I'll Be Gone in the Dark
{{short description|2018 true crime book by Michelle McNamara}}
{{see also|I'll Be Gone in the Dark (TV series)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox book
| name = I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
| image = Ill_be_gone_in_the_dark.jpg
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| alt =
| caption = First edition cover
| author = Michelle McNamara
| audio_read_by =
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| country = United States
| language = English
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| genre = Non-fiction
true crime
| set_in =
| publisher = HarperCollins
| publisher2 =
| pub_date = February 27, 2018
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| media_type = Book
| pages = 352
| awards =
| isbn = 978-0-06-231978-4
| isbn_note =
| oclc = 988857242
| dewey = 364.152/3209794
| congress = HV6565.C2 M36 2018
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I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer is a true crime book by the American writer Michelle McNamara about the investigation of the Golden State Killer. The book was released on February 27, 2018, nearly two years after McNamara's death and two months before an arrest would be made in the case.
The book's title is a reference to a threat spoken by the Golden State Killer during his 1976 attack upon his tenth victim, then-15-year-old Kris Pedretti, to whom he said, "You'll be silent forever, and I'll be gone in the dark."{{cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/article/golden-state-killer-woman-reveals-path-to-healing-after-surviving-attack-from-serial-killer/1ao5641ff|title=Golden State Killer: woman reveals path to healing after surviving attack from serial killer|author=Pedretti, Kris|publisher=SBS News|language=en|url-status=live|date=June 22, 2021|access-date=January 18, 2025|archive-date=January 19, 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250119020855/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/article/golden-state-killer-woman-reveals-path-to-healing-after-surviving-attack-from-serial-killer/1ao5641ff}}{{cite web |last1=Russell |first1=Allison |title=Suspect Arrested in Golden State Killer Case, the Subject of Michelle McNamara's True Crime Novel I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK |url=https://bookriot.com/2018/04/26/suspect-arrested-in-golden-state-killer-case/ |website=BOOK RIOT |date=April 26, 2018}}
Development
After becoming interested in the crimes of what was then known as the "East Area Rapist" (among other names) McNamara wrote a 2013 Los Angeles magazine article about the serial killer, and ultimately signed a book deal with HarperCollins to write about the case.
McNamara is credited with coining the moniker Golden State Killer{{cite magazine |first=Patton|last=Oswalt|authorlink=Patton Oswalt|url = https://time.com/4316653/patton-oswalt-remembers-michelle-mcnamara/ |title = Patton Oswalt Remembers His Wife, Michelle McNamara: 'She Steered Her Life With Joyous, Wicked Curiosity' |magazine = Time |date=May 3, 2016|access-date = April 30, 2018 }} to refer to the criminal who had previously been referred to by various other names including the East Area Rapist, Original Night Stalker, Visalia Ransacker, East Bay Rapist, and Diamond Knot Killer.{{cite web |url = http://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/in-the-footsteps-of-a-killer/ |title = In the Footsteps of a Killer |last1 = McNamara |first1 = Michelle |authorlink1=Michelle McNamara| date = February 27, 2013 |website = Los Angeles |archive-url = https://archive.today/20171020222155/http://www.lamag.com/longform/in-the-footsteps-of-a-killer/ |archive-date = October 20, 2017 |url-status = dead|access-date = October 7, 2015 }} McNamara's coining of the Golden State Killer moniker is credited with heightening awareness of the then-unidentified serial killer who operated throughout California in the early 1970s to mid-1980s.
McNamara died in her sleep on April 21, 2016, at the age of 46 due to an accidental prescription drug overdose in conjunction with undiagnosed atherosclerosis.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-patton-oswalt-wife-20170204-story.html|title=Actor Patton Oswalt says prescription medications and heart condition caused wife's death|date=February 4, 2017|website=Los Angeles Times|agency=Associated Press|access-date=June 26, 2020}} It was later disclosed she suffered with opioid addiction.{{cite web |first=Ethan|last=Alter|website=Yahoo! Entertainment|date=June 25, 2020|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/patton-oswalt-ill-be-gone-in-the-dark-michelle-mcnamara-accidental-overdose-204352038.html | title=Patton Oswalt reflects on 'I'll be Gone in the Dark' and Michelle McNamara's accidental overdose: 'There were signs that I didn't know to look for'}} Her book was about two-thirds completed at her death.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/patton-oswalt-looks-back-at-his-late-wifes-serial-killer-obsession|title=Patton Oswalt Looks Back at His Late Wife's Serial-Killer Obsession|first=Lewis|last=Beale|newspaper=The Daily Beast|date=February 24, 2018|access-date=June 26, 2020}} The book was completed after McNamara's death by crime writer Paul Haynes, investigative journalist Bill Jensen, and McNamara's widower, comedian Patton Oswalt. Jensen later explained that, while McNamara had completed numerous chapters for the book, they were not in any particular order in her computer files; consequently, he, Haynes, and Oswalt mainly focused on sequencing her material and filling in gaps from her voluminous notes and copies of police documents.{{cite book|first=Billy|last=Jensen|date=2019|title=Chase Darkness with Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders|publisher=Sourcebooks|location=Naperville, Illinois|isbn=978-1492685852}}
The book's title recalls a threat that the killer, Joseph James DeAngelo made during his December 18, 1976 attack upon his tenth victim, then-15-year-old Kris Pedretti, whom he raped three times in her home over more than two hours as her parents attended a Christmas party. As Pedretti played the family's piano, DeAngelo, wearing a ski mask, put a knife to her throat and said to her, "Do what I say or I'll kill you and be gone in the dark".
The book{{snd}} McNamara's debut{{snd}}was released on February 27, 2018, and reached the top of The New York Times Best Seller list for non-fiction.{{cite magazine |last1 = Canfield |first1 = David |title = Michelle McNamara's posthumous I'll Be Gone in the Dark is a No. 1 best-seller |url = https://ew.com/books/2018/03/07/michelle-mcnamara-ill-be-gone-in-the-dark-no-1-best-seller/ |magazine = Entertainment Weekly |date = March 7, 2018 }} The book remained on the list for 15 weeks.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2018/06/24/hardcover-nonfiction/ |title=The New York Times Best-Sellers: Hardcover Nonfiction |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 15, 2018}}
I'll Be Gone in the Dark contains an introduction by the American writer Gillian Flynn and an afterword by Oswalt.
Impact
On April 25, 2018, the Sacramento Sheriff announced the April 24 arrest of a suspect in the Golden State Killer case: 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo (born November 8, 1945). DeAngelo, a former police officer in Auburn and Exeter, California,{{cite news |last = Myers |first = Paul |date = April 25, 2018 |title = Sacramento Sheriff's Department arrests Visalia Ransacker, confirms he was an officer of the Exeter Police Department in 1973 |url = http://www.thesungazette.com/article/news/2018/04/25/sacramento-sheriffs-arrest-visalia-ransacker-confirm-he-was-an-officer-of-the-exeter-police-department-in-1973/ |work = The Sun-Gazette |access-date = April 25, 2018 }} was arrested and charged with six counts of first-degree murder.{{Cite news |first1=Thomas|last1=Fuller|first2=Christine|last2=Hauser|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/us/golden-state-killer-serial.html |title = Ex-Cop Arrested in Golden State Killer Case: 'We Found the Needle in the Haystack' |date = April 25, 2018 |work = The New York Times |access-date = April 26, 2018 |language = en-US |issn = 0362-4331 }}{{cite news |last1 = Egel |first1 = Benjy |title = Who is the East Area Rapist? Police say it's this ex-cop who attended Folsom High |url = http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article209823959.html |access-date = April 25, 2018 |work = The Sacramento Bee |date = April 25, 2018 }}{{cite news |last1 = Stanglin |first1 = Doug |title = Golden State Killer: Ex-cop Joseph James DeAngelo arrested as suspect in serial murder-rapes |url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/04/25/golden-state-killer-joseph-james-deangelo-arrested/550544002/ |access-date = April 25, 2018 |work = USA Today |date = April 25, 2018 |language = en }} Authorities in Sacramento, Orange, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties prepared charges against DeAngelo for all 12 of the murders in the Golden State Killer case.{{cite news |url = http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article209862599.html |title = Here's where East Area Rapist suspect worked for nearly three decades before retiring |first = Ryan |last = Lillis |date = April 25, 2018 |access-date = April 26, 2018 |work = Sacramento Bee }} The sheriff credited McNamara's dedication to the Golden State Killer case for raising publicity, but added that her work did not directly generate any critical tips or information that led to DeAngelo's arrest.
The book and McNamara's work on the case are frequently discussed in the true crime podcast My Favorite Murder, which boasts a large fan base of true crime aficionados. The debut episode of the show, "Episode 1: My Firstest Murder," featured the case as well as a discussion of McNamara's work.{{Cite web|url=https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=45613062|title=1 - My Firstest Murder from My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark|website=stitcher.com|access-date=June 26, 2020}} Prior to the arrest, "Episode 115: I'll Be Gone in the Dark at Skylight Books" featured Oswalt and Jensen discussing the book and their roles in finishing the project following McNamara's death.{{Cite web|url=https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=53981118|title=115 - I'll Be Gone in the Dark at Skylight Books from My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark|website=stitcher.com|access-date=June 26, 2020}} In that episode Oswalt discussed McNamara's writing process, including making "era-appropriate playlists to help her get into a proper mindset".{{Cite web|url=https://www.pajiba.com/celebrities_are_better_than_you/patton-oswalts-my-favorite-murder-appearance-is-an-ode-to-his-late-wife-michelle-mcnamara.php|title=Patton Oswalt's 'My Favorite Murder' Appearance Is An Ode To His Late Wife, Michelle McNamara|first=Kristy|last=Puchko|date=April 9, 2018|website=Pajiba|access-date=June 26, 2020}} Oswalt described the finishing of the book as a bittersweet experience: "It's another part of her that's kind of gone. In a very sick way, not having the book done—and us working on it—meant she was still here."
Jensen appeared on the My Favorite Murder episode "Golden State Serial Killer Caught", on April 26, 2018, immediately after the arrest was made, and discussed the case and his work on the book following McNamara's death.{{Cite web|url=https://myfavoritemurder.com/118-golden-state-serial-killer-caught/|title=118 - Golden State Serial Killer Caught|website=myfavoritemurder.com|access-date=June 26, 2020|archive-date=December 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228141221/https://myfavoritemurder.com/118-golden-state-serial-killer-caught/|url-status=dead}} The episode "Surprise! It's Paul Holes" also featured Jensen and Holes discussing the case and the impact of McNamara's work.{{Cite web|url=https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=54611556|title=122 - Surprise! It's Paul Holes from My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark|website=stitcher.com|access-date=June 26, 2020}}
Adaptation
{{main|I'll Be Gone in the Dark (TV series)}}
In April 2018, HBO announced they had purchased the rights for I'll Be Gone in the Dark and were developing it into a documentary series.{{cite news |last1 = Andreeva |first1 = Nellie |last2 = Petski |first2 = Denise |title = Docuseries Based on Michelle McNamara's 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark' True-Crime Book in Works at HBO |url = https://deadline.com/2018/04/michelle-mcnamara-ill-be-gone-in-the-dark-true-crime-book-docuseries-hbo-1202360109/ |work = Deadline Hollywood|date=April 9, 2018}} Filming for the series began April 24, 2018,{{cite news |last1 = Raphael |first1 = Michele |title = Arrest of 'Golden State Killer' Mirrors Prediction in Michelle McNamara's Book |url = http://www.laweekly.com/arts/arrest-of-golden-state-killer-predicted-in-michelle-mcnamaras-book-ill-be-gone-in-the-dark-9404523 |access-date = April 26, 2018 |work = L.A. Weekly |date = April 25, 2018 }} directed in part by Academy Award-nominee and Emmy-winner Liz Garbus.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/ill-be-gone-in-the-dark-hbo-series-michelle-mcnamara-1202793995/|title=Michelle McNamara's 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark' Greenlit as HBO Docu-Series|last=Otterson|first=Joe|date=May 1, 2018|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2019-02-12}} The documentary premiered June 28, 2020.{{Cite web|first=Robyn|last=Merrett|url=https://people.com/tv/ill-be-gone-in-the-dark-watch-the-trailer-for-hbo-new-docuseries/|title=I'll Be Gone in the Dark: Watch the Trailer for HBO's New Docuseries About the Golden State Killer|website=People|date=May 4, 2020|access-date=June 26, 2020}}