This is how it ends for you. “You’ll be silent forever, and I’ll be gone in the dark,” you threatened a victim once. Open the door. Show us your face. Walk into the light.
★★★★½
Harper | 2018
Crimes: 12+ murders, 50+ rapes, 120+ burglaries
Crime Fighter: A true crime junkie who should be alive to witness the conclusion of her life’s work
Plot Truthiness: Everything you could want to know without being a cop on the case
This is a beautiful work of non-fiction/true crime.
The East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker, the Visalia Ransacker, the Easy Bay Rapist, the Dollner Street Prowler, the Diamond Knot Killer…
This killer has gone by many names, but the one you’ll be hearing the most is the Golden State Killer. A term coined by the late Michelle McNamara, a true crime writer/junkie/amateur detective, whose life mission was to see this most prolific villain unmasked after a reign of terror that lasted more than a decade, and that he has been (was) getting away with for over 40 years.
Michelle McNamara died on April 21, 2016. She was nearly done her tome about GSK. Her husband, comedian Patton Oswalt, as well as Michelle’s research partner and a journalist friend, finished the book for her. They knew Michelle needed to see this published. It was her life’s work, her greatest obsession.
There are parts of the book with editor’s notes and annotations to let the reader know Michelle hadn’t finished a thing, or that Michelle had written a note to follow up on a thing, but it was never completed by her. These were constant little reminders of this woman’s tragic passing that made this a much more emotional reading experience for me than I usually have when going through a true crime novel.
Continue reading “Review: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara”
★★★★