Reviews tagging 'Blood'

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

57 reviews

erikawynn's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious tense slow-paced

1.0

This is alllllllll about the cops on the case and not at all about the victims and it’s entirely uncritical about the policing involved, even when describing some disturbing victim-blaming. In the afterword, Patton Oswald even writes that Michelle McNamara had “a true cop’s heart and mind.” I’m not a big true crime fan but have been impressed by some victim-centered takes on the genre (like the podcast Truer Crime) and this book was everything I dislike about the genre.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Racism

citrinuke's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Child death and Blood

librarymouse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

Michelle McNamara's work to hunt down the Golden State Killer is exceptional. Her dedication to the work and her writing style make the book an engaging read that made me want to keep reading long into the night despite the content. The sections compiled after her death were done with so much respect for her and her work show how much she meant to her friends, loved ones, and colleagues.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

ivana's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Rating: 4/5 stars

If you don’t already know the story of Michelle McNamara, I encourage you to read up on her and her life/writing, but the nutshell version is this—Michelle was a brilliant and dedicated true crime writer/blogger who dedicated a significant chunk of her life to investigating the identity of the serial murderer/rapist she dubbed the Golden State Killer. Although Michelle passed away unexpectedly before GSK was identified (and before the book was completed) he was finally identified and apprehended in 2018. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is a captivating and brilliantly written exploration of GSK’s crimes, a portrait of his victims, and an insight into the investigation that ultimately led to his arrest.

This was exceptional—though I’m still fairly new to the world of true crime I can already tell that this deserves a spot as one of the classics of the genre. It is incredibly well-written and detailed while still being compulsively readable and engaging. There are many reasons to be saddened by Michelle McNamara’s untimely passing, and one of them is the fact that we cannot look forward to more of her books. Indeed, the only part of the book that was less-than-stellar was the structure—undoubtedly due to the fact that Michelle never got to finish the book and much of it was pieced together from her notes or written after the fact by others—but the final product is still unquestionably good enough to compensate for this minor defect.

Recommended for anyone, but especially those who like: true crime; investigative journalism.

CW: Sexual assault/rape; murder/death; cruelty to animals.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder

annir's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment

kennedybullen's review against another edition

dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

mermaidsherbet's review against another edition

dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

ekostbade's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Stalking, and Murder

bramlee's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious sad medium-paced

4.0

I'm a fan of true crime podcasts, so I was excited to dive in when I found this 10-hour audiobook. It kept me company on many long trips and mindless hours of cleaning. McNamara and the others who wrote/edited this book did a great job of balancing information with sensitive subjects. Given the arrest of the GSK, I'm glad that I could listen to this book, find more information about the search for this criminal, and have the satisfaction of knowing that the story has a resolved ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, and Murder