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Portrait of a Monster
Portrait of a Monster: Joran van der Sloot, a Murder in Peru, and the Natalee Holloway Mystery | Lisa Pulitzer, Cole Thompson
2 posts | 3 read | 5 to read
From a pair of New York Times bestselling authors with unparalleled access comes an in-depth account of the manhunt for Joran van der Sloot, one of the most reviled accused criminals in the world In May 2005, Natalee Holloway disappeared from a high school trip to Aruba. Five years to the day later, twenty-one-year-old Stephany Flores was reported missing in Lima, Peru. Implicated in both crimes was one young man: Joran van der Sloot. A twenty-three-year-old Dutchman, Van der Sloot has become the subject of intense scrutiny by the media and the public in the years since 2005. He was arrested and detained by Aruban authorities in connection with the Holloway disappearance, only to be released after questioning. In 2008, during a Dutch sting operation, he admitted to being present for Holloways death---but later recanted his statement. In 2010, on the five-year anniversary of her disappearance, a young business student in Peru named Stephany Flores disappeared, only to be found dead three days later in a hotel room---registered to Van der Sloot. He was arrested for the murder and confessed, but he later claimed he was coerced. This is the first book to offer a probing look at the man tied to two of the most sensational cases of the decade. It draws from: Interviews with members of the families of Joran, Stephany, and Natalee Never-before-seen photographs of the crime scene in Peru, fingerprint files, hotel records, and more Internal communications between Interpol, the FBI, Aruban officials, and officials in Chile and Peru Never-before-seen police files from Chile, Peru, and Aruba Portrait of a Monster offers an unflinching look into the workings of an international manhunt and a chilling portrait of an alleged killer.
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squirrelbrain
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Pickpick

This was a fascinating true crime read, about the murders exactly 5 years apart, of Natalee Holloway, who many will have heard of, and Stephany Flores, who I had not heard of.

This guy truly is a monster.

I‘m using this for #aruba for #readingtheamericas23, but it would also work for #peru and #chile.

I

BarbaraBB He is Dutch and continuously talking to Dutch journalists. He‘s crazy as hell. And stupid. He just confessed the murder of Natalee but his story seems a lie once again 14mo
squirrelbrain I read all about that recent ‘confession‘ @BarbaraBB - but I don‘t think he can be trusted at all. 14mo
Librarybelle @squirrelbrain @BarbaraBB This whole case has been bizarre and such a long struggle for justice. I‘m kind of curious to read it, only because of reading the story for so long. 14mo
robinb I can remember so vividly where I was when I first saw the news about Natalee‘s disappearance. I was out eating dinner with my family. It was big news nationally but even more so here in Alabama where she lived. It‘s been heartbreaking to see what her family has had to go through over the years. 😔 14mo
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DGRachel
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A soft pick. This is an account of the man suspected in the disappearance of Natalie Holloway in Aruba 20-ish years.While there‘s no justice for her family, this monster is currently serving a 28 year sentence in Peru for the vicious murder of another young woman. Reading almost like a Dateline episode, this details his ever changing stories, greed, and attempts to evade law enforcement in multiple countries. ⬇️

DGRachel What makes me the angriest, I think, is the refusal of his parents to acknowledge the truth of their son‘s actions. His mother apparently still makes excuses for him (“he‘s mentally ill not evil”) and his father was briefly held in Aruban jail on suspicion of involvement in Natalie‘s disappearance. Counts for #aruba and #peru in #readingtheamericas2023 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB 1y
BarbaraBB Oh this is interesting. He is Dutch (as I am) and there‘s always been a lot of publicity around this case. He even confessed on camera and yet has never been convicted for the Holloway case. He will be extradited to the US soon for blackmailing Natalee‘s mother (if I‘m right). In the mean time in Peru he killed and married someone. It‘s a bizar story. About his parents I didn‘t know. They avoid publicity in Dutch press but I‘ll look into it! (edited) 1y
DGRachel @BarbaraBB He‘s a bizarre character. His father apparently was training to be a judge, but the Holloway case destroyed his career. The book ends in 2011, before the trial in Peru actually started, so I had to Google to see if he was convicted. He does face charges of wire fraud and extortion in the US. I found the details on how criminal justice systems in other countries work, though. 1y
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BarbaraBB ⬆️ Here he confesses - with a big grin. He‘s totally mad. A Dutch journalist went undercover ( he was murdered last year) to record it. 1y
BarbaraBB I don‘t know the details either. I know America wants him after he finished his prison time in Peru for that murder but apparently recently a deal has been made so he can be extradited to the US. Joran himself agreed at first but now denies he did. 1y
DGRachel @BarbaraBB That sounds about right for Joran. He‘s a pathological liar. That journalist and the recording he made are mentioned in the book. I realized I missed a word in my earlier comment about the law in other countries. I love learning how different systems work. I figure we‘ll never really know what happened to Natalie. I‘m kind of sorry I read this because he seems like the kind of person who thrives on attention and I hate to give him more 1y
BarbaraBB That‘s right. About him being a pathological liar and that he thrives on attention. I try to avoid it as much as possible too ever since I saw that documentary and there was no arrest afterwards. 1y
Librarybelle Fascinating discussion, @DGRachel @BarbaraBB ! I remember when this happened and all of the secrets and unknowns surrounding it. 1y
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