Review of "I'll Be Gone In the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search For The Golden State Killer" by Michelle McNamara

Michelle McNamara was an armchair detective/true crime writer who spent almost a decade trying to unmask the rapist/murderer she dubbed the 'Golden State Killer.' McNamara died in 2016, before she could finish her manuscript about the slayer, but Michelle's husband - the actor/comedian Patton Oswalt - arranged for the book to be completed from his wife's copious notes and the magazine articles she'd published.


Patton Oswalt and Michelle McNamara

According to Wikipedia, California's Golden State Killer (GSK) committed at least 50 rapes, 12 murders, and innumerable burglaries from (at least) 1974 to 1986. This was a time before the widespread use of DNA evidence, so the GSK's crimes were, at first, attributed to an array of different perpetrators. There's evidence that the GSK was also the: Cordova Catburgler; Exeter Ransacker; Visalia Ransacker; East Area Rapist; Dollner Street Prowler; Diamond Knot Killer; and Original Night Stalker.

The seemingly unstoppable criminal was the subject of manhunts by many a police department, dozens of detectives, and - in subsequent years - countless true crime aficionados who pursued the criminal via the internet. These chairbound sleuths studied police files, looked at photos, drew maps, recreated the crimes, discussed their findings on message boards, etc. McNamara took this a step further by visiting crime scenes and speaking with cops and witnesses who were part of the original investigations.

The GSK's modus operandi involved prowling around upscale neighborhoods, peeping into windows, and stalking potential victims to learn about their habits, families, and the layout of their houses. He would often phone potential victims' homes numerous times to ascertain the occupants' routines, and break in before an assault - when an abode was empty - to look around, unlock doors, empty guns, plan escape routes..... and generally prepare for the crimes.

At first, the GSK targeted females who lived alone (or with children). He would sneak in at night, wake the woman, threaten her with a gun, and rape her. He always wore a mask, to prevent identification. However, the occasional glimpse from a witness in the street led to a variety of police sketches.


Police sketches of the Golden State Killer

Eventually, the GSK moved on to couples, which involved a considerable escalation of nerve and risk.

McNamara provides chilling word pictures of the GSK's atrocities. To rape a woman, for instance, he would jimmy a window or door; step inside quietly (sometimes without pants); awake the victim with a flashlight in her face; show her his gun; and speak to her in a raspy, low voice - sometimes threatening to kill her children if she didn't cooperate. The GSK would often say he only wanted food or money - perhaps to relax the victim - but then he'd bind, gag, blindfold, and rape the woman.....sometimes repeatedly.

The offender would then ransack the house for trophies like wedding rings, jewelry, driver's licences, and other personal items. Often, the GSK would remain in the house - completely silent - for a long time, so the woman would think he'd gone. Then, when the victim started to get up/call for help, he would terrorize/rape her again. Thus the sociopath added psychological torture to physical assault.

When the GSK moved on to couples, he used a similar routine. He would enter the home, wake the pair with a flashlight, and force the woman to tie up the man. He'd then take the female to another room to rape her. Often, the GSK would put crockery on the man's back, saying he'd kill the woman (and children) if he heard the cups/plates break.

Eventually, the GSK escalated to murdering his victims, leaving behind horrendous bloody crime scenes.

People living in neighborhoods targeted by the GSK were terrified, and tried to protect themselves, but nothing seemed to stop the perpetrator. In this day and age - with CCTV cameras everywhere - it would be nearly impossible to get away with the GSK's crime spree. But those were different times.

McNamara researched all the GSK's known crimes, and describes many of them in this book.....which is truly chilling. The GSK was a monster beyond common understanding. A number of victims said the GSK cried and called for his mommy after the assaults, but some people thought this was phony play-acting.

Interspersed with her crime reporting, McNamara talks about her personal life - discussing her all-consuming obsession with the Golden State Killer. At night, after her daughter went to sleep, McNamara would troll crime websites for hours, working among her daughter's playthings. The writer often made notes with crayons on yellow legal pads. McNamara would even do research on her phone when she attended red carpet events with her husband Patton.....oblivious to the celebrities around her. On the couple's eighth anniversary, Michelle forgot to get Patton anything - even a card - though he gave her a wonderful custom made gift (like always).

McNamara was determined to winkle out the identity of the GSK, and once thought she was close. Studying sales sites on the internet, for instance, Michelle saw cufflinks identical to an unusual pair the GSK had taken from a crime scene. Michelle paid $40 for overnight delivery of the $8 item, and gave the cufflinks to police detectives....but they weren't the right ones.

Sadly, McNamara died before the GSK was caught. She'd be glad to know, though, that a suspect was arrested in April, 2018 on the basis of DNA evidence. The accused is a 72-year-old Navy veteran and former police officer named Joseph James DeAngelo. News reports say that, at the time of his arrest, DeAngelo was living in the Sacramento area with his daughter and granddaughter, and was retired from his job at a grocery distribution center, where he'd worked for nearly 30 years. According to Sacramento county Sheriff Scott Jones, DeAngelo was 'very surprised when he was arrested outside his home.'


Joseph James DeAngelo then and now


Joseph James DeAngelo in jail



I hope a psychologist is able to interview DeAngelo, to determine why he became a serial rapist and murderer.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "The Dead Will Tell: A Police Chief Kate Burkholder Novel" by Linda Castillo

In this sixth book in the 'Kate Burkholder' series, the Police Chief investigates when a murderer targets pillars of the community. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

The book starts out with a horrific crime: a 1979 home invasion of the Amish Hochstetler farm in Painters Mill, Ohio. A group of teens break in to steal cash and the night ends with a family slaughtered, a mother abducted, and a lone survivor - a 14-year-old boy. Fast forward 35 years and the perpetrators of the crime, now respected members of the community, start to get threatening letters.



Soon afterwards, the killings start - with one after another of the original perpetrators brutally murdered by what appears to be a ghost.

When Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and her detectives investigate, they learn that the murder victims have been phoning each other and having clandestine gatherings.



These 'bad guys,' of course, admit nothing. They make up spurious reasons for their phone calls and meetings, and claim to be bewildered by the murders. Nevertheless, they're terribly frightened: they wore masks during the home invasion and later killed and disposed of Mrs. Hochstetler - so who knows who they are?

Evidence at the crime scenes provides a connection between the Hochstetler tragedy and the current crimes, and Kate and crew proceed to ask questions of the surviving son, the Amish bishop, other people in Painters Mill, and so on.



Kate gets some information that leads her to visit a fading Amish community in Pennsylvania, and the investigation proceeds.



I always enjoy the peek into the Amish community that Burkholder includes in her books; good people with simple lifestyles who cherish their families and want to please God.

In Kate's personal life she's now living with her boyfriend, State Agent John Tomasetti.



Though Kate and Tomasetti are happy together the agent is still torn up by the murder of his wife and daughters three years ago. In this book one of his family's murderers gets off on a technicality and Tomasetti is furious and seems to have some nefarious plans for the freed man - but it's not clear what. Kate is unhappy about this, wanting Tomasetti to let go of the past and move on.

As usual in Burkholder's series there are some complicated family doings connected with the crimes, and Kate and her deputies are eventually able to unearth everyone's secrets. I enjoyed the book, but not as much as the previous entries in the series. For me there's getting to be too much similarity from book to book. Nevertheless this is an enjoyable mystery book.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo: A Memoir" by Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer is an American stand-up comic and actress. She wrote and starred in the 2015 movie 'Trainwreck', made the entertaining film "Snatched" (with Goldie Hawn) in 2017, has a sketch comedy series called 'Inside Amy Schumer', does specials for Comedy Central, and tours the country with her live stand-up show.







Schumer is also an activist who uses her bully pulpit to rail against shaming women for their looks and weight, and to support responsible gun ownership - especially since a deranged gunman opened fire at a showing of 'Trainwreck', killing two people and wounding nine.


Amy Schumer speaking out against gun violence

In this memoir, Amy talks about her childhood, family, boyfriends, sexual peccadilloes, jobs, career, social/political advocacy, and more. Though many of the stories are entertaining and funny, the underlying theme is serious - particularly since Amy's been through some rough patches in her life.

When Amy was a child her family was rich, thanks to a high-end baby furniture business that sold European imports.


Toddler Amy Schumer with her father Gordon Schumer 


Young Amy Schumer

The Schumers had a big home in Manhattan, drove fancy cars, took exotic vacations, and enjoyed all the trappings of wealth. Amy had a happy childhood, and started performing as a little girl - putting on shows for her family that her delighted dad always filmed.


Amy Schumer started performing when she was a child

In time, commercial competition drove Amy's father out of business, and the family's economic status took a nosedive. Still, Amy and her siblings were happy, and Amy didn't mind the changes to her lifestyle. The Schumers moved to Long Island, went to Temple every week, and threw Amy a nice Bat Mitzvah - which she used as an opportunity for one of her performances.

Things started to go badly wrong, however, when Amy's father got sick with multiple sclerosis, which "hit like a tidal wave." Amy's anecdotes about her dad's illness include two stories about his uncontrollable diarrhea - at Adventureland and the airport - which are part of her comedy routine. (I can't say I found them too funny though.) Over time, Mr. Schumer's declining health made it necessary to move him to a care home, but Amy notes that he never showed any signs of self pity.




Amy Schumer with her father Gordon Schumer after he was struck with multiple sclerosis

Around the time Mr. Schumer started to decline, Amy's mother had an affair that led to divorce. To make things worse, Mrs. Schumer's boyfriend was Lou, the father of Amy's best friend. So Amy lost her best friend; felt like a spectacle in the community; stopped going to Temple; developed severe headaches; got shooting pains when she passed Mia at school; and lost her father to a small, cramped apartment. To top it off, Mrs. Schumer's affair with Lou ended after a couple of months, and she went on to have one relationship after another.


Amy Schumer's mother Sandy Schumer


Amy Schumer with her mother Sandy Schumer

Amy avers that she grew up thinking her mother was a saint, but the divorce - and its aftermath - demonstrated that Mrs. Schumer was a flawed human being. Still, Amy remained very close to her mother and continually defended her - though Amy now acknowledges that her mother caused much hardship.

At fourteen, Amy volunteered at a summer camp for people with special needs. She confesses that she took the position because her crush, Brett, worked there - and "If I fell on his penis and got pregnant, he'd have to marry me." In any case, Brett liked another girl. However, Amy was a wonderful help to her charges.....women over thirty-five who had Down syndrome, schizophrenia, or other problems.


Adolescent Amy Schumer

Amy was a hustler all her life. She got her first job as a infant, because her parents needed a model for their store's baby cribs, and "they knew she'd work for free." As a teenager, Amy became a shoplifter, and was quite successful until she and her sister pulled off a HUGE heist at Bloomingdales. This led to a felony charge and the end of that career. Amy's next (and best) hustle was making people laugh. While in college, Amy started doing stand-up routines at comedy clubs. Amy struggled in those years, and - during and after college - took jobs as a bartender, housepainter, fitness instructor, pedi-cab driver, and more.



For budding comics, Amy has this advice: "If you do a ton of open mikes, and do bringers (bring paying guests to be allowed to go on), and if you bark (stand on the street corner inviting people to your show), and do it several times every night, you get a little better. It takes years and years to be good." In Amy's case, she GOT GOOD, and GOT RICH - and she now uses her money to have fun, treat her friends and family, and leave $1,000 tips if she feels like it.


Amy Schumer broke into show business doing standup comedy

One of Amy's biggest mistakes was hooking up with a young man called Dan, who she met when she was eighteen. Amy liked Dan right away and - though he wasn't interested in her - pursued him relentlessly. When Amy was 21, she and Dan moved to Las Vegas, where they "worked, ate, drank, and f**ked." Sometimes Dan got jealous or angry, and would give Amy a shove, or squeeze her arm too hard, leaving bruises. These were always 'accidents.' Furthermore, Dan would criticize Amy's looks, make fun of her, and humiliate her.

Amy asserts that she wasn't passive and meek, and didn't think she was in an abusive relationship. Amy confused anger and aggression with love, and says, "The worse Dan acted, the more I stood by him." The situation came to a head when the couple returned to New York, and Dan pushed Amy onto the hood of a car, purposely banging her head and elbow. Later, back in their apartment, Dan pulled a knife. Amy notes, "This was my moment of clarity. I raced out of the apartment, knocked on neighbors' doors, and took shelter in an elderly couple's apartment." Still, Amy didn't call the police.....and later reconciled with Dan briefly.

Now Amy admits, "I was a domestic violence victim." She goes on to talk about domestic abuse affecting women of all economic levels, and from all walks of life.

Amy wraps up the book with a story about her lower back tattoo, which is not only crooked, but raised because it got infected. Still, Amy wears her tattoo proudly.....and why not?



Much of the book is taken from Amy's comedy skits, and there are plenty of laughs. I especially enjoyed a story about Amy writing an article about sex for 'Men's Health' magazine, which she expected to feature a picture of herself. Instead, the magazine illustrated the piece with photos of three beautiful young models. Amy gave the editor what for (in a nice way) and observes: "I don't look like the models they use in Men's Health - girls with huge boobs on what looks like a boy's body. But I don't accept that's the way it should be. Other women are beautiful too." Right on Amy.



In the book, Amy also discusses her heavy drinking (in college) and blackouts; her hijinks with her sister Kim; her half-brother Jason; her introvert personality; the biggest penis she ever saw (it's a whopper); the people who work on her show; and much more.


Amy Schumer with her sister Kim


Amy Schumer with her half-brother Jason

I enjoyed this memoir and recommend it to Amy Schumer fans.



Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Keep Quiet: A Novel of Suspense" by Lisa Scottoline

Wanting to get closer to his son Ryan, Jake Buckman unwisely lets the underage teen take the wheel of his Audi.



Taking his eyes off the road for an instant Ryan hits and kills a female jogger.



Wanting to protect Ryan - a good student and star basketball player with a promising future - Jake decides to leave the scene of the crime.

This unfortunate decision has dire consequences. For one thing Ryan can't live with the lies and starts to fall apart.



For another, it seems that someone might have witnessed the accident.....and may want to cash in.



As events proceed Ryan's mother Pam, a local judge, is nominated to ascend to the federal bench.



This requires a thorough investigation by the FBI and Jake fears that Ryan won't withstand the questioning.



Jake desperately tries to 'fix' the situation but it spirals out of control and threatens to destroy the family.

Events rush toward a dramatic resolution that's not quite believable. Still, the book is a page turner that imparts a good lesson: take responsibility for your actions.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Ex-Wife: You've got everything she wants..." by Jess Ryder

Natasha - a London barista whose 'coffee art' is first rate - is on her way to work when she's knocked off her bike by a Range Rover. The car's driver - a handsome, wealthy media distributor named Nick - jumps out of his vehicle to help the girl.....and both their lives are changed forever.



Nick offers up first-aid and £500 for damages, and the following days include dinner in a posh restaurant and trysts in a luxury boutique hotel. Nick and Natasha fall madly in love, but there's a hitch.



Nick is still married to his childhood sweetheart Jen, an interior designer who's completely devoted to her husband.



Natasha feels guilty about seeing a married man, and feels even worse when she discovers she's pregnant. The barista frets about telling Nick, expecting him to offer up stacks of cash for an abortion. Instead, Nick is THRILLED. He promptly divorces Jen.....



.....and marries Natasha, and the new couple are soon ensconced in Nick's beautiful mansion with baby Emily. 👶



The only fly in the ointment.....the ex-wife is still hanging around. Nick's mother and sister always invite Jen to family events, and the former spouse continues to maintain friendly relations with Nick. Thus Jen frequently calls Nick, visits Nick, and even brings gifts for little Emily.



To top it off, Nick's sister makes Nick and Jen the godparents to her newborn son, which leaves Natasha out in the cold vis a vis the extended family. All this drives Natasha crazy, but there's not much she can do.



In fact Natasha can't seem to do much about anything. She doesn't drive, has no income of her own, and is totally dependent on Nick for everything. Natasha's mother tells her she's foolish and should be more self-sufficient, but Natasha pooh poohs her mom's concerns. This soon comes back to bite Natasha in the butt! 🤢

One morning Nick brings Natasha her morning coffee, and offers to drop Emily off at daycare before he leaves for his business trip to Toronto. Nick then kisses Natasha goodbye and leaves with the baby.



Later, when Natasha goes to pick Emily up from the nursery, the child's not there. And she hasn't been there all morning! A frantic Natasha stumbles home and discovers that ALL of Emily's toys and clothes are gone, including her favorite Gemma Giraffe 🦒 . Nick has absconded with the child.

Thus begins Natasha's nightmare. She's desperate to get the baby back, but can't get in touch with Nick. Moreover, after an errand away from the house, Natasha returns to find all the locks changed. She can't even get her phone charger, much less her clothing and other possessions. And the police can't help.



Natasha goes to stay with her mum, who says "I told you so" and offers Natasha her retirement savings to get a lawyer. Natasha refuses, though, not wanting to take her mom's nest egg, and afraid she can't prevail against Nick - who's too rich and clever. So Natasha sinks into depression, takes to her bed, and broods.



Oddly enough, ex-wife Jen offers to help Natasha find Nick, apparently feeling sympathy for the young mother's plight.

And that's all I can say without spoilers.

The book is written in a NOW and THEN format. It's clear that something happened that led to a flight and a name change, so the NOW sections are narrated by 'Anna' and the THEN sections are related by 'Natasha.' The chapters alternate back and forth, so we see what led up to Emily's abduction, and what happens afterwards.

On the positive side, the story is suspenseful, well-constructed, and easy to follow - and I was very curious to find out what happened and why.

On the negative side, Natasha is a painfully annoying woman. There seems to be a trend lately (which I deplore) to construct female characters who are helpless doormats, and Natasha is a prime example. In fact Natasha is so fatuous that she strains credulity to the breaking point (IMO).



Here are some of Natasha's behaviors that are foolish and/or not believable: 😏
-- Natasha can't drive. An adult woman in London who can't drive? I don't think so. Natasha's mother drives and has a car.
-- Natasha is a university graduate, but allows her husband to COMPLETELY control the money; she has no joint account with him and doesn't even know how much he makes. Really??
-- Natasha lets Nick hobnob with Jess to his heart's content. A normal woman would put her foot down at some point.
-- When Nick runs off with the baby, Natasha doesn't even think about getting a lawyer. Wouldn't this be the VERY FIRST THING an intelligent person would do?

I could go on, but it would reveal too much of the plot.

The novel has interesting twists and I like the ending. So, taking into account the story's virtues and faults, I'd say it's an average psychological thriller.



**Authors - especially female authors - I implore you.....please give us smart women characters!!**

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Jess Ryder) and the publisher (Bookouture) for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars