The Price of Experience: Power, Money, Image, and Murder in Los Angeles

by Randall Sullivan

An account of the exploits of Joe Hunt and his organization tells of millions won and lost, cold-blooded murder, unquestioned loyalty to an amoral leader, and clever circumventing of the legal system

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

705 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1996

Reviews

[Lenny]

Good book.Excessively detailed story.The way Randall Sullivan portrays the tale you need a scorecard to keep all the characters straight.

[A Cesspool Buffoonery]

Habitual true crime -- the very best of the best; A charlatan-odyssey of treachery and conspiracy.

It’s only a small miracle serial killer Joe “Hunt” Gamsky is still incarcerated; Albeit even if released he’d be in front of judge again (before year’s end)

[Patrick]

A fascinating look into a less known chapter in LA history. Was a highly entertaining read - could have been a bit shorter

[A Cesspool Buffoonery]

Remarkable & Exhausting.

So expansive, as if the author’s own LA byrinth + Dead Wrong were combined into one deep-dive forensic accounting.

My lone gripe: ‘a little goes a long way;’ I can only take so much of Joe Gamsky's conniving treachery-swagger as he baits another “fish,” or patronizes a new “normie” into depleting their invalid parent’s estate + nest egg (another entry in Joe's yearbook of clever mischief & stoopid stooges).
The final act, covering Gamsky’s last criminal trial, is just a never ending cesspool of buffoonery – like having to watch each and every Jim Jones patron righteously guzzle poison.
Srsly feel like my brain needs to be scrubbed-out with Broadway showtunes, comedic standup specials, and/or TV News blooper reels, after investing the last five days commemorating this wretchedly charismatic, and remarkably conscience-lackin serial killer.

[John Lyman]

Joe Hunt is a modern-day Svengali. Gotta give the guy credit for being a world class manipulator and a genius. While reading the book it was easy to see things objectively and wonder why so many are so gullible, but then again, I can almost feel the spell he casts through the pages. Very well researched and well written. I hope Sullivan has other books I'd be interested in.

[Doug]

For a story about fast living and murder, it was kinda boring. I think Sullivan spent far, far too long describing the ways in which Hunt swindled money to keep the BBC afloat.

I would not recommend this book.