Book Review
A Monster of All Time is well-deserving of five stars. J.T. Hunter’s non-fiction book, A Monster of All Time, shook me so deeply that there were times I had to put it down for a day or two. It is a powerful read, not simply because the subject matter is intense, but also because J. T. Hunter wrote with such unrestrained clarity and eloquence that occasionally I wanted time to digest the chapter.
I was prepared to read the story of the brutal murders carried out by a serial killer – or I thought I was. This murder mystery had been on one of the televised documentary programs I follow. Human behavior is an interest of mine. The author’s unrestrained depiction of the raw and gut-wrenching acts of violence on the victims was ‘executed’ without becoming morbid. The crimes and characters are not given a Hollywood spin. He honors the facts. This author’s description of the murders was not my Achilles heal. It was the roller coaster ride between the horror, and then identifying with happy college kids. Again and again with each successive attack.
What I found particularly unique, is that after reading A Monster of All Time, both a prosecutor and the defense lawyer could use this book’s detailed account to present a solid case before the judge and jury. The detailed facts flow smoothly, without being laboriously tedious. J. T. Hunter skillfully reveals each twisted character with an unforgiving light, and yet with a non judgmental voice. Incredible!
Though the reader is initially not certain who is responsible for the deaths, the mystery is revealed enticingly slow. The reader also is drawn, albeit reluctantly, to almost empathize with what led the killer to commit a level of brutality that is beyond comprehension.
This is what made A Monster Of All Time an emotional hell ride as well as being given the pleasure of reading a superbly written book. I highly recommend this book to readers who are accustomed to intense crime thrillers, psychological thrillers, mystery novels, and to those who study human behavior.
If you don’t lock your doors before going to bed …. maybe you should think about it.
A Monster Of All Time
by J.T. Hunter
on Tour July 1-31, 2019
The True Story of Danny Rolling, The Gainesville Ripper
Ambitious, attractive, and full of potential, five young college students prepared for the new semester. They dreamed of beginning careers and starting families. They had a lifetime of experiences in front of them. But death came without warning in the dark of the night.
Brutally ending five promising lives, leaving behind three gruesome crime scenes, the Gainesville Ripper terrorized the University of Florida, casting an ominous shadow across a frightened college town.
What evil lurked inside him?
What demons drove him to kill?
What made him A Monster of All Time?
Book Details:
Genre: True Crime
Published by: RJ Parker Publishing
Publication Date: September 4th 2018
Number of Pages: 304
ISBN: 1987902521 (ISBN13: 9781987902525)
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
Prologue
January 1987
Parchman, Mississippi
The prisoner raged in his lonely cell.
“When they let me out of here,” the prisoner swore to himself, “I’ll make them all pay.”
Years of condemnation and contempt had taken its toll, breaking him down, eroding his spirit, destroying all sense of hope. Now only the anger remained.
~~~~~
Cast into the bowels of Parchman Prison, the notorious Mississippi State Penitentiary, the prisoner had suffered daily torments during his confinement, each day falling deeper and deeper into despair. Raw sewage regularly seeped into his cell through the floor and flowed from a broken drain down the hall, flooding the cramped 8 x 10 feet concrete space with a revolting grey-brown liquid and an unrelenting stench.
Kept in this torturous isolation, his besieged brain had betrayed him, replaying the grievous moments of his life, all of the humiliations and feelings of helplessness, every piercing word, and every raw, painful memory. It was a constant reminder that the world had always been a hurtful place of violence, animosity, and aversion, never one of empathy or understanding.
Desperate to escape the unrelenting torment, he retreated ever deeper into the labyrinth of his own mind, creeping ever closer to madness. It was in that maze of insanity that he found himself. Or rather, something found him.
In the bleak, all-encompassing darkness, something whispered his name.
Faceless and formless, the voice seemed to emanate both from the impenetrable blackness surrounding him and from the shadowy depths of his own consciousness. The voice soothed and seduced him, its language both alien and familiar. It promised the strength to survive whatever nightmares awaited the remainder of his confinement. It offered the tools of revenge for his present condition, for all of the wrongs committed against him in the past, and for the scorn and mistreatment yet to come. Most of all, it promised the power to make others feel the suffering he had so long endured.
Then a name imprinted itself into his brain, uttered from an unseen shape in the darkness, or muttered from the murky depths of memory.
“Gemini,” an eerie voice proclaimed. “I am Gemini.”
At that moment, an infernal compact was crafted, a devil’s contract offering redemption for the damned, a demonic covenant accepted regardless of the terms. Caring nothing for the consequences, the prisoner embraced the assurance of vengeance, pledging revenge for the countless injuries inflicted upon him. Just as a cold, uncaring world had robbed him of his humanity and stolen years of his life, he would take the lives of others in an equal and equitable proportion. A new sense of purpose washed over him, bringing with it a rebirth, a recognition of what he needed to do.
And now he waited, marking the days with hidden malice, the bitter darkness of his cell matched only by the malevolence of his twisted, tainted soul.
***
Excerpt from A Monster Of All Time by J.T. Hunter. Copyright 2018 by J.T. Hunter. Reproduced with permission from J.T. Hunter. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
J.T. Hunter is an attorney with over fourteen years of experience practicing law, including criminal law and appeals, and he has significant training in criminal investigation techniques. He is also a college professor in Florida where his teaching interests focus on the intersection of criminal psychology, law, and literature.
JT’s bestselling true crime books include:
Catch Up With J.T. Hunter On:
jthunter.org, Goodreads, BookBub, & Facebook!
Tour Participants:
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!
https://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=292679
Enter Giveaway!:
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for JT Hunter. There will be 2 winners of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card each. The giveaway begins on July 1, 2019 and runs through August 2, 2019. Void where prohibited.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js;
Romance Under Fire 
WOW!! Your review has me convinced that I need to get my hands on a copy. Fantastic review and endorsement for this book.
LikeLike
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Cheryl.
LikeLike