YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

A masterful true crime account of the Golden State Killer—the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California for over a decade—from Michelle McNamara, the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case.

"You’ll be silent forever, and I’ll be gone in the dark."

For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.

Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.

At the time of the crimes, the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty, Caucasian, and athletic—capable of vaulting tall fences. He always wore a mask. After choosing a victim—he favored suburban couples—he often entered their home when no one was there, studying family pictures, mastering the layout. He attacked while they slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth, abrupt and threatening.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Framed by an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterword by her husband, Patton Oswalt, the book was completed by Michelle’s lead researcher and a close colleague. Utterly original and compelling, it is destined to become a true crime classic—and may at last unmask the Golden State Killer.

22% - (view spoiler)[Restarted this and why did I ever put it down??? The Golden State Killer aka EAR/ONS is a case that has scared me for some time now. The fact that he was so profilic and violent and never got caught (until last year) scared me.

I love the detail Michelle goes into when introducing us to the victims is amazing. I know I'm gonna really love this book! (hide spoiler)]

44% - (view spoiler)[Ohh what a thing to hear your grandmother telling your aunt after your mother was murdered?!?!? That's just horrific! (hide spoiler)]

78% - (view spoiler)[It's crazy the amount of investigating Michelle did into this case. Like sitting through 1000s and 1000s of police reports in hopes of finding something. She was definitely dedicated and obsessed. It's heartbreaking that she died before the book was published, and before the real guy was found.

I wonder if she ever came across the real guy and if he was one of her suspects. (hide spoiler)]

Finished - (view spoiler)[Really enjoyed this book. The amount of research that Michelle McNamara went into in this case and she really was obsessed with this case. You can tell from her writing. As I've said, it's heartbreaking that she died before the case could be solved, but I loved her determination to find the man who terrorised California and make him pay for his crimes.

I especially liked her friendship with Paul Holes. You see a lot of investigators don't really wanna work with 'armchair detectives', but I love that they bonded and they became such good friends through this case.

(hide spoiler)]

Hey! Sorry I'm late to this thread. I'll be reading this one as soon as I finish my current book.

Saige, I'm in the same boat. I've got my copy and hope to start it today or tomorrow.

Cool! Let me know when you've started and we can chat :)

Saige, I finished up yesterday but need to find time off mobile to add my comments. I hope to do so tonight or tomorrow am. It was really good!

Great! I started last night, so I'll update the thread when I get further into it.

Ashleigh wrote: "22% - spoilers removed"

(view spoiler)[ There really is a lot of detail here. It's amazing to see and terrifying because we really get to see how horrible The Golden State Killer was. I didn't know anything about this case, so all this detail, as I said, makes it great but terrifying. (hide spoiler)]

60% (view spoiler)[ I'm still in absolute awe of how much detail she has put into this. She's gone through so much to try and figure out who this guy was. And it's shown how it has affected her where she is skeptical of everyone who is wandering through the neighborhood. (hide spoiler)]

Sacramento 76-77 (approx 25%) - I love the writing style! (view spoiler)[ As for the crimes, how scary that this guy had so many victims and so few people know anything about him. Until now. (hide spoiler)]
Contra Costa, 1997 (approx 50%) - (view spoiler)[ OMG, I can't imagine getting a call like that. I would wet my pants. It is interesting to ponder the question of why this guy stopped, especially since I am assuming that this book ends with them catching him somehow. He just doesn't seem like the type to stop because he got married. I wonder if he left the country for a time. If different state law enforcement can't get their acts together to share information, I doubt different countries would.
(hide spoiler)]
Contra Costa, 2013 (approx 75%) - (view spoiler)[ These transcripts of Michelle's questions with the detectives is fascinating. She asks such good questions. (hide spoiler)]
Finished - Wow. (view spoiler)[ Well that was absolutely fascinating and terrifying. It has made me rethink so many things, like how we have totally gotten so used to the neighborhood dogs barking at coyotes at night that we don't even look out the window anymore. I also have at least 3 windows that need better curtains. I am also so disappointed, but not surprised, to learn that this guy was a cop. The town just north of where I grew up had a serial killer that was a cop. When you think about it, we are so programmed to obey that type of authority figure, it was easy for him to pull over girls and then just take them away in his squad car. I am still in shock over how long it took him to be caught and a little fuzzy on the details of how it all went down since this book came out before he was actually captured. I googled a couple of things but would have preferred to hear it in Michelle's voice. (hide spoiler)]

Great book!!

Jennifer wrote: "spoilers removed."

(view spoiler)[ This! This is what I'm really interested in. Did he get caught for something else and they didn't figure it out? Did he not get credit for some of the things that were going on since a lot seemed to be going on during this time? They don't usually just stop like that so I'm really curious as to why. (hide spoiler)]

75% (view spoiler)[ I agree that she asked good questions. She really did have this instinct of what to ask to try and get to the bottom of everything. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ Wow. I'm so upset that Michelle passed before she was able to see him caught. This case was really terrifying. To think that this wasn't really widely known makes it a little more terrifying. This is a case that should have been more known.

Also, as you said Jennifer, disappointed but not surprised this guy was a cop.

I too would have like to hear the end of this in Michelle's voice as the rest didn't have the passion for it that Michelle clearly had. But, it was good and certainly well researched. (hide spoiler)]

16%: (view spoiler)[I love how much personal detail the author put into this. I can feel her passion and her voice comes across clearly. We haven't gotten too deeply into the crimes yet, but I'm completely hooked. (hide spoiler)]

50%-(view spoiler)[I hate this guy. He's creepy, he's sadistic, he's frustratingly smart. I'm tempted to hop on some of those message boards my damn self. (hide spoiler)]

75%- (view spoiler)[I really like McNamara's writing style. And whoever put all her notes together into full chapters did a really good job- they feel just as cohesive and thought through as the ones she wrote out fully (hide spoiler)]

Finished- (view spoiler)[Really good read! I liked all the case details in with information about investigators and their lives. Maybe I should read more true crime... (hide spoiler)]

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Date changed. Restarting August 14th 2020. Happy Reading ☺

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I'l join too, if it's okay.

Starting this tonight!

I've heard a bit of the Golden State Killer, but not much, because I'm living on another continent. Reading this book is very interesting. It's written in the true crime style and at a high, interesting pace.
I'm now at chapter: 'Oak Park'. I somewhere need the lighter touch between chapters to read the heavier parts.

26%: (view spoiler)[This is really one sick guy. Makes me want to throw up reading about him. The rape scenes really go into detail. (hide spoiler)]

52%: (view spoiler)[DNA analysis sure did change the game for criminal investigations. So cool how it panned out. (hide spoiler)]

77%: (view spoiler)[Getting closer! I like how Michelle went to all of these locations to see where the killer hit. (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[It's sad how Michelle died before the killer was ever caught. She'd loved to have seen that. (hide spoiler)]

I've almost finished 'Sacramento'. It gives me the creeps that (view spoiler)[the police is sometimes so close, but can't catch the killer and now he did his first murder. It must be so frustrating for the police officers. The scenes are indeed into detail. It's just sick...But I find it interesting that there's so much back ground about the police officers, the victims...It makes it a bit lighter to read between the heavier parts. (hide spoiler)]

I've just finished part 1 and although sometimes it's pure dry facts, it's written in a way that keeps the reader fascinated. It feels like you're hunting the killer too. It must felt to Michelle that this was her life work. It's almost unbelievable that this book is created due to an old murder she heard of when she was 14. She bit herself thight in the cases and never let go. Also interesting is on how (view spoiler)[Alec Jeffreys came to the development of DNA and the use for identification techniques. Can you imagine how the world would be without DNA? Also, I think I would be like Holes: someone who goes very thorough trough all the files, looking with a very critical eye into every detail and never wantin to let go. (hide spoiler)]

Saar The Book owl wrote: "I've almost finished 'Sacramento'. It gives me the creeps that [spoilers removed]"

I also appreciate the details of the people involved. It really does help you get more into the story.

Saar The Book owl wrote: "I've just finished part 1 and although sometimes it's pure dry facts, it's written in a way that keeps the reader fascinated. It feels like you're hunting the killer too. It must felt to Michelle t..."

DNA identification is truly amazing, isn't it? It's incredible how far we've come in criminal investigation.

I started a new job and I've had no time for reading so I'm way behind. Boo. I'm up to Orange County 1996, so about 30%. I really like Michelle's writing, and I also like how she breaks up the graphic material with lighter chapters about who she is. I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts and I already watched the HBO series for this book, so I thought I was prepared to read all of this, but it still makes me cringe as if I've never heard it before.

Not sure if you guys heard about his sentencing the other day, but life in prison at his age is such a joke. I feel bad for all of the victims that will never get true justice for what he did to them.

Well, I've finished reading the book. It was written in a really good and retentive style. Michelle McNamara balanced really good between the heavier parts and the lighter parts, which was necesary.
After reading the book I Googled and was totally unaware that the GSK was caught. Also I didn't know that there was an HBO series. I think somewhere Michelle knows that the police caught him and I believe it's for a part due to her research too that they caught him.

Abby wrote: "26%: [spoilers removed]"

Yes, indeed, it was hard to read those details, but I think it was necesaary to add this to the book. Also, it was brave of the victims to talk it all over again.

Abby wrote: "Saar The Book owl wrote: "I've almost finished 'Sacramento'. It gives me the creeps that [spoilers removed]"

I also appreciate the details of the people involved. It really does help you get more ..."

Abby wrote: "52%: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I wonder how everything could have turned out if there was no DNA research, if Jeffreys never discovered that. I think we would have a lot of more cold cases. Also, it's strange that some police districts wouldn't work together and kept cruicial information behind. (hide spoiler)]

Abby wrote: "77%: [spoilers removed]"

It must have took her an amount of time to do that. It was like she crawled into the head of the killer.

Abby wrote: "Saar The Book owl wrote: "I've almost finished 'Sacramento'. It gives me the creeps that [spoilers removed]"

I also appreciate the details of the people involved. It really does help you get more ..."

It felt like you were more than a reader. Like you were searching with Michelle.

Farren wrote: "I started a new job and I've had no time for reading so I'm way behind. Boo. I'm up to Orange County 1996, so about 30%. I really like Michelle's writing, and I also like how she breaks up the grap..."

He made it to a deal with the court to avoid death sentence as he admitted everything, but the victims and families got at least closure.

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Date changed. Restarting October 8th 2021. Happy Reading ☺

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I'm a little late but hoping to start this one on Monday :)

I don't think I'm going to be able to squeeze this into this month anymore :( Has anyone started it yet? If not, do you want to reset the start date for November?