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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
“Make one move and you’ll be silent forever and I’ll be gone in the Dark.”
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I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is the first true crime book I’ve read and loved. This is how True Crime should be written!
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Michelle’s writing was straight to the point and her words were chilling. I think because I read this after the GSK was finally caught it made a much bigger impact on me, knowing Michelle wasn’t around to see it happen breaks my heart.
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“Open the door. Show us your face. Walk into the light.”
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“I’m still hoping he hears that cell door slam behind him. And I hope she hears it somehow too.” - Patton Oswalt
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Michelle was so passionate with this case and it truly showed through her writing. This book was a solid 4 stars right up until the end, Michelle’s husband wrote a beautiful afterword and it just summed up the person Michelle was.
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“This past Christmas, Alice, our daughter, opened a present that Santa had left her. She was happy, unwrapping her little digital camera and messing around with the settings. Fun gift. Happy holiday sweetie. Later that morning, she asked, out of the blue, “Daddy, why do you and Santa Clause have the same handwriting?” Michelle Eileen McNamara is gone. But she left behind a little detective. And a mystery.” - Patton Oswalt 💔
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I could write/talk about this book forever, please go pick it up if you haven’t already ❤️
.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is the first true crime book I’ve read and loved. This is how True Crime should be written!
.
Michelle’s writing was straight to the point and her words were chilling. I think because I read this after the GSK was finally caught it made a much bigger impact on me, knowing Michelle wasn’t around to see it happen breaks my heart.
.
“Open the door. Show us your face. Walk into the light.”
.
“I’m still hoping he hears that cell door slam behind him. And I hope she hears it somehow too.” - Patton Oswalt
.
Michelle was so passionate with this case and it truly showed through her writing. This book was a solid 4 stars right up until the end, Michelle’s husband wrote a beautiful afterword and it just summed up the person Michelle was.
.
“This past Christmas, Alice, our daughter, opened a present that Santa had left her. She was happy, unwrapping her little digital camera and messing around with the settings. Fun gift. Happy holiday sweetie. Later that morning, she asked, out of the blue, “Daddy, why do you and Santa Clause have the same handwriting?” Michelle Eileen McNamara is gone. But she left behind a little detective. And a mystery.” - Patton Oswalt 💔
.
I could write/talk about this book forever, please go pick it up if you haven’t already ❤️
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
Popsugar 39/50: a book published posthumously. Very interesting. I love a good true crime.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
dark
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder
I wasn't terribly interested in the subject matter (the true crime genre in general or this story of a serial murderer/rapist), but I did really enjoy McNamara's evocative, engaging writing style and the "story behind the story". Of particular interest were the memoir sections -- how she conducted her investigation, her observations of the stark difference in personality between detectives/investigators and that of her social group in the performing arts, and, especially, the psychological insights into how people (like her) become obsessed with true crime.
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
I appreciate that the author wanted to leave no stones unturned, but there were sooooo many names, places, scenarios etc constantly thrown at the reader that it’s impossible to keep up unless you’re well versed in the case already. It’s obvious the amount of research and passion went into this author’s investigation (it truly felt like you were following along as she hunts down answers), but there isn’t enough of an effort to make the information more accessible to those who aren’t as deeply familiar with the whole story. I also really wish additions would be made now that there have been significant developments in the case- I assumed that would be included in the afterword and was really disappointed when I got there :/