STARRED Book Review: TRACKRS by Michael A. Jacobs

Reviewed by Melissa Suggitt

Cold cases aren’t just stories—they’re unfinished nightmares. TRACKRS unravels the long, frustrating hunt for a predator who thought he’d never be found.

Michael A. Jacobs pens a masterclass of the true crime genre with TRACKRS—a book that will pull you so deep into the case that you’ll start questioning your career choices. I think I may have just found a new true crime favorite to pair with Ann Rule.

TRACKRS chronicles the brutal crimes of Gerald Parker, the so-called “Bedroom Basher,” a monster who terrorized Orange County in the late 1970s and early 80s, slipping through the cracks of law enforcement for far too long. What makes this story particularly gripping is how close Parker came to getting away with it all—how forensic failures, bureaucratic red tape, and sheer bad luck allowed him to remain a phantom for decades.

What I appreciated about Jacobs’ approach here is that he never loses sight of the victims. Sandra. Debra. Kimberly. Debora. Marolyn. Chantal. Their names, their lives, their stories—he ensures they aren’t forgotten in the retelling. It’s a stark contrast to the justice system, which at times seemed to treat them as case numbers rather than people who deserved better. The moment that the pieces come together—when the weight of years of investigative work finally lands—is deeply satisfying but a simultaneous reminder of how many similar cases still sit unsolved, waiting for their TRACKRS moment.

This isn’t just a recounting of horrific crimes—it’s a painstakingly detailed, boots-on-the-ground examination of cold case investigations, police politics, forensic advancements, and the sheer perseverance it takes to bring a serial killer to justice.

With no initial suspect, no coordinated investigation, and a frustrating lack of urgency from law enforcement, Jacobs walks us through the grind of piecing together a fragmented puzzle that had sat unsolved for far too long.

The narrative is immersive to the point of making you feel like you’re sitting in an interrogation room or rifling through decades-old case files. Jacobs doesn’t just tell us what happened—he shows us, with pages of verbatim witness statements, interview transcripts, and courtroom proceedings. I could almost feel the stiffness of a police station chair and smell the old paper in those files, the stale coffee going cold in the styrofoam.

By the end, I was nearly convinced I could launch my own investigation into a cold case, simply based on how methodical and thorough Jacobs was in explaining the process. (Spoiler: I absolutely cannot. But the illusion was strong.)

One of the book’s strongest points is its attention to forensic advancements. The mid-90s is shockingly recent when you realize that DNA tracking was still in its infancy back then. Jacobs lays out the painstaking process of creating a DNA database, the uphill battle detectives faced to get labs to prioritize testing, and the grim reality that many violent criminals were still freely walking the streets simply because the technology to catch them didn’t exist yet. It’s both fascinating and infuriating to see how long it took for cases like these to gain any momentum.

A fair warning—this book does not shy away from the brutality of these murders. Maybe I’m getting a bit more squeamish with age or maybe the descriptions were just that intense, but there were moments I had to pause. Jacobs doesn’t exploit the violence for shock value, but he doesn’t gloss over it either. If you like your true crime on the forensic-heavy, investigative side rather than the sensationalist side, you’ll appreciate the approach. But for those with weaker stomachs, consider yourselves warned—this one gets graphic.

And then there’s Gerald Parker himself—a name that should haunt true crime history books more than it does. The deeper Jacobs goes into Parker’s psyche, the more horrifying the picture becomes. Whether he was mentally ill or simply pure evil (I’m voting the latter), Parker was a predator of the worst kind—lurking in the shadows, manipulating the system, and evading suspicion while brutally murdering five women, an unborn child, and savagely attacking five others. Following the case from its dead-end beginnings to his eventual capture is a ride filled with equal parts frustration, heartbreak, and sheer exhilaration when justice finally starts to take shape.

TRACKRS is one of the best true crime books I’ve read in a long time. It’s a slow burn in the best possible way—dense with detail, gripping in its execution, and as much a story about the evolution of forensic science as it is about solving a string of cold cases. If you like fact-driven and unapologetically real true crime, you’re going to love this one.

Just maybe don’t read it alone at night. And please…lock your windows.

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