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A review by odin45mp
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
3.0
This was a page turner. I had to know more, more, more. McNamara crafted a compelling narrative as we bounced from crime scene to crime scene, back and forth through time, tracing the steps taken by both the criminal and the investigators, as well as herself. I'm not certain why she didn't take a linear approach to the crimes, and just interspersed her own work and the detective work done in the last two decades as advances in DNA testing have lead to new connections.
I feel like despite the successfully ending to the book (unrelated to her work, the Golden State Killer was caught), it fizzled out. I think because there was no coda that explored his motivations and what he has done to evade the law for three decades. I wanted to know more. The book let me down there. I don't know if that was due to McNamara's unfortunate death, her research partners who finished up the manuscript didn't want to add anything more to her notes than necessary, or some other decision. Despite the victory, it felt a little hollow and unsatisfying.
I feel like despite the successfully ending to the book (unrelated to her work, the Golden State Killer was caught), it fizzled out. I think because there was no coda that explored his motivations and what he has done to evade the law for three decades. I wanted to know more. The book let me down there. I don't know if that was due to McNamara's unfortunate death, her research partners who finished up the manuscript didn't want to add anything more to her notes than necessary, or some other decision. Despite the victory, it felt a little hollow and unsatisfying.