"I'll be Gone in the Dark" One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle Mcnamara

I am skeptical of true crime books. In part it’s because I have doubts about the true part of the true crime moniker because while the crimes happened either they often sensationalize the crimes to make them more interesting. I also think that the obsession with crime has convinced many people crime, and especially violent crime, exists at far higher levels than it does. And finally, I don’t like the idea of anyone, even someone who didn’t commit the crime, making money off of the pain and suffering of others, especially when it makes murderers famous.

I also don’t get the same thrill from a real person being arrested for real murders that I do from a made up person being captured, even if the crimes are the same. Arresting a murderer doesn’t bring people back to life and mostly when criminals are captured what you find isn’t so much evil as pathetic and except in a handful of exceptional cases not much more likely to commit another murder than anyone else.

On top of all that, I avoid it because I know that, like Michelle McNamara, I could become obsessed with it. I could find myself up at night writing ideas on a notepad or looking through old yearbook photos for someone who fits the image in my mind of the killer and I don’t want to live in a world so dominated my the dark side of humanity.

But I do like to read widely and crime is one theme that comes up often for a writer, so I will from time to time take a chance on a book that seems like it could touch on some interesting subjects. With “I’ll be Gone in the Dark” by Michelle McNamara, I am glad I did because what she wrote wasn’t, so far as I could tell, the sensationalized version of true crime. It was a book written by someone who saw the victims more than the crimes, who saw the police and saw the clues. I think that Michelle understood that while there is true evil, that doesn’t mean that it should be the only thing you think about. And the person she was hunting was one of those exceptions who was likely to kill again.

What is “I’ll be Gone in The Dark” by Michelle McNamara About

The Golden State Killer was a murderer and rapist who was active between 1973 and 1986. He killed at least thirteen people and raped far more. He gathered several nicknames over the year because people his MO changed enough that people believed them to be different criminals. Also important in understanding this book is that the bulk of it was written before the Golden State Killer was discovered with the only part that wasn’t being some parts of the appendix. This is because Michelle, sadly, died before the killer was caught.

Most of the story is telling what happened in different sprees he went on under different names, focusing on everything that was discovered about him throughout the story. What helps make this interesting is that it’s interspersed with the stories of how Michelle and other armature sleuths searched for him, including touching on some of the ways that actually led to his eventual capture, even though that hadn’t yet happened.

As for the story of the Golden State Killer, the story is both complex and simple. The Golden State Killer’s story in the book isn’t all that complex since they knew little. And I am confident that there are excellent explanations of who The Golden State killer is and why he acted the way he did, but in some ways, I’m glad that this book was written when they didn’t know because I don’t really care. He’s a bad person and while I’m glad he’s behind bars, that’s about it. Instead, it focused on the clues and the victims of the crime.

What I liked about “I’ll be Gone in the Dark” by Michelle McNamara

This is a strongly written book, and the stories of the many people who were hurt by The Golden State Killer make it much more than the list of facts and clues that it could have been. Beyond that, the more personal aspects of it make how the information was found was as interesting as the information itself. As a view into policing and what it takes to capture a criminal, it is more interesting to me than it is as a story of the crime.

What I liked less about “I’ll be Gone in the Dark.” by Michelle McNamara

While I think that there was value in having this book written before the killer was arrested, it also weakens the book. There is a ton more information available on how the crimes were committed now that they can ask The Golden State Killer. Beyond that, knowing the author was dead long before she should have been made it a bit hard to read. The voice of Michelle was strong in this book, and knowing from the beginning that she had died made it harder to enjoy the book.

Conclusion

As good as this book is I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been if the author had finished it herself and while I would never suggest someone shouldn’t read “I’ll be Gone in the Dark” because of that it is hard in some ways to recommend it fully because as good as it it it feels like it is incomplete which is not unreasonable as the life of the author feels incomplete as well. So, if you’re a fan of Michelle McNamara or you want to know more about the search for The Golden State Killer then this is great, but otherwise there are likely to be better True Crime books and books that have more information on the Golden State Killer now that he is in prison.