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Reviews tagging 'Murder'
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
261 reviews
shellballenger's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Type of read: Commuter Read.
What made me pick it up: True crime will always be a guilty pleasure of mine.
Overall rating: It's obviously hard to rate a book that's written based on true happenings. The author isn't creating a character and storyline, rather, they are using their gift to give you the details of the character and storyline that experienced the happenings. I feel like McNamara, and those supporting McNamara after their passing, did a great job gathering data, compiling a succinct but detailed telling of the Golden State Killer story, and packaging it in a credible, fact-based way while still making it interesting to take in as a book.
Reader's Note: It should be obvious with the subject of the book, but 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark' includes intense descriptions of rape, murder, stalking, and assault. There are also medical descriptions of the victims, the Golden State Killer's physical attributes including genitalia, and in-depth descriptions of what victims were put through.
What made me pick it up: True crime will always be a guilty pleasure of mine.
Overall rating: It's obviously hard to rate a book that's written based on true happenings. The author isn't creating a character and storyline, rather, they are using their gift to give you the details of the character and storyline that experienced the happenings. I feel like McNamara, and those supporting McNamara after their passing, did a great job gathering data, compiling a succinct but detailed telling of the Golden State Killer story, and packaging it in a credible, fact-based way while still making it interesting to take in as a book.
Reader's Note: It should be obvious with the subject of the book, but 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark' includes intense descriptions of rape, murder, stalking, and assault. There are also medical descriptions of the victims, the Golden State Killer's physical attributes including genitalia, and in-depth descriptions of what victims were put through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
andformylasttrick's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Rape, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
mmadill227's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Murder
lailybibliography's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.25
A monumental, staggering work of true crime journalism. Michelle McNamara masters the coveted, rarely-achieved balance of detail without gratuity, empathy without self-righteousness. It is apparent from her concise, accessible prose that this is a person deeply committed to justice for the victims and unmasking the vile, pathetic monster behind these so much death and suffering without any wish for fame or profit. The blending of the autobiographical works seamlessly here as our narrator is as equally a compelling figure (honestly, even more) as the subject’s history of crime. It is impossible to leave I’ll Be Gone in the Dark without wishing McNamara lived to see Joseph James DeAngelo arrested and robbed of anonymity he so craved. I hope she rests easy knowing her efforts were not in vain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Blood
adudemaybe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Fucking brilliant
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Stalking, and Murder
ettapopek's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
savannahsshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Great read really interesting very compelling and i loved the combo of true crime investigation and memoir. Very compelling to hear others speak on her I hope she knows she helped
Also huge trigger warnings she doesn’t go into graphic details (nothing beyond necessary) but these are horrible graphic crimes so proceed with caution
Also huge trigger warnings she doesn’t go into graphic details (nothing beyond necessary) but these are horrible graphic crimes so proceed with caution
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
gillianalice's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
DNF (sort of) at around 60%. I'm about to skim the last 40% because I'm reading this for a book club I help run at work.
Here's the thing. I don't like true crime when it's about acts of violence like this. I can do a heist story (The Feather Thief was interesting), but I don't want to read about the Golden State Killer's reign of terror. And I genuinely don't understand people like this author who make these gruesome cases their life's work. It just doesn't sit right with me.
Personal ick aside, I also didn't find this to be particularly well written. I understand that McNamara died before it was finished, and that the choppiness can probably be explained by her family and editor piecing together her notes, but I kept getting lost in the timeline.
Overall, if you like true crime, you might like this. It's very much not for me though, and that's why I'm not giving it a rating.
Here's the thing. I don't like true crime when it's about acts of violence like this. I can do a heist story (The Feather Thief was interesting), but I don't want to read about the Golden State Killer's reign of terror. And I genuinely don't understand people like this author who make these gruesome cases their life's work. It just doesn't sit right with me.
Personal ick aside, I also didn't find this to be particularly well written. I understand that McNamara died before it was finished, and that the choppiness can probably be explained by her family and editor piecing together her notes, but I kept getting lost in the timeline.
Overall, if you like true crime, you might like this. It's very much not for me though, and that's why I'm not giving it a rating.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Murder
heather_renae's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Murder
squishmore's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Murder