I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer

McNamara’s book resurrects a cold case involving serial rapes and murders in California in the 1970’s and 1980’s that remain unsolved and the perpetrator never apprehended. In the hands of another writer, the material might have been clinical and dry, but McNamara brings the case starkly to life with skilled writing, voluminous research and vivid, chilling detail. The reader feels the terror of the traumatized and McNamara’s empathy. She is a journalist and a natural sleuth, doggedly determined to catch the man she dubbed the “Golden State Killer”. She reviews the tangled maze of evidence, convinced that an overlooked suspect or innocuous clue is hidden in a file box or in retracing the crime scenes. McNamara immerses herself in every aspect of the case, combing databases and archives, interviewing some of the past victims and befriending seasoned detectives. I found this to be particularly compelling. McNamara’s exhaustive attention to the case was so extensive, that current and retired investigators in CA law enforcement saw her as an equal, trusted partner in trading insights and case information. That alone is a testament to McNamara’s tenacity, commitment and integrity as a writer and a seeker of the truth. She shared the same obsession as those who still work tirelessly, decades later, to resolve the disturbing crime spree. Sadly, McNamara died before the completion of this book. It stands on its own as a well-written, riveting true-crime tale, but the reader is left wondering what McNamara’s finished product might have been. I didn’t find the book to be disorganized, disjointed or boring as other reviewers have said. On the contrary, I found it to be an engrossing, compulsive read that captured the horror that once relentlessly besieged Californians. I wish McNamara could have seen her work come to fruition, in both the book success and the capture of the elusive criminal.

The late Michelle McNamara, a true-crime blogger, passed away while writing I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, but several others whom she worked closely with stepped in to help complete the novel using her massive collection of material. The end result is a fluid description of a cold-case manhunt to catch a serial rapist who terrorized several counties throughout California during 1976-1986 of over 50 women, and who went on to murder at least 10 people. The widespread devastation by a criminal she termed ‘The Golden State Killer’ became her lifelong obsession, and unfortunately she died before he was caught. Her interest in the case was invaluable in aiding and providing investigators with information—she was their equal—with her determination, vision and obsession to solve this case. McNamara was well known by investigators closely associated with the case. She consulted several experts in multiple fields, such as experts in the study of DNA, which she believed would be key in solving the case. She met with multiple profilers, at that time a new psychological science and new tool developed by the FBI, which was used effectively to catch predators, especially sexual. Crime solving techniques using land geographical mapping also narrowed down the location where he lived and felt comfortable, and she became involved with understanding this budding science. However, good old detective work is what usually solves the majority of cold cases. The victims and their families, the investigators (and often their families), as well as McNamara’s lives were all deeply affected, if not destroyed in some way, by The Golden State Killer. Originally called the EAR, the acronym for the east area rapist, DNA also proved him the terrorist called the Original Night Stalker. Whatever he was called, he was a nightmare. His pattern of stalking his victims, ransacking their homes, then raping them after tying them up with torn towels or shoelaces all while wearing a mask, and then quickly repeating his crimes with a boldness that defied logic. He then turned to murder in order to increase his thrill or leave no witness behind. Most true-crime thrillers can be so jam-packed full of details one cannot keep up or the information overload and dryness lose the reader’s interest. However, McNamara’s writing is so fluid, easy to read, and interesting, the reader is drawn in immediately. Her death is a major loss to those of us who loved her blog, and now her book. She wanted this monster caught, and she did not care who caught him, as long as he was “placed in bracelets and the doors with bars slammed on him forever.” She would be ecstatic to know two years (after her death) in April 2018, this monster was caught, using the technique she thought would catch him. I highly recommend reading this book, especially if you like true crime thrillers. Also, like my daughter who feels invincible, I hope it makes one become more aware of the monsters who could be stalking anyone at anytime. Yes, evil still walks among us, and the Golden State Killer is just one prime example.

Amazing,amazing, amazing book!! She has the gift of telling a non-fiction story with the thrill of fiction.

Once you start reading you won’t be able to put it down. It has you hooked from the start. Brilliant writing, concise, factual and entertaining.

Great read if you enjoy real life crime detection , well written and well finished by Ghost writers after authors sudden death , in my opinion to fully enjoy this book do not google the outcome till your finished !! The book itself is the authors obsession with a long unsolved cold case of 12 murder and up-to 50 rapes committed over a long period of time in the USA , she revisits the evidence , talks to the detectives past and present and the introduction of DNA as a new technology in crime detection , her only wish was the guy would be caught not important who caught him

This book is an emotional, dedicated and wonderful tribute to the victims of one of the most prolific rapists and serial killers in known history. Michelle McNamara's premature death led to this novel being completed post-humously by As she walks you through each crime she pays special attention to every victim, giving them a voice and a story - something that a lot of true crime fails to manage these days. Her writing is a combination of beauty and honesty, mixed with cold hard facts. Each crime is described in detail, and where possible with statements and first hand accounts from the victims themselves. Her relationship with Paul Holes is so full of admiration and true companionship. They find in each other the solace of desperation. They are both driven together to put and end to the reign of terror wrought by the Golden State Killer. Following the publication of this book, her final letter to the GSK is made all the more poignant by the arrest of Joseph DeAngelo - now identified as the GSK himself. It only makes it more bittersweet that she didn't leave to see him caught.

Me gustó mucho la serie, por eso compré el libro para mi mamá, la calidad de la cubierta no es muy buena, pero todo lo demás se ve bien.