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lauren_drinkard's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Stalking, Sexual assault, and Murder
theunfinishedbookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Murder, Stalking, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
knkoch's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
An ambitious project that is unfortunately incomplete. Michelle McNamara was a really gifted writer, and her prose in the beginning of the book is really lucid and deft, powerful even. I didn't mind the sections where she wrote about herself, the way some readers seemed to. This was obviously an extremely personal project that consumed her over several years, and it made sense to me that she included her personal experience with a crime in her neighborhood in Chicago. However, the other side of the coin in that regard is that creeping icky feeling that McNamara's true crime passion is more an obsession, a little lurid, a little too fascinated.
But she doesn't lean too far in that direction, thankfully. I appreciate her ultimate aim, bringing justice and awareness to these cold case crimes against women. I watched the documentary about this book a few months ago, and this certainly raised my awareness of the sheer ubiquity of these types of crimes in the 1970s and 80s. The documentary was structured more clearly, and certainly benefitted from the successful discovery of the offender, which occurred right after the book was published. The book, with the unfinished chapters that friends and writers tried to finish and fill in as McNamara may have intended, can never be complete in the way she wanted, as neither a solution or summation in her voice is possible anymore. It's unforgettable in that way.
But she doesn't lean too far in that direction, thankfully. I appreciate her ultimate aim, bringing justice and awareness to these cold case crimes against women. I watched the documentary about this book a few months ago, and this certainly raised my awareness of the sheer ubiquity of these types of crimes in the 1970s and 80s. The documentary was structured more clearly, and certainly benefitted from the successful discovery of the offender, which occurred right after the book was published. The book, with the unfinished chapters that friends and writers tried to finish and fill in as McNamara may have intended, can never be complete in the way she wanted, as neither a solution or summation in her voice is possible anymore. It's unforgettable in that way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Murder
wintery1's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Torture, Death, Violence, Murder, Sexual violence, Rape, and Drug abuse
wandering_canuck's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Although this book pulled me in from page 1, it lost me about midway through. Though McNamara was obviously thorough in her research, I found my mind wandering throughout the second half. To be fair, this book was cobbled together by other writers after McNamara's early demise, so one can't judge it too harshly. I, of course, wanted the book to end with the capture of the Golden State Killer but, alas, McNamara didn't live long enough to witness his arrest and conviction. Though well written, the test of a great book for me is whether I would recommend it to others. Sadly, this one falls short of the mark.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Murder
hayleyfitz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Gore, Body horror, Rape, Stalking, Sexual assault, Blood, and Sexual violence
cardigann's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
4.75
This is an incredibly powerful and respectful piece of true crime journalism, one that led to real life impact and justice. I wish she’d lived to see the impact of her work, to finish this book with the true finality only she could’ve given it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
dejasquietplace's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
I'll Be Gone in the Dark is a tense investigative recounting of the Golden State Killer's horrific crimes and the obsessive search for him by a few very dedicated people. It delves well into the circumstances of every rape and murder attributed to him, with a focus on the victims, never once straying into tactless humor about the situation, portraying it as it was-- almost beyond words. While a couple parts could meander a little, I enjoyed pretty much every minute of McNamara's writing. It's obvious how dedicated she was to the case.
What lingers large over the book that gives it an even sadder air is the knowledge that the GSK was found through ancestry DNA only a couple short years after the author's passing. And of course, the answer is the most boring, obvious, and gut-wrenching one: he was a cop. I had a distinct melancholy while listening to the audiobook, knowing she would never get to see him served justice, although the victims' remaining families do, thankfully. This is a great read that I would recommend to anyone interested in a thorough history of a true monster in the dark, written maturely and unflinchingly.
What lingers large over the book that gives it an even sadder air is the knowledge that the GSK was found through ancestry DNA only a couple short years after the author's passing. And of course, the answer is the most boring, obvious, and gut-wrenching one: he was a cop. I had a distinct melancholy while listening to the audiobook, knowing she would never get to see him served justice, although the victims' remaining families do, thankfully. This is a great read that I would recommend to anyone interested in a thorough history of a true monster in the dark, written maturely and unflinchingly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual assault
erickaonpaper's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.25
ugh... weird rating this so highly, but how can i not? when michelle mcnamara dedicates so much of her time and life humanizing the GSK's victims and compiling information and stories into one deeply satiating book... michelle mcnamara could've written about how grass grows and i would've been so deeply invested. the kind of detail in this book is the kind of detail-oriented i claim to be on my resume. just outstanding work, really.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Rape
carfitzpa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Stalking, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault