ButIll Be Goneis more of a personal endeavor than your typical true crime effort.
The book isnt so much about finding a killer as it is aboutwantingto find a killer.
The narrative sways back and forth throughout.
Credit: HarperCollins Publishers; Jim Spellman/WireImage
Other chapters describe with unbearable clarity encounters between the Golden State Killer and his victims.
What we discover, beautifully, is McNamaras interest in human beings.
This book, of course, has a complex and tragic backstory.
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Theres a twinge of melancholy here, given the firsthand nature of McNamaras writing.
And yet this is all part of what makesIll Be Gonesuch a singular, fascinating read.
Its lifelike in its incompletion.
It still is, mostly a posthumous treasure that feels thrillingly alive.A-
