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lindsayb09 's review for:
Evil Has a Name: The Untold Story of the Golden State Killer Investigation
by Paul Holes, Paul Holes, Peter McDonnell, Jim Clemente
I first heard of the Golden State Killer when he was caught. Shortly after that, like many people, I read I'll Be Gone in the Dark. Knowing he had been found made it more bearable to read about his crimes, but that book couldn't answer all my burning questions about the perpetrator, since it came out before he was found. I checked the news for updates on the story, but none contained many details about him (I found out he had been a cop, but that was about it).
I bought this audiobook as soon as I saw it, eager for some of those answers. However, when I first started listening I actually stopped just a short ways in. The production contains interviews with both the survivors, their families, and the investigators. They warn you about this right from the start, but I didn't know how much it would affect me. Towards the beginning is an interview with the youngest survivor, who describes her own rape. It was too visceral and I just couldn't take it. To read about the crimes is so much different than hearing it in their own voices. I stayed away for a while, but eventually my curiosity returned and I picked it back up.
I especially enjoyed the final few chapters detailing how the team used genealogy to find him, then covering what is known of his life and how it fits the timeline of his crimes. They also interviewed friends who knew him later in life, who had no idea about his crimes. It was chilling to hear them describe a man prone to outbursts of anger and think about how he continued to live a normal life, certain he'd never pay for his crimes.
If you've read IBGITD this is a great follow up. If you haven't, I would start there to get a better background (while they talk to people involved from different stages of his crimes, they don't give as full a recounting as the book does). Do be warned that it can be very triggering, but I also imagine it has to be somewhat cathartic or empowering for those women to tell their stories, knowing he will pay for what he's done.
I bought this audiobook as soon as I saw it, eager for some of those answers. However, when I first started listening I actually stopped just a short ways in. The production contains interviews with both the survivors, their families, and the investigators. They warn you about this right from the start, but I didn't know how much it would affect me. Towards the beginning is an interview with the youngest survivor, who describes her own rape. It was too visceral and I just couldn't take it. To read about the crimes is so much different than hearing it in their own voices. I stayed away for a while, but eventually my curiosity returned and I picked it back up.
I especially enjoyed the final few chapters detailing how the team used genealogy to find him, then covering what is known of his life and how it fits the timeline of his crimes. They also interviewed friends who knew him later in life, who had no idea about his crimes. It was chilling to hear them describe a man prone to outbursts of anger and think about how he continued to live a normal life, certain he'd never pay for his crimes.
If you've read IBGITD this is a great follow up. If you haven't, I would start there to get a better background (while they talk to people involved from different stages of his crimes, they don't give as full a recounting as the book does). Do be warned that it can be very triggering, but I also imagine it has to be somewhat cathartic or empowering for those women to tell their stories, knowing he will pay for what he's done.