Overview

"In the span of just a few years, Barbara Rae-Venter went from researching her family history as a retiree to finding a serial killer who had baffled law enforcement for decades. I Know Who You Are tracks her improbable journey to becoming the nation's leading authority in investigative genetic genealogy, and to identifying the Golden State Killer-who had evaded authorities for forty-four years-in just sixty-three days. Rae-Venter also details other extraordinary cases that she has worked on, from the first criminal cold case she ever cracked-uncovering the long-lost identity of a child abductee-to the heartbreaking case of the Billboard Boy, which began with unidentified remains dumped along a North Carolina highway. When she looks at DNA data, Rae-Venter sees numbers, percentages, probabilities-but she also sees the very stuff that makes us who we are. Drawing on both her own experiences and insights from all the key players in her investigations, Rae-Venter brings readers inside her unique ""grasshopper mind"" as she analyzes DNA data; pores through obituaries, marriage records, and old newspapers articles; and envisions different scenarios that bring her closer and closer to her target. She lets readers join in on urgent calls from sheriffs, FBI agents, district attorneys, and researchers, and she takes us inside the struggle to obtain a usable crime scene DNA sample and other unexpected roadblocks that often make the search more difficult. Time and again, Rae-Venter pushes through setbacks, finds new angles of investigation, and uses the most cutting-edge new technology-much of it developed during her search-until, finally, a critical piece of the puzzle suddenly tumbles into place. I Know Who You Are captures the exhilaration of the moment of discovery in cold case investigations, but also the sheer depth of emotion that lingers around these cases and informs Rae-Venter's careful approach to her work. It is a story of relentless curiosity, of constant invention and reinvention, and of recognizing that we may not be who we thought we were. EDGAR AWARD FINALIST .""A true-crime masterpiece written by a cold-case-cracking master.""-John Douglas, New York Times bestselling co-author of Mindhunter ""Barbara Rae-Venter isn't just the genealogy expert who helped capture the Golden State Killer-she's an unsung hero who has given murdered women and children their faces and names back.""-Maureen Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of American Predator ""Echoes the dedication displayed by such fictional police detectives as California novelist Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch.""-The Wall Street Journal For twelve years the Golden State Killer terrorized California, stalking victims and killing without remorse. Then he simply disappeared, for the next forty-four years, until an amateur DNA sleuth opened her laptop. In I Know Who You Are, Barbara Rae-Venter reveals how she went from researching her family history as a retiree to hunting for a notorious serial killer-and how she became the nation's leading authority on investigative genetic genealogy, the most dazzling new crime-fighting weapon to appear in decades. Rae-Venter shares haunting, often thrilling accounts of how she helped solve some of America's most chilling cold cases in the span of just three years, frequently starting with little more than a DNA sample. She brings readers inside her unique ""grasshopper mind"" as she pores through obituaries, marriage records, and old newspaper articles.Readers join in on urgent calls with sheriffs, FBI agents, and district attorneys as she details the struggle to obtain usable crime scene DNA samples, until, finally, a critical piece of the puzzle clicks into place. I Know Who You Are captures both the exhilaration of these discoveries and the deep-rooted emotions that linger around cold cases. It isa story of relentless curiosity and reinvention, and of human beings striving to answer the most elemental questions about themselves- What defines identity? Where do we belong? And are we truly who we think we are?"

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Reviews

I Know Who You Are is a true-crime masterpiece written by a cold-case-cracking master. Barbara Rae-Venter's investigative DNA work has revolutionized the way law enforcement hunts serial killers. This page-turner takes readers inside the web of lies spun by the worst criminal minds and reveals the path to solving the country's most notorious crimes. It's an epic read and a searingly important story. -John Douglas, New York Times bestselling co-author of Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit Barbara Rae-Venter isn't just the genealogy expert who helped capture the Golden State Killer-she's an unsung hero who has given murdered women and children their faces and names back, the recognizing that their lives mattered. This book is an invaluable addition to the true-crime genre. -Maureen Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century I Know Who You Are is a propulsive true-crime thriller that takes the reader deep inside the manhunt for one of the most terrifying serial killers in American history. Barbara Rae-Venter's admirable work as a DNA sleuth provided the searing heat that melted the coldest of cold cases. -Casey Sherman, New York Times bestselling author of Helltown: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod I Know Who You Are offers an immersive, compelling account of a revolution in crime-fighting from the woman who pioneered it. With urgency and insight, Barbara Rae-Venter tells the unlikely story of a retired patent attorney whose obsessive, scientific mind transformed her from a genealogical hobbyist into the who helped identify one of America's most notorious serial killers. Rae-Venter's deep dive into the Golden State Killer case explores the science, history, and ethics around a technique that has led to the solving of hundreds of cold cases, a fierce debate over privacy, and a burgeoning awareness of the power of DNA technology to transform our lives by revealing the truth about the past. -Libby Copeland, author of The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We A remarkable account . . . Rae-Venter makes the science accessible and delves into the controversy that forensic genealogy has engendered because of privacy concerns . . . An eye-opening and thought-provoking contribution to the true crime genre. -Publishers Weekly (starred review) Fascinating true-crime reportage infused with cinematic suspense . . . [Barbara Rae-Venter's] chronicle is a solid testament to the evolution of genetic forensic science and how it has made investigators more effective in apprehending criminals, both from cold cases and those in real time. It's also an examination of corrupted humanity gone haywire and the thrill and release of an abuser being brought to justice. -Kirkus Reviews

“Like a good crime writer, Ms. Rae-Venter has a gift for storytelling. . . . Her scientific explanations are concise and her revelations are dramatic. I Know Who You Are is a remarkably exciting book. . . . Her description of the obsessive zeal with which she sought this personification of evil echoes the dedication displayed by such fictional police detectives as California novelist Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch.”—The Wall Street Journal   “A lucid and entertaining detective story . . . Rae-Venter is a scientist at heart, and driven by a scientist’s particular, almost possessive hunger for knowledge.”—Slate   “A gripping story tracing the hundreds of hours spent rifling through people’s family ties to find killers and identify bodies.”—Nature “In a very crowded field of hard-to-distinguish true-crime offerings, Rae-Venter’s title provides a unique and edge-of-your seat insider’s account of the case she calls, accurately so, ‘a dividing line between the past and the future’ for law enforcement.”—ABA Journal “I Know Who You Are is a true-crime masterpiece written by a cold-case-cracking master. This page-turner takes readers inside the web of lies spun by the worst criminal minds and reveals the path to solving the country’s most notorious crimes. It's an epic read and a searingly important story.”—John Douglas, New York Times bestselling co-author of Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit “This book is an invaluable addition to the true-crime genre.”—Maureen Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century “I Know Who You Are is a propulsive true-crime thriller that takes the reader deep inside the manhunt for one of the most terrifying serial killers in American history. Barbara Rae-Venter’s admirable work as a DNA sleuth provided the searing heat that melted the coldest of cold cases.”—Casey Sherman, New York Times bestselling author of Helltown: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod “With urgency and insight, Barbara Rae-Venter tells the unlikely story of a retired patent attorney whose obsessive, scientific mind transformed her from a genealogical hobbyist into the who helped identify one of America’s most notorious serial killers.”—Libby Copeland, author of The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We “[Rae-Venter] tells the story the world has been waiting to hear in her mesmerizing memoir. . . .”—BookPage (starred review) “A remarkable account . . . It’s an eye-opening and thought-provoking contribution to the true crime genre.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Fascinating true-crime reportage infused with cinematic suspense . . .”—Kirkus Reviews

I Know Who You Are is a true-crime masterpiece written by a cold-case-cracking master. Barbara Rae-Venter's investigative DNA work has revolutionized the way law enforcement hunts serial killers. This page-turner takes readers inside the web of lies spun by the worst criminal minds and reveals the path to solving the country's most notorious crimes. An epic read and a searingly important story. -John Douglas, New York Times bestselling co-author of Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit Barbara Rae-Venter isn't just the genealogy expert who helped capture the Golden State Killer-she's an unsung hero who has given murdered women and children faces and names, the recognition that their lives mattered. This book is an invaluable addition to the true-crime genre. -Maureen Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century I Know Who You Are is a propulsive true-crime thriller that takes the reader deep inside the manhunt for one of the most terrifying serial killers in American history. Barbara Rae-Venter's admirable work as a DNA sleuth provided the searing heat that melted the coldest of cold cases. -Casey Sherman, New York Times bestselling co-author of Helltown: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod I Know Who You Are offers an immersive, compelling account of a revolution in crime-fighting from the citizen-scientist who pioneered it. With urgency and insight, Barbara Rae-Venter tells the unlikely story of a retired patent attorney whose obsessive, scientific mind transformed her from a genealogical hobbyist into the citizen-scientist who helped identify one of America's most notorious serial killers. Rae-Venter's deep dive into the Golden State Killer case explores the science, history and ethics around a technique that has led to the solving of hundreds of cold cases, a fierce debate over privacy, and a burgeoning awareness of the power of DNA technology to transform our lives by revealing the truth about the past. -Libby Copeland, author of The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are

Author Information

"Barbara Rae-Venter is a New Zealand-born American investigative genetic genealogist,biochemist, and retired patent attorney best known for her work helping the FBI and other investigators identify Joseph James DeAngelo as the Golden State Killer. She earned a Ph.D. at the University of California at San Diego and later a law degree at the University of Texas at Austin Law School. Rae-Venter is a founder and the president of Firebird Forensics Group, a not-for-profit corporation. Her investigative work earned her a place on theTime100 list of most influential peoplein 2019,and she was recognized by the journalNatureas one of ""10 People Who Mattered in Science in 2018."""

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