048: The Golden State Killer: It's Not Over And I'll Be Gone In The Dark

When Michelle McNamara passed away unexpectedly in 2016, Mike Dunn and I both made sure to pre-order the book she'd left unfinished -- I'll Be Gone In The Dark, on a prolific rapist turned serial killer operating in two areas of California in the late '70s and early '80s. The book showed up at our houses a couple weeks ago, so we decided to turn the pod into a book club for an episode and discuss it...and then Investigation Discovery dropped its two-night, four-part take on the case, The Golden State Killer: It's Not Over, so we looped that in too.

Did the show need four parts and three total hours to get its work done? Is its attitude towards "internet sleuths" a little weird? And do you need to watch AND read the book? We dug into the show, the strength of its contributors, and whether it's a good supplement to McNamara's work. Later, I got frustrated at the writing tics an editor should have honored McNamara by cutting, and we talked about pacing, McNamara's skill at setting a scene, and whether Tom Hanks could have committed these crimes. (Ron Howard: "He couldn't have.") Let us know what you think of the show, the book, and the overall investigation on the forums after you listen to an all-new The Blotter Presents.


SHOW NOTES

• Watch The Golden State Killer: It's Not Over on Investigation Discovery