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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
my dreams were full of home invasions, serial killers, and righteous fury last night, so i def think this book hit the right vibe.
I've become increasingly interested in true crime over the past year or so, heard about this book on the My Favorite Murder podcast, and figured it would be a good start for crime lit. But it's hard to say how I'd evaluate this as a text if there wasn't such a fascinating extratextual story around it -- that the author died while working on the project, that the stress and trauma of the investigation contributed to her death, that her doggedness in pursuing the case played a role in the Golden State Killer's eventual arrest (which lends a prophetic justice to certain passages). Michelle McNamara was a talented albeit obsessive writer. As I read, especially toward the end when the narrative becomes patchier and it's evident that the editors were forced to work with incomplete material, I was sad thinking about how spectacular the book could have been if she'd been able to complete it. Still, there's something triumphant about it when you go in knowing the whole story.
Would recommend it highly to fellow murderinos or anyone else with an interest in true crime.
Would recommend it highly to fellow murderinos or anyone else with an interest in true crime.
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
dark
emotional
fast-paced
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
I remember when Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested. Having never heard of the Golden State Killer or the East Area Rapist, it passed by me as a blip. Like many other people, I must admit to a morbid curiosity when it comes to the darker side of humanity. Basically, I read a lot of true crime and then think deeply about how avoid becoming a victim.
Here's the frightening thing about this guy. He was seriously prolific. When did he sleep? He went to school, worked as a cop, and had a family ala Dexter Morgan. How did he maintain his public face? I would like to think that I'd be able to detect somebody this sick if I crossed paths with them. Surely there had to be warning signs.
McNamara really was a good writer. She mixes in memoir with investigative journalism effectively. She is very honest about her own shortcomings (like when she mentions that she has been so obsessed with work that she forgot to get her husband an anniversary present). Sometimes writers get so caught up in the gore that they forget to be sympathetic to the victims. Not so with this writer. It was sympathy for a victim that spurred her onward. It truly is a great shame that she didn't live long enough to see him taken in. I read the Kindle version which could use some maps interspersed throughout for those of us not familiar with Sacramento and the surrounding areas.
All in all this was a really well written book that was hard to put down.
Here's the frightening thing about this guy. He was seriously prolific. When did he sleep? He went to school, worked as a cop, and had a family ala Dexter Morgan. How did he maintain his public face? I would like to think that I'd be able to detect somebody this sick if I crossed paths with them. Surely there had to be warning signs.
McNamara really was a good writer. She mixes in memoir with investigative journalism effectively. She is very honest about her own shortcomings (like when she mentions that she has been so obsessed with work that she forgot to get her husband an anniversary present). Sometimes writers get so caught up in the gore that they forget to be sympathetic to the victims. Not so with this writer. It was sympathy for a victim that spurred her onward. It truly is a great shame that she didn't live long enough to see him taken in. I read the Kindle version which could use some maps interspersed throughout for those of us not familiar with Sacramento and the surrounding areas.
All in all this was a really well written book that was hard to put down.
dark
informative
medium-paced
dark
inspiring