In this short and bingeable book, Huddle writes about his brother-in-law/former roommate, Joe DeAngelo, the man who is alleged to be the Golden State Killer (and also the East Area Rapist, the Visalia Ransacker, the Diamond Knot Killer, and the Original Night Stalker).

If you’re unfamiliar with the Golden State Killer and all of his crimes, this book will provide a thorough and concise overview of each of the crimes chronologically. The footnotes also contain several interesting sources to refer to for further research.

To me the book is at its best when Huddle is detailing his memories of DeAngelo and giving his own personal insight. Huddle’s unique perspective of the situation is what sets this book apart from any other on the subject. I found it fascinating to hear about Huddle’s memories and firsthand observations about the man that he thought he knew so well.

However, the book feels disjointed and lacks a natural flow of narrative. A few sections veer off from DeAngelo and his alleged crimes and describe other serial killers in the same area and time period. While all of this information was well-researched and interesting, it did not feel fully cohesive with the rest of the book. Despite that, I found the book to be interesting, and I am glad I read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, IBPA, and the author for the advanced reader copy of this book!

This memoir, written by the brother-in-law of the Golden State Killer, written shortly after the arrest of this serial rapist and killer (he has since said he would plead guilty), Mr. Huddle reconstructs the crimes in a way that only he could - from the dry language of police or other reports. Unlike the compelling account of the attempt by law enforcement to finally locate this killer by Michelle McNamara in her best selling book, I'll be Gone in the Dark, published after her death, this memoir is the author's recollection of interactions with a family member whose arrest was met with disbelief and shock by his extended family.

Huddle relies on decades of old memories, wondering if clues were missed, not only by him, but by others. These questions haunt those who learn after the facts of horrors committed by people they thought they knew well. Ann Rule's memories of her time spent working as a volunteer on a crisis hotline alongside Ted Bundy led to her long and successful career studying and writing about crime.

The author's history is, of course, revealed along with the circumstances of his interactions with his sister's husband. Neither the author's own history nor his memories of DeAngelo elevate this book to the level it could have been if others had agreed to share their own memories which taken together might have woven a more compelling narrative. Additionally, if the author could have told where he was or other family members were and what happened on any one of the days that DeAngelo was breaking into houses, raping women or later bludgeoning people to death, it would have provided information about DeAngelo's double life.

The author undertook an effort that is commendable. Hopefully, the process has helped he and his family deal with an almost unimaginable circumstance. The least we reviewers can do is applaud that effort and wish he and his family the best.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This was an informative, quick read on the man who would eventually be know as the golden state killer.

if you've never read a true crime before, this is a good book to start with.
the chronological description of events makes it a fast read, and quite interesting hearing from someone who knows the killer personally.
it could use a bit of editing -mainly in finding other words besides "according" to reference official documents.
adding information about serial killers in general and specifics about some well known ones helps round up the book.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, James Huddle, and IBPA for giving me an ARC in exchange for review!

The Golden State Killer found ways to truly test the limits and evil humanity can find within themselves. But, what if this inexplicable evil was your roommate, your brother?

In the first pages of this book, it was unsettling that the author (a relative of the Golden State Killer) noted that none of the family wanted to be a part of the book. Though this doesn’t necessarily mean that they were opposed to its creation, I still felt worried about the line between writing the book to tell a story while also respecting the wishes of those involved. Farther into the novel, there is a consistent listing of the victims, which is done predominantly by age/date and manner of crime. This felt insensitive to those victims, and though this is the story of their murderer/rapist/burglar, I don’t think his voice deserves to be heard over theirs and the rushing through each of their stories portrayed it that way. As a typical consumer of true crime, I do try to be aware of the respect given to the victims whose stories I, for lack of better words, am being entertained by, as well as the wishes of all those involved (other than the perpetrator typically).

Beyond that, the book was very informative and quite a unique lens to this infamous story. I think it is a story that anyone interested in this case, or any followers of true crime, would enjoy consuming. It is a great length, written concisely, and well researched. My favorite aspects of the book were those from the author’s own perspective, rather than facts or statistics, finding out what Joseph James DeAngelo’s life looked like. I also enjoyed the ending of the novel broadening the scope, looking at the evolution of serial killers, some famous names, and fitting DeAngelo into that picture. The photographs included at the end of the novel were a powerful, haunting addition that cemented the story together and made the narrative feel real. Because it is real.

A very interesting account about the Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, by a man who knew him well, his brother-in-law James Huddle. While they were no longer connected through marriage, prior to his arrest, James and DeAngelo were still close. Huddle recounts the memories he has of DeAngelo in a compelling way. While some parts of the book read like a crime fact sheet, it is hard not to do when there were so many crimes committed by DeAngelo. A wonderful up-close perspective regarding a man no-one suspected. Huddle recounts what he calls “little red flags,” that, with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, give a glimpse into who DeAngelo really was. This book is very well done on a subject most (including most of Huddle’s own family) choose to keep private.

Astonishing account of decades of life lived right next to Joseph DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer. The author is DeAngelo's brother in law. While it's a bit irritating to constantly read that "if" Joe did it, a way to keep up appearances I presume, it's clear that the author does understand that his brother in law did murder a dozen people and rape over 50 women, much of the time working for a paycheck for a police department in northern California.
The quality of the writing isn't great and the author is always referring to DNA as though it was useful in the 70s, but the very fact that this person is one of the few who had a ringside seat, makes this read fascinating.

2.5 / 5 stars

This is a very matter-of-fact book about the Golden State Killer, told from the point of view of his brother in law.

Though the topic is very interesting, the book failed to give me what I was looking for. There's a lot of facts, a lot of numbers and a lot of account about the murders and other crimes that occured, but the image of Joe's character is described very vaguely, and the book hardly gives any insight into his life, or tells much about what he really was like. The book is short, and doesn't really seem to have enough material to be full and complete.

Last 40% of the book or so is not even about the Golden State Killer anymore, but instead fills the pages with general facts about serial killers.

The premise of this book was really fascinating, and I hoped that it would give an insight into the EAR/ONS case from the perspective of someone who was close to DeAngelo, as well as show how his family struggled with the development that all was not as it seemed. I think the start of the book was very effective in this respect- it covered all of the crimes that the East Area Rapist committed, as well as interspersing it with the happenings within the DeAngelo family. For that, I really applaud the author- he did a marvellous job balancing the crimes with what he saw himself within his family, and he doesn't bring with him a huge amount of moralising or discussion of any other extrinsic materials like politics (as some biographies about serial killers in the family seem to take the road of).

However, it did go a little off the tracks later in the book. It felt stretched in places as it went into the types of crimes committed in America, as well as some of the many serial killers that had made their ways into the annals of history. I think the ones that made the most sense and really should have been there was the Green River Killer- there was a lot in terms of similarity there- as well as BTK. Those were evidently crucial to the processing of having shared part of your life with someone who could commit such horrific acts. The rest, though, really wasn't needed.

As a whole, I thought this was one of the better memoirs written by a family member in respect to a serial criminal. It isn't overly attached, but it isn't detached either, and I do think it clearly shows exactly how much processing that this kind of event needs.

Killers Keep Secrets was a very interesting book. It was interesting to hear from the brother in law of the Golden State Killer. I thought James Huddle did a very good job of not only showing of the side of Joe that he and his family knew. But also showing us how they had started to accept that he is the Golden State Killer.

What It's About: The Golden State Killer, the East Area Rapist, the Visalia Ransacker, the Diamond Knot Killer, the Original Night Stalker - all these are monikers given to Joseph James DeAngelo - a serial killer, rapist and burglar, who is accused of at least 13 murders, over 50 rape cases and burglaries across California between 1975 and 1986. He eluded the authority for 40 years until his arrest in 2018 and has been in custody since.

We read about his crimes in true crime books, news, podcasts, and so forth. But we have little knowledge about his other life - his normal life as a husband, father, and employee, and this is what this book is about. Written by his brother-in-law, a family member and a longtime friend, James Huddle, talks about his relationship with DeAngelo, their families and how his children remember DeAngelo as the loving, fun but eccentric Uncle Joe.

My thoughts: I appreciate that the author shares this story and gives us a glimpse of the other life of DeAngelo. It is shocking and I can't imagine the disbelief and betrayal to know that a family member you are so close with is one of America's most prolific serial killer. In the first few chapters of the book, Huddle talks about their friendship and how later on DeAngelo becomes part of his family. He also talks about their families and DeAngelo's eccentricities. Huddle constantly questioned himself how he had missed all the red flags about DeAngelo.

I liked how Huddle shares about the crimes DeAngelo committed over the years in a chronological but brief manner. There is a lot! DeAngelo ceased his criminal activities after 1986 and there were speculations that most probably he died or in prison for another crime. But according to Huddle it is most probably because DeAngelo is focusing on his family life. Huddle also shares how the aftermath of DeAngelo's arrest impacted their families. It is heartbreaking.

There are also chapters on other serial killers - myths, behaviors, background similarities, statistics and so forth. It is interesting to know that there were a spike in serial killer cases from 70s - 90s.

This book is easy to read and I liked the quick and to the point writing style. But, since it is a short book and it is more about familial relationships, the cases of GSK is not covered in an in-depth manner. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend this to everyone.

Pub. Date: 30 Jun, 2020

***Thank you Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and NetGalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.***

Thank you Netgalley, James Huddle, and IBPA for allowing me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joseph DeAngelo, to many it's a simple name, to others it hits too close to home. In the 1980s, DeAngelo operated under the name Golden State Killer. He murdered 13 people, raped 500 others, and committed 100+ burglaries in Northern and Southern California. James Huddle, the killer's brother in-law, recounts his experiences with Joseph "Joe" DeAngelo, and how he brushed aside warning signs, thinking nothing of it.

This is a book that's sort of in the same vein of The Stranger Beside Me--a true crime story told from the perspective of a person who was close to the murderer and can live to tell the story. Huddle considers throughout that DeAngelo had ample opportunity to take him off the map, or his daughters, and yet he chose not to. It's a book that examines the fact that he is haunted by DeAngelo years after the Golden State Killer's crime spree had stopped, and now he's in jail sitting on a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. Huddle is constantly turning over interactions with DeAngelo, including the times he left his daughter alone with him while he worked.

I cannot imagine being close to someone and then finding out they're an American Monster (yes I stole that from ID) and Huddle has lived that nightmare. Within, DeAngelo is painted as a lovable, kind man with a few behavioral quirks that no one thinks twice about; like his love of hunting and killing animals, his rage, his kleptomania, and the fact that he seems to take great joy in fabricating elaborate stories to make himself seem better than he actually is. This is not enough to raise red flags in a person, but Huddle kept this quirks tabbed and archived in case some wild shit happened considering that the Killer's rampage was near where he and his daughters lived.

Huddle's writing is quick and to the point. He is not the type of author that handles similes and metaphors like one would handle a double whipped iced macchiato from Starbucks. He says, "Fuck that," and writes simple prose that's easy to follow and quick to read. This is both a pro and a con.

It's a pro in the sense that the book is easy to follow. It immerses you in the story and the people involved without the reader pausing to dwell on a beautiful metaphor or a line that lands with eerie clarity. I felt like I was flying through this book at a pace that I wasn't exactly used to, considering that I don't read books fast at all. A testament to engaging writing. A testament to engaging storytelling.

But, it's also a con. Without the metaphor or the line of eerie clarity, there is nothing to dwell on. It reads less like a true crime book examining a relationship with a serial killer, but more like a Netflix documentary; ironically, this book would make a wonderful documentary, or at least a true crime thriller movie. Because that's how it reads. It's incredibly fast paced, simple, and easy to read. Huddle doesn't dwell on things except for asking the basic "What if?" questions, but I cannot exactly fault on him that because the things DeAngelo did are traumatizing, and triggering for many people.

However, this book lacks that emotional depth. It tells instead of shows. It discusses familial relationships and then Huddle begins listing factoids about the crimes that DeAngelo committed--the rapes, the murders, the things he stole from people's homes, what was ransacked and where; all told in simple sentences and easy reading prose. And this book, to me, relies to heavily on filler to fill the required pages, or to meet word count goals.

There's a chapter that was around a page (page and half if we want to push it), there are chapters that are titled one thing and discuss another thing entirely, like Master Manipulator that discusses one instance of manipulative behavior before then proceeding to detail the crimes Joe committed around that time frame. There's two chapters at the end of the book that detail serial killer behavior, serial killer myths, shit that could be sprinkled throughout, however it's attached to the end like an extended appendix. I don't want to disrespect the author and skim through these sections, but the information presented wasn't anything new or spectacular. It wasn't revelatory or eye-opening, leaving me questioning even the mailman and wondering if he wants to fuck me. When discussing familial anecdotes and experiences, it felt very much like filler, applied last minute to make the lips plumper or the ass bouncier but did nothing to improve the overall figure of the book itself. I understand the point of these chapters, comparing various serial killers and their tendencies to live double lives with that of Joe, however this book was about Joe, and I feel that these chapters are unnecessary.

This book is enjoyable and I would recommend this book to someone just starting out reading true crime novels. But if you want a better Golden State Killer book, I'd suggest you read I'll Be Gone In the Dark.

This was a folksy, honest look at what happens when a member of your family turns out to be an infamous serial killer. The author discusses his long, close history with his brother-in-law, Joseph DeAngelo, the alleged Golden State Killer. This book is unique because it's written in a easy, friendly manner from somebody who knew this monster as someone simply named "Joe."

The author discusses meeting Joe, Joe marrying into the family, and Joe's normal daily routine while the area was rocked by his horrific events. The author discusses red flags that he only realized in hindsight, and the family pictures at the end are chilling in their normality.

The book respectfully glosses over the nitty gritty details of the cases. This will give you valuable insight about how the killer hid in plain sight for years and how the family dealt with the ensuing aftermath. The author is likable and I enjoyed this book. It's a perfect book for someone to wants to learn more about the killer they've seen all over the news, but perhaps doesn't have the stomach to do a case-by-case deep dive. It's a quick, easy read that anybody interested in the case would enjoy.

This is a quick summer read for people already familiar with the Golden State Killer case. It starts off with a few chapters that give a high-level overview of the cases, from the Visalia Ransacker's early days through the last Original Night Stalker murders. It's enough information to refresh your memory in case it's been awhile since you read I'll Be Gone In The Dark, but not so much that it feels like a full retread of what other books and podcasts have already covered.

The middle chapters, when Huddle talks about his relationship with DeAngelo and the relationships between their two families, are by far the most interesting. Huddle gives us glimpses into the many little red flags that, in retrospect, add up to something more than someone who is "just a little eccentric" or "just a little off." But I wish there had been more here -- more stories, more detail, more reflection about what they should've seen in those red flags. Ultimately, Killers Keep Secrets scratches the surface of who DeAngelo was with his family, but it never really digs in.

Killers Keep Secrets: The Golden State Killer’s Other Life, is absolutely gripping while being horrific and terrifying because of the crimes committed. It makes you question just how well do you really know the people you are close to and let into your life?

Thank you to NetGalley and IBPA for the arc of Killer keeps secrets by James Huddle.

This book is about the Golden State Killer, It’s written by his ex-wife’s brother, who spent a lot of time with him. It comes from his point of view, and is interesting in that respect. Unfortunately, once it goes over the family stuff and his personal memories of De-Angelo, He goes over the murder cases of serial killers and and listing other serial killers.

Quite interesting as it is a true crime book, it was quite short which is a shame, so i finished it quickly but overall a great read

4 Stars

James Huddle writes about the Golden State Killer from a unique perspective: he is the brother-in-law of this infamous criminal. Imagine, after knowing someone for over 40 years, that they are suddenly unmasked as being a cold-blooded rapist and murderer. Huddle discusses Joseph D'Angelo, who is married to his sister Sharon, and gives insight to the popular notion that madmen can live among us.

This book is about the now-becoming-familiar Golden State Killer, but from another angle. It’s written by his ex-wife’s brother, who spent a lot of time with him over the years, decades and considered him family. It comes from his point of view, and is interesting in that respect. Unfortunately, once it goes over the family stuff and his personal memories of DeAngelo, etc. it runs out of gas and falls back on filler to make even a book on the shortish side. He goes over the murder cases, then really stretches things by talking about serial killers in the US, at one point listing non-white male serial killers. And a female one. I’m still glad to have read it, but it’s a bit thinner than I’d have liked on material. Advanced electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author James Huddle, and the publisher.

When I received this book from NetGalley, I was very excited but also nervous. Another book about the Golden State Killer which meant that the only way to impress me would be to learn somethings I didn't already know. And let me tell you, this book did just this. James Huddle's brother-in-law was Joseph James DeAngelo. The authors daughters only knew Joe as their uncle. It was so interesting to see what he was doing with his time after the murders stopped and also a very personal account of someone who knew him probably the best (besides his wife). I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about GSK/EAR.

Initially the title grabbed my attention and to find it was true crime, i could wait to read it. I am by no means a fast reader, but to read a book in little over a day as i did with 'Killers Keep Secrets' is saying something. I recall reading something about when the Golden State killer was caught and that he was a former police officer, but didn't really know much about him. Unbelievable that he got away with what he did for so many years, but thankfully he was finally caught. Towards the end of the book, the author wrote a brief account of other well known serial killers. Recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which i have voluntarily given.