I’ll Be Gone in the Dark

First, to everyone who angrily gave this book one star, and they are very angry for some reason, I\’m posting Stephen King\’s words about this book: What readers need to knowwhat makes this book so specialis that it deals with two obsessions, one light and one dark. The Golden State Killer is the dark half; Michelle McNamaras is the light half. Its a journey into two minds, one sick and disordered, the other intelligent and determined. I loved this book. Stephen King This is not your normal true crime book. Those books have already been written and this fact is addressed by Michelle numerous times. This book is about Michelle\’s time spent researching this case. So, of course, this book jumps around because it follows her and her research. She started this as notes for her website or podcast, and it grew from something she happened upon to something that she couldn\’t stop focusing on. She is a beautiful writer, and I was drawn into the story from the first page. The portions about her, including her childhood, at times feel like the reprieve from the darkness they were meant to be, but are not any less interesting. I would read an entire book about the crime she referenced from her childhood. That brings me to why this book was at times hard to read, besides the obvious darkness of the subject matter. Many times when I\’m reading, I find myself pausing to buy everything else the author has written. Of course that is not possible here, and many times while reading I thought about her family and friends and what a horrible loss they have suffered. I highly recommend this book to any lover of true crime. SSDGM

Author Gillian Flynn, of GONE GIRL fame, wrote an introduction to Michelle McNamaras true crime book ILL BE GONE IN THE DARK: ONE WOMANS OBSESSIVE SEARCH FOR THE GOLDEN STATE KILLER, which was published posthumously, in which she states about the author: I love reading true crime, but Ive always been aware of the fact that, as a reader, I am actively choosing to be a consumer of someone elses tragedy so like any responsible consumer, I try to be careful in the choices I make. I read only the best; writers who are dogged, insightful, and humane. This pretty much sums up why I read and how I select the books that I do about the deep, dark, and twisted behind-the-scenes grit of true crime. My interest is in the writing itself and the research that the writer has put into the book to examine the backstory of a criminal mind. In this case, McNamara did not live to complete her nearly finished story about the Golden State Killer who spread fear and unthinkable crimes up and down the state of California, but her researchers and husband Patton Oswalt put her decade of work together into an astonishing book, an in-depth look at a most horrific series of events. The subject is a serial rapist and murderer, who committed crimes from the 1970s through 1980s. Police and FBI agents tracked the case from city to city and once DNA testing came to be, it was confirmed that the crimes were in fact all committed by one person, however he still eluded them. McNamara was determined to understand who he was, to find him. She immersed herself in each case. With each law enforcement officer. They welcomed her. She was one of them. Her research is staggering. Even if you are used to reading terrifying details that accompany true crime, this is one that you will need to brace yourself for. It is not easy to read. It is haunting. The crimes that the Golden State Killer committed are beyond sadistic, truly the actions of a disturbed mind. There were times that I thought about putting the book down. I wasnt sure I could finish it. It wasnt about what he did that intrigued me, it was about what the author was doing to find him. That Oswalt lost his wife and was grieving, that their young daughter was left without a mother (he has since recently remarried) but he was able to take his wifes work and put her book out in the world is nothing short of incredible. As he said: I wanted to do right by her.

This started as a good book but than it was so drawn out and it felt like it was never going to end. It just felt like it was all over the place. By the end of the book I had lost track of all these names and I had to force my self to finish it. And it didn\’t even have a good ending! Absolute waste of my time…

I made the mistake of starting this book when I didn\’t have an ocean of time ahead of me. Don\’t make the same mistake. Once you pick this book up, at the risk of sounding trite, you won\’t be able to put it back down. I\’m not a huge fan of the true crime genre, exactly. I\’ve enjoyed a true crime novel now and then, but it isn\’t a genre I reach for often. But that said, I know the transformative power of a truly well-written crime book. Truman Capote\’s In True Blood introduced me to the narrative non-fiction genre, and it completely changed my life. I\’ll Be Gone in the Dark is the same kind of transformative book. It is the kind of genre-busting, heart-breaking, world-shaking book that will introduce a whole new generation of readers to the power of non-fiction done well. Not only does the pitch-perfect pace grab the reader by the wrist and pull them breathlessly along, but the book walks the line between memoir and true crime in a way that has never been done so flawlessly before. McNamara takes the reader on an emotional journal that is at times shocking, entertaining, joyful and devastating. I don\’t care if you are into true crime… you need to grab this book and set aside a day to wrap yourself up in its story obsession – both good and bad.

Sadly, Michelle McNamara passed before she was able to complete I\’ll Be Gone in the Dark. Although colleagues have posthumously compiled her work, the book has been deliberately left unfinished. Despite this, I\’ll Be Gone in the Dark is a brilliantly constructed study of the horrific crimes of the Golden State Killer who operated in the San Fransisco Area in the late \’70s and early \’80s. McNamara\’s writing is compelling, and vividly captures the horrific nature of the crimes without ever seeming lurid or sensationalising the detail. Throughout, McNamara balances the chilling events with the real human impact of the crimes upon victims, loved ones, and investigators. It is this concern for people (and particularly the victims) which elevates I\’ll Be Gone in the Dark above other true crime writing. I highly recommend this book.

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