When I was contemplating subscribing to Scribd’s audio book library, the book that sold me was Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone In The Dark. I expected to enjoy listening to the book, narrated by Gabri Zachman, I did not expect the book to make me miss my mother and cry.
She was both proud of the fact that she had raised a strong-minded daughter and resentful of my sharp opinions.“
That dichotomy was my relationship with my mother and I did not expect to hear it in a book about hunting for a serieal killer/rapist/terrorizer. My mother would have either been intrigued or appalled. On the one hand she thought that Dexter glorified serial killers and there was something wrong with me because I watched it. On the other, shortly before she died, she watched the unrelentingly grim and violent samurai movie 13 Assassins and decided she should stop criticizing my driving. What I’m saying is, I have no idea how she would have reacted and this book made me think about her a lot.
I am a fan of true crime, but don’t consider myself a murderino. I’ve discovered that my interest is more in the process of the investigation than in hearing the details of the crime. I enjoyed listening to McNamara describe the hows and whys of her interest, her investigation and the processes of the people who investigated the Golden State Killer professionally.
I even enjoyed the parts of the book where Paul Haynes and Billy Jensen are describing the notes McNamara left behind. This isn’t quite the book Michelle McNamara would have produced. But I am so glad that they finished the book as much as they could after her death. In this case, something is better than nothing.
Shortly after the book was published, an arrest was made. Joseph James DeAngelo’s DNA matches that of the Golden State Killer. He wasn’t on anyone’s radar. I will be interested to see how well he matches up with the picture investigators – professional and arm chair – created of the Golden State Killer. I’m sorry we won’t get to hear Michelle McNamara’s thoughts as this phase of the investigation proceeds.
Anyway, here’s a picture of me with my mother before I started having opinions, and shortly before the Golden State Killer started his criminal career.
