And yet this is all part of what makes I'll Be Gone such a singular, fascinating read. It's lifelike in its incompletion. Had McNamara lived to wrap this book on her own, one suspects the end result could have been a masterwork. It still is, mostly—a posthumous treasure that feels thrillingly alive.

It delves into the case of the Golden State Killer, a notorious serial rapist and murderer who terrorized California in the 1970s and 80s. Through meticulous research and haunting prose, McNamara chronicles her own investigation and sheds light on the relentless pursuit of justice.

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.