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Through the Lens of a Monster: A Serial Killer on Death Row, an Unsolved Murder List, and an Inmate’s Deadly Play for Redemption
The only man he trusted was a killer too.
On death row at San Quentin, artist and inmate William Noguera formed an unlikely bond with the notorious serial killer Joseph Naso. Over years of disturbing conversations—and at great personal risk—Noguera gained his trust. What he revealed was far worse than anyone imagined.
Behind prison walls, Naso described his brutal crimes in chilling detail, disclosing evidence that had eluded investigators for decades and exposing the darkness that drove him. Now, for the first time, Noguera lays bare those confessions and the psychological games behind them—offering long-overdue answers for grieving families and fresh leads in cases gone cold.
Through the Lens of a Monster is both a window into the twisted mind of a predator and a haunting memoir of a man seeking redemption for his own violent past.
The inspiration for the Oxygen True Crime original documentary series Death Row Confidential, produced by Dick Wolf, Vanity Fair Studios, and Universal Television. Also available on Peacock.
On death row at San Quentin, artist and inmate William Noguera formed an unlikely bond with the notorious serial killer Joseph Naso. Over years of disturbing conversations—and at great personal risk—Noguera gained his trust. What he revealed was far worse than anyone imagined.
Behind prison walls, Naso described his brutal crimes in chilling detail, disclosing evidence that had eluded investigators for decades and exposing the darkness that drove him. Now, for the first time, Noguera lays bare those confessions and the psychological games behind them—offering long-overdue answers for grieving families and fresh leads in cases gone cold.
Through the Lens of a Monster is both a window into the twisted mind of a predator and a haunting memoir of a man seeking redemption for his own violent past.
The inspiration for the Oxygen True Crime original documentary series Death Row Confidential, produced by Dick Wolf, Vanity Fair Studios, and Universal Television. Also available on Peacock.
230 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2025
238 people are currently reading
5946 people want to read
About the author
William A. Noguera
3 books30 followersWilliam A. Noguera is the author of two memoirs: Through the Lens of a Monster and Escape Artist.
He is a pioneering expert on serial killers with a unique perspective, having spent forty-two years on San Quentin’s death row before his release in 2025. Noguera is also an internationally acclaimed artist whose work has been exhibited worldwide, and his insights into the criminal mind inspired the Oxygen True Crime docuseries Death Row Confidential, produced by Dick Wolf, Vanity Fair Studios, and Universal Television. His story has been featured in Forbes, the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Guardian.
Today, he writes, speaks, and collaborates with law enforcement to expose the truth about the predators among us. When he isn’t working, he can often be found riding his Harley-Davidson.
Website: WilliamNoguera.com
Instagram: @DeadBodySociety
YouTube: @DeadBodySociety
TikTok: @Dead.Body.Society
He is a pioneering expert on serial killers with a unique perspective, having spent forty-two years on San Quentin’s death row before his release in 2025. Noguera is also an internationally acclaimed artist whose work has been exhibited worldwide, and his insights into the criminal mind inspired the Oxygen True Crime docuseries Death Row Confidential, produced by Dick Wolf, Vanity Fair Studios, and Universal Television. His story has been featured in Forbes, the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Guardian.
Today, he writes, speaks, and collaborates with law enforcement to expose the truth about the predators among us. When he isn’t working, he can often be found riding his Harley-Davidson.
Website: WilliamNoguera.com
Instagram: @DeadBodySociety
YouTube: @DeadBodySociety
TikTok: @Dead.Body.Society
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 9, 2025
My father was sent to San Quentin for a crime that could have gotten him the death penalty so I know something about killers. I have also read dozens of prison biographies but Bill Noguera’s book is by far the best I have ever read. Bill was in death row for 42 years for a murder committed when he was a teenager because his girlfriend’s mother forced her to abort his son. In the aftermath, Bill became an accomplished artist and then an FBI informant who solved dozens of murders at the hand of Joe Naso. This book is fascinating as is the man who solved these murders. This book is a page turning true crime thriller.
November 18, 2025
One of the best true crime books I've ever read!
Yes, this really is one of the best true crime books I've ever read and I've read my fair share of them. William Noguera did an awful thing when he was 18 years old but paid for it and made up for it. Him befriending the monster that Joseph Naso is has helped family members closer to peace about their loved ones. You will not be disappointed!
Yes, this really is one of the best true crime books I've ever read and I've read my fair share of them. William Noguera did an awful thing when he was 18 years old but paid for it and made up for it. Him befriending the monster that Joseph Naso is has helped family members closer to peace about their loved ones. You will not be disappointed!
December 27, 2025
Great read
It was a very interesting story of one convicted murderer investigating a serial prisoner he was incarcerated with. It's hard to believe there are people who can do such terrible things and enjoy removing them. The author on the other hand made some bad choices in life but has changed dramatically. No one should be completely judged by their worst act, especially when they're very young. This is the story of the difference between those who can be redeemed and those that are irredeemable.
It was a very interesting story of one convicted murderer investigating a serial prisoner he was incarcerated with. It's hard to believe there are people who can do such terrible things and enjoy removing them. The author on the other hand made some bad choices in life but has changed dramatically. No one should be completely judged by their worst act, especially when they're very young. This is the story of the difference between those who can be redeemed and those that are irredeemable.
October 18, 2025
A book that keeps dragging back, to reach it's ending.
My first "True Crime" book. It caught my attention and never let it go! How could a man like Nasi be created, and why couldn't his quest for self created vengeance not be quenched?
My first "True Crime" book. It caught my attention and never let it go! How could a man like Nasi be created, and why couldn't his quest for self created vengeance not be quenched?
December 13, 2025
Great Read!
I read this in one night! It’s a story about uncovering a serial killer’s secrets, but it’s just as much the author’s story. This is very well written. Love that it’s a true story! That’s what really makes this so amazing. Highly recommend!
I read this in one night! It’s a story about uncovering a serial killer’s secrets, but it’s just as much the author’s story. This is very well written. Love that it’s a true story! That’s what really makes this so amazing. Highly recommend!
November 15, 2025
This was a really good book. It is definitely a page turner. You can’t wait to find out what happened next.
January 12, 2026
Through the Lens of a Monster
This book kept my attention from the very 1st page. It is a true crime book and I had never heard of this serial killer.Seeming I enjoyed reading about this serial killer, I am looking for my next book with the same subject matter.
Very informative without the boring courtroom drama that is included in a lot of true crime books.The author did a really good job.
This book kept my attention from the very 1st page. It is a true crime book and I had never heard of this serial killer.Seeming I enjoyed reading about this serial killer, I am looking for my next book with the same subject matter.
Very informative without the boring courtroom drama that is included in a lot of true crime books.The author did a really good job.
December 8, 2025
Let me begin with the reasons I liked this book. I think the bravery of Noguera is incredible. Joseph Naso, a horrible man who had a decades long reign of terror, let his own hubris destroy him by admitting the details of his crimes to another man in prison, the author, William Noguera. Noguera put himself in danger daily to bring justice to the victims. That is an incredibly selfless act that deserves recognition.
Now what I didn't like about this book. From reading it, it is extremely obvious that, at best, this book was edited by ChatGPT or some kind of generative AI. At worst, parts of it were written completely by GenAI. It has a lot of the obvious tells. To start, the overuse of the em dash is egregious. It's used at least once per page, sometimes multiple times on a single page throughout the entire story. Here are some examples all on the same page (page 6 of the kindle edition).
"The serial killers, rapists, and pedophiles feared me most—and with good reason."
"Even professional hitmen—those who kill for money or business—get more respect."
"In the eyes of some, working in protective custody—especially without killing one of the predators—wasn’t just crossing a line."
"While most jailhouse lawyers were just blowing smoke, Hines actually won cases—some for himself, others for inmates he helped."
"For Hines, it became a game of cat and mouse—and a reason to live."
"After assaulting a few guys, he ended up in the Adjustment Center—the hole—where the worst of the worst go."
There is often phrasing that AI likes to use a lot. It often structures sentences like the following: it's not just *this*, but it's *this*. Here are some examples from the book.
"These new areas were created not just for control, but for survival."
"The more I spoke with him, the more I found myself needing to know—not just about the other four murders, but about what his victims had suffered in their final moments."
"I let the silence stretch—not only to give myself a second to regroup, but to make him feel the gravity of what I was sharing."
"Still, a few times, he slipped back to International Boulevard, not for sex, but to watch her through his lens."
I enjoyed the story but was unable to fully immerse myself into it due to ChatGPTs poor editing. I truly wish Noguera told his story a different way, because it is a fascinating one.
Now what I didn't like about this book. From reading it, it is extremely obvious that, at best, this book was edited by ChatGPT or some kind of generative AI. At worst, parts of it were written completely by GenAI. It has a lot of the obvious tells. To start, the overuse of the em dash is egregious. It's used at least once per page, sometimes multiple times on a single page throughout the entire story. Here are some examples all on the same page (page 6 of the kindle edition).
"The serial killers, rapists, and pedophiles feared me most—and with good reason."
"Even professional hitmen—those who kill for money or business—get more respect."
"In the eyes of some, working in protective custody—especially without killing one of the predators—wasn’t just crossing a line."
"While most jailhouse lawyers were just blowing smoke, Hines actually won cases—some for himself, others for inmates he helped."
"For Hines, it became a game of cat and mouse—and a reason to live."
"After assaulting a few guys, he ended up in the Adjustment Center—the hole—where the worst of the worst go."
There is often phrasing that AI likes to use a lot. It often structures sentences like the following: it's not just *this*, but it's *this*. Here are some examples from the book.
"These new areas were created not just for control, but for survival."
"The more I spoke with him, the more I found myself needing to know—not just about the other four murders, but about what his victims had suffered in their final moments."
"I let the silence stretch—not only to give myself a second to regroup, but to make him feel the gravity of what I was sharing."
"Still, a few times, he slipped back to International Boulevard, not for sex, but to watch her through his lens."
I enjoyed the story but was unable to fully immerse myself into it due to ChatGPTs poor editing. I truly wish Noguera told his story a different way, because it is a fascinating one.
September 26, 2025
Through the Lens of a Monster is terrifying, unconscionable, and—somehow—redemptive. I’ll never understand how Noguera was able to sit with Joseph Naso day after day, listening to the disgusting, gruesome details of his crimes. But I’m relieved someone could. In doing so, Noguera gave something invaluable: a measure of closure to the victims’ families and loved ones.
Just when you think it can’t get worse, it does.
Reading this memoir, I went through a wide range of emotions—from fear and disgust, to cheering (out loud, alone in a room) for one of the women I was sure (god, I HOPED) would fend Naso off. I couldn’t put it down. Noguera is strategic, exacting, and selfless in his extraction of the truth. His writing is clear and deliberate, painting images you wish you could unsee—yet know you shouldn’t look away because the details are everything.
If you're fascinated by the psychology of serial killers, this book pulls you in and takes you further than the show ever dares to go. Five stars for Noguera, his tenacity, and his publisher. A triumph!
Just when you think it can’t get worse, it does.
Reading this memoir, I went through a wide range of emotions—from fear and disgust, to cheering (out loud, alone in a room) for one of the women I was sure (god, I HOPED) would fend Naso off. I couldn’t put it down. Noguera is strategic, exacting, and selfless in his extraction of the truth. His writing is clear and deliberate, painting images you wish you could unsee—yet know you shouldn’t look away because the details are everything.
If you're fascinated by the psychology of serial killers, this book pulls you in and takes you further than the show ever dares to go. Five stars for Noguera, his tenacity, and his publisher. A triumph!
December 12, 2025
Could use some editing. The last 25% of the book felt rushed. I actually wish it was longer and went more in depth about Noguera and Naso’s dynamic and Noguera’s experience in prison. I imagine that his next book may shed some more light on his experience on death row, so I’ll be looking forward to that. I find his perspective on serial killers, Naso, prison life, etc, to be a very unique viewpoint. It seems like no one has quite experienced the things that Noguera has, and I’m so glad that he is sharing it with the world. He’s right to point out that the world mostly forgets about criminals once they are convicted and locked up, but the reality is these people live for years and years, interacting with each other, influencing others, and cared for by the state. Also, as disturbing as it is to hear what really is behind Naso’s drive to kill, it seems like an important thing to shed light on since honesty from a serial killer appears hard to come by. Certainly graphic at times.
September 26, 2025
I listen, read and watch true crime - all the time - and when searching online for a good, recently published book, this one sounded pretty interesting. Downloaded it on my Kindle app and I couldn’t stop reading.
December 23, 2025
From death row inmate to detective.
It's amazing that someone on death row would be interested or care what a serial killer has done and try to solve the unsolved cases. I can't wait for the series. I am glad to see Mr Noguera finally free. He deserves it.
It's amazing that someone on death row would be interested or care what a serial killer has done and try to solve the unsolved cases. I can't wait for the series. I am glad to see Mr Noguera finally free. He deserves it.
January 1, 2026
Bill's work is extraordinary
This book was so insightful! Amazing work, Bill! Please keep fighting for the ones who have been silenced!!
Thank you so much!! The world needs more good people like you!!
This book was so insightful! Amazing work, Bill! Please keep fighting for the ones who have been silenced!!
Thank you so much!! The world needs more good people like you!!
September 26, 2025
A friend told me about this book. I couldn't put it down. A wild story. Mystery, suspense, redemption. It has it all.
November 19, 2025
Good!
Well written account ! I wish you well Mr. Noguera and I’m looking forward to your next book! Also very happy for you and for your freedom! God bless!
Well written account ! I wish you well Mr. Noguera and I’m looking forward to your next book! Also very happy for you and for your freedom! God bless!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews