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Reviews tagging 'Violence'
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
134 reviews
eve_reads's review
3.5
⁕ A lot of true crimes focus on the gravity of the culprit's actions. McNamara places more emphasis on the lives of the survivors and victims, as well as the experiences of those trying to hunt down the Golden State Killer. It was a fresh perspective to the true crime genre and a more empowering narrative for all those affected, which I very much appreciated.
⁕ McNamara was unable to finish the book before her passing. The final chapters were completed by her husband and fellow researchers. The change in narrative from a memoir-type recounting to a detailed analysis of maps, numbers, and charts is very abrupt and jarring.
⁕ I read the updated version of the book, which was published after the capture of the Joseph DeAngelo, and there is surprisingly little detail on how he was finally arrested. If this is something that interests you, I recommend also watching the HBO documentary series which has much more information in that regard.
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Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Stalking, and Murder
rebb003's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
scenic92's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Rape, and Violence
ivana's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
amareenicole11's review
4.75
True Crime fans - this one is for you.
Dark, cryptic, gruesome. Painful. Terrifying. There are very few things that scare me. This book is one of them. I caught myself having to put the book down and catch my breath. It's too real - it is real. Everything in this book happened. This is real life.
I found myself double checking the back of my car and running into my house. Closing my blinds and locking my doors immediately. The psychological affect this book has is astronomical.
The Golden State Killer was a cold case that got overlooked for many years until it was eventually solved. This book gives credit to the author for pushing the story and allowing the case to open again.
I won't give away the story, but just know it's hard to read. Not in a literal sense, as McNamara has phenomenal writing. I mean the way it's portrayed made me physically ill because her words hit you hard. The details in the story are graphic and the pictures included give a face to the story - which just makes it harder to comprehend.
Phenomenal story telling- heartbreaking story.
A true distinction of a true crime novel about a serial killer/rapist that terrorized California for over a decade.
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
miraclesnow's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder
jlautry's review against another edition
4.5
My favorite part of the book is the epilogue Michelle wrote. It is a haunting letter written directly to the, then unknown, Joseph DeAngelo. Here’s how that letter ends:
The doorbell rings.
No side gates are left open. You're long past leaping over a fence. Take one of your hyper, gulping breaths. Clench your teeth. Inch timidly toward the insistent bell.
This is how it ends for you.
‘You'll be silent forever, and I'll be gone in the dark,’ you threatened a victim once.
Walk into the light.”
--MICHELLE MCNAMARA
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
4.0
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.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder
titch's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, and Stalking
annir's review against another edition
4.0
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