Killers Keep Secrets

by James Huddle

In April 2018, the long-unsolved Golden State Killer case burst wide open with the shocking arrest of 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police officer. But no one was more stunned than the people closest to him: his family.

In this spellbinding firsthand account, Jim Huddle, DeAngelo’s brother-in-law, shares the true story of the man charged with brutal, brazen rapes and murders.

From 1974 to 1986, the Golden State Killer (also known as the East Area Rapist, Visalia Ransacker, and Original Night Stalker) terrorized Californians with as many as 50 rapes, 13 murders, and countless other crimes from stalking to burglary. The perpetrator slipped through law enforcement’s fingers again and again, leaving cases cold, victims without justice, and the public in fear.

All the while, the Golden State Killer was hiding in plain sight. DeAngelo wove a web of deception, hiding his secret life for decades and fooling even those closest to him into thinking he was a normal person. But in this reflective tale, Jim shares the strange behavior that stands out, giving clues to DeAngelo’s dark secrets.

To Jim, DeAngelo was his sister’s husband, a man he trusted with his children, a man he thought he knew for 48 years. Walk through Jim’s memories of DeAngelo, from their shared hobbies to red flags in DeAngelo’s behavior that stand out sharply in hindsight. Jim also dispels myths about serial killers, and shares the similarities between DeAngelo and other infamous serial murderers. Find out what it was like to be charmed by a serial killer who escaped justice for over thirty years.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Book Club

198 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2020

About the author

Jim Huddle is a proud father of two daughters and six grandchildren. He is a California native who now lives in Nevada. As a photographer, he travels the western states following the warm weather and seeking his next best photograph. In the 70’s, Jim served as a reservist in the Naval Air reserves. He travels throughout the year and enjoys boating, flying general aviation aircraft and poker.

With the revelation of the Golden State Killer’s identity, Jim felt the story of his relationship with Joseph James DeAngelo could help others spot behavioral warning signs of potential serial criminals. He looks forward to continuing his travels. Learn more at http://booklaunchers.com/jimhuddle.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Golden State Killer or the East Area Rapist (EAR) would terrorize California residents from the mid 1970’s – 1986 committing 13 murders. over 50 rapes and 100 burglaries. When Joseph J. DeAngelo (1945-) was identified by DNA evidence and charged with these crimes— debut author James Huddle explains in “Killer’s Keep Secrets” (2020) how his brother-in-law hid in plain sight for decades: undetected, eluding law enforcement, unsuspecting family and friends; also a multitude of criminal investigators until he was charged and taken into custody (2018).

In 1971, Joe DeAngelo was introduced by Sharon Huddle to her family. Joe was a Navy veteran who had served in Vietnam, and would become a police officer. Joe and Sharon eventually married and had three daughters. Joe got along well with his in-laws, had a roommate situation and even went hunting with James. After Joe visited, James thought it was very odd that small items were missing, though he never confronted Joe about it. In addition, he is chilled by thoughts of his own young daughter’s spending time in the past in Joe’s care. Most family members are too traumatized, and understandably, refuse to speak to the media concerning DeAngelo’s crimes.

In the last section of the book, Huddle writes about notorious serial killers: Ted Bundy, The Green River Killer, Gary Ridgeway, John Wayne Gacy, the female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos-- also many others. Huddle discusses the myth’s and similarities surrounding these criminals and what might be compared to DeAngelo’s behavior and criminal history. Huddle seems somewhat as an amateur sleuth, and might have interviewed the experts or law enforcement officials for additional credibility. Still, this informative book provides an important true-life narrative regarding family life and crime. To read further about the crimes of Joseph DeAngelo: “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State killer”(2018) was published posthumously by Michelle McNamara; and is the basis of a recent six part HBO documentary. (3.5*GOOD) ** With thanks to IBPA via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 3 out of 5]

UPDATE: On June 29th, 2020 The charges: The 74-year-old pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder and special circumstances (including murder committed during burglaries and rapes), as well as 13 counts of kidnapping. He also informally admitted to numerous other crimes, including rape.

This book was released on June 30th, 2020. I guess the guilty plea was no secret to time the book release with it.

This book is about the now-becoming-familiar Golden State Killer, but from another angle. It’s written by his ex-wife’s brother, who spent a lot of time with him over the years, decades and considered him family. It comes from his point of view, and is interesting in that respect. Unfortunately, once it goes over the family stuff and his personal memories of DeAngelo, etc. it runs out of gas and falls back on filler to make even a book on the shortish side. He goes over the murder cases, then really stretches things by talking about serial killers in the US, at one point listing non-white male serial killers. And a female one. I’m still glad to have read it, but it’s a bit thinner than I’d have liked on material. Advanced electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author James Huddle, and the publisher.

[Julie Young Buckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really interesting. It is organized and straightforward. The narrative is engaging and what happened right in plain sight for years, decades, is appalling. An outrage. How did that actually really happen? This particular killer was paid to learn from the best. Written from his own brother-in-law, another amazed and unaware witness for many years.

[Brianne Klodowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. The premise sounded super interesting. This is the first book I have read by someone closely related to a very famous serial killer. I very rarely rate something terribly on Goodreads, but is an exception, as this was absolutely terrible.

This book read like a poorly written newspaper article (or maybe a high school essay) and it was frustrating to read. It was paragraph after paragraph of detailing crime after crime in a strange way which is a disappointing disservice to those that lived through these crimes (basically reducing each crime to a summary down to ~2 sentences). I found myself highlighting sections of this book only as a reminder of how terrible the writing was throughout. Ideas would jump from thought to thought with no transition and no purpose whatsoever. Also, the book jumped from time periods quite frequently to the point that I had a hard time going in chronological order in my head. Example: "I was surprised that he drank beer. I learned that after reading crime reports. Joe got a bit competitive with dirt bikes." WHAT?! Normally I can excuse a good story with poor writing, but not this time.

Then, the last 25% of the book is just a random regurgitation of serial killer facts...? I wanted to know how the author reacted to the news of his brother-in-law being arrested as a serial killer (among other things that were left out)...not what Ted Bundy did...? The author said, "so far, I have remained under the radar and tell few people I meet camping about who I am or what happened." What does camping have to do with his experience? Good grief, the whole book was like this.

I only stuck through the book in hopes of something interesting happening and because I felt obligated to finish it because I received the book for free...I found the viewpoint of the author to seem interesting at first, but the execution in the delivery was pretty bad. Definitely do not recommend.

[Vonda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Short, choppy sentences and every paragraph was one to two sentences long. This book was written by the former roommate and brother in law of the GSK. Poorly written and Mr. Huddle liked writing about himself as much if not more. This book was a short one but not even worth that time.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I know how to get rid of someone," he told me. It wasn't a specific thread, but he insinuated he knew how to get away with murder."

We are fascinated by serial killers. There are shows, books, movies and more - all about them. We think we'd spot them, hope we never meet one, can't understand how those around them didn't know. This is a compelling story, told from a relative's POV about the Golden State Killer. The narrator met Joe, the suspected Golden state killer, when his sister brought home her new boyfriend. He was friends as well as family with him for years, going on multiple hunting, fishing, driving and flying trips. It's a compelling and easy read. I was interested to see where the author, James Huddle, would take the story and appreciated the addition of the statistics, information about other serial killers and even the details about DNA collection. I also liked the author giving is his her personal POV. It was an all around great read and I'm so glad I gave it a try!

An e-ARC was provided to me by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially the title grabbed my attention and to find it was true crime, i could wait to read it. I am by no means a fast reader, but to read a book in little over a day as i did with 'Killers Keep Secrets' is saying something. I recall reading something about when the Golden State killer was caught and that he was a former police officer, but didn't really know much about him. Unbelievable that he got away with what he did for so many years, but thankfully he was finally caught. Towards the end of the book, the author wrote a brief account of other well known serial killers. Recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which i have voluntarily given.

[Caroline David · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I received this book from NetGalley, I was very excited but also nervous. Another book about the Golden State Killer which meant that the only way to impress me would be to learn somethings I didn't already know. And let me tell you, this book did just this. James Huddle's brother-in-law was Joseph James DeAngelo. The authors daughters only knew Joe as their uncle. It was so interesting to see what he was doing with his time after the murders stopped and also a very personal account of someone who knew him probably the best (besides his wife). I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about GSK/EAR.

[Nancy Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

GSK’s brother-in-law is the author of this book. The portions regarding D’Angelo are limited but interesting. Unfortunately the rest of the book is filler. More detail would have been great but with the future of the suspect still unclear when he wrote this book I’m sure he didn’t want to say too much. This had to be difficult to write for someone who looked at JJD as a friend and beloved family member. You realize that the list of his victims is even longer and include those loved ones. That is sad to think about. I would say if you read the first half of the book that’s all you need to get the important info from it, but the rest about serial killers and such is also interesting to any crime junkie.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Cláudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

“American are fascinated with serial killers.” I believe this statement is incorrect a majority of people all around the world are fascinated with serial killers.
The quest to try to understand what makes a serial killer and how they hide in plain sight is one of the most intriguing mysteries.
This book was a big surprise to me because I must admit that when I conducted research on a few killers the Golden State Killer was not one I focused my attention on the most. The fact that he had this normal life with friends and visited people’s houses, hanged out shows how deceptive the perception we have of a killer may be.
I liked the myth clarification part because there were some of them I still thought to be true.

[Mercedes Yardley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a folksy, honest look at what happens when a member of your family turns out to be an infamous serial killer. The author discusses his long, close history with his brother-in-law, Joseph DeAngelo, the alleged Golden State Killer. This book is unique because it's written in a easy, friendly manner from somebody who knew this monster as someone simply named "Joe."

The author discusses meeting Joe, Joe marrying into the family, and Joe's normal daily routine while the area was rocked by his horrific events. The author discusses red flags that he only realized in hindsight, and the family pictures at the end are chilling in their normality.

The book respectfully glosses over the nitty gritty details of the cases. This will give you valuable insight about how the killer hid in plain sight for years and how the family dealt with the ensuing aftermath. The author is likable and I enjoyed this book. It's a perfect book for someone to wants to learn more about the killer they've seen all over the news, but perhaps doesn't have the stomach to do a case-by-case deep dive. It's a quick, easy read that anybody interested in the case would enjoy.

[Laura-Ashley Ryley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would like to start off with a positive which is that the title "Killers Keep Secrets" and the cover of this book make this intriguing and pulled me in and was my initial desire to read this book. Open the cover and a further description that this book is the story of the other life of the Golden State Killer.
Unfortunately, the cover and the description of the content of the book isn't quite as accurate as one would've hoped. As a reader I was expecting a story of a man that hadn't been presented in the media, an account of the man he truly was, how a person viewed him outside the knowledge of the horrific crimes he has been accused. Sadly, this isn't the case and from the very beginning of the book it is clear that it is a self-serving and has only been written to offer something to the writer and not the audience who would be reading it. This is apparent through his description of why he wrote this book: he needed to write the book to help him sleep at night and maybe the publicity would piss off his brother-in-law enough so he'd talk more about the crimes. The author admits that his family want nothing to do with the book. I couldn't help but feel from the very beginning this book was inappropriate and shouldn't be put out for publication, this feeling was amplified as I got further into the novel.
Huddle goes into speaking about his past and his connection to the Golden State Killer, Joe, they met when they were young, served in the Navy and eventually became room mates, Joe then went on to marry Huddle's sister and in turn becomes his brother-in-law. Huddle doesn't discuss his relationship with Joe with any sense of warmth or closeness, he doesn't describe what would be a friendship which later turned into a family; he gives off the impression that he doesn't want to say anything positive about Joe. Instead he describes some events and attempts to pull out little irrelevant details that point to a negative aspect of Joe's character which indicates he's the Golden State Killer. A particular example is that Joe was missing part of his index finger, which after a while you don't really notice, but it would be enough to make someone wear gloves when committing a crime. Joe was law enforcement he would know to wear gloves as a forensic countermeasure due to fingerprints, not due to the missing finger.
The chapters in which Huddle mentions the specific crimes Joe has been charged with, and others that he's merely suspected of, were very clunky and seemingly irrelevant. Huddle appears to have taken information already released to the media and cut it down into a list of the crimes. These crimes were committed against real people, with names and lives and they are boiled down to a list of a few lines "a 28 year old woman was raped in x area on x date"; there is no link to Joe made when discussing these crimes. For example; he was due at an event and was late and had an unusual explanation; and so there is no reason for them to be included within the context of this book other than to add dramatic effect which is disrespectful to the victims and their families.
It's clear that this book has been written by a family member and not a professional author or aspiring writer; the writing style is very repetitive, the same phrasing is used multiple times within a couple of pages, there is a lack of descriptive writing or scene setting.
This book doesn't live up to expectations and I've stopped reading due to the poor quality writing.

[Mary Reagan Richardson (prescribedreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written by James Huddle, the brother in law of Joseph James D'Angelo who, as we all know, is the golden state killer. The author tells the story of how he met Joe, their interactions through the years, myths about serial killers, and his ultimate opinion on the matter (the trial had not occurred when this book came out). I really enjoyed this book. I have read Michelle McNamara's book, I'll Be Gone In The Dark, and Billy Jensen's book, Chase Darkness with Me, and now believe this book should be the third required in the golden state killer trifecta books. This book gives you the inside information that you want to know. I describe it as the "Ted Bundy Moment." There was a moment in Ted Bundy's trial when he lost his calm, cool, and collected demeanor for a split second and showed his true nature. He showed the monster that he was in that split second. That is the moment this book gave me. This book gave me the inside look into his true nature and not the front he puts on now that hes been arrested. This one is written in a very raw way and you can just imagine the author sitting in his RV writing this book as a way to sort through his feelings and it showed. At the same time, it was a well researched book and I would highly recommend this to anyone invested in the golden state killer case and lovers of true crime!

[Little Bee Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

“ I think, in part, we want to believe people who can commit such atrocities are nothing like us. We want to believe we’d see them coming. We want to believe we aren’t in danger. We want to believe we can figure out why it happened so it doesn’t happen again.”

I gave Killers Keep Secrets 2.5 stars.


What’s it all about?

KKS is a book written by James Huddle, JJD's ex-brother-in-law. In KKS Huddle talks about the different faces of JJD he knew, and what he has come to know:
The Golden State Killer / The East Area Rapist / The Original Night Stalker / Joseph James DeAngelo / Father / Brother / Ex-husband / Employee / Friend / Serial killer

It is a short book at less than 200 pages and it is clear from the offset KKS is more an exercise of one person trying to release their nightmares than a thorough recall of JJD as a person. The synopsis states:
Find out what it was like to be charmed by a serial killer who escaped justice for over thirty years.

And I think that KKS kind of delivers on this.


what do we learn?

Huddle highlights key interactions with JJD across the years sporadically through KKS:

“I told Joe about the pistol and that the East Area Rapist would get a hell of a fight out of me. If I didn’t kill him, I said, I’d hurt him so he’d get captured.”

And

“I know how to get rid of someone,” he told me. It wasn’t a specific threat, but he insinuated he knew how to get away with murder.”

These terrifying conversations now that Huddle looks back with full knowledge of JJD are shared with Huddle portraying the person he knew JJD as. I found the snippets we got from Huddle really interesting. For me, it showed a fuller picture of the monster that we know as GSK/EARONS. I found it especially helpful at times when Huddle would mark events in JJD’s life with JJD’s crimes.

Huddle also at times compares even the mileage that JJD would have travelled at each residence per crime. Being told that JJD was travelling some 120 miles for an attack while working/having a family is horrifying. As someone from the UK 120 miles for me is enormous and helps put into scale the efforts JJD made to commit his crimes.

A unique facet of KKS is the increased information relating to JJD calling victim/survivors years after the incidents. I hadn’t realised how prevalent this had been or the patterns as Huddle states that JJD always called a survivor of his crimes around 8pm.


what about the writing?

It is clear that Huddle is not a writer. The prose is conversational, and I felt like I was sitting with this man as he tried to piece together the what, where, when of it all.
The structure of the writing is not great. The chapters are very short, and the original content as hinted at is quite minimal. Throughout the book Huddle makes many remarks like;

“I wasn’t paying much attention to what Joe and Sharon were up to then.”

And

“so looking back, my memory is a bit sketchy on what was happening with Joe and Sharon between 1981 and 1986.”

These are to name a few but they are understandable.
Huddle never expected to write a book about his interactions with his ex-friend and ex-brother-in-law.
Huddle is also in his 70’s and admits at times that he can get mixed up with recall, which me and you both Huddle. However, as a result the book features a lot of information that many who have followed the GSK/EARONS case already know inside and out.
Much of the book references information Huddle has gleamed from news articles, either to fill in the gaps of JJD during the time he does not have recall or when he simply hadn’t been around JJD.

Additionally, large swathes of KKS simply list out in brief the individual crimes JJD committed. As a result, I found myself reading through details of the crimes at a speed, I knew this information. I had committed these atrocities to memory several years ago when my awareness of GSK/EARONS began in 2017 and I had subsequently rabbit-holed true crime websites/reddit/and what have you to learn and learn.

Despite being very short the majority of perspective Huddle provides is done by about 60% of the book. Following the 60% mark there are chapters not focused on JJD but serial killers in general with chapters like:
- Vampire of Sacramento
- Bedroom Basher
- Ted Bundy
- Green River Killer
- John Wayne Gacy
- Dispelling myths about serial killers

These chapters tend to offer not a lot of unique information relating to GSK/EARONS and rather Huddles throws in the occasional:

“Like Joe, many of his neighbours thought he was a good guy.”

I imagine with the aim to try and keep a thread of GSK/EARONS going to the end. This isn’t the kind of book I thought it would be. The briefs on different serial killers, the myths, and the infrequent nods back to JJD after the 60% mark are instead just very clear attempts by Huddle to learn the kind of man JJD is in prose:

“What makes them different? How are we the same? I think, in part, we want to believe people who can commit such atrocities are nothing like us. We want to believe we’d see them coming. We want to believe we aren’t in danger. We want to believe we can figure out why it happened so it doesn’t happen again.”


so would I recommend it?

Yes. for 2 reasons:
1. If you are brand new to true crime, brand new to GSK/EARONS this is a good book to start. It is conversational, it eases you in, it is something a bit heavy on the stats, but overall, it is interesting. KKS also provides the unique point of view of a family member and the impact on the family as a form of victim/survivor group also.

2. If you know the GSK/EARONS case well, if you’ve come from reddit or where have you I would still recommend having a read because of Huddle’s impact statements. Additionally, there are photos at the back of JJD that I had never seen before which show him during his active stage.


final question, would you read another book by Huddle?

I don’t think there will be any more books by Huddle as he says:

“But I need to write this book for me. It will help me sleep at night. There’s nothing anyone can do to bring back the killer’s victims or restore the lives that were shattered, but I hope in some small way I can do my part to help justice prevail.”

I hope that Huddle has found some catharsis in writing KKS. Huddle states often how he hopes to in some way offer what he can to help justice for the victims and survivors. I also hope that JJD’s family can heal from the wounds JJD has also inflicted now upon them.

[LOLA · Rating 2 out of 5]

The EARONS/GSK has been a pet case of mine for years, so I was intrigued by a book written by the killer's brother in law. The book itself is a quick read. The author reiterates several times that he and anyone else in his family had no idea of the hidden side of this heinous piece of shit person.

The book is peppered with anecdotes the author recalls from knowing GSK for 40 years; nothing particularly telling or groundbreaking. The picture is painted of a man who is quiet yet gruff, all together very normal seeming with occasional bouts of a temper. A far cry from a tell-all.

Apparently the rest of the family wanted nothing to do with the book, the author respectfully glosses over the rest of the family members, focusing on JDD and his own personal anecdotes. The second half (or so) of the book is about other infamous killers, which I mostly skimmed.

At the end there are some family photos of JDD, which aren't all that easy to see on a Kindle, but that's ok. I get the feeling the author wrote the book to help deal with the trauma of discovering someone in his family is a serial killer. I hope it helped find him peace.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The rules were never for him. He took me hunting without a license. Illegal spear fishing. We crossed into 'no trespassing' territory at night. So many of the things we did together; he pushed me toward fear." - Bonnie, DeAngelo's ex fiance.

The rules were never for him indeed and apparently he liked to include others or use others for his "screw the rules" mentality. According to a childhood friend DeAngelo would break into homes for financial purposes but also for the thrill. Deangelo was a big provider for his siblings, so he obviously was using the food he stole from the houses he broke into to feed his siblings.

Killers keep secrets was written before DeAngelo plead guilty but was actually published and released literally a day or so before or after he plead guilty. DeAngelo had wanted to plead from the beginning, although he did ask for a lawyer several times and the authorities kept him from seeing one and kept trying to interrogate him.

Killers keep secrets is written by DeAngelo's brother in law and former best friend and room mate. The author James Huddle provides anecdotes about his former brother in law. How they met, what was Joseph DeAngelo like, what he was into, his tastes, etc. After DeAngelo was arrested for being the East area rapist and Original night stalker, Huddle talked to his daughters and his daughters told them about his "the rules were never for him" law breaking "shenanigans" with them.

Huddle talks about how close he and his family were to DeAngelo. He also provides details and context in terms of how and why DeAngelo committed his crimes in terms of attack pattern.

Paul Holes - "He moves out of Sacramento. June or July of 1978 where he attacks in north Modesto and for the next eight months he is literally following the I-68 corridor between Concord, all the way down to San Jose with attacks in a linear fashion immediately off the free way. This shows a driving pattern. So when I take a look at that I believe he was commuting out of Sacramento and driving probably for his job. Taking the opportunity of being out in the east bay to do the prowling and the attacks."

Since their children were born in the 80s [Huddle's first daughter was born in the late 70s] they like me got to experience the VHS/BETA video store age. A time of great movies especially horror movies. Also the best access to a vastness of content. Digital media doesn't belong to you and material media you can hold in your hand is shrinking. In fact blu rays and DVDs come out all the time but within a month or so they can sell for $80 - $600. Let alone the fact that to simply buy the DVD before it gets really expensive can cost up to $30 - $50 dollars. Plus in order to reply on streaming you got to pay for 3 or 4 streaming net works and those libraries are also shrunk significantly. This is why I don't rely on streaming or digital media. Unless I want to RENT the movie and watch it once or twice. As a Cinephile and a retro nerd this is very depressing. 97% of all the movies and TV shows I watch are from the 70s and 80s. Back in the video store age you had so much content and unless the VHS cassette tapes got damaged then those videos would last for decades. You actually could OWN the content or if you were renting it would always be there even if the copies got sold out. Go back in a few days and you'd get it. All for a fair low affordable price. Just to have access to a small portion of content you have to now sign up for 3 to 4 streaming sites. Each costing a lot, let alone together and you'd probably have like 23,000 pieces of content. An overwhelming majority of it being new content. Compare that to the video store. Paying on average $3.00 for 5 videos and having access to 280,000 pieces of content of a wide variety. New and old, rare, obscure, foreign, etc. Plus being able to see the videos with their ORIGINAL content as they were intended. Plus I personally get enraged when I spent $19.00 on a DVD and yet the DVD won't play because of the format. It also enrages me that we don't own the products we buy and it isn't illegal to make a bunch of restrictions that only exist to make more money off you. FORCING your buyer to sign up for things so they can then sell the information for more money. Forcing you to go to their store to be able to fix the product so they can make more money. That should be illegal, full stop. I HATE these people/companies. Monopolies are illegal and yet due to Ronald Reagan and others we have nothing BUT monopolies.

So living in this abundance of great content Huddle details basically "movie night" and sleep overs and of course mentions films I grew up watching as a kid. Such as Pumpkinhead. I personally think Pumkinhead 2 is very underated. I love them both. Also mentions Friday the 13th was a big favorite of DeAngelo's children. In fact DeAngelo joked about it asking them why they were watching Friday the 13th ad nauseam. Which is what I did as a kid as well. I'd watch Friday the 13th part 2 for a week straight. Watch Predator 2 for a week straight. Watch Serial mom for 2 weeks straight, etc. Personally the Friday the 13th franchis is my favorite slasher movie franchise and I dress up as Jason Voorhees almost every Halloween. Apparently DeAngelo was a fan of Blockbuster because Huddle mentions Blockbuster and DeAngelo's niece he took in after she tried to harm her self from being assaulted and abused by her father [how ironic] said he would take her to Blockbuster to rent her favorite movies. Probably the Breakfast club and Sixteen candles I would imagine. I've been meaning to watch Sixteen candles. Been meaning to for a few years now. Just haven't gotten around to it. If Sixteen candles was in fact a favorite movie of DeAngelo's neice, then how ironic since Holly Ringwald grew up in Sacramento during DeAngelo's terror and like everyone else was fascinated and terrorified of him. Also ironically, her school was close to the apartment building of Richard Chase "the vampire of Sacramento." Her mother said she didn't remember EAR but she did remember the "cannibal next to your old school." This was also when she was a costar in one of my favorite 70's/80's TV shows; The facts of life. I still watch that show from time to time. Too bad Holly only lasted for 1 season because "there are too many of them" ie too many student characters to have a show on. Although she did make cameos in season 2 and 3.

It's ironic but it does make sense that DeAngelo would of felt some connection with his niece and wanted to help her get out of a bad situation. His own sister was raped in front of him [just like EAR did to men and women. Even told one of the victims "I'm going to rape your wife." and raped Patricia Herrington right next to her husand on the same bed before bludgeoning them to death] and his father was also abusive. His nephew said his mother told him "My brother Joe got the worse then any of us." In his interrogation DeAngelo blamed his father whispering to him self "Mom. He was so mean. He was so mean, rotten. That old dead son of a b*tch. He was mean and rotten. He was so mean and vicious...I just want to be with my mother." and of course I think the "Mad is the word" essay found by the tracking dogs was absolutely him. More so then ever.

"Mad is the word that reminds me of 6th grade. I hated that year
I wish I had know what was going to be going on during my 6th grade year, the last and worst years of elementary school. Mad is the word that remains in my head about my dreadful year as a 6th grader. My madness was one that was caused by disappointments that hurt me very much. Disappointments from my teacher such as field trips that were planned and then cancelled. My 6th grade teacher gave me a lot of disappointments that made me very mad and made me built a state of hatred in my heart, no one ever let me down that hard before and I never "hated anyone" as much as I did him. Disappointment wasn't the only reason that made me mad in my sixth grade class, another was getting in trouble at school especially talking thats what really bugged me was writing sentences, those awful sentence that my teacher made
me write, hours and hours I'd sit and write 50-100-150 sentence day and night I write those dreadful paragraphs which embarrassed me and more important it made me ashamed of myself which in turn, deepdown inside made me realize that writing sentance wasn't fair, it wasn't fair to make me suffer like that, it just wasn't fair to make me sit and wright until my bones ached, until my hand felt ever horrid pain"

According to DeAngelo's nephew his mother also told him her mother would hit her. Which makes me ask...did she also hit Joe? One of his victims bashed him for committing his crimes because he had "mommy issues"...I would say he had "daddy and mommy issues" and according to Huddle Joe took care of his mother before she died ie the loving son.

DeAngelo reminds me of many other serial killers such as John Wayne Gacy who was obsessed with money, very arrogant, and was always looking for a con and John Brennan Crutchley who was an extreme thrill seeker like Joe. His whole "jerry" blaming. During his interrogation he whispered to him self "I didn't want to. I didn't want to go out. I didn't want to do those things. He made me." makes me think of Danny Rolling the Gainesville ripper who said "The evil just took over. It was like when the sun would go down I couldn't resist it. It just pulled me like a tile wave." and of course he blamed it all on demons being a christian baptist from the south. Very much like Dennis Rader who described it as "factor X" and a frog demon.

Of course I don't believe in demons. I don't believe in anything supernatural. I am not religious what so ever. I also don't believe in multiple personality disorder which has been widely debunked since the 90's as a result of the satanic panic. But I do believe in conflicting personalities, what is known as "doubling".

"doubling is the psychological means by which one invokes the evil potential of the self. That evil is neither inherent in the self nor foreign to it. To live out the doubling and call forth the evil is a moral choice for which one is responsible, whatever the level of consciousness involved.” - Robert Jay Lifton who examined cults including Nazi Germany and Communist China.

And of course we know what DeAngelo said about moral choices.
As he wrote in Excitement's crave a poem he sent to the media.
"All those mortal's surviving birth
Upon facing maturity,
Take inventory of their worth
To prevailing society.
Choosing values becomes a task;
Oneself must seek satisfaction."

"Leisure tempts excitement seeking,
What's right and expected seems tame."

DeAngelo like Ian Brady was a hedonistic/existentialist killer. DeAngelo always seemed to be trying to see what he could get away with and I am sure he was thrilled when he was almost shot and killed a few times, almost caught, etc and still got away with it. Which would also explain the absolute brazenness and arrogance of the crimes.

DeAngelo's crimes were largely a terroristic act against society and the community that surrounded him. Like Joker said "How about another joke Murray? What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a society THAT ABANDONS HIM AND TREATS HIM LIKE TRASH?!" Huddle somewhat mentions this resentment and in DeAngelo's poem he mentions it.
"Your East Area Rapist And deserving pest" As we know, DeAngelo experienced a lot of abuse from multiple people through out his life, had to take care of his siblings at a young age, and was not middle class, but poor. Which would explain why he targeted upper middle class which he obviously coveted. Personally I always assumed he must of been well off financially since he was able to own so many different clothes. Richard Shelby even joked in Hunting a psychopath that the guy must of owned a clothing store.

Huddle also mentions that DeAngelo liked to exaggerate and tell "tall tales" but never specified. Which also reminds me Gacy. Gacy would constantly brag about how he was a former hit man, had "mob connections", was a former race car driver, was a former spy, etc. Of course some of his bragging was true or a half truth.

At the end of the book Huddle talks about serial killers in general, citing a few cases and some facts about serial killers mostly from the FBI. What was ironic and surprising is that Huddle found him self involved in another serial killer case back in the 70s before he met DeAngelo due to his job in produce.

A great read about DeAngelo from the point of view of his brother in law who spoke with his daughters about their uncle. The book ends with how his family members are/were dealing with his arrest. This book despite coming out in 2020 literally the day of his plea deal "Guilty" "I admit" was obviously written before 2020. A great book to learn more of what Joseph DeAngelo aka The east area rapist/Original stalker was like, at least to his nieces and brother in law although the book does mention how he was to his children and wife as well. The authorities asked Huddle if he had any idea what DeAngelo's job was after being fired from the Auburn police force. He doesn't know and so far that information hasn't been discovered yet. That is still one of the many mysteries of the case.

[Clued-in With A Book (Elvina Ulrich) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What It's About: The Golden State Killer, the East Area Rapist, the Visalia Ransacker, the Diamond Knot Killer, the Original Night Stalker - all these are monikers given to Joseph James DeAngelo - a serial killer, rapist and burglar, who is accused of at least 13 murders, over 50 rape cases and burglaries across California between 1975 and 1986. He eluded the authority for 40 years until his arrest in 2018 and has been in custody since.

We read about his crimes in true crime books, news, podcasts, and so forth. But we have little knowledge about his other life - his normal life as a husband, father, and employee, and this is what this book is about. Written by his brother-in-law, a family member and a longtime friend, James Huddle, talks about his relationship with DeAngelo, their families and how his children remember DeAngelo as the loving, fun but eccentric Uncle Joe.

My thoughts: I appreciate that the author shares this story and gives us a glimpse of the other life of DeAngelo. It is shocking and I can't imagine the disbelief and betrayal to know that a family member you are so close with is one of America's most prolific serial killer. In the first few chapters of the book, Huddle talks about their friendship and how later on DeAngelo becomes part of his family. He also talks about their families and DeAngelo's eccentricities. Huddle constantly questioned himself how he had missed all the red flags about DeAngelo.

I liked how Huddle shares about the crimes DeAngelo committed over the years in a chronological but brief manner. There is a lot! DeAngelo ceased his criminal activities after 1986 and there were speculations that most probably he died or in prison for another crime. But according to Huddle it is most probably because DeAngelo is focusing on his family life. Huddle also shares how the aftermath of DeAngelo's arrest impacted their families. It is heartbreaking.

There are also chapters on other serial killers - myths, behaviors, background similarities, statistics and so forth. It is interesting to know that there were a spike in serial killer cases from 70s - 90s.

This book is easy to read and I liked the quick and to the point writing style. But, since it is a short book and it is more about familial relationships, the cases of GSK is not covered in an in-depth manner. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend this to everyone.

Pub. Date: 30 Jun, 2020

***Thank you Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and NetGalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.***

[Krystelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book was really fascinating, and I hoped that it would give an insight into the EAR/ONS case from the perspective of someone who was close to DeAngelo, as well as show how his family struggled with the development that all was not as it seemed. I think the start of the book was very effective in this respect- it covered all of the crimes that the East Area Rapist committed, as well as interspersing it with the happenings within the DeAngelo family. For that, I really applaud the author- he did a marvellous job balancing the crimes with what he saw himself within his family, and he doesn't bring with him a huge amount of moralising or discussion of any other extrinsic materials like politics (as some biographies about serial killers in the family seem to take the road of).

However, it did go a little off the tracks later in the book. It felt stretched in places as it went into the types of crimes committed in America, as well as some of the many serial killers that had made their ways into the annals of history. I think the ones that made the most sense and really should have been there was the Green River Killer- there was a lot in terms of similarity there- as well as BTK. Those were evidently crucial to the processing of having shared part of your life with someone who could commit such horrific acts. The rest, though, really wasn't needed.

As a whole, I thought this was one of the better memoirs written by a family member in respect to a serial criminal. It isn't overly attached, but it isn't detached either, and I do think it clearly shows exactly how much processing that this kind of event needs.

[Harriet Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Netgalley, James Huddle, and IBPA for giving me an ARC in exchange for review!

The Golden State Killer found ways to truly test the limits and evil humanity can find within themselves. But, what if this inexplicable evil was your roommate, your brother?

In the first pages of this book, it was unsettling that the author (a relative of the Golden State Killer) noted that none of the family wanted to be a part of the book. Though this doesn’t necessarily mean that they were opposed to its creation, I still felt worried about the line between writing the book to tell a story while also respecting the wishes of those involved. Farther into the novel, there is a consistent listing of the victims, which is done predominantly by age/date and manner of crime. This felt insensitive to those victims, and though this is the story of their murderer/rapist/burglar, I don’t think his voice deserves to be heard over theirs and the rushing through each of their stories portrayed it that way. As a typical consumer of true crime, I do try to be aware of the respect given to the victims whose stories I, for lack of better words, am being entertained by, as well as the wishes of all those involved (other than the perpetrator typically).

Beyond that, the book was very informative and quite a unique lens to this infamous story. I think it is a story that anyone interested in this case, or any followers of true crime, would enjoy consuming. It is a great length, written concisely, and well researched. My favorite aspects of the book were those from the author’s own perspective, rather than facts or statistics, finding out what Joseph James DeAngelo’s life looked like. I also enjoyed the ending of the novel broadening the scope, looking at the evolution of serial killers, some famous names, and fitting DeAngelo into that picture. The photographs included at the end of the novel were a powerful, haunting addition that cemented the story together and made the narrative feel real. Because it is real.

[Bonnie Kernene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not aware that James Huddle, the author, was Joseph James DeAngelo's brother-in-law until I read this book. That changed everything for me. He gave a new insight into the Golden State Killer that not many could relate to. I found this book very interesting and it easily kept my attention. I liked his writing style, as it was easy to read and well written. I was able to read it fairly quickly, as well. I had trouble putting it down. I do recommend this book.

[Eliska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I have seen multiple documentaries covering serial killers and read a lot about their motivation, I don’t think I have come across something like this book. It is interesting to read what family members and people close to someone who turns out to be a serial killer think, how they realise they were ignoring red flags all along. How differently they interpret certain events in the light of new truths. An example of how normal lives seem to be, and how not everything is the way we think it is.
This book gave me exactly what I was looking for- how others see serial killers. How hard it is to accept reality once everything comes out.
The only negative is that the last chapters of the book didn't really make much sense as a part of the book.

[Emma Siemer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite being a fan of true crime, I did not enjoy this one. It is an interesting concept for a book as the author is the ex-brother-in-law of Joseph DeAngelo and he writes about his experiences with him prior to his arrest. He regularly trusted DeAngelo with his children and never suspected him to be the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer. However, the execution of the story was not done well. I feel like the author ran out of things to write about after 100 pages and turned to writing about infamous serial killers who committed similar crimes to DeAngelo. Overall, there are probably better books to read if you are interested in learning about the reign of terror of the Golden State Killer. (I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and IBPA for the arc of Killer keeps secrets by James Huddle.

This book is about the Golden State Killer, It’s written by his ex-wife’s brother, who spent a lot of time with him. It comes from his point of view, and is interesting in that respect. Unfortunately, once it goes over the family stuff and his personal memories of De-Angelo, He goes over the murder cases of serial killers and and listing other serial killers.

Quite interesting as it is a true crime book, it was quite short which is a shame, so i finished it quickly but overall a great read

4 Stars

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Huddle writes about the Golden State Killer from a unique perspective: he is the brother-in-law of this infamous criminal. Imagine, after knowing someone for over 40 years, that they are suddenly unmasked as being a cold-blooded rapist and murderer. Huddle discusses Joseph D'Angelo, who is married to his sister Sharon, and gives insight to the popular notion that madmen can live among us.

[TBHONEST · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killers Keep Secrets: The Golden State Killer’s Other Life, is absolutely gripping while being horrific and terrifying because of the crimes committed. It makes you question just how well do you really know the people you are close to and let into your life?

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am fascinated by the Golden State Killer, thanks to I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, so when our thriller book group chose Killers Keep Secrets, I was thrilled. The prospect of reading about this serial murderer who went undetected for so long from the vantage point of a family member was exciting. Admittedly, I learned a few additional intriguing facts from reading James Huddle's account--only someone who knew him well could have some of the information shared here--but overall the book was just ok. Huddle is of course, not a writer by profession, and thus the story is not a read I would recommend unless you truly want to uncover every detail about this loathsome murderer.

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. is an American serial killer, serial rapist, burglar, and former police officer who committed at least 13 murders, more than 50 rapes, and over 100 burglaries in California between 1974 and 1986. "Killers keep secrets" is the story of his crime and murder spree as told by his ex-wife’s brother.

The Golden State Killer was truly a master at hiding in plain sight. He was able to hide his secret life for decades and fool even those closest to him into thinking he was a normal person. "Killers keep secrets" is one mans reflections on his interactions with a serial murderer and rapist. It begs to ask and answer the questions Do we ever truly know someone? How is it possible that we can have a killer lurking within our own family and never even know it?

"Killers keep secrets" is a fairly simple book as far as true crime goes and its a quick read. Most of the book is consistant with showing the reader who "Joe" appeared to be to family and friends more so then delving deep into his crimes.

I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is interesting in that it was written by someone with so much history - ex-familial and former friendship - with (the alleged) Golden State Killer. But that's it.

I appreciate the author's forthrightness in expressing his obvious dismay and grief over the victims and their families, but this book fell flat for me. No real depth. A lot of speculation versus fact. Much was written about other serial killers, leaving the portion about DeAngelo short and lacking.

For hard core true crime fans, I'd pick this one up. Otherwise, I'd skip it.

Thanks to James Huddle, IBPA, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Ryan Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between 1975 and 1986 Joseph James Deangelo killed more than a dozen people and raped at least 50 across California between 1975 & 1986, but what about the killer's personal life, or how he managed to keep a normal family life, during his nefarious activities?

In 2018 author James Huddle was shocked to discover that his brother-in-law could be guilty of such crimes. With the gift of hindsight, could he have spotted anything suspicious in his old confidante's background?

It appears that Joe's criminal activity began before the murders and is suspected of local cat burglaries near his flatshare between 1973 - 1975 and unlike a lot of psychopaths, he also had a degree in criminology, eventually becoming a police officer during the time of his alleged crime spree. By 1977, the man is now known as the 'east area rapist' having raped at least 17 women and the attempted rape of another. By now, Joe was also married to the author's sister, and a few small ' red flags' were apparent. Fired from the force in '78 over a bizarre shoplifting incident, the murders continued to tally up, and now couples became the targets, double murders across several states. Fast forward to September of 1981 and JOe's daughter is born, the killings seem to stop at this exact time and it not until 1986 that the final east side rapist aka golden state killer is committed. The murder of a teenage girl, bearing the hallmarks of his previous work and the police again retrieve DNA from the scene. it matches previous cases but they still haven't found their man. James continues his friendship with Joe, building model planes, shooting guns, and the one-time killer shows little evidence of his murderous hobby or sinister personality traits. Do you think you'd recognise a killer in your family? I imagine for most people this would be unthinkable, never mind remotely unimaginable. Following the arrest, James often wondered if he'd missed any 'red flags' during his time with the killer but I imagine he will never know for certain.

By 1991 Joe and James' sister were heading for the divorce courts. although they never did it officially, I imagine it was a relief for him not to be associating so closely to a lawyer, however, he was keen on the status that his legal eagle wife gave them. It wasn't until 2018 once he'd been arrested that proceedings were in place, more of a paperwork issue than anything to do with his nefarious behaviour. In the decade before his arrest, James does mention that some distance suddenly became between the former friends, was he hiding guilt, acts of crime, or something just as sinister? Joe evaded capture for more than 40 years and even the FBI put out a £50k reward to find him but to no avail.
After his capture, former friends, neighbours, colleagues (he worked as a mechanic after his time in the military and the police) spoke of the kind and generous man who showed no signs of dangerous behaviour. The police would soon find him and it was down to the DNA they had collected from the hundreds of crime scenes the killer had fled.

James Huddle writes short sharp chapters offering a genuine, unique, and rational insight ion the golden gate killer but what was it that made Joseph James DeAngelo into such a heinous beast? As this case is still relatively fresh*, James Huddle concludes the book by giving us an insight into notorious serial killers of the 1970s that were also active across the USA.

A case I wasn't aware of, this is a very good first-hand account of a serial killer’s life and is a genuinely good read.

[aubrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating system (Updated)

5 - Perfection. Every sentence, every image, every character. The book woke up like this.

4 - Would Recommend. This book may be up your alley.

3 - Enjoyable but came with emotional baggage from a previous relationship. Still would recommend to another.

2 - Ghostwriting Achievement. Author died halfway through and their kid finished it.

1 - Ride to Hell: Retribution. Kill it with fire.


Thank you Netgalley, James Huddle, and IBPA for allowing me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joseph DeAngelo, to many it's a simple name, to others it hits too close to home. In the 1980s, DeAngelo operated under the name Golden State Killer. He murdered 13 people, raped 500 others, and committed 100+ burglaries in Northern and Southern California. James Huddle, the killer's brother in-law, recounts his experiences with Joseph "Joe" DeAngelo, and how he brushed aside warning signs, thinking nothing of it.

This is a book that's sort of in the same vein of The Stranger Beside Me--a true crime story told from the perspective of a person who was close to the murderer and can live to tell the story. Huddle considers throughout that DeAngelo had ample opportunity to take him off the map, or his daughters, and yet he chose not to. It's a book that examines the fact that he is haunted by DeAngelo years after the Golden State Killer's crime spree had stopped, and now he's in jail sitting on a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. Huddle is constantly turning over interactions with DeAngelo, including the times he left his daughter alone with him while he worked.

I cannot imagine being close to someone and then finding out they're an American Monster (yes I stole that from ID) and Huddle has lived that nightmare. Within, DeAngelo is painted as a lovable, kind man with a few behavioral quirks that no one thinks twice about; like his love of hunting and killing animals, his rage, his kleptomania, and the fact that he seems to take great joy in fabricating elaborate stories to make himself seem better than he actually is. This is not enough to raise red flags in a person, but Huddle kept this quirks tabbed and archived in case some wild shit happened considering that the Killer's rampage was near where he and his daughters lived.

Huddle's writing is quick and to the point. He is not the type of author that handles similes and metaphors like one would handle a double whipped iced macchiato from Starbucks. He says, "Fuck that," and writes simple prose that's easy to follow and quick to read. This is both a pro and a con.

It's a pro in the sense that the book is easy to follow. It immerses you in the story and the people involved without the reader pausing to dwell on a beautiful metaphor or a line that lands with eerie clarity. I felt like I was flying through this book at a pace that I wasn't exactly used to, considering that I don't read books fast at all. A testament to engaging writing. A testament to engaging storytelling.

But, it's also a con. Without the metaphor or the line of eerie clarity, there is nothing to dwell on. It reads less like a true crime book examining a relationship with a serial killer, but more like a Netflix documentary; ironically, this book would make a wonderful documentary, or at least a true crime thriller movie. Because that's how it reads. It's incredibly fast paced, simple, and easy to read. Huddle doesn't dwell on things except for asking the basic "What if?" questions, but I cannot exactly fault on him that because the things DeAngelo did are traumatizing, and triggering for many people.

However, this book lacks that emotional depth. It tells instead of shows. It discusses familial relationships and then Huddle begins listing factoids about the crimes that DeAngelo committed--the rapes, the murders, the things he stole from people's homes, what was ransacked and where; all told in simple sentences and easy reading prose. And this book, to me, relies to heavily on filler to fill the required pages, or to meet word count goals.

There's a chapter that was around a page (page and half if we want to push it), there are chapters that are titled one thing and discuss another thing entirely, like Master Manipulator that discusses one instance of manipulative behavior before then proceeding to detail the crimes Joe committed around that time frame. There's two chapters at the end of the book that detail serial killer behavior, serial killer myths, shit that could be sprinkled throughout, however it's attached to the end like an extended appendix. I don't want to disrespect the author and skim through these sections, but the information presented wasn't anything new or spectacular. It wasn't revelatory or eye-opening, leaving me questioning even the mailman and wondering if he wants to fuck me. When discussing familial anecdotes and experiences, it felt very much like filler, applied last minute to make the lips plumper or the ass bouncier but did nothing to improve the overall figure of the book itself. I understand the point of these chapters, comparing various serial killers and their tendencies to live double lives with that of Joe, however this book was about Joe, and I feel that these chapters are unnecessary.

This book is enjoyable and I would recommend this book to someone just starting out reading true crime novels. But if you want a better Golden State Killer book, I'd suggest you read I'll Be Gone In the Dark.