A reluctant three stars, because this was a bit of a slog for me. I certainly know far more about the state of Phelps' ulcers over the past few years than I ever, ever wanted. Much like his TV show, there's no neat wrap-up in Dangerous Ground, no feeling of justice having finally be done. You feel as defeated as he does getting to the end, worn down to a nub. So that emotional leakage, while exhausting, excellently captured his time with the serial killer Jesperson.

I do take issue with the way it ended - after twenty some-odd years, he finally decided to revisit his murdered sister-in-law's grave again, in an attempt at closure, but he can't find it in cemetery now that so much time as passed and more bodies have been interred. How does he finally come across it? His daughter fucking ~hears~ her deceased aunt's voice, showing her the way.

In a book about the psychology of a serial killer and the investigative reporting thereof, this was very much a "wut" moment for me.