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For a really long time - about ten years or so - people in California were terrorized by a man that broke into their homes, bound them and committed other acts of violence against them. The geographic breadth of these crimes was tremendous - this person was active in both Northern California and also Southern California and this person was known by a number of names - the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker (not to be confused with Richard Ramirez) and, ultimately, the Golden State Killer. This book was Michelle McNamara's posthumous chronicle of her attempts to identify the killer. She became obsessed with the case and, at the time of her death at 46, had amassed boxes and boxes of materials on the case.
This book is, in part, a memoir as it is a chronicle of police procedure. McNamara talks about her obsession, the rabbit holes and her relationship with her mother. I enjoyed the balance that she brought to this aspect of the book, and I enjoyed the humor that she also brought to it. Perhaps that is because humor is how I deal with particularly stressful or upsetting topics myself, but I found it humanizing of the author and a nice touch. THere were parts of the story that I had never known before - police investigated 8000 (yes, eight thousand) suspects for this case and only recently (as in during Covid) were able to arrest the person that they knew was the GSK. The breadth of this man's crimes was absolutely breathtaking. He was averaging two sexual assaults per month and the amount of work that went into scoping out victims was mindboggling.
Not only were the crimes tragic, but the backstory of this book is also tragic. McNamara died at 46, before completing the book and before learning that the GSK had been identified, arrested and convicted. The book was completed in a somewhat piecemeal fashion with others piecing together chapters as best they could - there are parts of the book that clearly identify what parts were pieced together. Those parts were definitely not as smoothly written, thought that isn't anyone's fault certainly. I still really enjoyed this book and find that it's a worthwhile read. There is also an HBO series that I intend to watch.
Highly recommended.
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Last weekend, we went to Sawyer Pond. We were also dealing with some sickness - I'm not sure what it was but my son had it and then I had it. I think we're on the mend a bit but I need one more day to rest and another good night of sleep. These electrolytes, which I just started drinking, helped me to stay hydrated. I love the watermelon flavor. Today I'm looking forward to watching football (perhaps unsurprisingly, nmy nearly 13 year old wants to watch the KC Chiefs play the Jets...Swiftie much?) and making stew in the crockpot and resting.
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Up until the age of 8, Rachel Snyder was living a typical and somewhat happy life. She grew up in a warm home, with a Jewish mother and Christian father eating brie and hummus. But then her mother died of cancer, pretty much in front of her. Rachel was there the day her mother drew her last breath and the EMT's took her away. That's when Rachel's life was turned upside down and her father transported her to an evangelical lifestyle, a new mother, and casseroles with mini hotdogs in it for food. It also included beatings with a paddle (one of which was so hard the paddle broke), a new "mom," and no life outside of the Church, such that no music but Christian music was allowed type of no life. The author is kicked out of her home at 16 and forced to support herself. Snyder eventually gets her GED and a college education, during which time she does a Semester at Sea, paid in part by her mother's brother.
Snyder's descriptions are harrowing to be sure and I would not recommend reading this if that triggers you, even though Snyder's way of describing her abuse has a degree of serenity and tranquility that implies much therapeutic work on her part. She has obviously achieved a deep sense of peace with her past. I did wish that she confronted and pushed her father more and held him more accountable for the absolutely horrific way that he treated her and the other children in the family. Somehow, though, she's gracious while at the same time being angry. It's as if she's sad for him while also being mad as hell.
The one complaint that I had about the book was that it seemed to end too neatly. Lives are messy, even when they're not as complicated as Snyder's. I wonder if she truly felt that way or if she was just struggling to end the book and couldn't figure out how. Having said that though, if that's my only complaint, then it was still a pretty damn good book! Highly recommended.
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I love me a good St. James novel especially when it's particularly close to Halloween because her books seem to combine just the right...
