Title: Killer Triggers
Author: Joe Kenda
Narrator: Joe Kenda
Published: March 2021, Blackstone Publishing
Length: 8 hours 30 minutes
Source: Netgalley
Summary:
The most common triggers for homicide are
fear, rage, revenge, money, lust, and, more rarely, sheer madness. This
isn’t an exact science, of course. Any given murder can have multiple
triggers. Sex and revenge seem to be common partners in crime. Rage,
money, and revenge make for a dangerous trifecta of triggers, as well.
This
book offers my memories of homicide cases that I investigated or
oversaw. In each case, I examine the trigger that led to death. I chose
this theme for the book because even though the why of a murder case may
not be critical in an investigation, it can sometimes lead us to the
killer.
And even if we solve a case without knowing the trigger, the why
still intrigues us, disrupting our dreams and lingering in our minds,
perhaps because each of us fears the demons that lie within our own
psyche – the triggers waiting to be pulled.
My thoughts: True crime is a genre that I am started to really get into and when I saw this audiobook was available to request, I jumped on it. I fully admit to not knowing who Joe Kenda is, but I found this book to be quite fascinating and now I will definitely be checking out his show, Homicide Detective.
The first thing I have to mention is that I loved that Joe Kenda himself narrated this. His voice is so easy to listen to and clearly he knew how to deliver his own material, easily drawing you in. I loved that he had this laid back way of detailing the case, but also providing just a little humor to keep it from becoming too heavy. I think that’s probably his personality, but it just felt natural. He talked about the cases and he let his feelings show – he doesn’t hold back and that was refreshing to see. He was very clear on his feelings about the media in regards to how they handled cases and he wasn’t afraid to let us know how he felt about the criminals.
I really enjoyed this book, despite the topic. It was an honest look at how the cases were solved and how all this affected Joe personally. I will definitely be checking out his other book and his show. If you are a true crime fan, do you have any books to recommend?
Audio thoughts: I think the fact that Joe Kenda narrated this book himself made this audio stand out. He knows his own material and knew just how to deliver it – he really is a gifted storyteller. I hope he narrates all his books because he really knows just how to make it enjoyable despite the material.
