I'll Be Gone In The Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search For The Golden State Killer
By: Michelle McNamara / Narrated By: Gabra Zackman / Introduction By: Gillian Flynn / Afterword By: Patton Oswalt
Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
The worst thing about True Crime is that it’s TRUE!!!
It’s pretty obvious from listening to this audiobook that McNamara died halfway through writing it. The second half of it was written by her assistants and also contains transcripts from interviews, notes from an early draft of an article, critical analysis of the cases’ stats. It’s a slightly more cerebral look at the GSK whereas the first half is a more heartfelt, more emotionally taut account of his crimes, the sheer amount of sadistic torture his victims endured.
And boy, could Michelle McNamara write! I fell asleep during the first few chapters (wasn’t bored! was tired!), and had some of the creepiest dreams I’ve had in a long time. With her writing and Gabra Zachman’s narration, things get pretty ominous pretty quickly, and you’ll be looking over your shoulder, checking out your environment, making damned sure all your doors and windows are locked (though that never stopped the East Area Rapist, EAR).
This was my sister’s pick for our audiobook club (It wasn’t me, I tell you!), and it had all of us creeped out and horrified. You feel as emotionally battered as any of his victims because Michelle’s writing is so vivid and brutal. Your own terror is palpable.
We Googled the case ‘cause, I dunno, maybe we were on a different planet when the news broke that the Golden State Killer had been caught and were delighted to find that result. And a lot of it was because of her tenacity and bringing light to old crimes, old stats.
If you want to be freaked out, if you like feeling fright, all without feeling like a vampire sucking blood from the suffering of others (she writes in a truly humane manner), give I’ll Be Gone in the Dark a listen. At least the second half lets you take a breather.
And if you want to learn about criminalists, detectives, dedicated online advocates? Here’s a good story for you.
The stress of trying to find a rapist/killer may’ve pushed McNamara over the edge, but the ending to it all probably has her dancing on the other side.
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