby highway turned up four bodies, all evenly spaced, all wrapped in burlap.
-
-
The care for the lives of the victims
- By nicolas on 2024-03-09
Written by: Robert Kolker
-
The Stranger Beside Me
- The Shocking True Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy
- Written by: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Lorelei King
- Length: 18 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ann Rule was working on the biggest story of her career, tracking the trail of victims left by a brutal serial killer. Little did this future best-selling author know that the savage slayer she was hunting was the young man she counted among her closest friends. Everyone's picture of a natural winner, Ted Bundy was a bright, charming, and handsome man with a promising future as an attorney. But on January 24, 1989 Bundy was executed for the murders of three young women - and had confessed to taking the lives of at least thirty-five more women from coast to coast.
-
-
There is an Audio problem in Chapter 54
- By Bailey on 2020-01-28
Written by: Ann Rule
-
The Misbegotten Son
- Written by: Jack Olsen
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An account of the crimes of Arthur Shawcross describes how the paroled child killer shot, stabbed, suffocated, and strangled 16 Rochester, New York, prostitutes and examines how the legal system failed his victims.
-
-
The Misbegotten Son
- By Caroline Ioannidis on 2020-01-05
Written by: Jack Olsen
What the critics say
"[Paul Holes's] memoir grabs its reader in a stranglehold and proves more fascinating than fiction and darker than any noir narrative."
—Los Angeles Magazine
"Fans of true crime will love every page of Unmasked. It is a wildly engaging and painfully honest read that will appeal to anyone curious about the lives of those who pursue justice for voiceless victims."
—San Francisco Chronicle
"An exceptional memoir... his unflinching look at the emotional toll the more than 27 years he spent working in Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay Area took on him and his family distinguishes this from similar true crime narratives."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
What listeners say about Unmasked
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- osvaldo piedimonte
- 2023-06-23
Awesome!
For true crime fans…a must have in their collection of true crime stories! Great Stuff!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Paul Young
- 2022-12-17
Easy listen and amazing story
Really enjoyed hearing the process. Sometimes new innovations shift paradigms. Sometimes you just need to fail to push through.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2023-10-11
Binged in under two days!
As a long time listener of My Favourite Murder and a newer fan to the Buried Bones podcast- I thought I’d give this a listen. Absolutely incredible to hear the first-hand experience of Paul Holes and his journey to catch some of the most disgusting and notorious predators in recent U.S. history. Great chapter on the great Michelle McNamara. Incredible insights into the process of tracking down serial rapists and killers. All while navigating developing DNA technology, family life, personal struggles and the infuriating egos in politics to get to the truth and find some justice for countless victims. Thank you for telling your story Paul!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Seanathan1
- 2022-06-02
Awesome
My title pretty much sums it up. The only thing I didn’t like about the book is that it ended! I could have easily listened to Paul for several more hours. A follow up with other cases would be amazing. I am a murderino(?) so I am used to listening to Paul, but it was very interesting learning about Paul in this way. Awesome.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Charles Sinclair
- 2022-05-03
Thank You Paul
great book Paul!! Thank you so much for narrating yourself! Thank you for being a voice for so many victims!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Zdravko M
- 2022-11-30
Paul Holes is Incredible
I loved this memoir! As a true crime junkie I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this and dive into the mind of one of the best cold-case investigators. It was truly heartbreaking to hear Holes talk about what toll these cases took on not just him physically & mentally but on his family. Having to deal with crippling anxiety, a divorce, a second marriage that was also heading potentially down the same path to then finally finding the golden state killer really opened my eyes to the sacrifices these men & woman make to keep our cities safe. As a true crime junkie I’ve never really thought about the other side of the cases we obsesses over which is the fact that these cops & investigators who are handling these cases go through so much and give up so much to do what they do. So many sleepless nights, neglecting their own health and family. It really takes a toll. So thank you to all the individuals involved who keep us safe!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Karina
- 2023-08-08
Fascinating!
Awesome! Very interesting and a beautiful take on what it is like to do this kind of gruelling hard work! Captivating! Thank you!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Robyn
- 2022-05-05
Amazing!
Couldn't stop listening. Paul Holes is a hero, without a cape.
Can listen to his voice for days!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Hmackdad
- 2022-06-27
Never Quit
Paul gives a lesson in never quiting and the cost of success. very good lessons!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brianna Hachez Lagacé
- 2022-07-24
this book was everything it promised to be
I listened to this book on a trip home from beginning to end and was hooked! amazing to hear it from the author himself! absolutely appreciated the authenticity and honesty shared by the author about successes and vulnerabilities.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!