Behold the Monster

‘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.