hannahliz_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Really wonderful true crime writing and excellent work by the editors.
abookarmoire's review against another edition
4.0
What a journey is this book. Combines one woman’s research into the Golden State Killer plus glimpses of her own life, unrelated to the killer himself, and it somehow all works in this book. It has been said, but I’ll say it again, how unfortunate she wasn’t alive when he was nailed! Almost exactly two years after she passed, he was arrested. A rewarding ending nonetheless…
He by the name of different nicknames, such as East Area Rapist and Original Night Stalker, is now known to be the one and the same – Golden State Killer, thanks to [a:Michelle McNamara|16819959|Michelle McNamara|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1549040674p2/16819959.jpg]. In addition to fifty sexual assault in Northern California, he was responsible for ten sadistic murders in Southern California. Here was a case that spanned a decade and ultimately changed DNA law in the state. Neither the Zodiac Killer, who terrorized San Francisco in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, nor the Night Stalker, who had Southern Californians locking their windows in the ‘80s, were as active. Yet the Golden State Killer has little recognition. He didn’t have a catchy name until I coined one. Doesn’t get any more cool than that.
This book has some seriously disturbing passages. Experiences and thoughts from those involved. The two men’s bond was unspoken. Few men would experience what they had, would understand the shattering rage of lying face down on a bed, bound and gagged, as your wife whimpers from another room. Sick.
How he zeroed in on victims and gained knowledge about their lives and the layouts of their homes was a question of endless speculation. Just creepy.
My only complaint would be, the book is a bit choppy, jumps around. Could be attributed to a combination of the subject matter, the information available, the author unable to finish her own book. Doesn’t take away from the journey though. Reminds me how much I enjoy a good true crime. This one is a gooder.
He by the name of different nicknames, such as East Area Rapist and Original Night Stalker, is now known to be the one and the same – Golden State Killer, thanks to [a:Michelle McNamara|16819959|Michelle McNamara|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1549040674p2/16819959.jpg]. In addition to fifty sexual assault in Northern California, he was responsible for ten sadistic murders in Southern California. Here was a case that spanned a decade and ultimately changed DNA law in the state. Neither the Zodiac Killer, who terrorized San Francisco in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, nor the Night Stalker, who had Southern Californians locking their windows in the ‘80s, were as active. Yet the Golden State Killer has little recognition. He didn’t have a catchy name until I coined one. Doesn’t get any more cool than that.
This book has some seriously disturbing passages. Experiences and thoughts from those involved. The two men’s bond was unspoken. Few men would experience what they had, would understand the shattering rage of lying face down on a bed, bound and gagged, as your wife whimpers from another room. Sick.
How he zeroed in on victims and gained knowledge about their lives and the layouts of their homes was a question of endless speculation. Just creepy.
My only complaint would be, the book is a bit choppy, jumps around. Could be attributed to a combination of the subject matter, the information available, the author unable to finish her own book. Doesn’t take away from the journey though. Reminds me how much I enjoy a good true crime. This one is a gooder.
sanchez24601's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.5
kissmelicia's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
shaychestnut's review against another edition
4.0
I give Michelle McNamara 5 stars but I'd give the finished book 3 stars so 4 stars it is! If you don't know already, Michelle passed away before finishing the novel. Paul Haynes, Billy Jensen, and her husband, Patton Oswalt, took it upon themselves to organize her drafts and notes and make it into a coherent, published novel. Michelle's writing is fantastic. For someone who writes about true crime, she does so very personally and reverently. She refrains from using too much detail of Joseph DeAngelo's crimes and something I really appreciated was that she introduced the victims with personal details of their lives which really humanized them. It was nice to get to know those hurt or killed by DeAngelo as people other than victims who are so often reduced to numbers, clues, and evidence.
The one complaint I have (through no fault of Michelle) is that the timeline was very confusing for me. I'm not suuuper into true crime so I didn't already know the details of the Golden State Killer and I think that affected my reading a lot. It was difficult to keep track of all the names and places so if you're like me, I would recommend reading Wikipedia or listening to a podcast to get all the facts straight and then read this book. Again, this isn't a complaint against Michelle. The compilers were very respectful and didn't want to add much to anything Michelle wrote but I think it could have used more explanations and footnotes.
The one complaint I have (through no fault of Michelle) is that the timeline was very confusing for me. I'm not suuuper into true crime so I didn't already know the details of the Golden State Killer and I think that affected my reading a lot. It was difficult to keep track of all the names and places so if you're like me, I would recommend reading Wikipedia or listening to a podcast to get all the facts straight and then read this book. Again, this isn't a complaint against Michelle. The compilers were very respectful and didn't want to add much to anything Michelle wrote but I think it could have used more explanations and footnotes.
astonersbookshelf_'s review against another edition
4.0
I want to start off with first by saying that I am usually not a nonfiction person, however I wanted to branch out and try something new. As someone who is very intrigued by serial killers, I decided to stick with that theme and do more reading on the Golden State Killer.
I think that one of the hardest things to know going through this book is that Michelle McNamara did not make it to the book release, which was in Feb 2018 and she ended up passing in 2016. Two months after release in 2018, the police had found and arrested the suspect which was 72 year old Joseph James DeAngelo. He was not only a police officer but a mechanic who terrorized so many people. It is so scary to think that monsters really do look just like you and I.
I am sad that we lost Michelle McNamara too soon and enjoyed the way that she told the story. I think that the way she told them helped me enjoy it more than the average nonfiction story. She wrote quite differently than I am used to and kept me interested when sometimes facts can get repetitive and boring.
I cannot imagine how difficult it was to being doing so much research on this and not having an answer. And though the police won’t admit it, I do believe that McNamara’s book helped catch the man. Though she may not have found ‘new’ evidence, she did bring attention back to the topic with her book.
I think that one of the hardest things to know going through this book is that Michelle McNamara did not make it to the book release, which was in Feb 2018 and she ended up passing in 2016. Two months after release in 2018, the police had found and arrested the suspect which was 72 year old Joseph James DeAngelo. He was not only a police officer but a mechanic who terrorized so many people. It is so scary to think that monsters really do look just like you and I.
I am sad that we lost Michelle McNamara too soon and enjoyed the way that she told the story. I think that the way she told them helped me enjoy it more than the average nonfiction story. She wrote quite differently than I am used to and kept me interested when sometimes facts can get repetitive and boring.
I cannot imagine how difficult it was to being doing so much research on this and not having an answer. And though the police won’t admit it, I do believe that McNamara’s book helped catch the man. Though she may not have found ‘new’ evidence, she did bring attention back to the topic with her book.