Glenna G. (keno) reviewed I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer on + 869 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
wow could not put it down...and when i was working i thought about it. it was very well written and page turner for sure!
Heather D. (daylily77) reviewed I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer on + 236 more book reviews
Bought a copy I liked this one so much. Well worth the read if the psychology of serial killers is your jam.
Amy R. (AmyMarie) - , reviewed I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer on + 46 more book reviews
This isn't your usual true crime book. Most "true crime" novels focus on the killer, his or life, and the motives behind their crimes. And for better or worse, true crime books often include rather graphic, disturbingly gleeful descriptions of the crimes.
That's not what this book is.
As suggested by the subtitle, this is a book about one woman's search for the Golden State Killer. Unlike most true crime books, it was written before the perpetrator was caught. And unlike the majority of true crime books, it does not indulge in torrid descriptions of graphic rapes. Yes, you'll learn about this man's crime spree, but not in the usual, lurid (and usually ploddingly chronological) way. If you want rape titillation or deep insight into the killer's psyche, this isn't your book.
I'll Be Gone In the Dark is a well written, compelling novel about a series of crimes in several different California cities, many of which weren't even known to be connected until after the fact. And it's a story about Michelle McNamara's relentless hunt to find the man responsible.
That's not what this book is.
As suggested by the subtitle, this is a book about one woman's search for the Golden State Killer. Unlike most true crime books, it was written before the perpetrator was caught. And unlike the majority of true crime books, it does not indulge in torrid descriptions of graphic rapes. Yes, you'll learn about this man's crime spree, but not in the usual, lurid (and usually ploddingly chronological) way. If you want rape titillation or deep insight into the killer's psyche, this isn't your book.
I'll Be Gone In the Dark is a well written, compelling novel about a series of crimes in several different California cities, many of which weren't even known to be connected until after the fact. And it's a story about Michelle McNamara's relentless hunt to find the man responsible.
Donna C. (g-ma) reviewed I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer on + 3152 more book reviews
Very disjointed writing style
One minute your reading about a crime and the next minute your reading about when she was born or when her parents met each other and then got married, very disjointed writing
The main storyline to this book is supposed to be the crimes but it just wanders all over the place until your just confused what you are reading about
One minute your reading about a crime and the next minute your reading about when she was born or when her parents met each other and then got married, very disjointed writing
The main storyline to this book is supposed to be the crimes but it just wanders all over the place until your just confused what you are reading about
jjares reviewed I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer on + 3413 more book reviews
The author captures the reader's attention quickly and doesn't let go. There are two types of obsession outlined in this book: the obvious one of the Golden State Killer and the obsession of the author in trying to bring the killer to justice.
The author died at 46 through an accidental overdose and an undiagnosed heart condition. Michelle's husband, Patton Oswalt (an actor and a comedian) and two other writers finished Michelle's book. Their goal was to remind people of the terrible toll the Golden State Killer had wreaked upon the population and their hope to help find the man. Not long after the book was published, a man was identified by DNA evidence to be the killer.
The author had a blog: TrueCrimeDiary.com. She and other people interested in true crime communicated with each other and shared ideas and tips. It is amazing how many people dedicate huge amounts of time in the analysis of crimes.
The person reading the text (Gabra Zackman) was absolutely wonderful. Please be aware that the last CD has bonus material. The first page (after the title page) is great because it shows the state of California and how the killer moved from one area to another. Page two lists the victims, while page 3 lists the investigators (which helps keep them clear). Pages four, five and six show the attack locations in each area of the state. 4.5 stars
The author died at 46 through an accidental overdose and an undiagnosed heart condition. Michelle's husband, Patton Oswalt (an actor and a comedian) and two other writers finished Michelle's book. Their goal was to remind people of the terrible toll the Golden State Killer had wreaked upon the population and their hope to help find the man. Not long after the book was published, a man was identified by DNA evidence to be the killer.
The author had a blog: TrueCrimeDiary.com. She and other people interested in true crime communicated with each other and shared ideas and tips. It is amazing how many people dedicate huge amounts of time in the analysis of crimes.
The person reading the text (Gabra Zackman) was absolutely wonderful. Please be aware that the last CD has bonus material. The first page (after the title page) is great because it shows the state of California and how the killer moved from one area to another. Page two lists the victims, while page 3 lists the investigators (which helps keep them clear). Pages four, five and six show the attack locations in each area of the state. 4.5 stars
Lynda C. (Readnmachine) reviewed I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer on + 1474 more book reviews
Writer Michelle McNamara, was obsessed with cold-crime cases. In her blog, she pondered those unsolved, perhaps unsolvable cases in which violent offenders apparently eluded justice. And with no case was she more obsessed than that of the Golden State Killer. Over a 10-year period, one man (ultimately connected via after-the-fact DNA evidence) was tied to 50 sexual assaults and 10 murders in central and southern California.
It was a quest which consumed her until her sudden death in 2016, and one for which no satisfying conclusion was ever reached in her lifetime. McNamara left hundreds of thousands of pages of police reports, newspaper clippings, emails, lists, database results, recorded interviews â and the partially-completed manuscript which became âI'll Be Gone in the Darkâ, completed by colleagues, researchers, and editors.
As such, it's an intriguing but patchy tale which lacks the ultimate punchline. No perpetrator is ever arrested, no prime suspect is singled out with any degree of certainty. The reader is left wondering â as McNamara herself was left wondering â what happened to the Golden State Killer and whether his identity is still buried somewhere in the margins of a crime scene report or a misdemeanor arrest dismissed as irrelevant. Unless the reader makes it a habit to follow crime reporting, one is apt to remain unaware of the 2018 arrest of a suspect whose name never surfaced in her research, but who was in fact ultimately identified by the forensic DNA technology in which she placed so much hope.
The known details of the crimes are horrific reminders of the violence inherent in some twisted minds. It's an unsettling read, but also a fascinating one as the emerging technologies of the 21st century irrevocably changed the ground rules of criminal investigation.
It was a quest which consumed her until her sudden death in 2016, and one for which no satisfying conclusion was ever reached in her lifetime. McNamara left hundreds of thousands of pages of police reports, newspaper clippings, emails, lists, database results, recorded interviews â and the partially-completed manuscript which became âI'll Be Gone in the Darkâ, completed by colleagues, researchers, and editors.
As such, it's an intriguing but patchy tale which lacks the ultimate punchline. No perpetrator is ever arrested, no prime suspect is singled out with any degree of certainty. The reader is left wondering â as McNamara herself was left wondering â what happened to the Golden State Killer and whether his identity is still buried somewhere in the margins of a crime scene report or a misdemeanor arrest dismissed as irrelevant. Unless the reader makes it a habit to follow crime reporting, one is apt to remain unaware of the 2018 arrest of a suspect whose name never surfaced in her research, but who was in fact ultimately identified by the forensic DNA technology in which she placed so much hope.
The known details of the crimes are horrific reminders of the violence inherent in some twisted minds. It's an unsettling read, but also a fascinating one as the emerging technologies of the 21st century irrevocably changed the ground rules of criminal investigation.
