A review by thesaltiestlibrarian
Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
RTC
Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.
I have a problem with looking up crime scene photos when a case piques my interest. I think this book has cured that problem.
LAST CALL details several killings in the late 80s and early 90s in and around the NYC area. All the victims were gay men, whether closeted or not, and were particularly gruesome. New Jersey, Manhattan, even Pennsylvania became dumping spots for the Last Call killer's victims. The MO was to dismember and decapitate the bodies, deposit the parts into separate garbage bags, double bad and double tie them, and leave them in 55-gallon barrels along the highways. You can see how that would be easy disposal in such a huge metropolitan area.
Elon Green really does justice to this case with all of the history of the gay communities affected and objective analysis of the police work. He outlines the lives and histories of each victim, painting them in the most human light, and covering wholly the tragic loss of each life. Even though I knew who was going to be murdered, I hated that their life stories came to that end. It's like my brain was beating against the current for a different turnout.
And really, THAT is EXACTLY how true crime should be written. Green knocked it out of the park here. He focused his narrative on the victims and their families, not the killer. People who don't understand the true crime community believe that we're focused on the killer because he or she is fascinating and "cool" in the morbid sense, and that's just not true. (Well, 99% of the time. Sometimes the worrisome fandom pops up, i.e. serial killer crushes.) Yes, the psychology and sociology is a fascinating area of study, but the killers themselves are not the point of the true crime community. The victims are. Their families are. The gaps in law enforcement that show when a unique crime happens, rectifying those deficiencies are the point.
Justice is the point.
Elon Green has crafted a little-known story into a beautiful, heartbreaking, totally human history and case study. True crime books don't usually get under my skin. I've been through a lot of crap in my short life, and it's hard to shock me. But Green's writing--his depiction of brutality against a marginalized community--won't be leaving this ally anytime soon.
Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.
I have a problem with looking up crime scene photos when a case piques my interest. I think this book has cured that problem.
LAST CALL details several killings in the late 80s and early 90s in and around the NYC area. All the victims were gay men, whether closeted or not, and were particularly gruesome. New Jersey, Manhattan, even Pennsylvania became dumping spots for the Last Call killer's victims. The MO was to dismember and decapitate the bodies, deposit the parts into separate garbage bags, double bad and double tie them, and leave them in 55-gallon barrels along the highways. You can see how that would be easy disposal in such a huge metropolitan area.
Elon Green really does justice to this case with all of the history of the gay communities affected and objective analysis of the police work. He outlines the lives and histories of each victim, painting them in the most human light, and covering wholly the tragic loss of each life. Even though I knew who was going to be murdered, I hated that their life stories came to that end. It's like my brain was beating against the current for a different turnout.
And really, THAT is EXACTLY how true crime should be written. Green knocked it out of the park here. He focused his narrative on the victims and their families, not the killer. People who don't understand the true crime community believe that we're focused on the killer because he or she is fascinating and "cool" in the morbid sense, and that's just not true. (Well, 99% of the time. Sometimes the worrisome fandom pops up, i.e. serial killer crushes.) Yes, the psychology and sociology is a fascinating area of study, but the killers themselves are not the point of the true crime community. The victims are. Their families are. The gaps in law enforcement that show when a unique crime happens, rectifying those deficiencies are the point.
Justice is the point.
Elon Green has crafted a little-known story into a beautiful, heartbreaking, totally human history and case study. True crime books don't usually get under my skin. I've been through a lot of crap in my short life, and it's hard to shock me. But Green's writing--his depiction of brutality against a marginalized community--won't be leaving this ally anytime soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism