Butcher, Baker: The True Account of an Alaskan Serial K… (2024)

”On the floor was the bearskin rug where he had raped her. In the corner were piles and piles of wolf hides. Huge caribou and goat heads graced the paneled walls. Stuffed ducks and other game birds appeared to fly from their mountings. A stuffed fish rested on a coffee table. She got the message: This guy liked to kill things.

‘I gotta get out of here,’ she told herself.”

Kitty Larson did get away. She fought for her life, and with some luck mixed with steely determination, she lived to tell her tale.

Except the cops didn’t believe her. This was despite the guy who saved her life by stopping to pick her up, handcuffed and nearly naked, assuring the cops that he did see a man with a gun chasing her.

She was a prostitute...what did things just get a little too rough, missy? As Robert Hansen would later say, with a sh*t-eating grin on his face, “You can’t rape a prostitute.”

Kitty was promised a big money date. $200 for a blow j*b; this was well above the market average, and so even though going to his house was a big red flag, she consoled herself with what that $200 would do for her. She didn’t know she fit the description of every other girl that was about to go missing in the Alaskan wilderness. She was between 5’4”-5’7”, slender, and had a big bust. Just the type of figure that men like to gaze at in topless bars. For the women, the bars were chicken feed. The real money was in tricks.

Alaska has a transient population of oil field workers and women from the lower 48 who drift in and out of the state to make some cash servicing those men. Some of these women are runaways; some are pros who work the circuit from California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska and back again, and some of these women are teachers or nurses who are there to earn some big cash before returning to their jobs down south. As Detective Glenn Flothe started to investigate the disappearances of what turned out to be a slew of at-risk women, one of the things hindering his investigation was the very transient nature of the women he was trying to find. Were they really missing, or did they head back down to the lower 48?

Alaska has by far the worst statistics for rape—161.6 occurences among 100,000 people. The next closest is Michigan with 76.9. Is this because there are way more men in Alaska than women? Is there just more pent up lust, due to a lack of women that spills over into violence? Alaska does have the largest split of men to women ratio than any other state, but it isn’t as much a difference as you would think. Men are 52% of the population. Now if I were sitting in a bar with some friends and someone had asked me for my best guess I would have said somewhere in the 60% range and I would have been very wrong. I believe the transient nature of the state certainly contributes to more crimes against women. I also think that a certain type of man is attracted to the wilds of Alaska. It is perceived as one of the last places where men can live like it is still the wild, wild west. Where men can just take what they want. Where men are men and if there are sheep...they are very, very nervous.

As it turns out young women should be nervous as well.

Of course what Detective Flothe is dealing with is much more than rape. He is looking for a man who looks on these young women with more than just lust, but with murder in his heart. He is looking for one sick son-of-a-bitch.

And he has to catch him.

Robert Hansen slipped through the fingers of the justice system many years before he was actually caught. He was arrested for kidnapping, threatening a woman with a gun, and attempting to rape her. The DA cut a deal, dropped the kidnapping and Hansen barely served any time. The kidnapping charge should have been enough to put him away for several years. It would have saved the lives of several women. Maybe after a chunk of served time the Hansen we know as the Butcher Baker would have harbored dark desires that were never realized. He’d been in trouble before, arson back in Iowa, and a few other incidents where he ran into trouble with the law, but this moment in time was when the justice system had the best opportunity to stop a serial killer before he became deadly.

Hansen has come up in my reading before. I had some interest in him after reading the Maureen Callahan book called American Predator about another demented Alaskan serial killer Israel Keyes, but it was watching the Nicholas Cage and John Cusack movie The Frozen Ground (2013) that convinced me that I should learn more about the “gentle” baker who killed for sport. I was pleasantly surprised to learn as I read this book, how accurate the depiction of the real events were portrayed by the movie. They didn’t have to... Hollywood the script... because the story itself is so compelling that all they had to do is stick with the facts.

Detective Flothe is an atypical police officer. He was nearly a school teacher, but there are a lot of young women who are still alive today who would have been dead if he had decided on a career in the classroom instead of the police station. If not for his tenacity to find survivors and convince them to testify, and his dogged determination to keep looking for the evidence that would allow him to spring those search warrants on Hansen...the Butcher Baker might have slipped through his fingers. The profile of the killer given to Flothe by the famed FBI profiler John Douglas was chillingly, reassuringly dead on, right down to the hunting obsession, the stutter, the low self-esteem, and the ultra religious wife. Flothe knew he had the right man he just needed to make sure he didn’t screw up any part of the chain of evidence or he’d give Hansen a loop hole to crawl back out of the justice system and back into the hunting grounds of Topless bars and street walkers.

The pacing of the book is relentless and fascinating. I read a big chunk of the book in one afternoon. Sometimes the writing style used in true crime books is not the best, but the style of Walter Gilmour and Leland E. Hale was well above average. We need to continue to improve our ability to recognize behavior that indicates the dark hearts of some of these individuals who vent their frustrations with their social ineptitudes and subsequent rejections with deadly consequences.

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Butcher, Baker is a true crime account of an Alaska serial killer. As a combined effort between a state trooper involved in the case and a writer, it is well-organized and written. The book follows the lives and actions of the victims and their killer, and most important the men and women of the police force who followed the case, finally identified and caught him.

Butcher, Baker by Walter Gilmour and Leland E Hale

I saw this movie a couple of years ago called Frozen Ground. It is based on the true story of Alaska's most prolific serial killer Robert Hansen. It is also chronicles how one Alaskan state trooper named Glenn Flothe who is now retired, relentlessly pursued Robert Hansen. The two authors of this book wrote it in such a way that it is mostly dialogue. The dialogue is taken from court transcripts and police transcripts and the authors interviews. Robert Hansen is described by one victim who escaped as having facial acne and horned rimmed glasses. He preyed on young topless dancers and prostitutes. He would offer a girl $200-$300 to go out to lunch or dinner with him. The lucky one's thought that was too good to be true or an outrageous amount of money wouldn't go with him. The victims would often be taken at gunpoint to his house where he would handcuff them or He would take them in his small aircraft and fly them to remote areas in the unforgiving wilderness.

Robert Hansen had started his double life of crime as early as 1971. When he started preying on these young girls he was able to get away with it because of the vast landscape. He had a wife and two children that had no idea what he did until after his arrest. By the time he was finally arrested their were between fourteen and twenty-seven suspected killings. He was sentenced to 471 years plus life in prison. He was a barber while he was in prison. He was 75 years old when he died of natural causes on August 21, 2014, at the Anchorage Regional hospital. Glenn Flothe said of the date of Hansen's death: "On this day we should only remember his many victims and their families, and my heart goes out to all of them. As far as Hansen is concerned, this world is a better without him." I have to agree with him and If it wasn't for the hard work and dedication of Glenn Flothe and the Alaskan State police Hansen wouldn't have been convicted.

In 2013, the University of Alaska Justice Center said that Alaska is the number one in the United States for sexual assaults. It has been said that the behavioral profile of present day serial killers and mass murderers too often match Robert Hansen. Those behaviors have to be identified early and steps need to be taken to reform bad behavior. The authors of this book say "See something, say something." To help speed up the processing of evidence, Alaska has built a $56 million dollar crime lab. This was a very well written book that was tastefully written. I don't like anything with gratuitous violence or sad*stic. It was interesting and was read in one sitting. It was inspiring to read about State Trooper Glenn Flothe and the other Alaskan State Troopers triumphant quest of good v evil.

Thank you to Net Galley, Walter Gilmour and Leland E Hale and the publisher for my digital copy for a fair and honest review.

Well another "dreaded" dnf read, but it started out good. I did get up to the halfway point of the book but I just began to slowly lose interest around the 30% mark. Then it just has been a slow go for the last few times I have been reading it.

However, there is a movie out called Frozen Ground with Nicholas Cage and John Cusack which I did watch last month. The movie was more interesting than the book and I was riveted in my comfy chair watching the movie. The book not so much. Could be the writing style of the author too as I haven't read anything by him but it was just too much drawn out and I never could continue with staying intrigued with the story. But as always with these books I give a dnf I will always say this: just because I didn't like it doesn't mean other readers won't. No rating will be given for books I don't finish.

3.5

An easy read about Robert Hansen, the notorious hunter who set women free in the wilds of Alaska, only to hunt them down and murder them. I'm surprised this account didn't mention the story "The Most Dangerous Game," since Hansen brought that scary tale to life.

I appreciated that the typical boring legalese was kept to a minimum, probably at least partially due to the fact Hansen plea bargained and didn't have a trial. Most of my previous knowledge of this case came from the FBI side, which made it seem almost easy to get a confession from Hansen. This book made it clear just how much gruelling police work went into it, and it was refreshing to see a cop who truly cared about the prostitutes and exotic dancers Hansen targeted. Flothe treated them with kindness and respect, both the ones who lived and the one who didn't make it. It's usually dull when a true crime writer focuses too much on the cops, but in this case, Gilmour made Flothe into a protagonist of sorts and did a great job keeping it interesting.

Seeing a little of Hansen's wife's perspective was interesting too. The families of serial killers are victims as well, but we rarely hear anything about them.

Chilling account of Alaskan serial murder Robert Hansen. A baker by profession, Hansen was one of Alaska’s more prolific serial murderers in the 70’s and early 80’s. He would kidnap, rape, and then kill prostitutes. An avid hunter and skilled pilot, Hansen would take his victims from Anchorage and fly them to the remote woods and hunt them down. Creepy. For me growing up in Alaska the book was far more interesting because of the historical backdrop Gilmour weaves through the book. He gives you a glimpse into an Alaska that doesn’t really exist anymore. Alaska is still in many ways nutty but nothing compared to the heyday of” the Pipeline days” (as the locals call it). Alaska in the 70’s was the Wild West. Fuelled by the money of the workers brought in to build the Alaska pipeline Anchorage was full of Strip joints, bars, prostitutes, Drugs, insanity, and murder. Great fast read.

A detailed account of Robert Hansen's murderous crime spree. The book begins near the end with the escape of his final, would-be victim. Her immediate identification of Hansen seems to make his conviction a slam dunk, so it's strange that most of the book consists of the authorities fretting that they don't have enough evidence for an arrest!

3.5 stars.

True crime is my absolute favourite genre to read and this book was one of the excellent reads. The writers took a different past to some of the other true crime books out there, in that this book started in the thick of things. There wasn't the usual boring introduction to the offender and his past. Instead, it started with the discovery of the one of the victims and then gradually we were introduced to Hansen and given his background in bite-sized chunks. You didn't feel overwhelmed or bored which is, in my opinion, excellent writing. For those who detest courtroom writing because of the 'boredom' of it (I actually enjoy the courtroom part of true crime novels) there is actually very little in this, and the little that is in it is actually pivotal to understanding this horrifying case.

Did I have any issues with the book? Yes. Not really from the authors though, more from the individuals who were part of this case. Given the era this case took place, not really a surprise that those involved apparently can't differentiate the difference between mass murder and serial murder. They're both very different from each other, however like I mentioned it was a common mistake made during the late 70's and early 80's (although people still get it wrong today!). I also felt the last two chapters were a tad rushed and maybe could have been given a little more TLC.

Alaskan Serial Killer Robert C. HansenOpinions on the case itself? Serial murder is always a topic that fascinates people. Myself, I'm pretty much over it. However, there's no denying that it was a horrific case and the dedication and effort that the officers/investigators and the many others that worked to arrest and detain Hansen, is nothing short of admirable and amazing. It never gets any less sadder that these poor victims, prostitutes and exotic dancers, are often targets of crime. My heart breaks whenever I read about their deaths at the hands of another human. There was a line in the book that stuck with me, which I'll paraphrase excuse I can't remember it exactly, but the gist of it was that one of the victims was warned that it's a hard line of work being a protestitute and that she should basically expect 'bad' things to happen. It angered me that someone would think like that. Irrelevant of what a person does, they should never have to fear for their lives and be disrespected and treated anything less than human. But it happens, and there's no other word for it than unfair. Really unfair.
So, if you're a true crime lover, and love your serial killers then this one is a must for you. I can't guarantee that you'll enjoy it as much as I did, but that's the beauty of individualality!!

Very engaging, very fascinating, especially if you're interested in real transcripts of police interviews with a man accused of murdering prostitutes, and of the meticulous work of the police that - despite all the obstacles - ultimately lead to his capture. And more importantly, perhaps, all their personal investment in this case. It's hard to imagine the horror of pouring over these case files, of working day and night finding witnesses and recovering evidence, just because you know this is The One.

Overall: 3 stars. A matter-of-fact recounting of the Robert Hansen case without any extra frills.

I appreciated that this book avoided being sensationalist about the case, but I also felt that because it was so focused on the basic facts of the investigation I didn’t really get to know anything about the personalities involved: whether Hansen himself, his wife, the victims and their families, or the investigators. The book also doesn’t cover much of the case or any aftermath in its epilogue, which are nitty gritty details I like.

Still, it’s a good, basic retelling of the case, and since I didn’t know anything about the crimes before this book, it was a worthwhile read.

This book is on the reading list for The Last Podcast On The Left, which is why I got this with my audible credits. This book tells the story of Robert Hansen, who kidnapped, raped, and murdered women in Alaska. He focused mostly on transient prostitutes, as a lot of serial killers do, in hopes that their disappearances would not raise any alarm. Most people assumed that he was a run of the mill husband and businessman, but he certainly had a nasty side to him. Police estimate he had thirty or more victims, though the number he confessed to was considerably less than that. It was amazing how long he was able to get away with his miscreant ways. This was an informative, interesting book.

3.5

He escaped justice so many times and only by the efforts of a single police investigator did they finally get him. Great story but you felt the frustration of the cop who was thwarted so many times by the system. We will likely never know how many young women he actually killed but it was many more than he was tried and convicted for. Having been to Alaska a number of times, I can see how he might have operated in this environment - lots of strip joints and women hanging out.

Hitchhiking and hooking. Two things that seem to increase your chances of falling prey to a serial murderer. This book is about the latter. Bob Hansen was another wacko that hunted hookers. Literally. And I believe he killed more than he admitted. Well written book. Not much detail of the killings, so if gore is your thing you may be let down a bit. Any true crime enthusiast should be happy with this one. Unless you're a hooker......then you probably won't like it.

This book is certainly interesting enough, albeit, a bit anti-climatic in the end.

The victims remain the same

Although it should be shocking that he was able to kill for so long despite being a known predator it is all too common.

But for one man these crimes wouldn’t have been solved, worth reading just for his story.

At the beginning of 2023, I realized I hadn’t read an actual book in almost 3 years: blame it on 2020, when the real world became more interesting than anything even the greatest of authors could dream up … I just couldn’t look away from that daily train wreck until, finally, I needed to… I decided to make myself read at least one book — turns out that was no easy feat, given that my entire worldview radically shifted over the last 3 years… Where even to begin?

I decided on this one simply because it seemed safe: old enough that it probably wasn’t written for political purposes or a thinly veiled propaganda piece, early enough in the genre so as not to be salacious or written for shock value, and from a time when publishing a book still required good writing from authors. Oh, and speaking of authors, my parents knew this one—Walter Gilmour, the Alaska cop who coauthored the book with Leland Hale, was a longtime friend. (I still remember running into Gilmour in Anchorage with my parents when I was 11 years old—and doing my damndest to pretend I wasn’t eavesdropping as Gilmore described his upcoming book, “Butcher, Baker” due to be published soon…what I’d overheard that afternoon was so chilling that when two bright orange copies of Butcher Baker seemed to materialize in our house a few months later, I never had the courage to sneak a peek at the pages. But I never forgot it, either).

So, after an extended hiatus from reading, this book seemed like a good place to start.

If that feels like a lot of buildup for a 3-star book, believe me, that’s how it felt reading it.

Here’s the deal: this is a highly readable, damn near unputdownable book (like I said - good writing was a still prerequisite for publishing a book back then). That’s due to Leland Hale, who proves himself from the very first page. He’s one of those increasingly rare kind of writers who’s such a natural, you’re never even aware of his presence: that is, you’ll never trip up on an odd detail or inconsistency, or get dragged through the dull quicksand of pointless filler prose—there’s absolutely nothing here to stop you, give you pause and make you wonder who the hell wrote this thing. Ahhhh, the absent narrator. Truly the sign of a great writer (imo anyway)—and all the more impressive here, where such a complex story could’ve easily devolved into over-detailed hell, but is instead relayed with tightly controlled writing and smooth simplicity.

That said, maybe my 3-star review isn’t fair, because my problem isn’t so much with the book itself, but rather how it’s been marketed—and the marketing of the the subsequent documentaries (7 of them), films (2), TV episodes (countless), and podcasts about Robert Hansen that have sprung up over the last 30 years since Butcher, Baker was published.

The thing is… I started to smell a rat with the true crime genre while reading Maureen Callahan’s American Predator: The … Most Meticulous Serial Killer about supposed serial killer Israel Keyes in 2019 — because after all that hype, media noise, and an entire 300-page book, the only provable thing about Israel Keyes was that he was a sloppy kidnapper, literally so sh*tty that he got caught after his first abduction (the “Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century” indeed 🙄). There’s literally no evidence, let alone proof, that he killed anyone else, despite all his big talk—which cops, media, and the American public were all too eager to believe, apparently. 🙄 (Jesus, are people really this dumb? Don’t answer that. Anyway, moving on).

Since then, I’ve grown increasingly suspect about “true crime,”and Butcher, Baker just reminds me of why I’m convinced this entire genre is 99% bullsh*t.

Think about Robert Hansen for a moment—the one thing you know for sure about him is that he forced his victims to run through the woods, while he hunted them down like animals and murdered them. You know this because, at some point, you saw one the TV episodes, documentaries, or movies about him—or, just caught a preview. I’ve known the same about Robert Hansen since I was 11, ever since the day we ran into Wally Gilmour in Anchorage—because that’s literally how Gilmour described Robert Hansen to my parents.

But, minor detail when you read the actual book: Hansen never admitted to hunting women. Ever. He left a string of bodies across Anchorage, as well as rural Alaska (which he preferred, due to less risk of being caught). The notion that he hunted his victims like prey? For sport? Well… according to the book… that was the cops’ theory. (Those cops were avid hunters, btw). The theory is barely there in the book—it’s a detail so minor that, if not for it being blasted all over the front and back cover, most readers would miss it.

So…once again with “true crime,” I find myself calling bullsh*t. 🙄 Yes, Hansen was a murdering rapist loser. But the thing he’s most famous for—that’s supposed to transform him from run-of-the-mill sick f*ck to horrific, sad*stic psychopath—never actually happened. He denies it, and there’s no evidence to prove otherwise. It was literally just the cops working the case, theorizing and surmising…and that one sensational idea was all it took to market a book, and 30 more years of Robert Hansen gore & lore in popular culture. All of it, based in nothing.

Sigh.

I could forgive it for the excellent writing alone—and for the fact that semi-dishonest marketing seems to fall on the publisher, not the writers. But instead, I ended up lopping off another star, because there were real, substantial details in the book—especially about what the hell happened during Hansen’s military years that seemed to set him off (MK Ultra, anyone?)—that weren’t explored enough. It feels almost intentional, and as a reader, I was left feeling slighted.

Anyway. Whatever. I maintain: “true crime” is all fake af bullsh*t.

But despite that, this is a decent book. And still a good place to start if you haven’t read anything for the last 3 years.

>Meh. Whatever.<

This book is about Bob Hanson, the worst serial killer in Alaska history. Now I don't usually read true crime, but this book was sent to me by a friend in Alaska who knew I was interested in this particular serial killer after watching the movie "Frozen Ground." I really enjoyed this book and if you like true crime then you will too. Especially if you are like me and have a fascination with Alaska and it's rugged beauty and harshness. I will say that this book is full of details and characters which at times can get confusing, but it is definitely thorough and keeps you engaged. I highly recommend this to fans of true crime!

Though this book is about a grisly murderer, most of the grisly details are missing and the book focuses on the effort to find evidence that Robert Hanson killed 12 women and buried or discarded their bodies in the Anchorage area.

The dedication of the agent who took on this case is awesome.

Makes me wonder if there were more victims Hanson never admitted to, and what motivates and helps create a serial murderer like Hanson.

Four stars, because while I think it was poorly written--distractingly so in parts, it was a very engaging story that I think was well organized. I can't wait to see what they do with the movie. It's eerie knowing all the places they're talking about and driving on the same roads.

A real page turner. Overall good pacing. Very good investigation narrative. As well as victims and killer.....unfortunately it isn't as detailed in terms of Alaska or 1980's Anchorage.

Pretty easy to read, but for me started to get slightly boring because half of the book is just the investigators looking at Hansen's background, connecting dots, and the officers, as well as the DA, worrying they didn't have enough evidence. This does start to get kind of boring after a while of page after page.

Also...I must be becoming far too "causual" with my true crime hobby because I thought - when they mention a certain object stained with Hansen's sem*n "Test the DNA." and it took me 10 seconds to remember "Oh ya, DNA wasn't even used to convict until 1986; 3 years later. This is 1983."

Usually that would of never of happened and I thought "I had a Quantum leap moment."
The leaper in the show Quantum leap is from 1999, and he leaps through time embodying multiple people through out history and there is always a moment where he make a reference to something in future which confuses people around him and he goes "No, it's 1963. That won't be invented till 1989."

In one episode where he works as a radio DJ in the 1950's, he references The beatles and Apple for instance.

Sam: Something by....The beatles!
Boss: Who are the beatles?
Boss: Oh, you mean Buddy Holly and the crickets right?
Sam: Ya, ya. Right. Beatles, crickets. Their all related.

Overall, the Robert Hansen case was never a favorite case of mine. Although I had come across it a few times including multiple TV true crime episodes about the case back in the 2000's.

I actually bought this book in 2021, mainly out of curiousity. Who knows, might get me really into the case. It's happened before.

Looking at other reviews, it does seem like I am not the only one who started to lose interest half way through.

I feel like this book needed a lot more Alaska and Anchorage as a community thrown in. The most we get is the wildlife and wilderness and some sleazy top dancing bars.

Again, a page turner, well written and paced. I liked the inside view of the investigation even if it got to be too much at times.

Eventually we get to a stage where Robert Hansen is arrested and the book FINALLY moves on. Which I really enjoyed. Sorry, but when literally half of the book is the police looking into the background of Hansen, it eventually get's boring because the book just stalls at that point. The story needed to move on after 50 pages.

I did appreciate all the information about the living victims, detectives, Hansen, and his family even if it wasn't entirely definitive. Would of liked more about the actual murder victims and their families though. Overall I'd say this book is too much "detective" story and too much about the police investigating Hansen before arresting him. Now that can be good as a footnote to the case [let's read the investigator's side of the case] but for the ONLY book on the case....not so good. The book moves rather slowly, too slow for my tastes. When they finally arrested Hansen I continued reading for multiple pages and chapters. Reading far more then I had planned.

We finally get to Hansen's private graveyard, which could of been deeply disturbing but wasn't written to be that disturbing. Didn't have that haunting flare and the book doesn't really give that much detail into how close everything truly was.

Pretty much this entire book is the investigators investigating Robert Hansen and trying to build a case to arrest him and search his property. With a little bit of everything else thrown in. It has largely gone down in history that Hansen hunted his victims. We see none of that in the book other then the prosecutor making a somewhat vague statement about it.

Over all, while well written to an extent a rather boring and mediocre retelling. One of the things I was really looking forward to was Alaska and Anchorage in terms of history, community, etc and we barely get anything of that what so ever. We get virtually zero reactions to the case from locals. I do appreciate a lot few hints though that Alaska and Anchorage in 1983 was actually an understanding, supportative, and pleasant place in terms of it's citizens. That includes several of the investigators who were very determined to stop Hansen for good and or were outraged that Hansen was able to get away with it for so long. One of the officers complaining to the main investigator that "We taught him a lesson" "nobody gives a sh*t if you kill a bunch of whor*s." Something to that effect. Because Hansen was arrested for assault, and kidnapping other women, several of them prostitutes, one of them a secretary and he almost always got off from the charge or got a light sentence.

I would of liked this book far more if.
1.More on the victims who died. The investigations, the family members, friends who knew them, etc.
2.More on Robert Hansen, rather then basic information that burned up in a background check. Far more on Hansen's background.
3.More on the actual digging of the bodies and how the victim's died and the evidence of that.
4.More on Alaska and Anchorage.

So ya, a pretty mediocre book.

Really good, page-turner of a story about the weaselly little bakery owner in Alaska who proved to be an especially inventive and cruel serial killer. And wait 'til you read about his wife!!!

Reading this book was really unsettling. We don't normally get many books based in Alaska, much less ones that use the names of our streets and businesses. I kept going back, over and over again, to how the justice system failed so utterly for so many years with this man. I am reminded of The Fall [tv series], where Paul says he killed the second and subsequent times because he could. Because he wasn't caught right away. Hansen wasn't as eloquent nor intelligent as the fictional Paul Spector but he got away with a so much more, and he seemed to have the same mentality. He wasn't struck down on the spot so why not keep it up?
I kept looking at the dates and wondering what my family was doing, just 50 miles away as the troopers were trying to make their case against this man. Were they aware of it, did they read the newspaper or see reports on the nightly news? I was a toddler at the time so I was spared the immediacy of the horror.
If you're into true crime this was a pretty good read. It's pretty heavy into the police procedure at times but it makes sense that it should be.

The disappearances of young women in Alaska didn't raise too many alarm bells, at first. They were, after all, sex workers, and they would work a circle that would take them into Washington state and other locations.
After a while, there were too many disappearances to ignore, and the police started to investigate in ernest. While they had a good suspect, he was an upstanding citizen (or so they thought), and seemed to have an airtight alibi.

Bob Hansen would become one of the most notorious serial killers, having disposed of his victims in a way that most would have never been found, if he had not confessed and led police to the locations of some of the bodies. His plea deal, taking the death penalty off the table was on that didn't sit well with many, but it was necessary to find the loved ones for the families.

Great read, I enjoyed it. There is a lot about this case that still leaves one shaking their head.

very well written and reconstructed story about the arrest and conviction of one of the most cold-blooded killers I've ever heard of. to be able to kill 17 (or even more) women and lie to police about it, as if they were talking about what they were going to eat for dinner, depicts the image of a man that is literally anything but man-like. and this book makes this clearly understandable by the reader.
despite that, I would have liked more focus on the victims' lives, because in the end they were the ones hurt and killed by his actions. I get the book was about their killer, but I also think he deserves less attention than any single one of these already forgotten-by-society women have gotten from him.

Glenn Flothe is the focus of this book. The lead investigator had read a few books about Ted Bundy and was struck by the similarity of the woman who had escaped the serial killer and a seventeen year-old stripper-hooker who managed to run away from Robert Hansen. Due to her criminal history, she was not believed by the police. Many others would not be so lucky as Bob had the habit of picking up ladies of the night and killing them. He flew a few of them into the wilderness of Anchorage and shot them. Butcher Baker is a tedious read with endless descriptions of the approval of a search warrant and not enough material on Hansen. I cannot recommend this book to my fellow true crime aficionados.

Well written and researched book, and certainly of interest to true crime readers. The most surprising thing to me was to see how little discussion there was about the concept of him "hunting women down" (the thing that he's most famous for)...he obviously killed them, but the only time that was mentioned was once (in the prosecutor's closing argument), and once as a supposition in a wrap up paragraph quoting the lead detective. I would have expected to hear more about it.

There don't seem to be any standout books on him, but this one is certainly more than adequate, especially given the perspective of law enforcement.

Overall a good read

Tough subject matter. So I have hard time with enjoying this book because there is no joy in what Bob the Butcher really did. Nothing likeable about this guy and the book brings that to light. One thing that really got to me was how his wife and acquaintances just turned a blind eye to what was going on. I can't believe his wife was living with him and didn't know what was going on to some extent. I would have love to have heard her voice and more from the voices of those around him. I really think this guy could have been stopped sooner had the police done a more thorough job and those who knew Bob said something.

Interesting

I read true crime from time to time. The forensics are quite fascinating. Unfortunately, for the investigators in this story, it is during that time period before DNA evidence detecting could be had. Thank goodness that these detectives and patrolman didn't give up. They had dogged determination and good ethics. Unfortunately, also, so many of these killers (in my opinion) get a real charge out of withholding evidence to retain a little bit of control. It's like they still think they got one over on society / law enforcement at large.