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Killers Amidst Killers: Hunting Serial Killers Operating Under the Cloak of America's Opioid Epidemic
Bestselling author, co-host of the hit podcast and Discovery + docuseries Long Island Serial Killer , and true-crime investigative journalist Billy Jensen goes to Columbus, Ohio, where he examines the unsolved cases of eighteen dead and missing women, whom he suspects were the victims of serial killers on the loose and operating under cover of the opioid epidemic in America's heartland. In Chase Darkness with Me , readers and listeners learned Billy Jensen’s journalist origin story, his struggles, his call to adventure, and his first successes in solving murders. In Killers Amidst Killers , readers will ride shotgun with Jensen as he takes on serial killers who are walking among us and planning their next moves in real time. The facts are not in old police reports and faded photos. They unfold before our eyes on the page. Our story begins in 2017, when two young women, best friends Danielle and Lindsey go missing in Columbus, Ohio, within weeks of each other, and their bodies are found soon thereafter. As Jensen investigates Danielle and Lindsey’s cases, he comes across other missing and murdered women, and before long, he uncovers eighteen of them. All unsolved. And no one was talking about it. These are not women who were raised in the street. They got hooked on pills. The pills were taken away. They get hooked on heroin. And when the money is gone, they have to sell themselves. It happens very quick. Through his investigations and the help of experts, Jensen identifies serial killers in Cleveland and Columbus. Why there? Because it’s easy. Sharks go where the swimmers are. Serial killers go where the easy prey Ground zero of the opioid epidemic. The heart of America. That is what happened to Danielle and Lindsey. But serial killers murdering sex workers in the 21 st century will get 45 seconds on the local news, and page 3 in the local paper, and then can disappear in the wind. Jensen hunts these predators to bring peace to the victims’ suffering families while putting a spotlight on a system that is leaving hundreds of thousands of bodies in its wake.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 19, 2022
40 people are currently reading
5840 people want to read
About the author
Billy Jensen
14 books801 followersAn American true crime investigative journalist and producer, focusing on unsolved crimes, citizen detectives, and crowdsolving, I’ve written crime stories for Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Magazine, Boston Magazine, and the New York Times. Referred to as an expert on amateur digital detectives by both MSNBC and Al Jazeera America, I presented the panel “Solving Murders With Social Media” at the SXSW Interactive and the National Cybercrime Conference. During the day you can find me working as a supervising producer and special investigator at the Warner Bros. program Crime Watch Daily, where I run all digital operations for the program. At night, you can find me working on my next case, representing justice so far as my feeble powers go.
In the past, I co-founded the Long Island Press newspaper, True Crime Report, and the largest public unsolved murders database. I earned a master’s degree in religious studies from the University of Kansas and played professional roller hockey (earning the first minor penalty in Major League Roller Hockey history). I am also a sought after digital media consultant, having been general manager of Buzzmedia and head of digital at Village Voice Media, overseeing the digital transformation of 17 alternative weeklies.
In the past, I co-founded the Long Island Press newspaper, True Crime Report, and the largest public unsolved murders database. I earned a master’s degree in religious studies from the University of Kansas and played professional roller hockey (earning the first minor penalty in Major League Roller Hockey history). I am also a sought after digital media consultant, having been general manager of Buzzmedia and head of digital at Village Voice Media, overseeing the digital transformation of 17 alternative weeklies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
December 23, 2022
“All these women, missing and murdered within a span of a handful of years and a few highways between them, with the state capital of Columbus at its center. Why is this not a national story?”
When I think “serial killer” what comes to mind are the smart ones: Gacey, Dahmer, Bundy, BTK… those cunning, conniving, meticulous sons of bitches who out maneuvered and out smarted task forces and veteran homicide detectives for months or years or sometimes even decades. In truth, the so-called intellectual murderers, the “Hannibal Lectors,” are rare exceptions to the rule.
The truth is that the vast majority of degenerates who commit serial murder are not smart or cunning or the least bit clever. They are predatory douche-bags reacting to targets of opportunity. And in south-central Ohio, nothing affords monsters more targets of opportunity than the American opioid crisis.
“There were 16,425 murders in the US in 2019. That same year, 70,630 people died of drug overdoses, and 49,860 of those overdoses were opioid-related.”
And it gets worse.
“In the twelve months ending May 2020, eighty-one thousand people [in the U.S.] died of drug overdoses… Two hundred and twenty-one deaths every day.”
The bottom line is that opioids create more addicts. Addicts tend to gravitate toward more ‘hard-core’ substances (like heroin). More ‘hard-core’ addicts means more targets of opportunity for hustlers, dope peddlers, and sadistic slime-bags.
The question is, if most serial killers are morons why are the ones preying on Ohio’s opium addicts so hard for law enforcement to catch? Three primary reasons: (perceived) public indifference, police corruption and law enforcement incompetence.
“They said in a news release that the circumstances were suspicious. No shit—her body was found in a trash bag.”
Take, for example, the case of serial killer Anthony Sowell - the Cleveland Police had ample opportunity to put him away and chose not to:
On December 8, 2008, Sowell forced a woman named Gladys Wade into his house and assaulted her. Incredibly, she fought her way outside and managed to flag down a passing patrol car.
“The officers saw droplets of Glady’s blood in the snow outside Sowell’s house. They saw the scratch marks on her neck. They knew that Sowell was a registered sex offender…”
Sowell was arrested on a charge of robbery but incredibly, for whatever reason, they let him go.
“…they decided not to charge him at all. Once free, Sowell went on to murder Nancy Cobbs, Telacia Fortson, Amelda Hunter, Le’Shanda Long, Diane Turner, and Janice Webb.”
It wasn’t until much, much later that the Cleveland PD paid any more attention to Anthony Sowell. When they finally did (only after a naked woman fell out of his window) they found the remains of eleven women inside his home.
“If the Ohio police couldn’t catch a serial killer when he was seemingly caught red-handed, how the hell were they going to catch a killer who was more careful…?”
Billy Jensen writes True Crime as well as anyone I have ever read. I cannot put his books down. And it’s not just his writing; he has a drive to solve the unsolvable—a task at which he is often surprisingly successful. I highly recommend both Killers Amidst Killers and his previous book, Chase Darkness With Me.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
When I think “serial killer” what comes to mind are the smart ones: Gacey, Dahmer, Bundy, BTK… those cunning, conniving, meticulous sons of bitches who out maneuvered and out smarted task forces and veteran homicide detectives for months or years or sometimes even decades. In truth, the so-called intellectual murderers, the “Hannibal Lectors,” are rare exceptions to the rule.
The truth is that the vast majority of degenerates who commit serial murder are not smart or cunning or the least bit clever. They are predatory douche-bags reacting to targets of opportunity. And in south-central Ohio, nothing affords monsters more targets of opportunity than the American opioid crisis.
“There were 16,425 murders in the US in 2019. That same year, 70,630 people died of drug overdoses, and 49,860 of those overdoses were opioid-related.”
And it gets worse.
“In the twelve months ending May 2020, eighty-one thousand people [in the U.S.] died of drug overdoses… Two hundred and twenty-one deaths every day.”
The bottom line is that opioids create more addicts. Addicts tend to gravitate toward more ‘hard-core’ substances (like heroin). More ‘hard-core’ addicts means more targets of opportunity for hustlers, dope peddlers, and sadistic slime-bags.
The question is, if most serial killers are morons why are the ones preying on Ohio’s opium addicts so hard for law enforcement to catch? Three primary reasons: (perceived) public indifference, police corruption and law enforcement incompetence.
“They said in a news release that the circumstances were suspicious. No shit—her body was found in a trash bag.”
Take, for example, the case of serial killer Anthony Sowell - the Cleveland Police had ample opportunity to put him away and chose not to:
On December 8, 2008, Sowell forced a woman named Gladys Wade into his house and assaulted her. Incredibly, she fought her way outside and managed to flag down a passing patrol car.
“The officers saw droplets of Glady’s blood in the snow outside Sowell’s house. They saw the scratch marks on her neck. They knew that Sowell was a registered sex offender…”
Sowell was arrested on a charge of robbery but incredibly, for whatever reason, they let him go.
“…they decided not to charge him at all. Once free, Sowell went on to murder Nancy Cobbs, Telacia Fortson, Amelda Hunter, Le’Shanda Long, Diane Turner, and Janice Webb.”
It wasn’t until much, much later that the Cleveland PD paid any more attention to Anthony Sowell. When they finally did (only after a naked woman fell out of his window) they found the remains of eleven women inside his home.
“If the Ohio police couldn’t catch a serial killer when he was seemingly caught red-handed, how the hell were they going to catch a killer who was more careful…?”
Billy Jensen writes True Crime as well as anyone I have ever read. I cannot put his books down. And it’s not just his writing; he has a drive to solve the unsolvable—a task at which he is often surprisingly successful. I highly recommend both Killers Amidst Killers and his previous book, Chase Darkness With Me.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 15, 2022
The opioid epidemic has largely been portrayed as a health crisis and every day brings news of another family torn apart by a loved one's drug addiction. But what if there's more to the story? What if the opioid epidemic is actually creating an environment where serial killers can operate? That's what Billy Jensen explores in Killers Amidst Killers, a gripping and disturbing look of true crime that exposes the dark underbelly of the opioid epidemic and how it allowed serial killers to flourish, targeting the most vulnerable members of women and girls.
He gives us the story of two women who were entangled in the cycle of addiction and murder, describing how they lived their lives and how society failed them rather than just giving us a dry list of statistics and other information. The investigation into these two women's deaths was the catalyst for the discovery of at least dozens more unresolved cases involving other women and girls who went missing or were murdered and who also happened to be drug users and sex workers.
His writing is personal and emotional, creating heartfelt portraits of marginalized women who are slipping into addiction using his conversations with family and friends as a touchstone for his writing. He takes us on a journey with them, bringing us back to the beginning when they were just girls with dreams before becoming full-blown addicts, unable to function outside of the drug. We see how the cycle of addiction eroded their personalities and turned them into nothing more than walking vessels for their next dose, existing only to get high and survive another day. And when they become the pawns of their addictions, we see how society fails to protect them who are no longer considered human beings with aspirations and goals instead another statistic to be forgotten and ignored, removes responsibility from the perpetrator and places the blame on the victim - ignores the fact that killing women by men is not a phenomenon that only occurs in sex/drug-related contexts.
Another aspect worth mentioning in brief are:
a) the corruption in the field of law and justice enforcement is so deep-rooted it has become a cancer that has metastasized, witnessing cops and detectives colluding taking advantage of their power to assault these vulnerable women instead of protecting them.
b) Corporations that are benefiting from the opioid crisis are exploiting the victims in order to increase their profits, rather than aiding the people and implementing the changes that would actually help them. This is not only tragic, but it is also evidence of the dangers of a system that prioritizes profits over people’s lives.
c) the importance of databases and technology in solving crime. It is easy to get lost in the statistics and numbers but what is also necessary is to keep in mind the possibility of using technology to solve the case and make it possible to have large reach in the investigation.
If you're a fan of true crime, you'll want to add this book to your library. A mind-blowing, sobering read that will leave you questioning how law enforcement could have let so many people down for so long. It will also give you a new perspective or perhaps a better understanding of the opioid epidemic and the state of the justice system today. Hopefully, reading this will spur you to act and bring about change.
Thank you Times Reads for sending me a review copy of this book in return for an honest review. This book is available in all good bookstores Malaysia and Singapore.
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He gives us the story of two women who were entangled in the cycle of addiction and murder, describing how they lived their lives and how society failed them rather than just giving us a dry list of statistics and other information. The investigation into these two women's deaths was the catalyst for the discovery of at least dozens more unresolved cases involving other women and girls who went missing or were murdered and who also happened to be drug users and sex workers.
His writing is personal and emotional, creating heartfelt portraits of marginalized women who are slipping into addiction using his conversations with family and friends as a touchstone for his writing. He takes us on a journey with them, bringing us back to the beginning when they were just girls with dreams before becoming full-blown addicts, unable to function outside of the drug. We see how the cycle of addiction eroded their personalities and turned them into nothing more than walking vessels for their next dose, existing only to get high and survive another day. And when they become the pawns of their addictions, we see how society fails to protect them who are no longer considered human beings with aspirations and goals instead another statistic to be forgotten and ignored, removes responsibility from the perpetrator and places the blame on the victim - ignores the fact that killing women by men is not a phenomenon that only occurs in sex/drug-related contexts.
Another aspect worth mentioning in brief are:
a) the corruption in the field of law and justice enforcement is so deep-rooted it has become a cancer that has metastasized, witnessing cops and detectives colluding taking advantage of their power to assault these vulnerable women instead of protecting them.
b) Corporations that are benefiting from the opioid crisis are exploiting the victims in order to increase their profits, rather than aiding the people and implementing the changes that would actually help them. This is not only tragic, but it is also evidence of the dangers of a system that prioritizes profits over people’s lives.
c) the importance of databases and technology in solving crime. It is easy to get lost in the statistics and numbers but what is also necessary is to keep in mind the possibility of using technology to solve the case and make it possible to have large reach in the investigation.
If you're a fan of true crime, you'll want to add this book to your library. A mind-blowing, sobering read that will leave you questioning how law enforcement could have let so many people down for so long. It will also give you a new perspective or perhaps a better understanding of the opioid epidemic and the state of the justice system today. Hopefully, reading this will spur you to act and bring about change.
Thank you Times Reads for sending me a review copy of this book in return for an honest review. This book is available in all good bookstores Malaysia and Singapore.
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER
December 30, 2023
I was conflicted reading this book. I didn't know why the publication date was delayed from this summer to December 2023 and then right after I got the book I learned that the author was fired from his podcast in 2022 and this book's publication was put on hold indefinitely because of sexual harassment allegations.
Near as I can tell, Jensen tends to get handsy and say inappropriate things when he is drunk. So, I was reading this book through that lens because Jensen puts himself firmly in the center of this book. It's about HIS hypothesis and HIS research, although I do believe he wants to help victims' families find answers. Interestingly, Jensen says, almost offhand, in the book that he's an alcoholic with "rules" about when and how he drinks; he then quickly glosses over that admission and moves on. In the acknowledgements, he also briefly mentions he went into rehab after writing this book, and I've read elsewhere that friends persuaded him to do so after the sexual misconduct allegations.
So, it's hard to read this book without all that in mind. As for the book itself, on its own, the information is important, but the book is kind of all over the place. The structure is basically Jensen doing his research. He believes that there is one or more serial killers in central Ohio, using the opioid epidemic as a cover — preying on victims who are on drugs and are sex workers. When these women go missing, their disappearance isn't often noticed right away, helping the killer get away and/or destroy evidence. Plus, the media doesn't pay attention because they don't see the victims as "innocent," and police don't always pay attention or at least don't chalk up the disappearances and deaths to murder.
All of this is important to investigate, but Jensen doesn't find out much beyond discovering clusters of death among people who are at high risk of overdose, more often from fentanyl, but were likely murdered. He does call attention to these deaths, and he speaks respectfully to the victims' families, but there's not much happening in the book. Basically, it's his own hypothesis that there's a serial killer or two in middle Ohio and that someone should do something. He goes off on several tangents that could have been better weaved into the book.
So, I recommend that if you read this, read it for the true crime information, especially if you have a connection to Ohio, but this is not strong narrative journalism, unfortunately.
Near as I can tell, Jensen tends to get handsy and say inappropriate things when he is drunk. So, I was reading this book through that lens because Jensen puts himself firmly in the center of this book. It's about HIS hypothesis and HIS research, although I do believe he wants to help victims' families find answers. Interestingly, Jensen says, almost offhand, in the book that he's an alcoholic with "rules" about when and how he drinks; he then quickly glosses over that admission and moves on. In the acknowledgements, he also briefly mentions he went into rehab after writing this book, and I've read elsewhere that friends persuaded him to do so after the sexual misconduct allegations.
So, it's hard to read this book without all that in mind. As for the book itself, on its own, the information is important, but the book is kind of all over the place. The structure is basically Jensen doing his research. He believes that there is one or more serial killers in central Ohio, using the opioid epidemic as a cover — preying on victims who are on drugs and are sex workers. When these women go missing, their disappearance isn't often noticed right away, helping the killer get away and/or destroy evidence. Plus, the media doesn't pay attention because they don't see the victims as "innocent," and police don't always pay attention or at least don't chalk up the disappearances and deaths to murder.
All of this is important to investigate, but Jensen doesn't find out much beyond discovering clusters of death among people who are at high risk of overdose, more often from fentanyl, but were likely murdered. He does call attention to these deaths, and he speaks respectfully to the victims' families, but there's not much happening in the book. Basically, it's his own hypothesis that there's a serial killer or two in middle Ohio and that someone should do something. He goes off on several tangents that could have been better weaved into the book.
So, I recommend that if you read this, read it for the true crime information, especially if you have a connection to Ohio, but this is not strong narrative journalism, unfortunately.
April 11, 2022
This book tells the stories of missing and murdered women in Ohio during the opioid crisis. The writer had my attention from page one. He doesn't just tell the story of their disappearance, he writes about their lives and the people who love them. Each woman's story is different and the same. This is a book I didn't want to put down.
November 22, 2024
A very scary yet heart-breaking book to read. The fact that women are being murdered and no one is paying attention because these women are drug addicts and/or prostitutes just really gets under the skin. The fact that they are human beings seemed to be forgotten. The book goes in depth to research why these deaths are flying under the radar. From people turning a blind eye, to corrupt police, and other numerous factors, it is a playground for a serial killer. While I found the book very important and interesting, I didn't like the way it was put together. It seemed all over the place, switching from one story to another then back to the first story. Wish it would have flowed more seamlessly.
November 26, 2025
This book is scarier than any horror novel I have ever read. I learned so much while reading it and it left me feeling incredibly enraged and saddened and horrified. Obviously you have to live under a rock to not know about the serious opioid epidemic but it’s quite shocking when you start to learn all the gritty details and how it was essentially started by one big drug company. So much of this could have been avoided but the priority was put on money rather than peoples lives and doctors were encouraged and even rewarded for prescribing such life destroying drugs which then led to further more serious and life destroying addictions. Even once the repercussions were known so little action or apology was made, it boggles my mind how the drug companies got away with so much when they caused so much harm. The most devastating part of this book by far was the stories from actual people who lost loved ones due to the opioid epidemic or even addicts themselves. Their stories are just so heartbreaking, one single prescription led to so much devastation and loss for so many families that you can’t help but feel full of rage while reading about it. Is it an easy read? No. Do I recommend it anyways? Absolutely.
March 18, 2024
I had not heard anything about the allegations against Jensen. While that is truly disappointing, and while I think it might have been better to have someone else narrate the book, I'm not going to review it based on those issues.
This is a good book, but it could have been better. It felt a bit all over the place, and like it wasn't entirely sure what its intent was in the end. But it does bring to light one aspect of what the opioid crisis is doing to the country. If nothing else, it brought attention to the women who have been abandoned and ignored by Ohio's legal system in every way possible. I know this is just one area, and that the problem is widespread, but I hope that this will help shine a light that will help these people sooner rather than later.
This is a good book, but it could have been better. It felt a bit all over the place, and like it wasn't entirely sure what its intent was in the end. But it does bring to light one aspect of what the opioid crisis is doing to the country. If nothing else, it brought attention to the women who have been abandoned and ignored by Ohio's legal system in every way possible. I know this is just one area, and that the problem is widespread, but I hope that this will help shine a light that will help these people sooner rather than later.
September 1, 2024
This book makes me so mad. I should restate that. These women’s stories and how the system has forgotten them makes me so mad. Danielle Green’s body was found just a couple miles from my home. Why has this not been the talk of Pickerington? And she is just one of the many murdered or missing women in Ohio, many vanished from near where we live or work. These cases need all the attention they can get, even if it takes a True Crime investigator from California to bring them to light.
Last night, construction workers discovered skeletal remains near a bridge of I71 south of Columbus. Will they turn out to be one of these missing women, or will it be another unsolved case to add to the pattern? How many serial killers are walking among us?
Last night, construction workers discovered skeletal remains near a bridge of I71 south of Columbus. Will they turn out to be one of these missing women, or will it be another unsolved case to add to the pattern? How many serial killers are walking among us?
December 23, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Billy Jensen for allowing me to read this eArc early!
This is a great work of non fiction, well written, well researched and heartlfelt; the victims voices came through as did the unwavering determination and search for answers. I felt the anger, the struggle, the heartache of everyone who wanted answers, wanted to know what happened to their loved ones. People who struggle with addiction or are in sex work etc., their deaths are often overlooked and swept under the rug and I always appreciate when I read a book in which they are front and center, where their deaths and lives matter.
This is a great work of non fiction, well written, well researched and heartlfelt; the victims voices came through as did the unwavering determination and search for answers. I felt the anger, the struggle, the heartache of everyone who wanted answers, wanted to know what happened to their loved ones. People who struggle with addiction or are in sex work etc., their deaths are often overlooked and swept under the rug and I always appreciate when I read a book in which they are front and center, where their deaths and lives matter.
July 29, 2022
Contributes stupidly to the “oxycodone is the devil” narrative that has cruelly punished pain patients, both chronic and acute, for decades. Oxycodone is safe when used as prescribed, not recreationally or in combination with other substances. Because some people choose to abuse it should not be a reason why people who want to be compliant with doctors’ orders should be left in crippling, agonizing pain. I’d like for you to focus even an iota of sympathy (I know I can’t hope for empathy because you had a family member using) on pain patients suffering, in many cases because of the abuse of painkillers by the very people you focused on. How many pain patients are unable to function or even work because of their pain, when treatments are available to help them? How many pain patients take their own lives because they can’t do it anymore, when treatments are available to help them? You missed an opportunity to talk about the “opioid (read: fentanyl and illegal street drugs) epidemic” as it effects the people who aren’t out breaking the law and using the prescription medicine to get high or make money. Our lives matter too! Or, to rephrase the line you repeated throughout the book, “but I’m just a pain patient!”
Also, a man in prison for murder talking about poor customer service from prostitutes is a dick move, to be sure, but is in NO WAY comparable to complaints about cancel culture. Get a clue!
Also, a man in prison for murder talking about poor customer service from prostitutes is a dick move, to be sure, but is in NO WAY comparable to complaints about cancel culture. Get a clue!
May 9, 2022
After finishing Paul Holes newest book, Unmasked, someone had recommended Billy Jensen and I’ve been hooked ever since!
I started this book not knowing what to expect but soon found out that Billy Jensen’s writing is so much different from other true crime authors. Instead of going in depth on how a woman was killed, Billy so eloquently describes who the women were before their tragic deaths. Although they were prostitutes, junkies or homeless; they also had children, they were someone’s daughter, sister, aunt and didn’t deserve what happened to them.
I was able to get halfway through the prologue before the tears came and they just kept coming the more I read.
In this book, Billy takes us to the streets of Columbus, Ohio where women are either found dead or have been missing for years and cops haven’t solved the mystery of their deaths or disappearances. Most of the time, police officers haven’t taken these cases seriously because of their backgrounds of being prostitutes and heroin addicts. Should the media and investigators turn their back on the women that need their help the most? What happened to these women?
It’s so heartbreaking to read how women will get into a car with a stranger and not know if she’ll ever get out. Billy hits the streets and talks to women who knew those that have died or have gone missing. Some have turned their life around but others are still chasing their next high and risk their lives everyday.
This book was a real eye opener into what is going on in the world and it’s incredibly heartbreaking that some mothers have daughters that are still missing and others are still awaiting closure on their daughters murders. 😥
I started this book not knowing what to expect but soon found out that Billy Jensen’s writing is so much different from other true crime authors. Instead of going in depth on how a woman was killed, Billy so eloquently describes who the women were before their tragic deaths. Although they were prostitutes, junkies or homeless; they also had children, they were someone’s daughter, sister, aunt and didn’t deserve what happened to them.
I was able to get halfway through the prologue before the tears came and they just kept coming the more I read.
In this book, Billy takes us to the streets of Columbus, Ohio where women are either found dead or have been missing for years and cops haven’t solved the mystery of their deaths or disappearances. Most of the time, police officers haven’t taken these cases seriously because of their backgrounds of being prostitutes and heroin addicts. Should the media and investigators turn their back on the women that need their help the most? What happened to these women?
It’s so heartbreaking to read how women will get into a car with a stranger and not know if she’ll ever get out. Billy hits the streets and talks to women who knew those that have died or have gone missing. Some have turned their life around but others are still chasing their next high and risk their lives everyday.
This book was a real eye opener into what is going on in the world and it’s incredibly heartbreaking that some mothers have daughters that are still missing and others are still awaiting closure on their daughters murders. 😥
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June 2, 2023WOW! I honestly don't know what to say about this book. It was so well written, but man did this book make me mad. I had to take breaks while I read it so I could just take a breath...I was getting so mad. I want to go into more detail about it all but I just want to keep this short and sweet, and not me venting about how messed up people are. You're just gonna have to read it.
I think Billy did such a great job at getting the word out about all these missing women, and trying to help fight for them. I think this was a great but heartbreaking read. If you are a fan of Billy Jensen, Paul Holes or true crime then this book is for you. Just know, it is rough. Especially, if you know someone who is currently fighting an addiction, or has lost their life to one.
Please remember to be kind to people.
Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Billy Jensen for ARC in exchange for my review. And thanks again to Billy for fighting for these women.
I think Billy did such a great job at getting the word out about all these missing women, and trying to help fight for them. I think this was a great but heartbreaking read. If you are a fan of Billy Jensen, Paul Holes or true crime then this book is for you. Just know, it is rough. Especially, if you know someone who is currently fighting an addiction, or has lost their life to one.
Please remember to be kind to people.
Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Billy Jensen for ARC in exchange for my review. And thanks again to Billy for fighting for these women.
December 7, 2025
Jensen talks about looking over a victim's body to look at her defense wounds and the vivid slash on her throat, going as far as to pull down her turtleneck to expose the killing wound. It's an unnecessary moment for a true crime writer. One of the many (and in this case grotesque) instances where he unnecessarily and pointlessly centers the narrative on himself.
He inserts himself into tragedies; a grasping parasite that feeds on his own self adulation. Not content with reporting on true crime, he thrusts himself into investigations, making himself an active participant. One of the final chapters (excruciatingly titled "Interview with a Vampire") contains an incredibly pointless interview with a convicted serial murderer. It's just one more half-assed attempt on Jensen's part to make himself the story. What a gross little dude.
He inserts himself into tragedies; a grasping parasite that feeds on his own self adulation. Not content with reporting on true crime, he thrusts himself into investigations, making himself an active participant. One of the final chapters (excruciatingly titled "Interview with a Vampire") contains an incredibly pointless interview with a convicted serial murderer. It's just one more half-assed attempt on Jensen's part to make himself the story. What a gross little dude.
June 25, 2025
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. This book has a single interview from someone who does not represent a victim well. They paint them as an unloved, addicted young woman. I have texts on my phone to prove otherwise. Don’t believe every piece of “journalism” you read. This is insulting and should not be advertised as any type of investigation or journalism. Interviewing one person in such a massive case, who is NOT a credible source, is highly irresponsible. Keep in mind that people will come up with anything to have their names published in a book or to appear on tv. Don’t give this author your money or time. It will be wasted.
January 28, 2024
Living in Central Ohio and hearing about these cases, I'll tell you, everyone thinks they are related. Not only that, there is a huge spotlight on awareness, or lack thereof, I pray for these victims and their families. Billy Jensen did the right thing, providing his readers links/emails to press law enforcement agencies to come together on this thing. Ohio doesn't want to be known as the "state" that doesn't get it right. I know Ohio Law Enforcement & Agencies can get these cases solved and bring peace to families
April 20, 2024
thank you for bringing these horrors to the light
CPD is scum. i know i know there is good but there is way way more evil. i hope and pray one day karma gets them for failing these women. i too am a better person for knowing surviviors, they are the best humans and im grateful to know them. there are so many beautiful resources in columbus for women who are struggling to get out of this way of life. please give yourself a chance, you deserve all the good and love in this world. you are loved so so so loved.
CPD is scum. i know i know there is good but there is way way more evil. i hope and pray one day karma gets them for failing these women. i too am a better person for knowing surviviors, they are the best humans and im grateful to know them. there are so many beautiful resources in columbus for women who are struggling to get out of this way of life. please give yourself a chance, you deserve all the good and love in this world. you are loved so so so loved.
November 14, 2024
A difficult read, to read about the opioid crisis and see how serial killers have used it to do even more evil. I wish there were more I could do, but Jensen had some good ideas on how to help.
April 18, 2022
I first learned who Billy Jensen is from the My Favorite Murder podcast. Now I listen to the Jensen and Holes Murder Squad podcast. Billy and his cohost Paul Holes, work tirelessly to bring attention to cases that have fallen through the cracks or gone cold. They have put our calls for DNA to help with genealogical typing, like what found the East Area Rapist, Joseph James DeAngelo. Offering help to law enforcement, funding for DNA testing, and interviewing family members of those missing or murdered, Billy and Paul have helped solve many cases.
I am excited that this was my first book to read by Billy. He does not pull his punches, and call bull shit! when he sees it. He calls out several people in this book and doesn't put up with the stonewalling he gets. He goes around or breaks down those walls. He is throwing the spotlight on the people responsible for the opioid epidemic and the state of Ohio, that doesn't have a great track record of finding and helping their most vulnerable citizens. They could be doing more, every one could be doing more! Instead of focusing on one victim, this book calls out a system and lays out the numbers to show how bad things are and how people fall through those cracks. These are daughters, mothers, sisters that have disappeared. Their loss is felt by many and their loved ones lives are changed forever. The opioid epidemic creates a ripple effect that extremely destructive.
This creates a perfect hunting ground for abusers and murders to step in. Billy researches the cases of those who have been caught and cases that have been linked together. He interviews a man creating a statistical database that will help with linkage blindness. The new techniques involved in linking cases, like the Days Inn Murders, and other new forensic techniques will maybe reveal new leads and find serial killers faster.
A interesting fast paced read, great for fans of true crime!
I am excited that this was my first book to read by Billy. He does not pull his punches, and call bull shit! when he sees it. He calls out several people in this book and doesn't put up with the stonewalling he gets. He goes around or breaks down those walls. He is throwing the spotlight on the people responsible for the opioid epidemic and the state of Ohio, that doesn't have a great track record of finding and helping their most vulnerable citizens. They could be doing more, every one could be doing more! Instead of focusing on one victim, this book calls out a system and lays out the numbers to show how bad things are and how people fall through those cracks. These are daughters, mothers, sisters that have disappeared. Their loss is felt by many and their loved ones lives are changed forever. The opioid epidemic creates a ripple effect that extremely destructive.
This creates a perfect hunting ground for abusers and murders to step in. Billy researches the cases of those who have been caught and cases that have been linked together. He interviews a man creating a statistical database that will help with linkage blindness. The new techniques involved in linking cases, like the Days Inn Murders, and other new forensic techniques will maybe reveal new leads and find serial killers faster.
A interesting fast paced read, great for fans of true crime!
July 5, 2022
Wow! This is such an eye opening book. Everyone should read it to understand the opioid addiction crisis on top of the horrible ways that our society as a whole views and devalues people who are addicted. I've worked in the criminal justice system for over 30 years and have had to face my own biases and prejudices, and I was raised by alcoholics, so I really should've had more understanding and compassion. I've working on that BUT this book is amazing and really brings to light the vulnerability of this segment of our society. These women are people, just like you and me, they are daughters, sisters and mothers. I know I'll never be able to see an article or missing person poster the same way again! Thank you Billy Jensen for your patience and hard work on this subject!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2024
This was very good. Would recommend if you like true crime but probably not if you don't, it gets a bit graphic / dark.
I actually contacted this publisher in 2023 to be like can you please still publish this book despite rumors. The same thing happens to many dudes who have struggled with substance use then find some amount of fame later on. People will blindly applaud sober folks and not even think about what that person's behavior looked like while they were using. People can fuck up, seek help, grow, and move along in life. Wild concept indeed but please keep writing.
I actually contacted this publisher in 2023 to be like can you please still publish this book despite rumors. The same thing happens to many dudes who have struggled with substance use then find some amount of fame later on. People will blindly applaud sober folks and not even think about what that person's behavior looked like while they were using. People can fuck up, seek help, grow, and move along in life. Wild concept indeed but please keep writing.
June 25, 2023
No. Just too much virtue signaling from the author. People only publicly broadcast their supposed virtues when they are degenerate on the inside. It's ALWAYS a disguise.
Just give the facts, not a screed about how noble you supposedly are.
Just give the facts, not a screed about how noble you supposedly are.
November 7, 2024
Billy Jensen is a podcaster and author who became famous for his true crime investigations. I was expecting this book to be a little more investigatory; the premise is that serial killers are going undetected because they target addicts and sex workers (often the same thing) who no one cares about. He does uncover a few cases like this, but it's not some secret network of serial killers who've cunningly discovered a "safe" population of prey. It's mostly opportunistic sociopaths who are often homeless and/or jobless drifters themselves. They make use of prostitutes, they hook up short term with junkies, and when something goes wrong, or the urge strikes them, they kill them. This does in fact largely go undetected because the police don't put a lot of resources into finding the murderer of a junkie street whore, and they especially don't do a lot of cross-department collaboration and comparing of notes. One of the big takeways from this book is that if police departments talked to each other more and just applied some basic data science, they'd probably uncover a lot of patterns and a lot of killers.
Mostly, though, Killers Amidst Killers is not really a thriller or Billy Jensen on the trail of a devious serial killer. He does get personally involved in a few cases, and even interviews a few killers and suspected killers in prison. One of things he tells the reader is that anyone (with sufficient time and gumption) can help solve unsolved murders, especially of the sort of women who no one else cares about. But few are as dedicated to the job as Jensen. He drives across the country, he pesters police departments, but he doesn't actually solve a lot of cases.
As the subtitle indicates, the real theme of this book is the victims of the opioid epidemic, so Jensen spends a lot of time talking about the hollowing out of the Rust Belt and Detroit and West Virginia and places like that, and how impoverished, unemployed people fall into substance addition. He specifically talks about the opioid crisis, and takes a couple of chapters to talk about Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, whom he blames for far more misery than any serial killer.
Ultimately, the killers themselves are banal, pitiful people. Jensen hates media "superstar" killers like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and fictional ones like Hannibal Lecter. The killers he finds, and sometimes talks to, are not brilliant and clever men with a plan. They are generally stupid, narcissistic, delusional, and pathetic. They kill prostitutes because those are the women they can access; then they lie (to themselves and everyone else) about what happened. They get away with it because they're in the wind, and nobody cares about the women they kill but their families.
There wasn't really a lot new here. Mostly some interesting interviews and a lot of class indignation. The stories are poignant and sad tales of desperation. Opioids kill more people by orders of magnitude than serial killers, yet serial killers make for sensational narratives; heroin and fentanyl is just something that "happens" to addicts.
Mostly, though, Killers Amidst Killers is not really a thriller or Billy Jensen on the trail of a devious serial killer. He does get personally involved in a few cases, and even interviews a few killers and suspected killers in prison. One of things he tells the reader is that anyone (with sufficient time and gumption) can help solve unsolved murders, especially of the sort of women who no one else cares about. But few are as dedicated to the job as Jensen. He drives across the country, he pesters police departments, but he doesn't actually solve a lot of cases.
As the subtitle indicates, the real theme of this book is the victims of the opioid epidemic, so Jensen spends a lot of time talking about the hollowing out of the Rust Belt and Detroit and West Virginia and places like that, and how impoverished, unemployed people fall into substance addition. He specifically talks about the opioid crisis, and takes a couple of chapters to talk about Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, whom he blames for far more misery than any serial killer.
Ultimately, the killers themselves are banal, pitiful people. Jensen hates media "superstar" killers like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and fictional ones like Hannibal Lecter. The killers he finds, and sometimes talks to, are not brilliant and clever men with a plan. They are generally stupid, narcissistic, delusional, and pathetic. They kill prostitutes because those are the women they can access; then they lie (to themselves and everyone else) about what happened. They get away with it because they're in the wind, and nobody cares about the women they kill but their families.
There wasn't really a lot new here. Mostly some interesting interviews and a lot of class indignation. The stories are poignant and sad tales of desperation. Opioids kill more people by orders of magnitude than serial killers, yet serial killers make for sensational narratives; heroin and fentanyl is just something that "happens" to addicts.
August 5, 2024
In Killers Amidst Killers Billy Jensen explores the cases of dozens of missing and murdered women in Ohio. In all the cases he looks at the women were dealing with drug addiction and often prostituting themselves for drugs and/or money for drugs. This type of person makes the perfect victim because often they are estranged from their families and if/when they are found dead the police don't investigate as hard once it's obvious they were a drug addict and/or prostitute. But these women were still people - daughters, often mothers as well, sisters, etc. who didn't deserve to be murdered. Jensen highlights both the women's struggles and the lackluster efforts of police. Can we really be sure these women were murdered though? Both hard drugs and prostitution create a wide variety of ways someone could die. Could serial killers be seeking out these kind of victims? Yes. But do we know that for sure in all the cases he highlights? No. I do think he does a good job of highlighting the very real issues of opioid addiction and unsolved cases of missing/murdered women.
Jensen also interjects his own story into the book discussing his parents addiction issues and how that seemed to be a factor in both of their early deaths. He also discusses his own issues with alcohol and in the acknowledgements at the end talks about how after this book was written he went into rehab and now has 2 years sober. Obviously, he's known for his true crime work but I think he also has a personal connection to addiction issues and that could be why he was drawn to tell these stories. Overall, I like Jensen and really enjoyed this book and his previous book Chase Darkness With Me.
Some quotes I liked:
"In fact, in St. Louis right now, Tom [Hargrove] tells me the lifetime odds of being a murder victim are 1 in 25. In Chicago, they're currently about 1 in 61. 'These would be wonderful odds if you were playing the Powerball; these are awful odds if you want to stay alive.'" (p. 36)
"If you rank your serial killers based on body counts, the collective serial killers of the pill industry blow Gacy, Dahmer, and Bundy away." (p. 123)
"At the end of 2019, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study analyzing 112 American car manufacturing counties. They search from 1999 to 2017 and charted the communities that lost at least one car manufacturing plant. Then they analyzed the rates of opioid deaths in those communities versus the areas where plants didn't close. In the five years following a plant closure, the death rate from opioids in adults in those counties rose a staggering 85 percent. People had lost their sense of where they belonged. People disconnected from each other, from meaningful work, from financial security." (p. 153)
Jensen also interjects his own story into the book discussing his parents addiction issues and how that seemed to be a factor in both of their early deaths. He also discusses his own issues with alcohol and in the acknowledgements at the end talks about how after this book was written he went into rehab and now has 2 years sober. Obviously, he's known for his true crime work but I think he also has a personal connection to addiction issues and that could be why he was drawn to tell these stories. Overall, I like Jensen and really enjoyed this book and his previous book Chase Darkness With Me.
Some quotes I liked:
"In fact, in St. Louis right now, Tom [Hargrove] tells me the lifetime odds of being a murder victim are 1 in 25. In Chicago, they're currently about 1 in 61. 'These would be wonderful odds if you were playing the Powerball; these are awful odds if you want to stay alive.'" (p. 36)
"If you rank your serial killers based on body counts, the collective serial killers of the pill industry blow Gacy, Dahmer, and Bundy away." (p. 123)
"At the end of 2019, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study analyzing 112 American car manufacturing counties. They search from 1999 to 2017 and charted the communities that lost at least one car manufacturing plant. Then they analyzed the rates of opioid deaths in those communities versus the areas where plants didn't close. In the five years following a plant closure, the death rate from opioids in adults in those counties rose a staggering 85 percent. People had lost their sense of where they belonged. People disconnected from each other, from meaningful work, from financial security." (p. 153)
May 28, 2022
This book was very well done. Billy Jensen does a stellar job researching and looking for a serial killer in a town that seems that women who are considered almost "throw aways" by police because of their use of drugs and their sex work. Billy gives them dignity.
Our story begins in 2017, when two young women, best friends Danielle and Lindsey go missing in Columbus, Ohio, within weeks of each other, and their bodies are found soon thereafter.
As Jensen investigates Danielle and Lindsey’s cases, he comes across other missing and murdered women, and before long, he uncovers eighteen of them. All unsolved. And no one was talking about it.
These are not women who were raised in the street. They got hooked on pills. The pills were taken away. They get hooked on heroin. And when the money is gone, they have to sell themselves. It happens very quick.
Through his investigations and the help of experts, Jensen identifies serial killers in Cleveland and Columbus. Why there? Because it’s easy. Sharks go where the swimmers are. Serial killers go where the easy prey are: Ground zero of the opioid epidemic. The heart of America.
That is what happened to Danielle and Lindsey. But serial killers murdering sex workers in the 21st century will get 45 seconds on the local news, and page 3 in the local paper, and then can disappear in the wind.
Jensen hunts these predators to bring peace to the victims’ suffering families while putting a spotlight on a system that is leaving hundreds of thousands of bodies in its wake.
Our story begins in 2017, when two young women, best friends Danielle and Lindsey go missing in Columbus, Ohio, within weeks of each other, and their bodies are found soon thereafter.
As Jensen investigates Danielle and Lindsey’s cases, he comes across other missing and murdered women, and before long, he uncovers eighteen of them. All unsolved. And no one was talking about it.
These are not women who were raised in the street. They got hooked on pills. The pills were taken away. They get hooked on heroin. And when the money is gone, they have to sell themselves. It happens very quick.
Through his investigations and the help of experts, Jensen identifies serial killers in Cleveland and Columbus. Why there? Because it’s easy. Sharks go where the swimmers are. Serial killers go where the easy prey are: Ground zero of the opioid epidemic. The heart of America.
That is what happened to Danielle and Lindsey. But serial killers murdering sex workers in the 21st century will get 45 seconds on the local news, and page 3 in the local paper, and then can disappear in the wind.
Jensen hunts these predators to bring peace to the victims’ suffering families while putting a spotlight on a system that is leaving hundreds of thousands of bodies in its wake.
March 31, 2024
Loved this right up until the last few chapters,
It got a little bit self congratulatory and back patty, I went from quite liking the author to eye rolling a little and cringing. He wasn't very fair to the police following police procedures to secure and protect cases, which is maybe not preferential for reporting but means people can get a proper fair trial and conviction. After all, we all look for justice, but we don't want a Steve Avery Case or West Memphis. Three, where media enflames sentiment against innocent men (well-intentioned actions or otherwise)... it's complicated, and Jensen kind of went "its so easy. Just listen to what I say, and I'll fix everything."
It does suck that police are people, not angels, that there are budgets and priority lists, and that adult drug addicted prostitutes are at the bottom of the list. But I will be the mean person to say that I like that children have more priority or non drug addicted adults.
Also as someone who has done so much in the real world with decriminalization/ decriminalized areas.. it's such a bad idea, and the outcomes are even more death, but people who know little or nothing immediately shove that forward as a fix all.
It got a little bit self congratulatory and back patty, I went from quite liking the author to eye rolling a little and cringing. He wasn't very fair to the police following police procedures to secure and protect cases, which is maybe not preferential for reporting but means people can get a proper fair trial and conviction. After all, we all look for justice, but we don't want a Steve Avery Case or West Memphis. Three, where media enflames sentiment against innocent men (well-intentioned actions or otherwise)... it's complicated, and Jensen kind of went "its so easy. Just listen to what I say, and I'll fix everything."
It does suck that police are people, not angels, that there are budgets and priority lists, and that adult drug addicted prostitutes are at the bottom of the list. But I will be the mean person to say that I like that children have more priority or non drug addicted adults.
Also as someone who has done so much in the real world with decriminalization/ decriminalized areas.. it's such a bad idea, and the outcomes are even more death, but people who know little or nothing immediately shove that forward as a fix all.
June 21, 2022
In Killers Amidst Killers, investigative journalist Billy Jensen reports on 18 missing and murdered women in the Columbus, Ohio area. He writes that these women were addicted to pills and wound up walking the streets for money to feed their habit. He's also the author of Chase Darkness With Me and, along with researcher/writer Paul Holes, helped finish Michelle McNamara's true crime book, I'll Be Gone in the Dark, after she passed away.
Jensen says that these victims and others like them quickly disappear from the headlines because they work the streets, Their lives mattered, and tragically, some had children, so their stories are important if often overlooked. I hope his book will help the public focus on these poor, forgotten women and the drugs that trapped them.
Jensen's book is well-researched and he's clearly passionate about the bigger issues surrounding the opioid epidemic. Unfortunately, the ending felt frustrated because there's no resolution to these cases and no solutions to the ongoing epidemic.
Jensen says that these victims and others like them quickly disappear from the headlines because they work the streets, Their lives mattered, and tragically, some had children, so their stories are important if often overlooked. I hope his book will help the public focus on these poor, forgotten women and the drugs that trapped them.
Jensen's book is well-researched and he's clearly passionate about the bigger issues surrounding the opioid epidemic. Unfortunately, the ending felt frustrated because there's no resolution to these cases and no solutions to the ongoing epidemic.
January 11, 2024
Having listened to podcasts from Billy Jensen over the years about true crime, and having enjoyed them-I wanted to read this, as well. I knew going into it that the last few years, the accusations made against him, his reputation is problematic. I assumed that this book would not be almost entirely about women who had been victimized but rather the narrative of men and women suffering from addiction or the theories about a killer / suspect. I was extremely disappointed to see that the entire book is about women getting addicted to drugs, being victims of circumstance, and potentially becoming the victims of a serial killer(s) in Ohio. The content was decent and read like a podcast but considering what the author has been accused of so publicly, it made me angry to read every page. I would have likely felt differently about the book and rated it higher had I not heard these things or if it was written under another name, or even better a woman who had come from this environment. Content, solid. Narration/authoring...disappointed.
May 14, 2022
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Pub date: July 19, 2022
Imagine being murdered and not even being reported missing.
Billy Jensen gives these victims a voice.
He is so passionate about what he does and it shows in this book as well as when I heard him speak at crime con.
This is not a light read. (I rarely say this) I had to take breaks because someone I care about easily could have been a statistic in this book with their addiction to opioids.
But, it is an important book!
Billy makes so many great points in it.
Don’t judge people for taking drugs. Because you have no fucking idea what is going on in their lives. Don’t judge people for selling sex to get what they need to survive. You know what? Forget the drugs. Don’t judge people period for the same reason. Except for these assholes we are hunting.
- Billy Jensen
Pub date: July 19, 2022
Imagine being murdered and not even being reported missing.
Billy Jensen gives these victims a voice.
He is so passionate about what he does and it shows in this book as well as when I heard him speak at crime con.
This is not a light read. (I rarely say this) I had to take breaks because someone I care about easily could have been a statistic in this book with their addiction to opioids.
But, it is an important book!
Billy makes so many great points in it.
Don’t judge people for taking drugs. Because you have no fucking idea what is going on in their lives. Don’t judge people for selling sex to get what they need to survive. You know what? Forget the drugs. Don’t judge people period for the same reason. Except for these assholes we are hunting.
- Billy Jensen
July 5, 2022
I found this to be a parallel story to Sam Quinones' Dreamland, but from a humanistic perspective of the victims that live on the margins of drug addiction. The story jumped around a little too much for my liking and I was looking for a little more resolution to these crimes, but I guess that may be the point. When you live on the margins, who is truly looking for their killer(s) and what can we do to assist? There is plenty of blame to go around from the pharmaceuticals companies and doctors pushing the opioids, to the crooked cops, to the individuals that pray on the addicted, to the johns that perpetuate the vicious cycle. What I have learned over the years is that we are all effected in some way or another by the opioid epidemic and social isolation has only further exacerbated this tragedy.
January 30, 2025
First of all yes, I know the author did some very inappropriate things, especially as he absolutely should have known better. And the book is all over the place. Do not expect many answers.
And yet, I give it a high ratings for some of its parts - those dedicated to the victims and their families, as well as those dedicated to the women on the streets no one seems to care much about.
The parts about trafficking, addiction, and society's perception, not very different now from the times of Jack the Ripper, I think are the most important. Now I am not even convinced these cases are related to one serial killer, but whatever it is that is happening, it is clear that it needs to be addressed before more bodies end up by the side of the road.
A story that needs to be told, though the book could have been less messy.
And yet, I give it a high ratings for some of its parts - those dedicated to the victims and their families, as well as those dedicated to the women on the streets no one seems to care much about.
The parts about trafficking, addiction, and society's perception, not very different now from the times of Jack the Ripper, I think are the most important. Now I am not even convinced these cases are related to one serial killer, but whatever it is that is happening, it is clear that it needs to be addressed before more bodies end up by the side of the road.
A story that needs to be told, though the book could have been less messy.
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