Reviews

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

shelbyslifer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

sammy_hen2's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious slow-paced

3.0

Michelle McNamara was a true crime author who spent a big portion of her career investigating the elusive Golden State Killer up until her untimely death in 2016. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is the posthumously published account of her obsessive vigilantism. Her writing was sharp and detailed, and I learned a lot about the GSK, a prolific rapist and murderer whom I had never even heard of before this. But I have to say, I was a bit bogged down by the details of the case and finished the book feeling very underwhelmed with the impact of her journalism. Michelle never did crack the case—it’s public knowledge that the GSK was not caught until 2018 via DNA testing. So what we end up with is a fragmented account of her amateur detective work, which also did not give enough voice to the victims (but that’s another discussion on the ethics of true crime). Overall I felt this was very over-hyped and forgettable, and I have some beef with the way it was marketed.

gtbacola's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

4.25

nicreads420's review against another edition

4.0

I'm not really sure what to say. Hmm. This was very interesting, and informative, I didn't find it frightening like a lot of people have, but I also consume a lot of true crime content, so maybe I'm immune to it?
I mean it's horrible obviously that these events have taken place, and that people have died. But from reviews I've read people talk about how this book scared them and I guess my point it, I wasn't scared. I listened to the audio book as well, and quiet enjoyed that experience, because it reminded me of listening to true crime podcasts.
Solid read. Glad I read it

katesbookcart's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious sad medium-paced

4.0

abbyprinceatwood's review against another edition

5.0

A fascinating and terrifying read.

htrevino22's review against another edition

5.0

As someone who loves true crime I was immediately drawn to this book. If you love true crime and devour true crime podcasts like I do, this is the book for you.

The book is a perfect mixture of memoir, retelling of events, and current events. The book is broken into three parts, the third part is not written by Michelle as she passed before she finished it, that being said it is still very well put together and the authors do well to channel her passion and voice into those pages. Michelle’s ability to make nonfiction read and draw you in like a thriller fiction novel usually does is unmatched.

aguywhopatsdogs's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

4.25

hongstoes's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

I absolutely loved this read and would recommend it to anyone interested in true crime or not. It is so immersive and well-written. My only complaint is that it gets a little slower toward the end of part 2, but I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Stalking, and Violence

crissy4ee's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

3.5