The Grim Sleeper: The Lost Women of South Central

by Christine Pelisek Narrated by Inger Tudor

Overview

The definitive book on the hunt to find the most ruthless serial killer in Los Angeles' history, told by the fearless reporter who broke the story.


In 2008, Christine Pelisek broke the story of a terrifying serial killer who went unchecked in Los Angeles for decades, killing the most vulnerable women in one South Central neighborhood. In her cover article for LA Weekly, Christine dubbed him "The Grim Sleeper" for his long break between murders. The killer preyed on a community devastated by crime and drugs and left behind a trail of bodies?all women of color, all murdered in a similar fashion, and all discarded in the alleys of Los Angeles.





The case of the Grim Sleeper is unforgettably singular. But it also tells a wider story about homicide investigations in areas beset by poverty, gang violence, and despair; about how a serial killer could continue his grisly work for two decades in part due to society's lack of concern for his chosen victims; and about the power and tenacity of those women's families and the detectives who refused to let the case go cold.





No one knows this story better than Christine Pelisek, the reporter who followed it for over ten years, and has written the definitive book on the capture of one of America's most ruthless serial killers. Based on extensive interviews, reportage, and information never released to the public, The Grim Sleeper captures the long, bumpy road to justice in one of the most startling true crime stories of our generation.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for The Grim Sleeper

“Christine Pelisek meticulously details the case of the L.A. serial killer called 'the Grim Sleeper' as only someone who reported on the case for 10 years could . . . Pelisek’s book carefully details the lives of each victim and tells a broader story about homicide investigations in neighborhoods ridden with poverty and gang violence. The book reveals the hard truth that often victims found in high–crime areas are neglected by the police and the press—which is likely how a serial killer ran rampant for two decades.”
—Time

“This upsetting account of a Los Angeles serial killer, written with passion by Christine Pelisek, an investigative crime reporter who spent 10 years working the case, blurts out a hard truth that no one wants to acknowledge . . . [She] tries to restore dignity to some of the victims by drawing sympathetic and carefully detailed life histories for each and every one of them.”
—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

“Painfully relevant . . . The heart of this book—which is indeed grim, but also necessary—is in its subtitle, 'The Lost Women of South Central' . . . At its best, The Grim Sleeper is an informal ethnography that describes how African American families came to Los Angeles from the South and Midwest, what they found there, what they didn’t. It is a group portrait of families clawing their way into the middle class, only to often slip back into poverty, drugs and alcohol. Pelisek is masterful in teasing out the stories of Franklin’s victims. For the first time, you will know their names, and their names will stay with you.”
—Los Angeles Times

“[A] gripping reconstruction of the lives of some of the many impoverished victims of the recently convicted serial slayer.”
—New York

“Through this fascinating read, Pelisek delves deeply into the connections between the war on drugs, the misguided search for The Southside Slayer, the Los Angeles Police Department's indifference, and the cultural disregard for sex workers . . . An engrossing read for those invested in true crime, but also a cautionary tale for law enforcement.”
—Bitch

“A dark and disturbing story that reveals the failure of the police and the justice system in impoverished communities of color, The Grim Sleeper is a must–read for true crime fans who want to see how crime reporting can make a difference.”
—Bustle

“Pelisek takes readers through the investigation step–by–step, and she also delves into the details of the women's lives. The author paints each victim clearly, and she palpably captures the pain of the families left behind . . . True–crime fans will greatly appreciate Pelisek's detail and determination.”
—Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

2017-04-17
It took 30 years for justice to catch up with the serial killer dubbed "The Grim Sleeper" by LA Weekly, where crime reporter Pelisek (now at People) covered the story. In her first book, she follows the case from her first article in 2008 to its final day in court in 2016.Starting in the 1980s, Lonnie Franklin Jr. picked up women on the streets of Los Angeles, mostly prostitutes, killed them, and dumped their bodies back on the streets. As each murder was discovered, police came up empty-handed in their search for enough clues to point them to a suspect. Eventually, they were able to take advantage of improved DNA testing techniques to find Franklin and prosecute him. Pelisek takes readers through the investigation step-by-step, and she also delves into the details of the women's lives. The author paints each victim clearly, and she palpably captures the pain of the families left behind. Readers will find this mostly absorbing book to be a quick, if not necessarily easy, read. However, in two sections the author risks losing the interest of readers who are not devoted fans of true crime. She rightly covers each suspect in the long search for the culprit, but she does so without the tension that would allow readers to feel as though each man could be guilty. This makes the revelation of each subsequent suspect feel anticlimactic. During the trial portion of the book, Pelisek loses the thread of her narrative by delving deep into the background of each lawyer involved. While one lawyer's eventual dismissal and possible ethical issues are certainly part of the story, each lawyer's education history and hometown are not. Ultimately, the tangential information slows down the narrative and moves the focus away from the case. True-crime fans will greatly appreciate Pelisek's detail and determination, but some will find the minutiae overwhelming.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169460209
Publisher:	Novel Audio
Publication date:	05/30/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,055,602

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