Study Guide

My suspicions that true crime really isn't my thing has been confirmed by reading I'll Be Gone in the Dark. It's incredibly upsetting reading this knowing these horrific acts happened to real people and I couldn't help thinks how dying whilst in fear for the person you love must be one of the worst ways to go. Both Popsugar and Read Harder require true crime books this year, so I made myself read this, and you should bear that in mind whilst reading this review. I'm sure fans of the genre will gobble it up.

I didn't know much about the Golden State Killer, or East Area Rapist (EAR) or Original Night Stalker (ONS) as he was also known. It was too long ago and too far away to reach my sphere of paying attention, but it is clear from reading this book that whole communities lived in a state of terror for years. One of the worst things must have been that he struck couple in their own home. You should feel safe behind locked doors with the person you chose to spend your life with.

Whilst I didn't like reading about the crimes themselves, I was more interested in the investigation and ongoing support for it from cold case enthusiasts. At several times I wondered if things would have been different these days. Would news spread and links be made much sooner? Would houses be so easy to break into? Would surveillance and DNA technology trip him up?

Throughout the book you see how the case was kept alive by advancements in forensic technology, with DNA linking more cases than anyone ever thought possible. You may have heard the suspect has been arrested this year, although that is not included in the book. Sadly Michelle died before she could finish the book or see the killer brought to justice. It definitely feels unfinished, and there is a big difference between the fully fleshed out chapters and the parts that have been pieced together from notes.

It does come across that Michelle sees the victims as people and not just pieces of a puzzle. Maybe that's why it's so upsetting, beacuse she is not clinical in describing the crimes. She also touches on the impact of the rapes on the survivors, as not every couple was murdered. The book is also part memoir, as she comes to terms with what has become an obsession for her.

I felt the introduction from Gillian Flynn was a bit pointless, it just regurgitated bits from the rest of the book, but I imagine it was put there to help sell the book. In the end, it turns out that catching the killer was the biggest publicity jackpot they could have hoped for. I'd be interested to see if they publish an updated edition once a conviction has been made.

Jude and Taryn are seven when their parents are brutally murdered by a fae, a fae who happens to be their half-sister's father. All three girls are whisked away to Faerie to be raised by the murderer.

Jump forward ten years and you find out things haven't been as bad as you'd imagine based on that opening. In the prologue, you get the feeling the story will focus on Viv who is the daughter of Madoc, but as it switches to the first person narrative you discover that mortal Jude is the narrator. Viv is the one who rebels the most against life in the High Court of Faerie, but Jude and Taryn are more accepting. After all, they barely knew the human world.

Things aren't all peaches though, and Jude is being bullied by the popular, posh, kids. Their ringleader? Prince Cardan, fifth in line to the throne (not that it works like that there, but he's pretty unlikely to be king compared to his siblings). A large portion of the book focuses on Jude's bullying. Taryn things she should let it slide and do what they want to make life easier for them, but how far can you let them go?


Jude's adoptive father (and, don't forget, parent killer) Madoc is in charge of the High King's military and Jude would love nothing more than to be one of his knights. Taryn just wants her happy ever after and Viv wants to live with her mortal girlfriend in the human world. The current High King is abdicating and a coronation is on the horizon.

It's only about two thirds the way in that things get interesting, until then it felt like quite a generic fae storyline, with added bullying. I mean, if you haven't read many books about the cruel and brutal type of fae, you might feel a bit more engaged but it was a very slow start for me. Yet the last third? It was gripping and full of political manoeuvring. Lots I didn't see coming! Honestly, I know a lot of the build-up was necessary to make everything work, I just didn't love it until I knew that was happening.

Although mortals are looked down upon in general I liked that they did have one prized skill, the ability to lie. Whilst the fae can be tricksy with their words, they can't lie outright. They totally don't get sarcasm!

Based on the ending I would definitely read the second book, even if this one didn't tick all my boxes.

I managed to avoid finding out exactly what this book was about before listening to it.  I didn't even read the full blurb.  (I deleted the part I didn't read in the synopsis above.)  Not knowing what was going to happen let the emotional impact of the book hit me full force.  This is an amazing and necessary book.  If any of you are thinking, "I read The Hate U Give, I don't need to read this one," get that out of your brain.  While the subject matter is similar, these books are very, very different.  Dear Martin depicts an attempt by an African-American teenager to move past an emotionally traumatizing incident with a police officer.  He finds that that is harder than he expects though as his eyes are opened to what is going on around him.  I appreciated the way he struggles with different approaches to living in a racist society through his interactions with several adult African-American men in his life.  Each discusses his struggles and his way of surviving, allowing Justyce to try to choose the best options for him.  The narration in this book was very well done by Dion Graham.  It is a short audiobook at just four and a half hours.  This is one that I will relisten to with my husband in the future.  I don't want to say much more about the book.  If you don't already know the whole plot, I'd recommend just starting this story without finding out much more.  This is a hard-hitting book that will move you.  It is a must read for everyone. This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story