I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer

Reviews

• Criddle
  informativedarkMedium-paced

  Started September 14, 2026 · Finished September 22, 2026

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• Laurynn

  Finished September 13, 2026

  ★★★★☆ I'll Be Gone in the Dark follows Michelle McNamara's investigation into the Golden State Killer, a serial predator responsible for a series of burglaries, sexual assaults, and murders across California. Through years of research, interviews, and an unwavering determination to uncover his identity, Michelle pieces together the crimes of a man who evaded identification for decades. I really enjoyed this book, and I found it difficult to put down for the most part. Michelle McNamara has such lovely writing, and I appreciated how personal the story felt. This wasn't simply a recounting of crimes and evidence; it was also an intimate look into the investigation itself and the woman who became so deeply invested in finding answers. One of my favorite aspects was the way Michelle told the victims' stories. Rather than reducing them to names in a case file or details in a criminal investigation, she gave them space to exist as people with lives beyond what happened to them. I think that can sometimes get lost in true crime, and I appreciated the compassion she brought to their experiences. I was also fascinated by the evolution of the Golden State Killer and the investigation surrounding him. I had heard of him before picking up this book, but I hadn't realized that he had been known by several different names across California before investigators connected the crimes. Learning how those pieces gradually came together was both disturbing and incredibly interesting. My biggest issue, and ultimately what kept this from being five stars, was the structure. The events aren't presented chronologically according to when the crimes occurred. Instead, the book largely follows the order in which Michelle discovered information throughout her investigation. I can appreciate why she chose to tell the story this way, especially because it makes the book feel so personal, but it also made certain portions unnecessarily confusing for me. I think I'm simply more accustomed to true crime that follows the progression of the crimes themselves, so I occasionally struggled to keep track of where we were in the timeline. The information was fascinating, and I never felt like the book was unnecessarily drawn out, but I do wish the structure had been a little easier to follow. There's also something particularly sad about knowing Michelle passed away before the Golden State Killer was identified. Her dedication to this investigation was impressive, and while there's something commendable about how much of herself she poured into the work, it's also tragic knowing she never got to see the answers she spent so long searching for. I appreciated that the book felt like two stories intertwined: the investigation into the Golden State Killer and Michelle's own relationship with true crime. As someone who has gone through periods of being deeply fascinated by true crime myself, I could understand that desire to keep researching, keep connecting the dots, and keep searching for answers. Overall, this was a strong four-star read for me. Michelle's writing, investigative work, and attention to detail made this an incredibly compelling experience. I would absolutely recommend it to true-crime readers, particularly those interested in a more personal approach to investigative nonfiction. The structure wasn't always my favorite, but I can appreciate what Michelle accomplished and the care she brought to telling these stories.

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