I Will Find You: Solving Killer Cases from My Life Fighting Crime

I bought both the hardcover and the audio book. I wasn't given anything by the publisher or anyone else to write this review nor a discount of any kind. I hate those reviews because I always felt it skewed the ratings. This Is an unbiased review from a customer (myself) who has no obligation, affiliation or connection with the story other than having purchased the book.I saw a commercial for Homicide Hunter and determined that I wasn't interested in watching. Yet one day, Investigation Discovery was on the T.V. and I was preoccupied doing something else while Homicide Hunter was ongoing in the background since I hadn't yet changed the channel. I found that I had rushed to judgment and found myself glued to the story. As I listened to Lt. Kenda, I felt as though I was listening to stories from an intelligent man who reminded me of a grandfather figure. He can seem a bit dry or cold at first but has a good sense of humor, and is very wise, not to mention passionate about his former work as a policeman.The audio book is read by Lt. Kenda and has the same feeling of the show. If you watch the show, Lt. doesn't use a script, so for the first chapter, it sounded unusually rehearsed. However, as he proceeded to speak about his life, it became more relaxed. I found myself listening intently to everything he had to say. I couldn't put it down.I had listened to the entire book the day of its release. I had initially anticipated it being more of a detailed analysis of all of his cases. While he touches on many cases, he doesn't detail all 387. I was left wanting more, although there is no shortage of details regarding what is addressed. Hopefully, this opens the door to a second book. Of course, he spoke of his family and experiences and that enriched the story. It is a memoir, after all.There is some profanity as well as gruesome details regarding the murders or abuse of children and other assaults. It is not for the faint of heart. He also covers topics like crime scene investigation, interrogation techniques, and his haunting nightmares, among other things that you'll have to give it a listen/read to find out.As usual, the Lt. tells it how it is and doesn't shy away from anything. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and my largest complaint is that there are no book signings in my area but that's neither here nor there. I'm very pleased with this purchase and you will be too!Worth the read/listen for anyone fascinated by true crime.

I only started watching “Homicide Hunter” last year (when I first stumbled on the Investigation Discovery channel), but I quickly discovered its widespread appeal: Joe Kenda’s stern and authoritative demeanor accompanied by his deadpan humor and wit. The show itself warranted me buying his book, because the guy encapsulates everything you’d want in a homicide detective; I wanted more than one hour doses of his experiences. I WILL FIND YOU certainly proved to be satisfying and provided a lot of insight as to what made him such a successful investigator and how such a career impacts life outside the yellow tape.If you are one of the many fans of “Homicide Hunter”, I WILL FIND YOU is a good companion book because it provides more insight as to what makes Kenda tick as a person and how these personal traits parlayed into him being a successful detective. Aside from being an astute observer of people and their behaviors, he possesses a keen sense of situational awareness, a strong moral code, a rigorous work ethic and most importantly, the ability to remain level-headed and maintain a (dry) sense of humor (coping mechanisms critical to get him through seeing our worst nightmares throughout a three-decade career and the ability to actually enjoy retirement).Kenda’s book proved to be an easy, fluid read. Mostly biographical in nature, the book reads like Kenda is speaking directly to the reader with witty, humorous asides flowing freely from beginning to end. In fact, it’s hard not to hear his voice emanating from the pages … although the trademark “my my my” only appears once or twice, his inner thoughts (italicized) accompany most every event he details. These witty and often humorous asides are what make the book an enjoyable read; they also offset the often horrible topics being covered … to a degree. The first and final chapters pretty much serve as chronological bookends, with the chapters between those bookends covering critical topics within his law enforcement career rather than adhering to any rigid chronology. The details of Kenda’s early life serve as a brief, but effective, setup for his desire to specifically be a homicide detective; these details also reveal many of those habits/traits that made him successful at this job. When it comes to the meat of the book … homicide … Kenda pulls no punches and divulges a lot of the gory details of people who suffered horribly in their final moments, including children. While some of the cases he’s written about have appeared on his television show (including a multiple homicide/arson case showcased in the show’s current season), the book is not a straight run-down of all his cases. Kenda uses cases to illustrate specific matters of detective work (like the use of DNA and fingerprints or the general situations most likely to contribute to murder). I was surprised that the case of “HH” episode titled “Worst I’ve Ever Seen” wasn’t even referenced (and believe me, it’s memorably horrible), but recapping all the cases on the show isn’t the purpose of the book … the cases merely illustrate steps in Kenda’s approach to detective work and the challenges he faced over the years.What I really liked about the book is that Kenda keeps readers abreast of how demanding his job was on his family from beginning to end. As a devoted family man, he frequently exhibits a deep deference to his long-suffering wife (who, along with his daughter, get to say a few things in their own words in the book) and how his job was not only a burden (always on call), stressful (Kenda coming home in blood-soaked clothes), but dangerous (unwanted media attention and subsequent death threats). However, his casually stern demeanor accompanied by the dry wit/humor is what seemed to be the glue that held Kenda’s family together and allowed him to keep his sanity on the job. The only thing that caught me off-guard with the book was the unleashing of Kenda’s profane side … I found it humorous as it contradicts the image he presents on “HH”.One thing Kenda addresses near the end of the book (when he’s discussing his retirement years) was rather thought provoking: PTSD. Kenda details five nightmares that most often appear when he closes his eyes at night and they all relate to his homicide cases. He makes a salient point that I certainly never considered about PTSD. While many of us accept that military deployment during wartime is a logical source of PTSD (even veterans not directly in combat with the enemy can claim to suffer from PTSD), what about law enforcement (Kenda, by his own account, had witnessed over 500 autopsies and investigated almost 400 murders in a career spanning some three decades)? It is one thing to see such carnage overseas in a warzone, but quite another seeing so much random and gruesome killing in your hometown on a continual basis for almost thirty years … there is no escape from it. It drives home that most of us don’t bother to consider what our local police officers see and cope with when they go home after each shift (and the VAST majority of violent crimes they investigate do NOT get any media coverage). Kenda illustrates this point quite well.If you’re a fan of “Homicide Hunter”, this book is a must read as Kenda fills in a lot of blanks about his personal life that actually complement the TV series. Otherwise, the book offers a great education on what “good policing” is all about and a fine example of the professionalism and moral code most would want from someone in law enforcement. Entertaining, informative, easy-to-read and engaging, I WILL FIND YOU is definitely a worthy read.

I'll be honest, I've probably only seen one or two episodes of Homicide Hunter. I just knew that there was a famous homicide detective who worked in the same town I did. I love police fiction, but I wanted to read the memoirs of a real homicide detective and see what it was actually like. I wanted to know how cases were actually investigated and what goes through the mind of a real policeman when he's analyzing a crime scene.Well, I got all that and more. Kenda warns readers early in the book that he finds talking about his career cathartic, and sharing his stories eases the burden, if you read this book, you're going to have to carry some of it with you. He goes into startling detail about the violence and gore he encountered during his career. The strain it put on his family, the drive he has to catch killers, the ups and downs of his career... I just couldn't recommend this book highly enough. Kenda is a wonderful storyteller and his ghost writer did an excellent job of capturing his voice and organizing the stories for maximum effect.

bought for my husband as a holiday read - who has been watching homicide hunter on TV. Uploaded onto my Kindle for him - And he couldn't put it down! HE said the book read as if Joe Kenda was speaking to him, just like on tv... He had to make himself stop reading it so he could save it for the plane journey home! - Would purchase another book of this genre anytime. 10/10

Undoubtedly Kenda was a dedicated and effective police officer. The statistics he quotes are impressive: of 217 murder cases which he investigated there were 215 successful prosecutions with guilty verdicts (99%); of the remaining 31 un-prosecuted cases one was later solved by DNA, and Kenda believes he identified the killer in half of the others but was unable to obtain proof. Impressive: an 87% success rate during his entire career, and an 82% success rate when including the cases of other officers under his leadership.But this book is poor. Murder cases are described briefly, in little more than anecdotes. Serious readers familiar with non-fiction crime investigations such as (in the USA) Zodiac Unmasked, Small Sacrifices, Homicide (a year on the killing streets), and (in the UK) The Pembrokeshire Murders, and Catching a Serial Killer, will surely find Kenda's book a big disappointment (and a short read).

Fantastic book. I've seen Joe on Homicide Hunter so it felt that I should buy the book. What an insight into some truly despicable crimes. My husband was a police officer with the British Transport Police ,so I can empathise with Kathy ( Joe's wife) having to put up with never knowing when exactly your husband is going to walk through the door. I really enjoyed reading Joe's interview techniques, getting into the mind of the bad guys. Well done Joe on a brilliant book. Enjoy your retirement, you deserve it.

I tend to be squeamish these days about true crime, particularly if it involves children, but I like Mr Kenda on Homicide Hunter, so I thought I would try this and I found it a very interesting read.

For those who are fans of Lt Joe Kenda of Homicide Hunter fame, this book is a must read. It is written in a conversational style in the voice of Joe Kenda. Be warned though that in parts it is far more gruesome than the television show. It bespeaks Joe’s sardonic humour, his integrity and the pain of working so closely to human brutality. It’s a superbly written book and I urge anyone who has the slightest interest in deductive reasoning detective work and human nature to read this book.