Excellent and intriguing book for any true crime fans. Not only does it share the story of how Billy Jensen became a crime solver and “citizen detective,” it also discusses some of the story behind the capture of the Golden State Killer and Michelle McNamara’s (Rest in Power) involvement and how her book, I’ll Be Gone in The Dark” was finished after her death and (IMO) helped lead to the capture of Joseph DiAngelo, the GSK - AND there is a call to action and info on how to respond to that call. Overall a GREAT read and inspiring story about true crime and the power of crowd sourcing.
Review of 'Chase Darkness with Me: How One True-Crime Writer Started Solving Murders' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
I've read a quite a bit of true crime over the past year or so and Chase Darkness with Me is one of my favorites. I was drawn to it for a few reasons: it was cheap on Audible, I loved Michelle McNamara's [b:I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer|35068432|I'll Be Gone in the Dark One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer|Michelle McNamara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499131009l/35068432.SY75.jpg|56363890], and I fantasize about solving cold cases and wanted to read about someone who ended up doing it.
Jensen, who also narrates the book, lays out numerous cases that he worked on and I was interested in all of them. Whether it was the discussion of his methods or the family and friends of the victims, I had a tough time hitting pause to do other things.
Just like I did during and after reading …
I've read a quite a bit of true crime over the past year or so and Chase Darkness with Me is one of my favorites. I was drawn to it for a few reasons: it was cheap on Audible, I loved Michelle McNamara's [b:I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer|35068432|I'll Be Gone in the Dark One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer|Michelle McNamara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499131009l/35068432.SY75.jpg|56363890], and I fantasize about solving cold cases and wanted to read about someone who ended up doing it.
Jensen, who also narrates the book, lays out numerous cases that he worked on and I was interested in all of them. Whether it was the discussion of his methods or the family and friends of the victims, I had a tough time hitting pause to do other things.
Just like I did during and after reading I'll Be Gone in the Dark, I hit reddit looking at cold cases and all the true crime subs I could find. Almost immediately I was overwhelmed by just how many cases there are being talked about. And also by the daunting task of figuring out where to get started on even picking a case to start researching. The author clearly expects readers to feel this way and devotes time in an addendum to the book giving steps to follow to get started. I've already created my new reddit account and email address.
Jensen is coming to a local bookshop in the next few days and I've got my tickets to hear him speak. I'm hoping he'll offer some more tips on being a citizen detective.
