Jimmy Keene is serving a 10-year prison sentence when a prosecutor offers him a deal: if he transfers to a maximum security prison and is able to get Larry Hall, convicted of one murder and suspected of 18 others, to confess to some of those other murders, Jimmy will get an unconditional release from prison. It’s a strange plot that sounds fake, but it’s apparently a true story that follows Jimmy as he tries to befriend a serial killer, understand how he thinks, and gain his trust. It’s not quite as good as the TV show version, but the book still manages to be thrilling, dark, and disturbing.
I saw the TV show first, before I knew there was a book, and loved it. Paul Walter Hauser’s performance as Larry Hall is extraordinary; every scene he’s in sends chills down your spine. The book version is also creepy, but doesn’t quite hit the same highs (or lows, I suppose). But other than that, it’s the same basic, wild, disturbing story that manages to be gripping and enjoyable (or at least as enjoyable as a story about serial killers can be).
