# I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer - Paperback

[**Report copyright infringement**](https://reportcopyrightinfringement.com/)

by **Michelle McNamara** (Author), **Gillian Flynn** (Introduction by), **Patton Oswalt** (Afterword by)

**#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_ Mother Jones _Real Simple_ Crime Reads Book Riot Bookish Amazon Barnes and Noble Hudson Booksellers New York Public Library Chicago Public Library**

**Winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for Nonfiction SCIBA Book Award Winner** **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.

### Front Jacket

You'll be silent forever, and I'll be gone in the dark.

Over the course of 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. In 1986 he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.

At the time of the crimes, the man journalist Michelle McNamara dubbed the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty. He always wore a mask. He attacked while his victims slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth.

_I'll Be Gone in the Dark_\--the masterpiece McNamara was writing when she died tragically at the age of forty-six--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 stunning portrait of a woman's obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth.

\--_New York_

### Back Jacket

You'll be silent forever, and I'll be gone in the dark.

Over the course of 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. In 1986 he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.

At the time of the crimes, the man journalist Michelle McNamara dubbed the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty. He always wore a mask. He attacked while his victims slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth.

_I'll Be Gone in the Dark_\--the masterpiece McNamara was writing when she died tragically at the age of forty-six--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 stunning portrait of a woman's obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth.

**Number of Pages:** 496

**Dimensions:** 1.2 x 8.9 x 5.9 IN

**Publication Date:** March 27, 2018

**Large Print:** Yes

## Details

- **Price:** 34.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 34.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer - Paperback

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/ill-be-gone-in-the-dark-one-womans-obsessive-search-for-the-golden-state-killer-paperback)
> Updated: 2026-07-21
