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melissa_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I've become a bit of a true crime addict after listening to about 90 episodes of the podcast My Favorite Murder. In the podcast they mentioned Michelle McNamara's high quality true crime blog, and later her shocking death. Michelle McNamara is an authority of the subject of the East Area Rapist and the Gold State Killer, her research is thorough and far reaching.
Its obvious to see the author's obsession with the killer, his associated crimes, and the hunt to finally name the monster. There are 2 disappointments I have with this book, but neither are the author's fault. Firstly, it is a little disjointed as it is pieced together from manuscripts and previously written content (both from articles and blog posts). The prose that is written is great though, she makes a very difficult subject matter readable. Secondly, McNamara died just 2 years short of the arrest of Joseph DeAngelo - the Gold State Killer. I would have loved to feel her ecstatic celebration as she wrote about the man who committed these heinous acts finally being named and put to justice.
Its obvious to see the author's obsession with the killer, his associated crimes, and the hunt to finally name the monster. There are 2 disappointments I have with this book, but neither are the author's fault. Firstly, it is a little disjointed as it is pieced together from manuscripts and previously written content (both from articles and blog posts). The prose that is written is great though, she makes a very difficult subject matter readable. Secondly, McNamara died just 2 years short of the arrest of Joseph DeAngelo - the Gold State Killer. I would have loved to feel her ecstatic celebration as she wrote about the man who committed these heinous acts finally being named and put to justice.
chelseaviolet's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.25
I didn't know anything about the Golden State Killer before this and this opened my eyes a lot to the leaps and bounds with come with forensic investigations and the power of forums of people trying to help police investigations. Really interesting read!
jane_the_gemini's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
mcloonejack's review against another edition
5.0
In a genre of storytelling infamous for doing more harm than good, for crossing the line from detail to embellishment, from explanation to spectacle, “I’ll Be Gone In The Dark” is a singular force in true crime.
I’m a firm believer in the vast majority of true crime books/podcasts/shows/movies/documentaries (sometimes with scare quotes) come from a place of being a trend with admittedly compelling stories, not out of some moralistic bent of the entertainment industry in solving cold cases. McNamara not only avoids these pitfalls, but she also weaves in a personal narrative that was equally compelling, about how one woman with no connection to the case of the Golden State Killer can become so invested in solving it. The memoir sections honestly stand out above the actual case breakdown. It’s generally bad practice for a journalist (to borrow an accepted piece of wisdom) to make themselves a part of the story; McNamara undeniably was a part of this story already, and she leaned on that to create an even stronger narrative.
McNamara’s skill as both a writer and information-gatherer (whether she’d describe herself as a reporter or researcher or archivist or, simply, investigator, all or more are apt) are on full display. While it’s pretty clear that, even without her untimely death, she probably wouldn’t have committed full bore to another true crime investigation, one can’t help but think what other works she could have created just on the writing talent alone. In particular her ability to provide sense of place was astounding. Her ability to craft and pace this story is equally admirable.
I also greatly appreciated how in-depth and clear-eyed she was about her investigations. She knew she was more than mildly obsessive, and she admitted when she was chasing red herrings or wrong or hoping for a resolution that wasn’t there. It’s a masterclass in reporting ethics. Whether or not police want to give her any credit is their business.
To close, a note on true crime: as I stated up top, I generally abhor its grip on the entertainment world, taking the strongest tragedies in peoples lives and not just turning it into #content, but also occasionally throwing others’ lives into turmoil through unfounded allegations, etc. It’s a common trope to scroll the virtues of a book by saying “don’t read anything else from this genre, this is the one.” This is true of “I’ll Be There in the Dark,” but not just one it’s singular merits, but also on the larger lack thereof for the wider genre. (Read/consume what you want, I suppose, but I strongly urge being more cautious when you engage with this in many ways exploitative genre.)
I’m a firm believer in the vast majority of true crime books/podcasts/shows/movies/documentaries (sometimes with scare quotes) come from a place of being a trend with admittedly compelling stories, not out of some moralistic bent of the entertainment industry in solving cold cases. McNamara not only avoids these pitfalls, but she also weaves in a personal narrative that was equally compelling, about how one woman with no connection to the case of the Golden State Killer can become so invested in solving it. The memoir sections honestly stand out above the actual case breakdown. It’s generally bad practice for a journalist (to borrow an accepted piece of wisdom) to make themselves a part of the story; McNamara undeniably was a part of this story already, and she leaned on that to create an even stronger narrative.
McNamara’s skill as both a writer and information-gatherer (whether she’d describe herself as a reporter or researcher or archivist or, simply, investigator, all or more are apt) are on full display. While it’s pretty clear that, even without her untimely death, she probably wouldn’t have committed full bore to another true crime investigation, one can’t help but think what other works she could have created just on the writing talent alone. In particular her ability to provide sense of place was astounding. Her ability to craft and pace this story is equally admirable.
I also greatly appreciated how in-depth and clear-eyed she was about her investigations. She knew she was more than mildly obsessive, and she admitted when she was chasing red herrings or wrong or hoping for a resolution that wasn’t there. It’s a masterclass in reporting ethics. Whether or not police want to give her any credit is their business.
To close, a note on true crime: as I stated up top, I generally abhor its grip on the entertainment world, taking the strongest tragedies in peoples lives and not just turning it into #content, but also occasionally throwing others’ lives into turmoil through unfounded allegations, etc. It’s a common trope to scroll the virtues of a book by saying “don’t read anything else from this genre, this is the one.” This is true of “I’ll Be There in the Dark,” but not just one it’s singular merits, but also on the larger lack thereof for the wider genre. (Read/consume what you want, I suppose, but I strongly urge being more cautious when you engage with this in many ways exploitative genre.)
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
4.0
This is a beautifully written, terrifying, and emotional book. It's an artifact of one woman's obsession as well as of that woman herself, and it says just as much about McNamara as it does about the monster she captured by the words she wrote. She inserted her voice and her own story just enough and never too much. She had a handle for prose that was, in the same moment, strikingly pretty and chilling; and she allowed the reader just enough of her that we felt like we were with her as she pored over reports and maps.
A huge amount of credit should go to Paul Haynes, McNamara's lead researcher, and journalist Billy Jensen, who assembled and organized the remainder of the book after the author's death. Were it not for them, this might have felt piecemeal or unfinished, but it didn't. It felt as complete as it could have, and it read as though it were written by a single hand.
A huge amount of credit should go to Paul Haynes, McNamara's lead researcher, and journalist Billy Jensen, who assembled and organized the remainder of the book after the author's death. Were it not for them, this might have felt piecemeal or unfinished, but it didn't. It felt as complete as it could have, and it read as though it were written by a single hand.
madgec's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Michelle's writing is incredible and it's so sad she didn't get to finish the book. As other reviewers have stated it's disjointed and seems out of order in parts which makes it a bit hard to follow. Michelle's afterword though was so beautiful, especially knowing that the scumbag has been caught.
off2explore's review against another edition
4.0
Harrowing but fascinating. This book will have me looking over my shoulder for days.
livvi29's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
The case of the Golden State Killer is really creepy, and I made the mistake of listening to the audiobook at night, it's nightmare material.
I was already familiar with the case when I started the book, but this didn't stop me from being gripped by the book, a combination of in depth story telling and McNamara's writing style. It was easy to tell that a lot of research and effort had go into this book.
You can tell at times that someone else had to complete certain chapters due to McNamara's death as they feel a little strung together. Also, some parts are a touch repetitive, but I guess this is to be expected when detailing a series of very similar crimes.
Overall, this has got to be a book that all true crime lovers should read.
I was already familiar with the case when I started the book, but this didn't stop me from being gripped by the book, a combination of in depth story telling and McNamara's writing style. It was easy to tell that a lot of research and effort had go into this book.
You can tell at times that someone else had to complete certain chapters due to McNamara's death as they feel a little strung together. Also, some parts are a touch repetitive, but I guess this is to be expected when detailing a series of very similar crimes.
Overall, this has got to be a book that all true crime lovers should read.