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Raw Deal: The Untold Story of NYPD's "Cannibal Cop"
"When, if ever, does a thought cross the line and become a crime?"
RAW DEAL is the untold story of former New York City police officer Gil Valle, who in 2012 became known throughout the world as “The Cannibal Cop.” It is part the controversial saga of a man who was imprisoned for “thought crimes,” and a look into a world of dark sexuality and violence that most readers don’t know exists, except maybe in their nightmares.
After Valle’s arrest, media coverage exploded in a frenzy of lurid tabloid headlines and stories about the cop charged with planning to kidnap, torture, rape ...and eat ... women, including his own wife. But here’s the fascinating part; there was no such plan in reality. Valle was simply engaging in his own private fantasies, albeit fantasies that are abhorrent and grotesque, and for that he was thrown into prison.
Valle faced life in prison for his charges, and served 21 months for nothing more than having online chats about his fantasies. He was finally exonerated of all charges.
RAW DEAL raises the question of when does thought become a crime? A question that goes beyond his perverse sexuality to answers society must deal with in order to meet the challenge of terrorism. It will challenge the reader’s beliefs about free speech, the right to privacy, and government’s role in watching over us.
WARNING: This book contains graphic fantasy material of a sexual and violent nature. It is intended for Mature Audiences.
RAW DEAL is the untold story of former New York City police officer Gil Valle, who in 2012 became known throughout the world as “The Cannibal Cop.” It is part the controversial saga of a man who was imprisoned for “thought crimes,” and a look into a world of dark sexuality and violence that most readers don’t know exists, except maybe in their nightmares.
After Valle’s arrest, media coverage exploded in a frenzy of lurid tabloid headlines and stories about the cop charged with planning to kidnap, torture, rape ...and eat ... women, including his own wife. But here’s the fascinating part; there was no such plan in reality. Valle was simply engaging in his own private fantasies, albeit fantasies that are abhorrent and grotesque, and for that he was thrown into prison.
Valle faced life in prison for his charges, and served 21 months for nothing more than having online chats about his fantasies. He was finally exonerated of all charges.
RAW DEAL raises the question of when does thought become a crime? A question that goes beyond his perverse sexuality to answers society must deal with in order to meet the challenge of terrorism. It will challenge the reader’s beliefs about free speech, the right to privacy, and government’s role in watching over us.
WARNING: This book contains graphic fantasy material of a sexual and violent nature. It is intended for Mature Audiences.
238 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2017
62 people are currently reading
588 people want to read
About the author
Gil Valle
7 books47 followersUniversity of Maryland alum and Ex-NYPD cop turned author with a wrongful arrest and prosecution in between. Now fully exonerated, I've turned to writing in the hopes of making this a new career.
RAW DEAL (2/9/17) is my memoir about the "Cannibal Cop" case. I talk into the world dark and violent sexual fantasies, my family life, my wrongful arrest, my time in prison, rampant misconduct by FBI agents and the US Attorney's office, and my eventual acquittal and full exoneration.
A GATHERING OF EVIL (1/14/18) is my debut extreme horror novel, and it is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. It is the story of two New York women leading seemingly normal lives, completely unaware that they have been targeted by a group of wealthy and violent sadists. This group, who met through the Dark Web, share some rather unusual sexual desires, along a desire to turn those twisted fantasies into reality.
THE SOCIAL CATALOGUE OF #PREY (1/15/19) is the sequel of A Gathering of Evil. It centers on the dangers of the Age of Social Media, and how users unknowingly make themselves easy targets for depraved predators by posting the details of their day-to-day lives. This brutally realistic extreme horror novel may change the way you use social media.
I've appeared on Inside Edition, Crime Watch Daily with Chris Hansen, People Magazine, Cracked.com, Slate, The New York Post, The New York Daily News, The New York City Crime Report, True Murder with Dan Zupansky, Daily Mail TV, Soft Focus with Jena Friedman, and many other places.
This summer, I will be a guest at CrimeCon in New Orleans. I'll also be attending KillerCon in Austin, Texas as my novel A GATHERING OF EVIL was nominated for best extreme horror novel of 2018.
Twitter: @gilvalle3
Instagram: @gilvalle14
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gil.valle.7
RAW DEAL (2/9/17) is my memoir about the "Cannibal Cop" case. I talk into the world dark and violent sexual fantasies, my family life, my wrongful arrest, my time in prison, rampant misconduct by FBI agents and the US Attorney's office, and my eventual acquittal and full exoneration.
A GATHERING OF EVIL (1/14/18) is my debut extreme horror novel, and it is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. It is the story of two New York women leading seemingly normal lives, completely unaware that they have been targeted by a group of wealthy and violent sadists. This group, who met through the Dark Web, share some rather unusual sexual desires, along a desire to turn those twisted fantasies into reality.
THE SOCIAL CATALOGUE OF #PREY (1/15/19) is the sequel of A Gathering of Evil. It centers on the dangers of the Age of Social Media, and how users unknowingly make themselves easy targets for depraved predators by posting the details of their day-to-day lives. This brutally realistic extreme horror novel may change the way you use social media.
I've appeared on Inside Edition, Crime Watch Daily with Chris Hansen, People Magazine, Cracked.com, Slate, The New York Post, The New York Daily News, The New York City Crime Report, True Murder with Dan Zupansky, Daily Mail TV, Soft Focus with Jena Friedman, and many other places.
This summer, I will be a guest at CrimeCon in New Orleans. I'll also be attending KillerCon in Austin, Texas as my novel A GATHERING OF EVIL was nominated for best extreme horror novel of 2018.
Twitter: @gilvalle3
Instagram: @gilvalle14
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gil.valle.7
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 27, 2017
Before you read the title and run for the hills, it is not what it seems to be. Yes, Gil Valle was a NYPD policeman. This is a bizarre true crime.. one that no one would ever have believed possible in this day and age.
Gil knew as a young boy that he was somewhat different. Sexually, he had fantasies involving women who were tied and gagged. As he got older his fantasies changed, got a little more violent. He found a place on the web where like met like. Made-up fictional stories were shared.. stories that become dark.
Please understand ... this man did not attack women, he did not kidnap anyone, he did not kill anyone, and he certainly didn't eat anyone. Much like someone reading about serial killers or writing stories about a mass murderer .... does not make me a serial killer or a mass murderer.
When Gil's wife sees what he's doing on the computer, he does try to explain. But his wife took everything as truth and she went to the police with her worries.
In 2012, he was arrested and charged .. basically for 'thought' crimes. Now most of us understand that we cannot be imprisoned for thinking whatever thoughts happen to cross our minds.
Gil spent 2 years in jail for his "crimes" . Can you imagine what he went through in jail? Cut off from his family and friends, a cop who had to be kept in solitary for something he thought about.
The legal aspect of this case is what really held my attention. The first portion of this book describes the things he thought as a child, the secret he kept from his wife and co-workers. His trial, as such, left me angry .... angry that in this country, an American citizen can be held in jail for a crime that was never committed.
WARNING: This book contains graphic fantasy material of a sexual and violent nature. It is intended for Mature Audiences.
Many thanks to the authors / WildBlue Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this most interesting true story. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Gil knew as a young boy that he was somewhat different. Sexually, he had fantasies involving women who were tied and gagged. As he got older his fantasies changed, got a little more violent. He found a place on the web where like met like. Made-up fictional stories were shared.. stories that become dark.
Please understand ... this man did not attack women, he did not kidnap anyone, he did not kill anyone, and he certainly didn't eat anyone. Much like someone reading about serial killers or writing stories about a mass murderer .... does not make me a serial killer or a mass murderer.
When Gil's wife sees what he's doing on the computer, he does try to explain. But his wife took everything as truth and she went to the police with her worries.
In 2012, he was arrested and charged .. basically for 'thought' crimes. Now most of us understand that we cannot be imprisoned for thinking whatever thoughts happen to cross our minds.
Gil spent 2 years in jail for his "crimes" . Can you imagine what he went through in jail? Cut off from his family and friends, a cop who had to be kept in solitary for something he thought about.
The legal aspect of this case is what really held my attention. The first portion of this book describes the things he thought as a child, the secret he kept from his wife and co-workers. His trial, as such, left me angry .... angry that in this country, an American citizen can be held in jail for a crime that was never committed.
WARNING: This book contains graphic fantasy material of a sexual and violent nature. It is intended for Mature Audiences.
Many thanks to the authors / WildBlue Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this most interesting true story. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
March 19, 2017
If you ever saw the Tom Cruise movie, Minority Report you probably left the movie, going wow. Thought crimes. Pretty scary that the government could arrest a person based on the belief that a person would commit a crime. But then you just shook your head, realizing it was a sci fi movie. No way that could happen in real life. (Cue the creepy twilight zone music.) Stuff just got real!
I work in law enforcement. When I originally heard about this "Cannibal Cop" case I thought, WTF? Crazy psycho deserves to rot in prison for planning to kill his wife (mother of their child) and various other women. Lock him up and throw away the key. But then I got this book. What an eye opener! I'm shocked by how many laws the US Attorneys told and scared and shocked even more how a jury could hear both sides of this fascinating case and still conclude that Gil Valle was guilty.
Don't get me wrong. Gil's fantasies are twisted! Some of the stuff I read in this book made my stomach turn, but when I really stopped to think about it I realized it was definitely no worse, in fact it was probably tamer than some of the things Stephen King and Jack Ketchum have written about and those two make a lot of money off their novels. As an aside to Gil, maybe take some of those chats and your innate story telling skills and write some horror novels.
I'm glad Gil has been released. I sincerely hope he's able to get his life back in order and try to put this insane, horrible experience with the justice system behind him. The title is perfect. He really did get a Raw Deal. Good luck Mr. Valle.
The book is fascinating. It's a quick read. Biased to Gil's side of course, but after the blatant lies from the attorneys and FBI someone needs to come to Gil's defense. I'm glad he told his side of the story and I enjoyed the book. Definitely recommend to any true crime fan.
Netgalley ARC received for an honest review.
I work in law enforcement. When I originally heard about this "Cannibal Cop" case I thought, WTF? Crazy psycho deserves to rot in prison for planning to kill his wife (mother of their child) and various other women. Lock him up and throw away the key. But then I got this book. What an eye opener! I'm shocked by how many laws the US Attorneys told and scared and shocked even more how a jury could hear both sides of this fascinating case and still conclude that Gil Valle was guilty.
Don't get me wrong. Gil's fantasies are twisted! Some of the stuff I read in this book made my stomach turn, but when I really stopped to think about it I realized it was definitely no worse, in fact it was probably tamer than some of the things Stephen King and Jack Ketchum have written about and those two make a lot of money off their novels. As an aside to Gil, maybe take some of those chats and your innate story telling skills and write some horror novels.
I'm glad Gil has been released. I sincerely hope he's able to get his life back in order and try to put this insane, horrible experience with the justice system behind him. The title is perfect. He really did get a Raw Deal. Good luck Mr. Valle.
The book is fascinating. It's a quick read. Biased to Gil's side of course, but after the blatant lies from the attorneys and FBI someone needs to come to Gil's defense. I'm glad he told his side of the story and I enjoyed the book. Definitely recommend to any true crime fan.
Netgalley ARC received for an honest review.
July 8, 2017
I got this ARC from Netgalley and Wild Blue Press.
From the previews, I could tell that this book was going to be unusual, and it sure is one heck of a journey. The changes happen so fast that it feels like a demolition derby at times. A real life wild ride written by Gil Valle, a NY cop who has a new baby he's crazy about, and is going through a rough patch with his wife, who has moved out for a while as they work on things. He likes his job and is feeling he's becoming good at it, when one one day he is surprised by a bunch of cops as he's getting ready to leave for work. He's taken for questioning about his dirty little secret habit of going onto the Internet and looking at porn while talking about twisted fantasies with others who share his interests. He gets honest with them after seeing they know a lot and to his shock, he's arrested, not for these things he's only thought about and talked about...but for actually kidnapping women and doing horrific things to them that were only fantasies that he'd made up. So they charged him with being part of a conspiracy. This book shows that thought crimes can and do happen and did happen to this ex-cop in 2012. There is graphic adult language. Very eye opening about intellectual crimes.
From the previews, I could tell that this book was going to be unusual, and it sure is one heck of a journey. The changes happen so fast that it feels like a demolition derby at times. A real life wild ride written by Gil Valle, a NY cop who has a new baby he's crazy about, and is going through a rough patch with his wife, who has moved out for a while as they work on things. He likes his job and is feeling he's becoming good at it, when one one day he is surprised by a bunch of cops as he's getting ready to leave for work. He's taken for questioning about his dirty little secret habit of going onto the Internet and looking at porn while talking about twisted fantasies with others who share his interests. He gets honest with them after seeing they know a lot and to his shock, he's arrested, not for these things he's only thought about and talked about...but for actually kidnapping women and doing horrific things to them that were only fantasies that he'd made up. So they charged him with being part of a conspiracy. This book shows that thought crimes can and do happen and did happen to this ex-cop in 2012. There is graphic adult language. Very eye opening about intellectual crimes.
December 9, 2019
Ever since I found out about this case I have been fascinated and almost obsessed with it! In the beginning I thought Gil Valle needed to be in prison. However, the more research I did on it: reading articles, watching documentaries and reading this book has definitely changed my mind.
Our boy has some freaky fetishes no doubt about that but he is not a killer. I cant imagine being sent to jail just bc my fantasies were unusual. This book gives you a little taste of how corrupt our justice system can be. How absurd it is just to get arrested for your thoughts. This case should not have been dragged out like it was. Nay nay, I say. In his book he is very raw, open and honest about everything.
Here's to hoping Gil can build a successful and happy life after all this crap, and change his name from Cannibal Cop to Cannibal Author. I will continue stalking him for his latest books. I'm a little cracked in the head myself so Gil, my boy, if I ever met you I would give you a big, teddy bear hug! Good luck to you!!
Our boy has some freaky fetishes no doubt about that but he is not a killer. I cant imagine being sent to jail just bc my fantasies were unusual. This book gives you a little taste of how corrupt our justice system can be. How absurd it is just to get arrested for your thoughts. This case should not have been dragged out like it was. Nay nay, I say. In his book he is very raw, open and honest about everything.
Here's to hoping Gil can build a successful and happy life after all this crap, and change his name from Cannibal Cop to Cannibal Author. I will continue stalking him for his latest books. I'm a little cracked in the head myself so Gil, my boy, if I ever met you I would give you a big, teddy bear hug! Good luck to you!!
May 18, 2017
You may never read another book like this one. It's a combination sexual-escapades memoir, the history of an interesting and important legal case, a fable about the dangers of trusting the media, an object lesson about knowing who you can really count on in this life, and a 100-page love letter to the author's daughter. All of this is packed into less than 250 pages. Well and believably written. I kept hearing (even from the author!) about how graphic and horrifying this book would be, but it wasn't grisly -- it was straight from the shoulder and to my mind lacking in horrifying details, except the parts about life in prison. The legal issues alone should make this required reading for every American. Read it!
April 25, 2017
This book is not for everyone. Right from the prologue you can tell that you are in store for a sick, twisted, perverted tale. Told in his own words, this book recounts Gil Valle's side of the story in this bizarre case, which proves that truth is often stranger than fiction. The main point he sets out to investigate is this: "when, if ever, does 'thought' cross the line and become crime?"
What is so interesting about this case is the fact that everyone - the judge, the US Marshalls, the prison guards, fellow prisoners, members of the media, and even people within the US Attorney's office - thought that the trial was a sham. The only people that actually thought is was true and just were the prosecutors. The US Attorneys in this trial exhibited gross misconduct, going against the judge's pre-trial orders several times. But it is never mentioned why the judge chose to allow it time and again. Maybe he felt like his hands were tied?
Valle sums the situation up nicely in the afterword: "I have come to realize how important the “thought crime” angle is, and how it relates to all of us in society. How full would our prisons be if the government could jail us based on our thoughts, or even upon Google searches when not accompanied by any actions? How many people do you know that have fantasized about doing something that was against the law?"
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of true crime and anyone interested in the shortfalls of the criminal justice system. I received this as a free ARC from Wild Blue Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What is so interesting about this case is the fact that everyone - the judge, the US Marshalls, the prison guards, fellow prisoners, members of the media, and even people within the US Attorney's office - thought that the trial was a sham. The only people that actually thought is was true and just were the prosecutors. The US Attorneys in this trial exhibited gross misconduct, going against the judge's pre-trial orders several times. But it is never mentioned why the judge chose to allow it time and again. Maybe he felt like his hands were tied?
Valle sums the situation up nicely in the afterword: "I have come to realize how important the “thought crime” angle is, and how it relates to all of us in society. How full would our prisons be if the government could jail us based on our thoughts, or even upon Google searches when not accompanied by any actions? How many people do you know that have fantasized about doing something that was against the law?"
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of true crime and anyone interested in the shortfalls of the criminal justice system. I received this as a free ARC from Wild Blue Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 10, 2017
Awesome Read
5 stars for excellent writing and details. Not surprised that the government used lies and manipulations to strengthen their case. Erin and HBO were deplorable too.
5 stars for excellent writing and details. Not surprised that the government used lies and manipulations to strengthen their case. Erin and HBO were deplorable too.
September 12, 2025
3.5/5 stars
January 24, 2022
This book is extremely repetitive and somehow - despite the objectively interesting facts - deeply boring.
He is completely devoid of remorse, but brimming with a contradictory mix of arrogance and self-pity. He takes no responsibility for the impact his actions and spends the entire book complaining about people making him out to be a bad guy.
The evidence is so overwhelming, but he attempts to explain it all away as coincidence. He writes like he thinks he's smarter than the reader, but couldn't use his police training to cover his tracks.
The whole book could be summarized as: "Poor me, I'm just a nice guy with one small weird hobby, and people are treating me like a criminal! I have always had a completely normal life and having kinks is normal! Women shouldn't post pics on Facebook if they don't want me to upload them to websites for men looking for potential victims! It was all harmless but also they were asking for it!!! I am the true victim!!!!"
At one point, to demonstrate how great a guy he is, he tells an anecdote about how the police in his area were really racist and doing a lot of unnecessary "stop and frisks" to fill quotas - he still performed the tasks, but says he disagreed with them in his head. He explains this unrelated tangent in detail, but barely mentions how he used police search databases to stalk women.
The only redeeming quality of this book is that it gives you insight into the type of person he is and the narrative he has developed to smooth over this situation. It does NOT give any insight into his actual thoughts or why he did the things he did. Although I believe he unwittingly outted himself as an incel.
He is completely devoid of remorse, but brimming with a contradictory mix of arrogance and self-pity. He takes no responsibility for the impact his actions and spends the entire book complaining about people making him out to be a bad guy.
The evidence is so overwhelming, but he attempts to explain it all away as coincidence. He writes like he thinks he's smarter than the reader, but couldn't use his police training to cover his tracks.
The whole book could be summarized as: "Poor me, I'm just a nice guy with one small weird hobby, and people are treating me like a criminal! I have always had a completely normal life and having kinks is normal! Women shouldn't post pics on Facebook if they don't want me to upload them to websites for men looking for potential victims! It was all harmless but also they were asking for it!!! I am the true victim!!!!"
At one point, to demonstrate how great a guy he is, he tells an anecdote about how the police in his area were really racist and doing a lot of unnecessary "stop and frisks" to fill quotas - he still performed the tasks, but says he disagreed with them in his head. He explains this unrelated tangent in detail, but barely mentions how he used police search databases to stalk women.
The only redeeming quality of this book is that it gives you insight into the type of person he is and the narrative he has developed to smooth over this situation. It does NOT give any insight into his actual thoughts or why he did the things he did. Although I believe he unwittingly outted himself as an incel.
November 18, 2023
Raw Deal is what police officer Gil Valle was given by an overzealous FBI and justice department for "thought crimes." Gil frequented a website named "Dark Fetish Network" with hundreds of thousands of other individuals worldwide with a taste for S&M. The most surprising aspect of the book is the vast number of human beings with a taste for kinky sexual adventures.
Valle visited chat rooms and wrote some creative and twisted scenarios involving the abduction, rape and occasional roasting of women in a gigantic oven. The stuff is obviously of a fictitious nature.
Gil's wife suspected her husband of having an affair and installed spyware on his computer only to uncover his unusual hobby. She contacted the FBI and all hell broke loose as the lawmen busted the police officer and between arrest and trial, the fantasy-writer spent almost two years in prison. Fellow inmates sympathized with his plight after reading the sensationalized tabloid articles on the "Cannibal Cop."
Prosecutorial misconduct was disgusting, and as a New York resident, I am ashamed of our supposedly "liberal" justice system. The lead D.A., Hadassah Waxman receives a special shout-out from the author and she has been sued.
The daughter of former NY Times writer David Carr, Erin-Lee Carr, befriended Valle in prison and convinced him to participate in a documentary in order to tell his side of the story. The HBO film instead portrayed him as a man with bad intentions.
Gil should have learned a hard lesson but instead he has continued with his B&D fantasies and now hooks up with ladies who enjoy bondage and whips.
Raw Deal is a good read.
Valle visited chat rooms and wrote some creative and twisted scenarios involving the abduction, rape and occasional roasting of women in a gigantic oven. The stuff is obviously of a fictitious nature.
Gil's wife suspected her husband of having an affair and installed spyware on his computer only to uncover his unusual hobby. She contacted the FBI and all hell broke loose as the lawmen busted the police officer and between arrest and trial, the fantasy-writer spent almost two years in prison. Fellow inmates sympathized with his plight after reading the sensationalized tabloid articles on the "Cannibal Cop."
Prosecutorial misconduct was disgusting, and as a New York resident, I am ashamed of our supposedly "liberal" justice system. The lead D.A., Hadassah Waxman receives a special shout-out from the author and she has been sued.
The daughter of former NY Times writer David Carr, Erin-Lee Carr, befriended Valle in prison and convinced him to participate in a documentary in order to tell his side of the story. The HBO film instead portrayed him as a man with bad intentions.
Gil should have learned a hard lesson but instead he has continued with his B&D fantasies and now hooks up with ladies who enjoy bondage and whips.
Raw Deal is a good read.
January 4, 2018
Book received from NetGalley.
This was a rough book to read, I had heard about the authors "crimes" when they happened, and I had read a bit of what was going on in the papers. None of that even touched the surface of what happened with the "Cannibal Cop". Major trigger warning, the fetishes talked about in the book are hard core and include bondage and cannibalism just for starters, if you have any issues with anything other than vanilla sex do not read this book. The author was jailed for "thought" crimes, his wife saw what he was looking at on the internet and when it freaked her out she went to the police. The nightmare continued from there. The main part of the book was discussing just how horribly he was treated by the justice system and that was the worst for me. Imagining if it was me that was having to go through something like this, and having everyone believe you were some kind of monster. While it wasn't an enjoyable read, it was definitely interesting.
This was a rough book to read, I had heard about the authors "crimes" when they happened, and I had read a bit of what was going on in the papers. None of that even touched the surface of what happened with the "Cannibal Cop". Major trigger warning, the fetishes talked about in the book are hard core and include bondage and cannibalism just for starters, if you have any issues with anything other than vanilla sex do not read this book. The author was jailed for "thought" crimes, his wife saw what he was looking at on the internet and when it freaked her out she went to the police. The nightmare continued from there. The main part of the book was discussing just how horribly he was treated by the justice system and that was the worst for me. Imagining if it was me that was having to go through something like this, and having everyone believe you were some kind of monster. While it wasn't an enjoyable read, it was definitely interesting.
March 29, 2017
Full Review
Raw Deal is a fascinating read about a strange but important case. It brings up several important questions. Where does free speech end and intent to commit a crime begin? Where does the internet and real life intertwine, if they're even separate at all? What powers should law enforcement have over the internet? I highly recommend this book and I encourage anyone who reads it to look further into the “Cannibal Cop” case.
Raw Deal is a fascinating read about a strange but important case. It brings up several important questions. Where does free speech end and intent to commit a crime begin? Where does the internet and real life intertwine, if they're even separate at all? What powers should law enforcement have over the internet? I highly recommend this book and I encourage anyone who reads it to look further into the “Cannibal Cop” case.
September 14, 2017
Great, but very sad story...
If there's one thing I can't stand, it's reading stories of prosecutorial misconduct that caused an innocent person to spend even one day behind bars.
But this man ... he lost not only days of freedom, but his wife, his child, his reputation, job as a police officer and so very much more. The only thing he gained is a label that shouldn't have been given to him in the first place.
But, his case did do something for every American - and that's to make it illegal for us to be prosecuted for our thoughts! Like he says, "Can you imagine how full or prisons would be if they prosecuted everyone who ever had a bad thought about someone else?"
I know there are several people I've had a thought or two about that wasn't very nice - but that doesn't mean I'd actually carry through on that thought! And that's exactly what he was prosecuted for - and stood the real possibility of facing life in prison over.
How many times have you said to yourself, or even to a friend, "I could kill my wife/husband/bf/gf/etc?" Or thought it in your head? Of course you'd never DO it! It's an expression of frustration, anger, disgust ... you even sometimes say it in humor with a slap to the arm (or back of the head). Imagine being prosecuted for just SAYING or THINKING that. For "thought crimes."
Thankfully, because of this case, you CAN'T be. So you can think it all you want. You can even Google ways to do it. Discuss it as a fantasy in online chat rooms. As long as you keep it a fantasy, you can think it and fantasize it all you want.
Mr. Valle already took the punishment so we can all do that.
And this story is about that road trip. And it's not an easy read because his story isn't about anything as tame as just saying, "Boy, I could kill my wife for that stupid move, hahaha!"
Nope, he did something that many people will find hard to stomach. You can skip those parts if you find the need, but I feel he wrote them to be sensitive to those with queasy tummys.
Good read! Highly recommended!
If there's one thing I can't stand, it's reading stories of prosecutorial misconduct that caused an innocent person to spend even one day behind bars.
But this man ... he lost not only days of freedom, but his wife, his child, his reputation, job as a police officer and so very much more. The only thing he gained is a label that shouldn't have been given to him in the first place.
But, his case did do something for every American - and that's to make it illegal for us to be prosecuted for our thoughts! Like he says, "Can you imagine how full or prisons would be if they prosecuted everyone who ever had a bad thought about someone else?"
I know there are several people I've had a thought or two about that wasn't very nice - but that doesn't mean I'd actually carry through on that thought! And that's exactly what he was prosecuted for - and stood the real possibility of facing life in prison over.
How many times have you said to yourself, or even to a friend, "I could kill my wife/husband/bf/gf/etc?" Or thought it in your head? Of course you'd never DO it! It's an expression of frustration, anger, disgust ... you even sometimes say it in humor with a slap to the arm (or back of the head). Imagine being prosecuted for just SAYING or THINKING that. For "thought crimes."
Thankfully, because of this case, you CAN'T be. So you can think it all you want. You can even Google ways to do it. Discuss it as a fantasy in online chat rooms. As long as you keep it a fantasy, you can think it and fantasize it all you want.
Mr. Valle already took the punishment so we can all do that.
And this story is about that road trip. And it's not an easy read because his story isn't about anything as tame as just saying, "Boy, I could kill my wife for that stupid move, hahaha!"
Nope, he did something that many people will find hard to stomach. You can skip those parts if you find the need, but I feel he wrote them to be sensitive to those with queasy tummys.
Good read! Highly recommended!
March 26, 2017
I was sent this by Netgalley for review, but all views are my own.
I was intrigued by this book because obviously it's about a 'cannibal cop' and I really wanted to read a non fiction crime because I do find those interesting. This is told by the man accused Gil and I honestly feel for this man. I didn't know that this was a national story until I read this. I'll make it clear that this man didn't do anything, he was arrested for thoughts, which are disturbing but he had no intention to harm in real life. I found myself warming to Gil throughout the story and I'm glad he has a good working life now.
This book has shown me how the law can be flawed and how one single event (being arrested) can turn an innocent mans life upside down. I found myself cheering for the defence and Gil throughout the whole book and It's made me more aware of just how many people can be wrongly named, shamed and sentenced to life for an act that they didn't even commit.
I was intrigued by this book because obviously it's about a 'cannibal cop' and I really wanted to read a non fiction crime because I do find those interesting. This is told by the man accused Gil and I honestly feel for this man. I didn't know that this was a national story until I read this. I'll make it clear that this man didn't do anything, he was arrested for thoughts, which are disturbing but he had no intention to harm in real life. I found myself warming to Gil throughout the story and I'm glad he has a good working life now.
This book has shown me how the law can be flawed and how one single event (being arrested) can turn an innocent mans life upside down. I found myself cheering for the defence and Gil throughout the whole book and It's made me more aware of just how many people can be wrongly named, shamed and sentenced to life for an act that they didn't even commit.
March 9, 2018
I read this book in a day! I had heard about his story from another book I read. It was told from a journalist point of view. At first o thought he was guilty but after reading this I can see his side of the story. It doesn’t surprise me how many lies were told to keep him in prison. The publishers note really made me think when they said you can’t blame someone for a thought. I’ve thought horrid things and have never done them. So I’m on your side Gil.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2021
Wow, I wasn't really for sure if I was going to like this book or not. However, I am really glad that I read it because it turned out to be much better than I expected.
April 10, 2017
I rarely rate any book 5 stars. I think is a great read. It is very interesting and thought provoking and definitely worth reading. I listened to the whole audio book at work last night. At first you want to dislike Gil very very much. By the end you want to wish him the best and hope he regains visitation of his daughter. There are also several parts that will shock you. They way the story is written is also great!
September 21, 2019
An amazing must read book. The crimes in this book were all committed by the government. Valle exposes his persecution for Thought Crimes. Ignore the inaccurate HBO documentary and read the book!
January 3, 2023
held my interest throughout.
Was glad he was finally proven innocent. Even though I thought his fantasies were creepy I completely recognized they were fantasies.
Was glad he was finally proven innocent. Even though I thought his fantasies were creepy I completely recognized they were fantasies.
March 15, 2017
"I imagine the scene. I picture her bound and gagged, I think of her tied onto a rotisserie screaming for her life as we turn her over a low fire.
Then I get off and go to bed. Maybe tomorrow we'll start another story."
I have to give credit where it's due, the prologue really pulls you in. He was correct when saying he knew how to write, he was amazing at telling about his porn sites and the fetishes he has, whilst balancing that with his personal life and giving you an inside look at what everyone was like - as it was happening.
He may be able to write, but he's an asshole for writing the word victims with speech marks around it. If I found out someone was uploading my photos to a fetish site and having people describe what they wanted to do with me, cook me, rape me, torture me, make me a slave and so many more things then I would certainly be calling for this guy to be punished and everyone who made a comment, but the fact that he doesn't think they are victims of that is disgusting. I would have been horrified to discover what was going on, and he honestly deserved all the time he spent in prison for not thinking of those innocent women as victims.
A major debate over this case is if he deserved to be imprisoned, and at first, I thought no, no crime was being committed, but when I thought about him being charged with conspiracy to kidnap I changed my mind slightly. If I spent hours every week talking to people about how I was going to kidnapping someone (and what I was going to do with them once I kidnapped them), I would put that down to planning it. Sure I may never have acted on it, but that could easily have been a defence that would hopefully keep me out of prison. I could plan to steal from a shop, but if someone asked me if I was or not, I could say "Nope." and effectively, that is what was happening here. Despite wanting him to stay in prison, I found myself getting excited when his lawyers were finding all this evidence to prove that the prosecutors were lying. I was just caught up the happiness that was projecting through this book.
Then I get off and go to bed. Maybe tomorrow we'll start another story."
I have to give credit where it's due, the prologue really pulls you in. He was correct when saying he knew how to write, he was amazing at telling about his porn sites and the fetishes he has, whilst balancing that with his personal life and giving you an inside look at what everyone was like - as it was happening.
He may be able to write, but he's an asshole for writing the word victims with speech marks around it. If I found out someone was uploading my photos to a fetish site and having people describe what they wanted to do with me, cook me, rape me, torture me, make me a slave and so many more things then I would certainly be calling for this guy to be punished and everyone who made a comment, but the fact that he doesn't think they are victims of that is disgusting. I would have been horrified to discover what was going on, and he honestly deserved all the time he spent in prison for not thinking of those innocent women as victims.
A major debate over this case is if he deserved to be imprisoned, and at first, I thought no, no crime was being committed, but when I thought about him being charged with conspiracy to kidnap I changed my mind slightly. If I spent hours every week talking to people about how I was going to kidnapping someone (and what I was going to do with them once I kidnapped them), I would put that down to planning it. Sure I may never have acted on it, but that could easily have been a defence that would hopefully keep me out of prison. I could plan to steal from a shop, but if someone asked me if I was or not, I could say "Nope." and effectively, that is what was happening here. Despite wanting him to stay in prison, I found myself getting excited when his lawyers were finding all this evidence to prove that the prosecutors were lying. I was just caught up the happiness that was projecting through this book.
May 19, 2021
What the ever loving did I just listen to?
Clearly, a book with “Cannibal Cop” in the subtitle is going to create some feelings. But, yikes, I need to rant. And wash my ears out with soap a million times. And hug puppies.
This is a true crime memoir, written by a New York City cop accused of, convicted of, and imprisoned for plotting to kidnap, kill, and eat (!) women. Let that sit a moment.
So the conviction is eventually overturned because there isn’t enough evidence of a real-life plan. It was all “fantasy.” Essentially, this was a thought crime.
But he was a COP! Hanging out in a deviant fetish forum, discussing the acts of kidnapping, rape, torture, and COOKING women. A COP!
He posted pictures of his wife and other women he knew on this forum. Shared fantasies about eating them. And then, when caught, he had the temerity to claim they were never in danger. Their pictures are all over a fetish site, where he shares fantasies about torturing, cooking, and eating them. But, no, they weren’t in danger. It was all just harmless fantasy. He’s a model husband. A gentleman.
The tone of this guy’s writing is not contrite or apologetic. He is, in fact, outraged that this happened to him. That the police department didn’t stand by him. That he was even charged with a crime. Has he never heard of the Code of Ethics he’s supposed to uphold? Let’s briefly ignore his fantasy of eating his wife. Just hanging out on a deviant fetish site, where people are talking about kidnapping and rape, violates that code.
This book is difficult to listen to for so many reasons. First and most obvious, the content addresses some intensely horrific fetishes. Then, his woe-is-me whining and self-righteous tone made me want to beat his head into a wall. He has zero understanding of how wrong his actions were.
The narrator does an excellent job of inhabiting this freak’s mindset. If you can handle the content, this book provides a lot to think and rant about.
*I received a free audiobook download from WildBlue Press.*
Clearly, a book with “Cannibal Cop” in the subtitle is going to create some feelings. But, yikes, I need to rant. And wash my ears out with soap a million times. And hug puppies.
This is a true crime memoir, written by a New York City cop accused of, convicted of, and imprisoned for plotting to kidnap, kill, and eat (!) women. Let that sit a moment.
So the conviction is eventually overturned because there isn’t enough evidence of a real-life plan. It was all “fantasy.” Essentially, this was a thought crime.
But he was a COP! Hanging out in a deviant fetish forum, discussing the acts of kidnapping, rape, torture, and COOKING women. A COP!
He posted pictures of his wife and other women he knew on this forum. Shared fantasies about eating them. And then, when caught, he had the temerity to claim they were never in danger. Their pictures are all over a fetish site, where he shares fantasies about torturing, cooking, and eating them. But, no, they weren’t in danger. It was all just harmless fantasy. He’s a model husband. A gentleman.
The tone of this guy’s writing is not contrite or apologetic. He is, in fact, outraged that this happened to him. That the police department didn’t stand by him. That he was even charged with a crime. Has he never heard of the Code of Ethics he’s supposed to uphold? Let’s briefly ignore his fantasy of eating his wife. Just hanging out on a deviant fetish site, where people are talking about kidnapping and rape, violates that code.
This book is difficult to listen to for so many reasons. First and most obvious, the content addresses some intensely horrific fetishes. Then, his woe-is-me whining and self-righteous tone made me want to beat his head into a wall. He has zero understanding of how wrong his actions were.
The narrator does an excellent job of inhabiting this freak’s mindset. If you can handle the content, this book provides a lot to think and rant about.
*I received a free audiobook download from WildBlue Press.*
July 17, 2017
Raw Deal is a hard book to review.
On the one hand, it's rather absurd that the "thought police" would go to the extreme of arresting and trying for conspiracy to kidnap and murder, a person who participates in a group chat online. That the group chat is on a website for those who are into BDSM and the suspect is a NYPD officer, seems to cause the FBI to reject the reality of the case to "act like they are doing something". This becomes especially true when the "facts" of the case are rather easily proven to be false or misrepresented. Throw in the allegations that the judges on the case were so easily mislead by the misrepresentations of technological facts - using cell phone towers to place a person on a given city block is the stuff of science fiction - that they would deny bail, and it starts to read like a poorly written, conspiracy laden, crime thriller.
On the other hand, the sheer number of cases where a convicted criminal has a judge completely overturn the felony conviction months after the case is over is fairly minuscule. That the appellate court further overturned the misdemeanor conviction - based on what can only be the faulty logic of "everyone is doing it" - speaks to how absurd it is that the case was brought to trial. If even a portion of Mr. Valle's allegations of prosecutorial misconduct is true, then there should have been a number of firings after the judge overturns the verdict.
The book is very engaging, but when I finished, I felt that there was something missing. It may be that there needs to be a book written from the FBI/US Attorney's POV to give the rest of the story.
On the one hand, it's rather absurd that the "thought police" would go to the extreme of arresting and trying for conspiracy to kidnap and murder, a person who participates in a group chat online. That the group chat is on a website for those who are into BDSM and the suspect is a NYPD officer, seems to cause the FBI to reject the reality of the case to "act like they are doing something". This becomes especially true when the "facts" of the case are rather easily proven to be false or misrepresented. Throw in the allegations that the judges on the case were so easily mislead by the misrepresentations of technological facts - using cell phone towers to place a person on a given city block is the stuff of science fiction - that they would deny bail, and it starts to read like a poorly written, conspiracy laden, crime thriller.
On the other hand, the sheer number of cases where a convicted criminal has a judge completely overturn the felony conviction months after the case is over is fairly minuscule. That the appellate court further overturned the misdemeanor conviction - based on what can only be the faulty logic of "everyone is doing it" - speaks to how absurd it is that the case was brought to trial. If even a portion of Mr. Valle's allegations of prosecutorial misconduct is true, then there should have been a number of firings after the judge overturns the verdict.
The book is very engaging, but when I finished, I felt that there was something missing. It may be that there needs to be a book written from the FBI/US Attorney's POV to give the rest of the story.
September 27, 2025
First of all, I’m not going to be gaslit into believing fantasies of cannibalism are an innocent kink, and all the cool kids are thinking it. Sexual gratification at the thought of abduction, rape, torture, murder, and consumption of human flesh? That’s a miswired and dangerous mind.
Next, this guy did NOT keep his sickness contained in his own psyche. He endangered women in real life by spreading their pictures to a community of men with heads full of violence. He crossed over from fantasy to reality. ANY of those strangers could have reverse image searched to find real names and locations of these women.
He cared nothing for his wife’s safety. He threw her to the internet wolves for his sickening idea of pleasure. He traded a beautiful family for the ugliest and darkest corner of humanity.
We need a law on the books for this type of thing. Dangling pictures of unknowing and unconsenting women as bait and inviting the internet to come up with hellacious things to inflict upon them should absolutely be illegal. I don’t want to be the woman in that picture. This “community” can go to jail and then go to hell.
This whole case is misogyny and rape culture masquerading as freedom. This man is a sociopath, not a patriot. It’s deeply disturbing how many people support turning a blind eye to these neon red flags. Every sexually sadistic murder began as a fantasy.
Gilberto Valle is arrogant, narcissistic, self-righteous, self-pitying, vulgar, immature, hollow, and in deep denial of the fact HE destroyed his own life. Those traits are glaringly obvious in his written words. He’s a disgrace to the NYPD, his daughter, and his family name.
I just changed my user name and profile pic so this loser doesn’t read this review and decide to eat me.
Get help, sir. You’re a real problem.
Next, this guy did NOT keep his sickness contained in his own psyche. He endangered women in real life by spreading their pictures to a community of men with heads full of violence. He crossed over from fantasy to reality. ANY of those strangers could have reverse image searched to find real names and locations of these women.
He cared nothing for his wife’s safety. He threw her to the internet wolves for his sickening idea of pleasure. He traded a beautiful family for the ugliest and darkest corner of humanity.
We need a law on the books for this type of thing. Dangling pictures of unknowing and unconsenting women as bait and inviting the internet to come up with hellacious things to inflict upon them should absolutely be illegal. I don’t want to be the woman in that picture. This “community” can go to jail and then go to hell.
This whole case is misogyny and rape culture masquerading as freedom. This man is a sociopath, not a patriot. It’s deeply disturbing how many people support turning a blind eye to these neon red flags. Every sexually sadistic murder began as a fantasy.
Gilberto Valle is arrogant, narcissistic, self-righteous, self-pitying, vulgar, immature, hollow, and in deep denial of the fact HE destroyed his own life. Those traits are glaringly obvious in his written words. He’s a disgrace to the NYPD, his daughter, and his family name.
I just changed my user name and profile pic so this loser doesn’t read this review and decide to eat me.
Get help, sir. You’re a real problem.
May 10, 2017
Once I started, I could barely put it down. It is a fascinating book. I knew Gil before he went through this nightmare. We worked together. We were and still are friends. Until this book, I could not imagine what the past few years must have been like for him. After reading countless one-sided articles about the "Cannibal Cop," it was great to finally read his side of the story. I am not surprised how he was constantly screwed over by the justice system. The man was arrested and convicted for fantasizing about something. While those fantasies were quite disturbing, they were still only fantasies. Not actual crimes. I have had my own share of sick thoughts. Being an author, it helps to learn how to stretch and exercise the imagination, in order to write stories that will stimulate the mind of the reader. Should I be arrested for my thoughts? Should I spend over a year of my life in prison for my fantasies? Hell no. Yet, it happened to Gil and his life was turned upside down and inside out. Give the guy a chance to explain his side. Read this book. It may change any negative opinions you may have about him. He is not the monster he was made out to be. In the least, you will know both sides of the story and learn how easily the justice system can ruin an innocent person's life through lies and desperation.
January 25, 2026
I actually saw the documentary & decided to read the book right from the person’s mouth - I’m so glad I did.
I started this book a few months ago - couldn’t get past the prologue. I kept trying to restart because I wanted to know the story. It just seemed so shocking, it was like my brain wouldn’t let me read it.
I picked it up again on my kindle today & forced myself to get through the first chapter. I was hooked. What a story!!! I’m so sad that Gil’s daughter is growing up without him & feel that is a true miscarriage of justice. I hope someday he’s able to reconnect with her.
Definitely recommend !!
I started this book a few months ago - couldn’t get past the prologue. I kept trying to restart because I wanted to know the story. It just seemed so shocking, it was like my brain wouldn’t let me read it.
I picked it up again on my kindle today & forced myself to get through the first chapter. I was hooked. What a story!!! I’m so sad that Gil’s daughter is growing up without him & feel that is a true miscarriage of justice. I hope someday he’s able to reconnect with her.
Definitely recommend !!
December 30, 2020
I’ve read online on a feminist page I follow some people going nuts about the cannibal cop being released and writing a book. “How can someone who wrote about committing a crime be released? This man must be locked away forever”.
This triggered me.
Was this a fail in the system or was something more? Got online, read a few stories and decided to read the book.
This is real life imitating fiction (minority report), with an even darker side, where the accused will forever be tagged as the cannibal cop.
This triggered me.
Was this a fail in the system or was something more? Got online, read a few stories and decided to read the book.
This is real life imitating fiction (minority report), with an even darker side, where the accused will forever be tagged as the cannibal cop.
August 5, 2019
I had the chance to see mr Valle speak at crimecon in new orleans and I bought the book upon returning home. Have heard him speak it helped give more context to the story and his storytelling style. Overall it was a good book and straightforward with his side of the story. The authors emotions are upfront and center and it comes through in his writing. I would recommend this book to others.
September 26, 2020
The more I read into this case and especially Gil's side of this case, the more I feel for him and his family. It is very obvious he was bamboozled. The HBO doc does not paint an accurate picture and the fact that so many people base their opinions on that one piece, is frustrating. I'm going to continue to read his work.
February 10, 2019
ProblrsGood Read
I realised injustice was done but, If you stir in a mud hole bad stuff will come to the top. That is when problems begin to appear either with the law of someone you love. This porn is so addictive and will finally eat away at all you love....Belinda Young
I realised injustice was done but, If you stir in a mud hole bad stuff will come to the top. That is when problems begin to appear either with the law of someone you love. This porn is so addictive and will finally eat away at all you love....Belinda Young
November 25, 2025
Easy read, written in casual, blunt language. While I agree that he should never have been in jail, he certainly enjoys talking about how much of a victim he is. This made the book unenjoyable at points.
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