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THE BASIS FOR THE MAJOR 6-PART HBO(R) DOCUMENTARY SERIES #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Washington Post Maureen Corrigan, NPR Paste Seattle Times Entertainment Weekly Esquire Slate Buzzfeed Jezebel Philadelphia Inquirer Publishers Weekly Kirkus Reviews Library Journal Bustle Winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for Nonfiction Anthony Award Winner SCIBA Book Award Winner Finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence The haunting true story of the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California during the 70s and 80s, and of the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case--which was solved in April 2018. Introduction by Gillian Flynn - Afterword by Patton Oswalt ""A brilliant genre-buster.... Propulsive, can't-stop-now reading."" --Stephen King 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. 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. Utterly original and compelling, it has been hailed as a modern true crime classic--one which fulfilled Michelle's dream: helping unmask the Golden State Killer.

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What readers need to know--what makes this book so special--is that it deals with two obsessions, one light and one dark. The Golden State Killer is the dark half; Michelle McNamara's is the light half. It's a journey into two minds, one sick and disordered, the other intelligent and determined. I loved this book. --Stephen King What readers need to know--what makes this book so special--is that it deals with two obsessions, one light and one dark. The Golden State Killer is the dark half; Michelle McNamara's is the light half. It's a journey into two minds, one sick and disordered, the other intelligent and determined. I loved this book. --Stephen King This book just knocked me over. --Megan Abbott Unputdownable.... Powerful. --Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air What makes McNamara's work so compelling is her empathy and sensitivity toward the people touched by these crimes.... I wish I could read the next 10 books she would have written. --Kate Tuttle, Los Angeles Times Utterly gripping. --People The work has many notable qualities -- in particular, a penetrating and elegiac voice. --Seattle Times That the book feels triumphant even after tragedy upon tragedy is a testament to McNamara's skill as a reporter. --Esquire, The 25 Best True Crime Books Every Person Should Read Remarkable.... A modern true crime classic. --Publishers Weekly, starred review Michelle McNamara was an obsessive. She was also a damn good writer. That combustive mix has produced I'll Be Gone in the Dark, a dark page-turner.... Scintillating. --USA Today Impressive. --Booklist, starred review Chilling.... Hard to put down. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Breathtaking, ambitious, and exquisitely written. --New York Both a vivid and meticulous investigation of a twisted predator who terrorized quiet, upper middle-class communities in California for nearly a decade, and a wrenching personal account from a writer who became consumed by her subject. --New York Times Any true crime project is basically a reckoning with death, but in this case, it's a reckoning that is no longer theoretical. McNamara is gone. And what's especially sad about her absence is just how good she was. --The Portland Mercury A singular, fascinating read. It's lifelike in its incompletion... a posthumous treasure that feels thrillingly alive. A- --Entertainment Weekly Remarkable... The detective's nose for the crucial clue transmutes so easily into a novelist's eye for the concrete detail that conjures a memory or emotion. She applies the same gift to a handful of portraits of people affected by the killer's crimes.... These read like fragments from Raymond Carver stories, tales of ordinary lives fractured by incomprehensible violence. Had she lived, McNamara might have helped identify the man who committed that violence, but before she died, she did something nearly as miraculous: making them all live again in some small way. --Laura Miller, Slate A powerful portrait of the scale of the Golden State Killer's crimes, of the mechanics of criminal investigations, of the strange particular dread and paranoia in the California in the 1970s, and of McNamara's own obsession with violent men, and this one violent man. --San Francisco Chronicle Narrative true crime journalism at its very finest, a complex, multilayered, chilling portrait of a faceless monster, and a remarkable tribute to the woman who, up until her last day, believed she would one day have him in her crosshairs. --Village Voice Narrative true crime journalism at its very finest, a complex, multilayered, chilling portrait of a faceless monster, and a remarkable tribute to the woman who, up until her last day, believed she would one day have him in her crosshairs. --Village Voice

Unputdownable.... Powerful. --Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air What readers need to know--what makes this book so special--is that it deals with two obsessions, one light and one dark. The Golden State Killer is the dark half; Michelle McNamara's is the light half. It's a journey into two minds, one sick and disordered, the other intelligent and determined. I loved this book. --Stephen King This book just knocked me over. --Megan Abbott A powerful portrait of the scale of the Golden State Killer's crimes, of the mechanics of criminal investigations, of the strange particular dread and paranoia in the California in the 1970s, and of McNamara's own obsession with violent men, and this one violent man. --San Francisco Chronicle Impressive. --Booklist, starred review The work has many notable qualities -- in particular, a penetrating and elegiac voice. --Seattle Times Chilling.... Hard to put down. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Remarkable.... A modern true crime classic. --Publishers Weekly, starred review Any true crime project is basically a reckoning with death, but in this case, it's a reckoning that is no longer theoretical. McNamara is gone. And what's especially sad about her absence is just how good she was. --The Portland Mercury Narrative true crime journalism at its very finest, a complex, multilayered, chilling portrait of a faceless monster, and a remarkable tribute to the woman who, up until her last day, believed she would one day have him in her crosshairs. --Village Voice That the book feels triumphant even after tragedy upon tragedy is a testament to McNamara's skill as a reporter. --Esquire, The 25 Best True Crime Books Every Person Should Read Michelle McNamara was an obsessive. She was also a damn good writer. That combustive mix has produced I'll Be Gone in the Dark, a dark page-turner.... Scintillating. --USA Today Breathtaking, ambitious, and exquisitely written. --New York Utterly gripping. --People Both a vivid and meticulous investigation of a twisted predator who terrorized quiet, upper middle-class communities in California for nearly a decade, and a wrenching personal account from a writer who became consumed by her subject. --New York Times What makes McNamara's work so compelling is her empathy and sensitivity toward the people touched by these crimes.... I wish I could read the next 10 books she would have written. --Kate Tuttle, Los Angeles Times A singular, fascinating read. It's lifelike in its incompletion... a posthumous treasure that feels thrillingly alive. A- --Entertainment Weekly

Unputdownable.... Powerful. --Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air What readers need to know--what makes this book so special--is that it deals with two obsessions, one light and one dark. The Golden State Killer is the dark half; Michelle McNamara's is the light half. It's a journey into two minds, one sick and disordered, the other intelligent and determined. I loved this book. --Stephen King This book just knocked me over. --Megan Abbott A powerful portrait of the scale of the Golden State Killer's crimes, of the mechanics of criminal investigations, of the strange particular dread and paranoia in the California in the 1970s, and of McNamara's own obsession with violent men, and this one violent man. --San Francisco Chronicle Remarkable... The detective's nose for the crucial clue transmutes so easily into a novelist's eye for the concrete detail that conjures a memory or emotion. She applies the same gift to a handful of portraits of people affected by the killer's crimes.... These read like fragments from Raymond Carver stories, tales of ordinary lives fractured by incomprehensible violence. Had she lived, McNamara might have helped identify the man who committed that violence, but before she died, she did something nearly as miraculous: making them all live again in some small way. --Laura Miller, Slate The work has many notable qualities -- in particular, a penetrating and elegiac voice. --Seattle Times Any true crime project is basically a reckoning with death, but in this case, it's a reckoning that is no longer theoretical. McNamara is gone. And what's especially sad about her absence is just how good she was. --The Portland Mercury Narrative true crime journalism at its very finest, a complex, multilayered, chilling portrait of a faceless monster, and a remarkable tribute to the woman who, up until her last day, believed she would one day have him in her crosshairs. --Village Voice Michelle McNamara was an obsessive. She was also a damn good writer. That combustive mix has produced I'll Be Gone in the Dark, a dark page-turner.... Scintillating. --USA Today Utterly gripping. --People Both a vivid and meticulous investigation of a twisted predator who terrorized quiet, upper middle-class communities in California for nearly a decade, and a wrenching personal account from a writer who became consumed by her subject. --New York Times What makes McNamara's work so compelling is her empathy and sensitivity toward the people touched by these crimes.... I wish I could read the next 10 books she would have written. --Kate Tuttle, Los Angeles Times Impressive. --Booklist, starred review Chilling.... Hard to put down. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Remarkable.... A modern true crime classic. --Publishers Weekly, starred review That the book feels triumphant even after tragedy upon tragedy is a testament to McNamara's skill as a reporter. --Esquire, The 25 Best True Crime Books Every Person Should Read Breathtaking, ambitious, and exquisitely written. --New York A singular, fascinating read. It's lifelike in its incompletion... a posthumous treasure that feels thrillingly alive. A- --Entertainment Weekly

A powerful portrait of the scale of the Golden State Killer's crimes, of the mechanics of criminal investigations, of the strange particular dread and paranoia in the California in the 1970s, and of McNamara's own obsession with violent men, and this one violent man. --San Francisco Chronicle Unputdownable.... Powerful. --Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air What readers need to know--what makes this book so special--is that it deals with two obsessions, one light and one dark. The Golden State Killer is the dark half; Michelle McNamara's is the light half. It's a journey into two minds, one sick and disordered, the other intelligent and determined. I loved this book. --Stephen King This book just knocked me over. --Megan Abbott The work has many notable qualities -- in particular, a penetrating and elegiac voice. --Seattle Times Chilling.... Hard to put down. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Utterly gripping. --People Impressive. --Booklist, starred review Remarkable.... A modern true crime classic. --Publishers Weekly, starred review Any true crime project is basically a reckoning with death, but in this case, it's a reckoning that is no longer theoretical. McNamara is gone. And what's especially sad about her absence is just how good she was. --The Portland Mercury Narrative true crime journalism at its very finest, a complex, multilayered, chilling portrait of a faceless monster, and a remarkable tribute to the woman who, up until her last day, believed she would one day have him in her crosshairs. --Village Voice That the book feels triumphant even after tragedy upon tragedy is a testament to McNamara's skill as a reporter. --Esquire, The 25 Best True Crime Books Every Person Should Read Michelle McNamara was an obsessive. She was also a damn good writer. That combustive mix has produced I'll Be Gone in the Dark, a dark page-turner.... Scintillating. --USA Today Breathtaking, ambitious, and exquisitely written. --New York Both a vivid and meticulous investigation of a twisted predator who terrorized quiet, upper middle-class communities in California for nearly a decade, and a wrenching personal account from a writer who became consumed by her subject. --New York Times What makes McNamara's work so compelling is her empathy and sensitivity toward the people touched by these crimes.... I wish I could read the next 10 books she would have written. --Kate Tuttle, Los Angeles Times A singular, fascinating read. It's lifelike in its incompletion... a posthumous treasure that feels thrillingly alive. A- --Entertainment Weekly

Author Information

Michelle McNamara (1970-2016) was the author of the website True Crime Diary. She earned an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Minnesota, and had sold television pilots to ABC and Fox and a screenplay to Paramount. She also worked as a consultant for Dateline NBC. She lived in Los Angeles and is survived by her husband, Patton Oswalt, and their daughter, Alice.

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