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A review by carolsnotebook
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara, Michelle McNamara
4.0
l’ll Be Gone in the Dark is my first foray into true crime, which seems a little surprising. With the recent capture of the Golden State Killer and all the positive reviews of the book, I took a chance.
I didn’t know anything about the Golden State Killer until the recent news coverage. He committed at least 12 murders, more than 50 rapes, and over 100 burglaries in California from 1974 to 1986. And it took detectives until this year to capture him. McNamara died before Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested, but the book is fascinating. It details the crimes, without being overly graphic. She talks about the victims and their families, how the crimes affected them, their families and their communities. She goes over the evidence and talks to detectives. She works with other amateur sleuths and is tireless in her own investigation with the resources she can access. But we also learn about her, about how she thinks, what drives her, how her obsession affected her life,
While I don’t know that the book helped lead to the arrest, the extra attention to the case couldn’t have hurt. I do know she would be thrilled with the capture and not at all surprised that what finally got him was DNA evidence.
I especially appreciated the afterward by her husband, Patton Oswalt. He so clearly loved, respected and supported her.
I didn’t know anything about the Golden State Killer until the recent news coverage. He committed at least 12 murders, more than 50 rapes, and over 100 burglaries in California from 1974 to 1986. And it took detectives until this year to capture him. McNamara died before Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested, but the book is fascinating. It details the crimes, without being overly graphic. She talks about the victims and their families, how the crimes affected them, their families and their communities. She goes over the evidence and talks to detectives. She works with other amateur sleuths and is tireless in her own investigation with the resources she can access. But we also learn about her, about how she thinks, what drives her, how her obsession affected her life,
While I don’t know that the book helped lead to the arrest, the extra attention to the case couldn’t have hurt. I do know she would be thrilled with the capture and not at all surprised that what finally got him was DNA evidence.
I especially appreciated the afterward by her husband, Patton Oswalt. He so clearly loved, respected and supported her.