I'll Be Gone in the Dark

Another book that sat on my shelf for far too long and when I finally got to it (because it's a book club pick), I was kicking myself I didn't read it sooner.

The premise of this book is the Golden State Killer - that McNamara penned, and was previously East Area Rapist (EAR) and then the Original Night Stalker (ONS), is a wild one. It's a story where there were so many victims and his crimes escalated from rape to murder, yet he alluded authorities for 4 decades. And it wasn't a popular, well-known story like the Zodiac killer. The research, effort, and care McNamara took into finding the facts and telling the story is really special. Her driving motive was to get this guy caught and answer for his crimes and I think it shown in every page of her writing. And I've said it before, some true crime feels exploitive of the people involved, but she handled this with respect. And, it actually scared me. Her writing is so immersive and there was even one moment I was cooking dinner while listening to the audiobook and realized the back door was unlocked and checked the whole house after locking it.

This is also a unique true crime book because the author, Michelle McNamara, died before she was able to finish it. And the killer was eventually caught shortly after this book was published but sadly she wouldn't be able to see that. I think the people that helped get this finished did a beautiful job. For me, this book was so unique because I think I am more interested in her then in the Golden State Killer. Yes, the story is interesting and left my jaw hanging open, but the story of Michelle and her hunt for him and just her history of true crime obsession and the trajectory that lead her to and through this case is so intriguing.

Overall, 5 star read and highly recommend to the true crime fans out there.