Lost Girls

An Unsolved American Mystery

By: Robert Kolker

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller

Soon to be a Netflix film.

The best-selling account of the lives of five young women whose fates converged in the perplexing case of the Long Island Serial Killer.

“Rich, tragic...monumental...true-crime reporting at its best.” (Washington Post)

One late spring evening in 2010, Shannan Gilbert - after running through the oceanfront community of Oak Beach screaming for her life - went missing. No one who had heard of her disappearance thought much about what had happened to the 24-year-old: She was a Craigslist escort who had been fleeing a scene - of what, no one could be sure. The Suffolk County police, too, seemed to have paid little attention - until seven months later, when an unexpected discovery in a bramble alongside a nearby highway turned up four bodies, all evenly spaced, all wrapped in burlap. But none of them Shannan’s.

There was Maureen Brainard-Barnes, last seen at Penn Station in Manhattan three years earlier, and Melissa Barthelemy, last seen in the Bronx in 2009. There was Megan Waterman, last seen leaving a hotel in Hauppauge, Long Island, just a month after Shannan’s disappearance in 2010, and Amber Lynn Costello, last seen leaving a house in West Babylon a few months later that same year. Like Shannan, all four women were petite, in their 20s, and had come from out of town to work as escorts, and they all had advertised on Craigslist and its competitor, Backpage.

Long considered “one of the best true-crime books of all time” (Time), Lost Girls is a portrait of unsolved murders in an idyllic part of America, of the underside of the Internet, and of the secrets we keep without admitting to ourselves that we keep them.

©2013 Robert Kolker (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

Well researched terrifying unsolved real case

To say I'm interested in the true crime genre is a huge understatement. This Author did a phenomenal job in researching almost every element of this case. Personally, I'm not fond of the way the chapters were formatted. I've been following this particular case for quite a while, and it is beyond puzzling and tragic. It seems there may never be resolution let alone justice for any of the victims or their families. My hats off to this author for not just 'stating the facts', he did an amazing job of not only giving the victims back stories, but also humanizing them. I am biased on the theory and facts that support there being two sick twisted serial killing individuals hunting these poor victims for sport. I wish the author had said more on the theories and evidence that supports each theory. I also wish the author went into further detail as to why the doctor made the phone call to the victims mother. The author did an entire chapter on this suspicious doctor who not only has a perfect view from his house of where 4 of the victims bodies were found, but this doctor also was proven with phone records to have made contact with one victims mother prior to the police even notifying the mother. The only reason the mother knew that her daughter had even went missing was because she was contacted by this suspicious doctor who lived in the neighborhood where her daughter was last seen alive. When the doctor was initially questioned about his phone call to the victims mother, he of course lied and denied. It was later proven through phone records (factual evidence) that the doctor did indeed reach out via phone to the mother, alerting the mother that her daughter went missing. In the chapter about the doctor, the author interviews the doctor noting many details about his house, his involvement, rumors etc. Yet still, there is no answers as to why this doctor not only reached out interfering with a missing persons investigation (at the time the victim was still a missing person) but also his notably suspicious behaviors, lies, and phone contact with the mother of the victim. The chapter about the doctor to me seemed to paint a very different picture from what I've read in police reports about this creepy suspicious doctor. The author utilized the 'doctor' chapter to promote this doctor as a retired nice old grandpa who just happened to be an innocent bystander, which is factually a far cry from reality. Other than that, the author factually did his research with multiple agencies of law. I did not find one error in his research of the case other than, of course, what I mentioned above about the doctor chapter. Which is not exactly an error, it is how the author chose to conduct his interview and then represent the doctor in his writing. I feel the author should've gone into more detail about the doctors interference with the initial investigation and his odd behavior throughout the investigation.That was the ONLY issue I took with this read. It bothers me deeply because like I stated, I am a big reader of any and all true crime content. I am also involved with organizations supporting victims and families of victims advocacy, so I truly take things to heart. I also like reading the facts not opinions. I actually commend this author with his investigative journalism. Like I said he truly did a great job with this book. Personally I could not get that close to a case like this. This case in general will never leave you, the only things it will give you is a horrible heartache, more questions than ever, and a haunting revelation that this horrid terrifying serial killer or killers is still out there somewhere. Walking freely among us. He or they took sisters, mothers, daughters, a son, best friends, etc. He or they hunted and stole life. Brutally murdered leaving more questions than answers, giving no closure to those effected, stealing life and lives, and they now walk free. No justice. None. Not for anyone.

So sad.

It’s another good story if you’re a crime junky/armchair sleuth like me, but it’s also sad because there remains no justice for these women. The anguish the families went through is really felt and if you google anything about them afterwards it is even more gut wrenching. You really feel for them.

very thorough

I've been following the Shannon gilbert and LISK case for a while, watched the movie and then found the book. it had such thorough and respectful insight into the victims and many other details that aren't available anywhere else, even in 2023 after RH has been caught. I can't recommend it enough. I plan on re-reading soon.

This is a true crime story from the

Past but, it’s come full circle now, in 2024. God bless ALL of the victims of the slain girls and man and toddler. Let’s finally prosecute the monster! Excellent narration!

No answers

What made the experience of listening to Lost Girls the most enjoyable?

it's so timely, and an interesting look at a side of the internet that I'm sure we'd all rather ignore.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lost Girls?

Seeing many perspectives of the same story was valuable, and the author tries to take away some of the sensationalism.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It's definitely an upsetting book, and I personally looked in the mirror at my own classism and ability to write off certain crimes as "just the way things are."

Any additional comments?

There are no answers in this book. The author doesn't attempt to make any guesses as to the killer, nor does he try to reconstruct any of the homicides, so if you're looking for that kind of book, you're in the wrong place. If you're looking to learn about the victims, about the line of work they were in, and about how the internet is inextricably linked to the sex industry, this book is really well-written.

Gripping...

I couldn't stop listening. Beautifully written. The narrator is eerily haunting, without even a hint of theatrics. If you like true crime, you will like this book. It could only be better if he could tell us definitively who committed the crimes, but alas it is an unsolved case and thus an inherently dissatisfying conclusion...that will leave you with chills.

Excellent

I’ve read a few reviews that contained some negativity regarding this book and I am completely puzzled by them after listening to it myself. Firstly, the narrator is fantastic. And a quick search of his name will return the fact that he is narrated hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of books and is quite successful. I thought he did a great job and was easy to listen to. Secondly, if you think the story is hard to follow, then you’re not paying attention. It is excellently written and brilliantly delivered. I don’t typically review books or restaurants or hotels, etc., but I thought this was worth it. I enjoy this genre and if you do as well, I do not think you will be disappointed. Resist the urge to Google the story while listening to the book. Only when finished, search the Internet to find out the developments that have taken place since the book’s publishing.

GREAT Listen

Damn good book. Doesn't stray from facts but adds color to give you a great feel as well.

Well researched - but lacking and convoluted

The author obviously did a very good job of researching the book - and you know from the start that they don’t find the killer - but it just seemed like something was missing. There were SO MANY characters and the story jumped around a lot. It might have been easier to follow along when reading the actual book.. but with the audio version it wasn’t always clear which victim’s life story the narrator was describing. I had to rewind several times. . Overall not bad, but not as good as I’d hoped.

Wanted to like it much more than I did.

There are so many characters it's hard to follow who is who in audiobook format. (Probably easier in written format.. I wonder if there are pictures of the girls in the hard copy to help keep track, and personalize it more..?)
The narrator didn't sound right for this book. He sounded as if he was above all of this.. aloof, or snobbish, or something.. like he had never said the word "whore" or "ho" before this performance... he didn't feel believable to me.