
The Devil Behind the Badge
The Horrifying Twelve Days of the Border Patrol Serial Killer
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $25.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Timothy Andrés Pabon
-
By:
-
Rick Jervis
About this listen
The shocking true-crime story of a U.S. Border Patrol agent turned serial killer, the four sex workers whom he mercilessly killed, and the upended border town of Laredo where his heinous crimes occurred.
Twelve days is all it took.
Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Anne Luera, Guiselda Hernandez, and Janelle Ortiz were four marginalized women striving to make ends meet as sex workers. They looked out for one another. But they would soon share a connection that none of them could have imagined. When Melissa was found dead, the other three women were on edge but assumed they were safe. Twelve days later, they too were dead and police had detained an unlikely suspect—Juan David Ortiz, a ten-year veteran of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where he carried a badge, a service revolver, and was entrusted to protect the community in which he eventually killed. From September 3 through September 15, 2018, Ortiz, a husband and doting father to three children, lured his victims into his white Dodge truck and drove them to the outskirts of town where he violently executed them, leaving them dead or dying on the sides of dark, rural roads.
In this fast-paced, electrifying tick-tock, Pulitzer Prize-winning USA TODAY journalist Rick Jervis tells the gripping story of the four murders that shook the small border town of Laredo, and the quest to unmask a cold, calculated killer who was hiding in plain sight. The Devil Behind the Badge is also a deeply human portrait of the four lives lost and an attempt to uncover what motivated Ortiz’s descent into darkness. Along the way, it raises serious questions about the border crisis, the abuse of law enforcement, and the challenges of a federal agency to police its own ranks.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2024 Rick Jervis (P)2024 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
-
At Any Cost
- A Father's Betrayal, a Wife's Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice
- By: Rebecca Rosenberg, Selim Algar
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wealthy, beautiful, and brilliant, Shele Danishefsky had fulfillment at her fingertips. Having conquered Wall Street, she was eager to build a family with her much younger husband, promising Ivy League graduate Rod Covlin. But when his hidden vices surfaced, marital harmony gave way to a merciless divorce. Rod had long depended on Shele's income to fund his tastes for high stakes backgammon and infidelity - and she finally vowed to sever him from her will. In late December 2009, Shele made an appointment with her lawyer. She would never make it to that meeting.
-
-
Tightly-written true crime; excellent narration.
- By Janean Laidlaw on 06-27-21
By: Rebecca Rosenberg, and others
-
A Hunger to Kill
- A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and the Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever
- By: Kim Mager, Lisa Pulitzer - contributor
- Narrated by: Jennifer Blom
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On September 13, 2016, in the small town of Ashland, Ohio, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from a terrified woman who claimed to be kidnapped. The man holding her hostage was Shawn Grate, a serial killer whom the press later dubbed “The Ladykiller.” A key to his conviction and death sentence were Grate’s extensive recorded confessions—all extracted by one woman: Detective Kim Mager.
-
-
Turned into a sermon.
- By Victor Naranjo on 01-29-25
By: Kim Mager, and others
-
In Plain Sight
- The Kaufman County Prosecutor Murders
- By: Kathryn Casey
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a cold January morning, the killer executed Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse in broad daylight. Eight shots fired a block from the Kaufman County Courthouse. Two months later, a massacre. The day before Easter, the couple slept. Bunnies, eggs, a flower centerpiece gracing the table. Death rang their doorbell and filled the air with the rat-a-tat-tat of an assault weapon discharging round after round into their bodies. Eric Williams and his wife, Kim, celebrated the murders with grilled steaks. Williams planned to exact revenge on all those who had wronged him.
-
-
BOR-ING!!
- By farmhouselady on 11-11-19
By: Kathryn Casey
-
A Devil in the Valley
- By: Paul Holes, Peter McDonnell
- Narrated by: Jim Clemente, Paul Holes
- Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1994, an aspiring young cold-case investigator in California’s East Bay, Paul Holes, puts aside trying to solve the Golden State Killer case as he waits for science to catch up. Paul returns to an old file cabinet at the back of the forensic lab to look for another cold case he can work—something with DNA. He finds one. The 1978 murder of a married mother who went for a morning jog in a nearby park. The original investigators believed that a serial killer named Phillip Hughes was responsible; they just couldn’t prove it.
-
-
Excellent!!!
- By Nick on 08-05-21
By: Paul Holes, and others
-
The Hunt: The True Story of Alaska's Most Notorious Serial Killer, Robert Hansen
- True Crime
- By: Ryan Green
- Narrated by: Steve White
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Hunt is a chilling account of Robert Hansen's reign of terror. It delves deep into the psyche of a serial killer and captures the reality of his monstrous acts. Ryan Green provides a suspenseful narrative that draws the listener into the real-life horror experienced by the victims with all the elements of a captivating thriller.
-
-
Narration is odd
- By Jo Garcia on 02-06-25
By: Ryan Green
-
Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors: And Other True Cases
- Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 16
- By: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s a chilling reality that homicide investigators know all too well: The last face most murder victims see is not that of a stranger, but of someone familiar. Whether only an acquaintance or a trusted intimate, such killers share a common trait that triggers the downward spiral toward death for someone close to them: They are masters at hiding who they really are. Their clever masks let them appear safe, kind, and truthful. They are anything but - and almost no one can detect the murderous impulses buried deep in their psyches.
-
-
The Evil People Do
- By Dianne on 02-14-13
By: Ann Rule
-
At Any Cost
- A Father's Betrayal, a Wife's Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice
- By: Rebecca Rosenberg, Selim Algar
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wealthy, beautiful, and brilliant, Shele Danishefsky had fulfillment at her fingertips. Having conquered Wall Street, she was eager to build a family with her much younger husband, promising Ivy League graduate Rod Covlin. But when his hidden vices surfaced, marital harmony gave way to a merciless divorce. Rod had long depended on Shele's income to fund his tastes for high stakes backgammon and infidelity - and she finally vowed to sever him from her will. In late December 2009, Shele made an appointment with her lawyer. She would never make it to that meeting.
-
-
Tightly-written true crime; excellent narration.
- By Janean Laidlaw on 06-27-21
By: Rebecca Rosenberg, and others
-
A Hunger to Kill
- A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and the Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever
- By: Kim Mager, Lisa Pulitzer - contributor
- Narrated by: Jennifer Blom
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On September 13, 2016, in the small town of Ashland, Ohio, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from a terrified woman who claimed to be kidnapped. The man holding her hostage was Shawn Grate, a serial killer whom the press later dubbed “The Ladykiller.” A key to his conviction and death sentence were Grate’s extensive recorded confessions—all extracted by one woman: Detective Kim Mager.
-
-
Turned into a sermon.
- By Victor Naranjo on 01-29-25
By: Kim Mager, and others
-
In Plain Sight
- The Kaufman County Prosecutor Murders
- By: Kathryn Casey
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a cold January morning, the killer executed Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse in broad daylight. Eight shots fired a block from the Kaufman County Courthouse. Two months later, a massacre. The day before Easter, the couple slept. Bunnies, eggs, a flower centerpiece gracing the table. Death rang their doorbell and filled the air with the rat-a-tat-tat of an assault weapon discharging round after round into their bodies. Eric Williams and his wife, Kim, celebrated the murders with grilled steaks. Williams planned to exact revenge on all those who had wronged him.
-
-
BOR-ING!!
- By farmhouselady on 11-11-19
By: Kathryn Casey
-
A Devil in the Valley
- By: Paul Holes, Peter McDonnell
- Narrated by: Jim Clemente, Paul Holes
- Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1994, an aspiring young cold-case investigator in California’s East Bay, Paul Holes, puts aside trying to solve the Golden State Killer case as he waits for science to catch up. Paul returns to an old file cabinet at the back of the forensic lab to look for another cold case he can work—something with DNA. He finds one. The 1978 murder of a married mother who went for a morning jog in a nearby park. The original investigators believed that a serial killer named Phillip Hughes was responsible; they just couldn’t prove it.
-
-
Excellent!!!
- By Nick on 08-05-21
By: Paul Holes, and others
-
The Hunt: The True Story of Alaska's Most Notorious Serial Killer, Robert Hansen
- True Crime
- By: Ryan Green
- Narrated by: Steve White
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Hunt is a chilling account of Robert Hansen's reign of terror. It delves deep into the psyche of a serial killer and captures the reality of his monstrous acts. Ryan Green provides a suspenseful narrative that draws the listener into the real-life horror experienced by the victims with all the elements of a captivating thriller.
-
-
Narration is odd
- By Jo Garcia on 02-06-25
By: Ryan Green
-
Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors: And Other True Cases
- Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 16
- By: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s a chilling reality that homicide investigators know all too well: The last face most murder victims see is not that of a stranger, but of someone familiar. Whether only an acquaintance or a trusted intimate, such killers share a common trait that triggers the downward spiral toward death for someone close to them: They are masters at hiding who they really are. Their clever masks let them appear safe, kind, and truthful. They are anything but - and almost no one can detect the murderous impulses buried deep in their psyches.
-
-
The Evil People Do
- By Dianne on 02-14-13
By: Ann Rule
-
The Serial Killer's Apprentice
- The True Story of How Houston's Deadliest Murderer Turned a Kid into a Killing Machine
- By: Katherine Ramsland, Tracy Ullman
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. was only fourteen when he first became entangled with serial rapist and murderer Dean Corll in 1971. Fellow Houston, Texas, teenager David Brooks had already been ensnared by the charming older man, bribed with cash to help lure boys to Corll's home. Corll baited Henley with the same deal he'd given Brooks: $200 for each boy they could bring him.
-
-
Well done
- By River Elder on 04-26-24
By: Katherine Ramsland, and others
-
Deliberate Cruelty
- Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century
- By: Roseanne Montillo
- Narrated by: Mia Barron
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Ann Woodward shot her husband, banking heir Billy Woodward, in the middle of the night in 1955, her life changed forever. Though she claimed she thought he was a prowler, few believed the woman who had risen from charismatic showgirl to popular socialite. Everyone had something to say about the scorching scandal afflicting one of the most rich and famous families of New York City, but no one was more obsessed with the tale than Truman Capote.
-
-
An interesting true crime story buried in here
- By Quinn on 11-11-22
-
Fatal Jealousy
- The True Story of a Doomed Romance, a Singular Obsession, and a Quadruple Murder
- By: Colin McEvoy, Lynn Olanoff
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
June 26, 2010. A Pennsylvania state trooper witnesses a car speeding and crashing into trees. Stopping to help, he finds that the driver, Michael Ballard, is alive - and drenched in blood. When asked what happened, the man answers, "I just killed everybody." Not far from the accident, police make a gruesome discovery. In the home of Michael's ex-girlfriend, Denise Mehri, they find four bodies that had been stabbed repeatedly with a knife.
-
-
Great listen!
- By Brandy on 03-03-15
By: Colin McEvoy, and others
-
Under Cover of the Night
- A True Story of Sex, Greed, and Murder
- By: Diane Fanning
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jocelyn Branham Earnest was found dead on the floor of her living room in Forest, Virginia. By her side was a gun and a suicide note-typed, lacking a signature, and with one fingerprint on it. A fingerprint apparently belonging to Jocelyn's estranged husband.Wesley Earnest was a respected high school administrator, poised to restart his life in a new community. Parents entrusted their children to his care and believed he was above reproach.
-
-
Welcome to Virgina!
- By Nick on 01-05-15
By: Diane Fanning
-
A Fatal Inheritance
- How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery
- By: Lawrence Ingrassia
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ingrassia lost his mother, two sisters, brother, and nephew to cancer—different cancers developing at different points throughout their lives. And while highly unusual, his family is not the only one to wonder whether their heartbreak is the result of unbelievable bad luck, or if there might be another explanation. Through meticulous research and riveting storytelling, Ingrassia takes us from the 1960s—when Dr. Frederick Pei Li and Dr. Joseph Fraumeni Jr. first met, not yet knowing that they would help make a groundbreaking discovery that would affect cancer patients for decades to come.
-
-
Touching story with powerful lessons in hope.
- By Patricia Elizondo on 07-05-24
-
The Less People Know About Us
- A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity
- By: Axton Betz-Hamilton
- Narrated by: Laurie Winkel
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this powerful true crime memoir, an award-winning identity theft expert tells the shocking story of the duplicity and betrayal that inspired her career and nearly destroyed her family. Axton Betz-Hamilton grew up in small-town Indiana in the early '90s. When she was 11 years old, her parents both had their identities stolen. Their credit ratings were ruined, and they were constantly fighting over money. This was before the age of the Internet, when identity theft became more commonplace, so authorities and banks were clueless and reluctant to help Axton's parents.
-
-
Holy Shit
- By Jason Wiking on 02-19-20
-
Bitch on Wheels
- The Sharon Nelson Double Murder Case
- By: Gregg Olsen
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the body of 45-year-old Glen Harrelson was found in his Denver home, police tried to contact his wife, but soon they made a startling realization. She had played the part of grieving widow once before: Her previous husband also had died a mysterious accidental death...
-
-
Come on Gregg (no spoilers)
- By Carolina on 10-26-16
By: Gregg Olsen
-
Twelve from Hell 2
- The Ultimate True Crime Case Collection
- By: Ryan Green
- Narrated by: Steve White
- Length: 48 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This Ultimate True Crime Case Collection contains disturbing accounts of some of the most brutal and bizarre true crime stories in history. Told from the killer’s perspective, Green’s riveting narratives draw the listener into the real-live horror experienced by the victims with all the elements of a classic thriller.
-
-
Sometimes less can be a good thing
- By Wendy on 03-12-23
By: Ryan Green
-
Notes on a Killing
- Love, Lies, and Murder in a Small New Hampshire Town
- By: Kevin Flynn, Rebecca Lavoie
- Narrated by: Aven Shore
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weaver and fiber artist Edith “Pen” Meyer knew her friend Sandy Merritt’s relationship with a married man was wrong. She had even urged Sandy to take out a restraining order against Kenneth Carpenter. Which was why her call to Sandy on February 23, 2005, seemed to come from out of the blue. During it, she told Sandy to drop the restraining order and get back together with Ken. Pen was never seen again. One man stood to gain from Pen’s disappearance: Ken Carpenter. But evidence was bleak: no blood, no DNA, no body. Until detectives found notes hidden....
-
-
Yawn
- By Scott G on 02-13-21
By: Kevin Flynn, and others
-
Gettysburg
- By: Stephen W. Sears
- Narrated by: Jaime Renell
- Length: 21 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The greatest of all Civil War campaigns, Gettysburg was the turning point of the turning point in our nation’s history. Volumes have been written about this momentous three-day battle, but recent histories have tended to focus on the particulars rather than the big picture: on the generals or on single days of battle—even on single charges—or on the daily lives of the soldiers. In Gettysburg Sears tells the whole story in a single volume.
-
-
Great book and performance!
- By Steve D on 08-12-24
By: Stephen W. Sears
-
Relentless Pursuit
- A True Story of Family, Murder, and the Prosecutor Who Wouldn't Quit
- By: Kevin Flynn
- Narrated by: Eric Fox
- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
RELENTLESS PURSUIT follows the personal mission of a Washington, D.C., federal homicide prosecutor who dedicated himself to bringing justice and closure to the family of a brutally murdered mother and daughter, a case during which the author's own father passed away.
-
-
Nah narrator
- By LMZ on 08-30-24
By: Kevin Flynn
-
The Mother Next Door
- Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
- By: Andrea Dunlop, Mike Weber
- Narrated by: Andrea Dunlop
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No bond is more sacred than the one between a mother and child. And no figure is more sympathetic than a mother whose child faces a life-threatening illness. But what if the mother is the reason for the illness? What if the sympathy is the point? With help from some of the top MBP experts in the world, Dunlop and Weber uncover the complex maze of psychological, systemic, and cultural issues that compound MBP and offer solutions for how we might find our way out.
-
-
Compelling handling of maternal abuse
- By Mother Of Hope on 04-30-25
By: Andrea Dunlop, and others
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
At Any Cost
- A Father's Betrayal, a Wife's Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice
- By: Rebecca Rosenberg, Selim Algar
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wealthy, beautiful, and brilliant, Shele Danishefsky had fulfillment at her fingertips. Having conquered Wall Street, she was eager to build a family with her much younger husband, promising Ivy League graduate Rod Covlin. But when his hidden vices surfaced, marital harmony gave way to a merciless divorce. Rod had long depended on Shele's income to fund his tastes for high stakes backgammon and infidelity - and she finally vowed to sever him from her will. In late December 2009, Shele made an appointment with her lawyer. She would never make it to that meeting.
-
-
Tightly-written true crime; excellent narration.
- By Janean Laidlaw on 06-27-21
By: Rebecca Rosenberg, and others
-
A Hunger to Kill
- A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and the Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever
- By: Kim Mager, Lisa Pulitzer - contributor
- Narrated by: Jennifer Blom
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On September 13, 2016, in the small town of Ashland, Ohio, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from a terrified woman who claimed to be kidnapped. The man holding her hostage was Shawn Grate, a serial killer whom the press later dubbed “The Ladykiller.” A key to his conviction and death sentence were Grate’s extensive recorded confessions—all extracted by one woman: Detective Kim Mager.
-
-
Turned into a sermon.
- By Victor Naranjo on 01-29-25
By: Kim Mager, and others
-
The Foundling
- The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me
- By: Paul Joseph Fronczak, Alex Tresniowski
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Foundling tells the incredible and inspiring true story of Paul Fronczak, a man who recently discovered via a DNA test that he was not who he thought he was - and set out to solve two 50-year-old mysteries at once. Along the way he upturned the genealogy industry, unearthed his family's deepest secrets, and broke open the second longest cold-case in US history, all in a desperate bid to find out who he really is.
-
-
Prepare yourself for a journey that will take you to shocking places!
- By OUChris on 04-04-17
By: Paul Joseph Fronczak, and others
-
The Hunt: The True Story of Alaska's Most Notorious Serial Killer, Robert Hansen
- True Crime
- By: Ryan Green
- Narrated by: Steve White
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Hunt is a chilling account of Robert Hansen's reign of terror. It delves deep into the psyche of a serial killer and captures the reality of his monstrous acts. Ryan Green provides a suspenseful narrative that draws the listener into the real-life horror experienced by the victims with all the elements of a captivating thriller.
-
-
Narration is odd
- By Jo Garcia on 02-06-25
By: Ryan Green
-
The Serial Killer's Apprentice
- The True Story of How Houston's Deadliest Murderer Turned a Kid into a Killing Machine
- By: Katherine Ramsland, Tracy Ullman
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. was only fourteen when he first became entangled with serial rapist and murderer Dean Corll in 1971. Fellow Houston, Texas, teenager David Brooks had already been ensnared by the charming older man, bribed with cash to help lure boys to Corll's home. Corll baited Henley with the same deal he'd given Brooks: $200 for each boy they could bring him.
-
-
Well done
- By River Elder on 04-26-24
By: Katherine Ramsland, and others
-
Deliberate Cruelty
- Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century
- By: Roseanne Montillo
- Narrated by: Mia Barron
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Ann Woodward shot her husband, banking heir Billy Woodward, in the middle of the night in 1955, her life changed forever. Though she claimed she thought he was a prowler, few believed the woman who had risen from charismatic showgirl to popular socialite. Everyone had something to say about the scorching scandal afflicting one of the most rich and famous families of New York City, but no one was more obsessed with the tale than Truman Capote.
-
-
An interesting true crime story buried in here
- By Quinn on 11-11-22
-
At Any Cost
- A Father's Betrayal, a Wife's Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice
- By: Rebecca Rosenberg, Selim Algar
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wealthy, beautiful, and brilliant, Shele Danishefsky had fulfillment at her fingertips. Having conquered Wall Street, she was eager to build a family with her much younger husband, promising Ivy League graduate Rod Covlin. But when his hidden vices surfaced, marital harmony gave way to a merciless divorce. Rod had long depended on Shele's income to fund his tastes for high stakes backgammon and infidelity - and she finally vowed to sever him from her will. In late December 2009, Shele made an appointment with her lawyer. She would never make it to that meeting.
-
-
Tightly-written true crime; excellent narration.
- By Janean Laidlaw on 06-27-21
By: Rebecca Rosenberg, and others
-
A Hunger to Kill
- A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and the Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever
- By: Kim Mager, Lisa Pulitzer - contributor
- Narrated by: Jennifer Blom
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On September 13, 2016, in the small town of Ashland, Ohio, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from a terrified woman who claimed to be kidnapped. The man holding her hostage was Shawn Grate, a serial killer whom the press later dubbed “The Ladykiller.” A key to his conviction and death sentence were Grate’s extensive recorded confessions—all extracted by one woman: Detective Kim Mager.
-
-
Turned into a sermon.
- By Victor Naranjo on 01-29-25
By: Kim Mager, and others
-
The Foundling
- The True Story of a Kidnapping, a Family Secret, and My Search for the Real Me
- By: Paul Joseph Fronczak, Alex Tresniowski
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Foundling tells the incredible and inspiring true story of Paul Fronczak, a man who recently discovered via a DNA test that he was not who he thought he was - and set out to solve two 50-year-old mysteries at once. Along the way he upturned the genealogy industry, unearthed his family's deepest secrets, and broke open the second longest cold-case in US history, all in a desperate bid to find out who he really is.
-
-
Prepare yourself for a journey that will take you to shocking places!
- By OUChris on 04-04-17
By: Paul Joseph Fronczak, and others
-
The Hunt: The True Story of Alaska's Most Notorious Serial Killer, Robert Hansen
- True Crime
- By: Ryan Green
- Narrated by: Steve White
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Hunt is a chilling account of Robert Hansen's reign of terror. It delves deep into the psyche of a serial killer and captures the reality of his monstrous acts. Ryan Green provides a suspenseful narrative that draws the listener into the real-life horror experienced by the victims with all the elements of a captivating thriller.
-
-
Narration is odd
- By Jo Garcia on 02-06-25
By: Ryan Green
-
The Serial Killer's Apprentice
- The True Story of How Houston's Deadliest Murderer Turned a Kid into a Killing Machine
- By: Katherine Ramsland, Tracy Ullman
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr. was only fourteen when he first became entangled with serial rapist and murderer Dean Corll in 1971. Fellow Houston, Texas, teenager David Brooks had already been ensnared by the charming older man, bribed with cash to help lure boys to Corll's home. Corll baited Henley with the same deal he'd given Brooks: $200 for each boy they could bring him.
-
-
Well done
- By River Elder on 04-26-24
By: Katherine Ramsland, and others
-
Deliberate Cruelty
- Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century
- By: Roseanne Montillo
- Narrated by: Mia Barron
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Ann Woodward shot her husband, banking heir Billy Woodward, in the middle of the night in 1955, her life changed forever. Though she claimed she thought he was a prowler, few believed the woman who had risen from charismatic showgirl to popular socialite. Everyone had something to say about the scorching scandal afflicting one of the most rich and famous families of New York City, but no one was more obsessed with the tale than Truman Capote.
-
-
An interesting true crime story buried in here
- By Quinn on 11-11-22
-
Why I Stayed
- The Choices I Made in My Darkest Hour
- By: Gayle Haggard, Angela Hunt - contributor
- Narrated by: Gayle Haggard
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On November 2, 2006, Gayle Haggard's life changed forever when her husband, Ted Haggard, founder of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs and president of the National Association of Evangelicals, was publicly exposed in a scandal. In the days and months ahead, everything in Gayle's life was at stake—her beliefs, her marriage, and her relationship with the church community she had been a part of for more than 20 years.
-
-
Loved it!
- By Christi L. Ashton-Poloha on 07-15-18
By: Gayle Haggard, and others
-
Boy Erased
- A Memoir
- By: Garrard Conley
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The son of a Baptist pastor and deeply embedded in church life in small town Arkansas, as a young man Garrard Conley was terrified and conflicted about his sexuality. When Garrard was a 19-year-old college student, he was outed to his parents, and was forced to make a life-changing decision: either agree to attend a church-supported conversion therapy program that promised to "cure" him of homosexuality; or risk losing family, friends, and the God he had prayed to every day of his life.
-
-
Not What I’d Hoped
- By JayJay on 06-22-18
By: Garrard Conley
-
Confessions
- A Life of Failed Promises
- By: A. N. Wilson
- Narrated by: A. N. Wilson
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Known for his journalism, biographies and novels, A. N. Wilson turns a merciless searchlight on his own early life, his experience of sexual abuse, his catastrophic mistakes in love (sacred and profane) and his life in Grub Street—as a prolific writer. The audiobook begins with his heart-torn present-day visits to Katherine, now for decades his ex-wife, who has slithered into the torments of dementia. At every turn of this reminiscence, Wilson is baffled by his earlier self—whether he is flirting with unsuitable lovers or with the idea of the priesthood.
-
-
Atomic bomb and other gems
- By Charles on 11-27-23
By: A. N. Wilson
-
A Fatal Inheritance
- How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery
- By: Lawrence Ingrassia
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ingrassia lost his mother, two sisters, brother, and nephew to cancer—different cancers developing at different points throughout their lives. And while highly unusual, his family is not the only one to wonder whether their heartbreak is the result of unbelievable bad luck, or if there might be another explanation. Through meticulous research and riveting storytelling, Ingrassia takes us from the 1960s—when Dr. Frederick Pei Li and Dr. Joseph Fraumeni Jr. first met, not yet knowing that they would help make a groundbreaking discovery that would affect cancer patients for decades to come.
-
-
Touching story with powerful lessons in hope.
- By Patricia Elizondo on 07-05-24
-
The Burning Shore
- How Hitler's U-Boats Brought World War II to America
- By: Ed Offley
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On June 15, 1942, as thousands of vacationers lounged in the sun on Virginia Beach, a massive fireball erupted from a convoy of oil tankers steaming into Chesapeake Bay. By the next day, three ships lay at the bottom of the channel, victims of Lieutenant-Commander Horst Degen and his crew on the German submarine U-701. In The Burning Shore, acclaimed military reporter Ed Offley presents a thrilling account of Degen's rampage along the American coast and of US Lieutenant Harry J. Kane's quest to bring him down.
-
-
Ugh, Perhaps a Second Listen is Required?
- By Matthew on 09-05-15
By: Ed Offley
-
Two Roads Home
- Hitler, Stalin, and the Miraculous Survival of My Family
- By: Daniel Finkelstein
- Narrated by: Daniel Finkelstein
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beloved British journalist Daniel Finkelstein tells the extraordinary story of the years before his mother met his father—years of war and trials they barely survived. Daniel Finkelstein's grandfather was a German Jewish intellectual leader who tolled an early warning of the impending Holocaust and became an archivist of Nazi crimes. He relocated his family to safety in Amsterdam, where they knew Anne Frank. But in those years safety was an illusion: Anne Frank famously went into hiding and Daniel's mother, Mirjam, also still a child, was sent to Bergen-Belsen with her mother and sisters.
-
-
Most engaging and important audiobook I ever listened to.
- By Kathleen M. Allen on 04-11-24
-
The Trauma Cleaner
- By: Sarah Krasnostein
- Narrated by: Rachael Tidd
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before she was a trauma cleaner, Sandra Pankhurst was many things: husband and father, drag queen, gender reassignment patient, sex worker, small businesswoman, trophy wife... but as a little boy, raised in violence and excluded from the family home, she just wanted to belong. Now she believes her clients deserve no less. A man who bled quietly to death in his living room. Sarah Krasnostein has watched the extraordinary Sandra Pankhurst bring order and care to these, the living and the dead - and the book she has written is equally extraordinary.
-
-
Beautiful, emotional, and perfectly narrated.
- By LitWitWineDine on 06-30-18
-
The Mighty Moo
- The USS Cowpens and Her Epic World War II Journey from Jinx Ship to the Navy's First Carrier into Tokyo Bay
- By: Nathan Canestaro
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The USS Cowpens and her crew weren’t your typical heroes. She was a flattop that the US Navy initially didn’t want, with a captain nearly scapegoated for the loss of his last command, pilots who self-trained on the planes they would fly into combat, and sailors that had been in uniform barely longer than the ship had been afloat. Despite their humble origins, Cowpens and her band of second-string reservists and citizen sailors served with distinction, fighting in nearly every major carrier operation from 1943 to 1945, including the Battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf.
-
-
simply outstanding.
- By Wendy B. on 03-25-25
By: Nathan Canestaro
-
Relentless Pursuit
- A True Story of Family, Murder, and the Prosecutor Who Wouldn't Quit
- By: Kevin Flynn
- Narrated by: Eric Fox
- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
RELENTLESS PURSUIT follows the personal mission of a Washington, D.C., federal homicide prosecutor who dedicated himself to bringing justice and closure to the family of a brutally murdered mother and daughter, a case during which the author's own father passed away.
-
-
Nah narrator
- By LMZ on 08-30-24
By: Kevin Flynn
-
Control Freak
- My Epic Adventure Making Video Games
- By: Cliff Bleszinski
- Narrated by: Kurt Kanazawa
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Video games are dominating the planet. In 2020, they brought in $180 billion dollars globally—nearly $34 billion in the United States alone. So who are the brilliant designers who create these stunning virtual worlds? Cliff Bleszinski—or CliffyB as he is known to gamers—is one of the few who’ve reached mythical, rock-star status. In Control Freak, he gives an unvarnished, all-access tour of the business.
-
-
5 star book, but obnoxious
- By Rodney on 06-10-23
By: Cliff Bleszinski
-
THE 'BABY DOLL' SERIAL KILLER
- The John Eric Armstrong Homicides
- By: B.R. Bates, Gerald Cliff
- Narrated by: Lee Ann Howlett
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Considered one of the most prolific serial killers in Michigan's history, John Eric Armstrong is believed to have attacked at least 10 people in Detroit between summer 1999 and spring 2000, killing five and forever changing the lives of five others. But his numbers beyond Detroit may be even more deadly: With his April 2000 arrest on Michigan Avenue, one of Detroit's thriving areas of prostitution, Armstrong confessed to numerous other killings around the country and world from serving in the Navy aboard the USS Nimitz in the 1990s.
-
-
Probing the mind of a serial killer
- By Steven Gerweck on 10-28-24
By: B.R. Bates, and others
-
Full Tilt
- Ireland to India with a Bicycle
- By: Dervla Murphy
- Narrated by: Emma Lowe
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Full Tilt is the inspiring true story of Dervla Murphy's 1963 journey from Ireland to India on an Armstrong Cadet bicycle, and the trials, landscapes, and cultures she encountered along the way. The route takes her through the valleys and snowy mountain passes of Europe and India to the scorching deserts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the metal of her bicycle, Rozinante (named after Don Quixote's steed), becomes too hot to touch.
-
-
Prejudice personified
- By Steve on 09-27-20
By: Dervla Murphy
What listeners say about The Devil Behind the Badge
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amanda Williams
- 03-21-25
So good, learned so much!
I absolutely loved it! So informative while being a nail bitter. Laredo, TX life, sex workers, & drug abuse.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julie A Clark
- 05-01-25
Pretty good
A sad and fascinating story that was written fairly well. My pet peeves were:
The author goes into crazily detailed info/history on anything he could get his hands on; it seems geared to increase the length of the book and added very, very little to the story. I skipped an entire chapter just because he went off on a random history of something vaguely related to the rest of the book.
The author virtue signals constantly throughout the book, insisting on calling illegal immigrants "asylum seekers" or "migrants" and painting them as helpless victims. Also calls the prostitutes "sex workers" which isn't a big deal except that it's a virtue-signaling, politically correct term.
I know have criticized the narrator's over-the-top pronunciation of Spanish words, and I agree although since I know some Spanish it wasn't too bad. It was obvious he wants us to know he can speak Spanish :-)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dallas
- 05-01-25
Unbelievable
A very sad story very well told. The author presents the case in a “just the facts” manner.
One note to the Audible team: it would be worthwhile for all performers to have a preview of the words in each book. In this case, "Bexar" County is actually pronounced "Bear." I've noticed this even with common names of well known people.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jeffery schmidt
- 08-29-24
Great listen
It was one that o couldn’t pick down. If you like true crime. This is for you!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tiffany
- 10-07-24
Well researched
Very well researched and well-written book. Author gave the backstory of the killer, victims, law enforcement, media, and the other agencies involved in the case. Not political in any way. The author does spend about 5 minutes discussing the general atmosphere at Border Patrol toward immigrants and women, but this is very minor. Confused at the reviews that criticize the author for being too political? Are you folks that threatened by an honest reporting of the atmosphere at the US Border Patrol? My guess is that the author was implying that the pedestrian misogyny didn’t help coworkers identify some of the killer’s problematic behaviors (e.g hiring prostitutes). The author also mentions the connection between combat veterans and poor mental health outcomes-outcomes that include violence more so than other mental health disorders. Was that the political part that so infuriated you folks? Anyway, I enjoyed the book. Author did a great job discussing each victim with compassion and honesty.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Christine Case
- 12-06-24
The narrator speaks
The story was well told but the narrator speaks perfect English but it was so distracting every time a Spanish name came up, he had to interject an enormous accent into. I personally found it very distracting. Otherwise he spoke very well and the story is a sad but hard to follow.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- GMM-LDL
- 04-29-25
Powerful and disturbing
This was very well written and narrated. Disturbing situations brought to light in as delicate a manner as possible. Heartbreaking in so many ways and very informative.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Duffster
- 08-10-24
Detailed & Page Turning
The author went into great detail about the lives of the real life characters in this book. Well organized, I enjoyed listening to it and was always ready to hear the next chapter. There is quite a bit of the Spanish language intermixed with the dialogue, but that is no reason to shy away from listening to it. I couldn’t get the PDFs to download, but don’t think they were necessary to visualize the scenes described. I was struck by the destructive nature of the family relationships described and trauma that led to massive drug use by the victims and even the killer.
Growing up in Texas, I was a little disturbed by the pronunciation of some of the towns and counties by the reader, but otherwise appreciated his accent and reading style. Recommend this book to those who enjoy true crime tales.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 12-05-24
Tragic, sad, and gripping.
I remember hearing about this story when it was in the news, but it quickly escaped my mind. The author does an excellent job of bringing the story to life, making it feel as though you are witnessing events unfold in real time. A story like this could easily become sensationalized, focusing solely on gritty details. However, this book manages to discuss the perils of the victims’ lives while remaining respectful and honoring the individuals involved.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 12-05-24
Interesting tale.
I enjoyed the in-depth story presented by the author. This story was well written and kept me interested throughout.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!