A review by seriouslybookedup
Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

Easily one of the best true crime books I've read in a while. I think the author does a great job balancing the details of the crime without it being too salacious or too dry and clinical in the storytelling. Sometimes I wonder if it was too gruesome, but I think it's important not to sugarcoat the heinous nature of these crimes especially since they were targeted at gay men. I think the book is also great at providing critical context about the time and place that these crimes took place and how it impacted the gay community (and how the local gay community members organized in response to these crimes). 

I was particularly moved and horrified by the court transcript of Harrow who had to relive the trauma of his assault and then had to watch as the perpetrator was set free - despite all the credible evidence. And, I was also surprised by the bizarre connection to Rudy Giuliani and how his indirect (maybe?) involvement may have sabotaged any efforts to investigate similar unsolved murders.

I felt like there were so many coincidences and connections that made this book feel intimate to me (e.g. I live in Orlando and the killer went to school in Florida where suspiciously similar unsolved case took place in Orlando). I was riveted and deeply moved by the spotlights on each victim which I think the author handled with a lot of compassion and care.  
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