[REVIEW] I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara @FaberBooks

I came across this book a while ago and I sadly can’t remember when but I just felt attracted to it because of it being a true crime book, who doesn’t love a true crime book? Also the title I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is so chilling and so mysterious that it makes you dive into the book and find out more about it.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is a story about a serial killer/rapist, active around 1975-1984. who during that time left a mark on every place he terrorized and made people sleep with one eye open. Michelle McNamara, the author, paints a chilling picture of GSK’s crimes and takes us on an investigative journey spanning many decades. What’s interesting about this case is that GSK was never caught but his crimes are still remembered. McNamara was a journalist/true crime writer and she had a true crime blog called True Crime Diary which is still up on the internet. She dedicated her time to catching GSK and finding more about him. Since McNamara was a child she became obsessed with all things crime and she describes one particular incident that sparked the fire inside of her: A crime happened near her home where a woman was murdered but there was no one to blame for the crime. In I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, McNamara goes into detail about almost every attack that was performed by The Golden State Killer and shares her findings as well as clues which might be linked to the GSK himself.

McNamara is an excellent writer, with every word she writes you are taken to i.e. 2 am, a house in a quiet neighbourhood where everyone’s  asleep except for one person. Someone is entering a house through the window with a flashlight and a knife, threatening a couple that he’ll kill them if they don’t cooperate. There are many more chilling true crimes which were commited by The Golden State Killer. The way the subject matter was presented to the reader was concise and easy to follow as you will see if you pick this book up. McNamara takes us through every scene and even reconstructs crimes so you can get a better picture. I loved the letter in the end from McNamara where she tells the facts that with the rise of technology and it advancing GSK will not go unpunished for his crimes (provided that he is still alive).

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is a fascinating exploration of The Golden State Killer’s psyche as well as a well-researched true crime book worth reading.

I would like to thank the publisher Faber&Faber for sending this book my way in exchange for an honest review. All opinions written above are my own and weren’t influenced by anything.

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Michelle McNamara Born Michelle Eileen McNamara April 14, 1970 Died April 21, 2016 (aged 46) Los Angeles, California U.S. Nationality American Alma mater University of Notre Dame University of Minnesota Occupation Writer Years active 2006–2016 Spouse(s) Patton Oswalt (m. 2005–2016) (her death) Children 1 Website Official website Michelle Eileen McNamara (April 14, 1970 – April 21, 2016) was an American writer and crime blogger. She was the wife of comedian Patton Oswalt. She was the author of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, a true crime book about the Golden State Killer. The book was released posthumously in February 2018 and is being adapted as an HBO documentary series.

If you wish to visit her true crime blog click here.