Try free for 30 days

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Evil Has a Name cover art

Evil Has a Name

By: Paul Holes, Jim Clemente, Peter McDonnell
Narrated by: Paul Holes, Jim Clemente
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $27.99

Buy Now for $27.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
0:00

Go Behind the Scenes of Evil Has a Name

0:00

What listeners say about Evil Has a Name

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,442
  • 4 Stars
    197
  • 3 Stars
    39
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    7
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,300
  • 4 Stars
    139
  • 3 Stars
    34
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,310
  • 4 Stars
    128
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best audio book I've ever downloaded

All I'll say is... Don't start listening to this in the middle of the night and by yourself. Enjoy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating

I am only new to Audiobooks and I don't think this story would have the same impact via a book. I found myself sighing and groaning as the many disappointments were elaborated. It was so well compiled and informative. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

I couldn't turn it off. I particularly liked that they had real recordings from the incident nights and victims were willing to tell their story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

BUY THIS.

A podcast really with very interesting and clearly spoken accounts. The timeline is terrific for such a complex history of criminal acts.

Most of all I loved the humility and humanity of many of the investigators and witnesses. It is a celebration of the human spirit in persevering against incredible odds and breaking new ground in thinking outside the box.

Paul Holes deserves a medal as his role was simply outstanding..

The ending was a total shock to me and I feel so sorry for the offender's blameless children. The last of his victims really in dealing with the shame and deception.

My best audiobook so far from 100s.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

A great listen. This one will leave you chilled to the core with a happy ending.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Retreading McNamara, but with some new material

Evil Has a Name comes hot on the heels of I'll Be Gone in the Dark, and about half of its runtime covers the same territory. You do get to hear the victims describe their experiences in their own actual voices, which is something Michelle McNamara's book didn't have, but aside from that there is little novelty until we move beyond the point in the investigation where McNamara passes away and her book ends. Anyone who read the news coverage will also already know the broad strokes of how the Golden State Killer was caught—DNA, genealogy databases, etc—so the true novelty here is mostly in hearing Paul Holes speak about the investigative red herrings and blind alleys he ran into along the way, of which there seem to have been quite a few.

It's funny: when you think of true crime classics like I'll Be Gone in the Dark and Robert Graysmith's Zodiac, they're often not written with closure in mind, since an amateur investigator, no matter how dedicated and astute, usually cannot hope to solve a cold case on their own, lacking the resources of the FBI or a DNA lab. Evil Has a Name of course does have that closure, so you might think that would make it a more satisfying work, but I don't think that's really the case. It is satisfying, of course, it's just maybe not quite as engrossing as those other books. I'd like to say that what makes the others so compelling is the passion of their authors, who pour decades of their lives into the pursuit of their subjects, but of course that's also true here: Paul Holes spent twenty-four years of his life on this case, and was as dedicated as any Zodiac killer obsessive. The most relevant point is probably just that Evil Has a Name is mostly retreading territory that has already been covered well elsewhere. As a result, it's probably not a classic, but it's perfectly serviceable as a true crime podcast-style audio production.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Why all the 5 stars?

So I jumped in after reading all the enthusiastic 5-star reviews here. Big mistake. Story could be so interesting based on the crimes, but it’s delivered in a way that’s not engaging or interesting. And that’s with actual victims recounting their own attacks. Pacing is all over the place, after an exhaustive advertisiment for ancestry websites, there is suddenly an arrest. Feels rushed with too much time spent reminding listeners that it contains “material not suitable for all audiences”. Shame, there is a great story to be told here.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such a great recount!

Well done Jim and Paul and the rest of the participants. I really loved this book. This book is the reason I joined Audible and I was not disappointed. I highly recommend this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Recommend

I loved that so many voices (including victims) were captured and it flowed really well. I got quite addicted pretty quickly! it was also good to show how many people were directly and indirectly were affected by the GSK. it was good to understand the struggle of so many investigating this crime.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narrated by the lead investigator! So interesting

I really enjoyed this audio book. It’s never dull, and you hear from the cops and some of the survivors. Well put together. My only negative comment is that some of the interview segments are poor audio quality.
Would recommend this one to true crime lovers!
-note - some graphic scenes are described.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.