I'll Be Gone in the Dark

Books | True Crime / Murder / Serial Killers

3.9

(32.1K)

Michelle McNamara

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR:Washington Post | Maureen Corrigan, NPR | Paste | Seattle Times | Entertainment Weekly | Esquire | Slate | Buzzfeed | Jezebel | Philadelphia Inquirer | Publishers Weekly | Kirkus Reviews | Library Journal | Bustle | Mother Jones | Real Simple | Crime Reads | Book Riot | Bookish | Amazon | Barnes and Noble |Hudson Booksellers New York Public Library | Chicago Public LibraryWinner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for Nonfiction | SCIBA Book Award Winner | Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence The haunting true story of the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California during the 70s and 80s, and of the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case—which was solved in April 2018.Introduction by Gillian Flynn • Afterword by Patton Oswalt“A brilliant genre-buster.... Propulsive, can’t-stop-now reading.” —Stephen KingFor more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Utterly original and compelling, it has been hailed as a modern true crime classic—one which fulfilled Michelle's dream: helping unmask the Golden State Killer.

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More Details:

Author

Michelle McNamara

Pages

352

Publisher

Harper

Published Date

2018-02-27

ISBN

0062319809 9780062319807

Ratings

Google: 4

Community ReviewsSee all

"When I picked up this book I didn't know the back story of the author. Michelle has such a way with words, a pure genius. The only down side was this book left me wanting more by her. Even if you aren't into true crime or nonfiction, DO NOT PASS on this book! Perfect 10 out of 10!! "

The Lazy Reader

"Michelle’s attention to detail and sincere desire to identify GSK was shown throughout this book. "

Sandy Lopez

"haven’t finished it but i know it will be a perfect 10/10. michelle has such a way with words 🤍"

trinity

"It was pretty good but I wouldn't read it again. That said, I don't usually read nonfiction stuff, so my thoughts on it are definitely biased by my reading preferences. 🙂"

Christa

"A fantastic and powerful read. It sinks its teeth in from the get go and doesn't let go. I'll definitely be rereading this book in the future. "

Haley Reads

"This review is coming from a very biased standpoint. I have never cared for true crime. This story was still very much engaging. Twice now I have read a story about a killer I have never heard of. One that has done many a terrible things. So how? At first I didn't realized that this story was somewhat about the author too. I thought her background and family life irrelevant. At first. Then I began to see how relatable this made everything. She was doing what others couldn't or didn't have the gumption to. I was very impressed with the lengths Michelle went to, to uncover a murder. Mashing the killers profile with Michelle's personal life made me realize that other true crimes are very cut and dry. They are facts, documents, individual accounts. The author made this story distinctively unique. Talking to police and survivors and actually going to the old crime scenes to give you a feel of the surroundings. I shouldn't have to say but there are trigger warnings in here so be careful. The Golden State killer is the stuff of nightmares. This story kept me jolting awake at night thinking that I might be next. And I will not lie and say that I did not check my locked doors at least 4 times and oh yes the closets too. So did Michelle find or help to find the killer? That will be anyone's guess."

Ashley

"I stumbled across this book in the online catalogue for our Library and thought it sounded interesting. It had me hooked. I had never heard of the "East Area Rapist" or "The Golden State Killer". This book was written by a woman who became obsessed with the case and just wanted him caught. She was a true crime blogger and became very close with not only the police detectives but also the witnesses. This case became a cold case and Michelle McNamara did everything she could to try and keep it in the forefront so it could be solved one day. The crimes started out as home invasions, then rapes, then he escaletd to hitting the homes when couples where in until he eventually escalated to murders. The details of the case were very interesting and it is so shocking how long he evaded police capture. The crimes started around 1977 until he was eventually captured in 2018. If you enjoy True Crime, this is a very interesting read. All though she spares us the gore of the details, if you are triggered by Rape, stalking or Gun Violence I would avoid the Book."