Jamie R. (jamier78) reviewed Gone at Midnight: The Mysterious Death of Elisa Lam on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Being a fan of true crime books, I was excited to read the case of Eliza Lam, and it did great at developing the story, clear up to finding her dead in the cistern. It also did a great job at developing the chilling personality of the Cecil Hotel for someone who has never heard of it or its history. Ever been to a place which gives you absolute bad vibes when first stepping into it? I have. This book develops that feeling without ever setting foot into the place.
What I did not like about it was it seemed to be a jumbled up mess of the writer's thoughts without any real organization. It was more of a memoir about the author and the crazy things he did in order to write this book. I cringed when he said he stopped taking his medication for depression and drank a lot, then proceeded to go stay at this hotel. Don't tell me you're surprised when your mind starts playing tricks on you! I completely understand someone's needs for mental help as I was diagnosed with anxiety when I was pregnant with my now 5 year old. I had to stop taking my medication not long ago, because it dragged me down and made me tired, but some people need to stay on medication, and obviously this writer is one of them. It's nothing to be ashamed. I just wish he did not feel like he had to put himself into harm's way to maybe feel a closer connection to Eliza.
I started really loosing interest when they started looking into all the conspiracy theories, when they got into cults and aliens, I had to force myself to read the rest of this book because they had definitely gone too far. Thinking she was already dead and that the killers were using her like a puppet in the elevator to make the ever so famous video? C'mon! It seemed like people just wanted attention and to be famous, so they came up with something completely asinine idea to get there.
I wish the author and book would have figured out what really happened to her, but in all honesty, I do not think this case will ever be solved; too many coverups from the hotel staff and cops. I do, however, believe that someone did something to her, and that she was dead and sexually assaulted before she was discovered in the cistern.
What I did not like about it was it seemed to be a jumbled up mess of the writer's thoughts without any real organization. It was more of a memoir about the author and the crazy things he did in order to write this book. I cringed when he said he stopped taking his medication for depression and drank a lot, then proceeded to go stay at this hotel. Don't tell me you're surprised when your mind starts playing tricks on you! I completely understand someone's needs for mental help as I was diagnosed with anxiety when I was pregnant with my now 5 year old. I had to stop taking my medication not long ago, because it dragged me down and made me tired, but some people need to stay on medication, and obviously this writer is one of them. It's nothing to be ashamed. I just wish he did not feel like he had to put himself into harm's way to maybe feel a closer connection to Eliza.
I started really loosing interest when they started looking into all the conspiracy theories, when they got into cults and aliens, I had to force myself to read the rest of this book because they had definitely gone too far. Thinking she was already dead and that the killers were using her like a puppet in the elevator to make the ever so famous video? C'mon! It seemed like people just wanted attention and to be famous, so they came up with something completely asinine idea to get there.
I wish the author and book would have figured out what really happened to her, but in all honesty, I do not think this case will ever be solved; too many coverups from the hotel staff and cops. I do, however, believe that someone did something to her, and that she was dead and sexually assaulted before she was discovered in the cistern.
