I'll Be Gone in the Dark

After becoming interested in the crimes of what was then known as the "East Area Rapist" (among other names) McNamara wrote a 2013 Los Angeles magazine article about the serial killer, and ultimately signed a book deal with HarperCollins to write about the case.

McNamara is credited with coining the moniker Golden State Killer[2] to refer to the serial killer/rapist who had previously been referred to by various other names including the East Area Rapist, Original Night Stalker, Visalia Ransacker, East Bay Rapist and Diamond Knot Killer. [3] McNamara's coining of the Golden State Killer moniker is credited with heightening awareness of the uncaught killer that operated throughout California.[4]

With her book two-thirds completed,[5] McNamara died in her sleep on April 21, 2016 at the age of 46 due to an accidental prescription drug overdose in conjunction with atherosclerosis.[6] Crime writer Paul Haynes, investigative journalist Billy Jensen, and McNamara's husband comedian Patton Oswalt helped complete the book following her death. Jensen later explained that while McNamara had completed numerous chapters for the book they were not in any particular order in her computer files; consequently he, Haynes and Oswalt mainly focused on sequencing her material and filling in gaps from her voluminous notes and copies of police documents.[7]

The book – McNamara's debut – was released on February 27, 2018 and reached the top of The New York Times Best Seller list for non-fiction.[8] The book remained on the list for 15 weeks.[9]

I'll Be Gone in the Dark contains an introduction by Gillian Flynn and afterword by Oswalt.

On April 25, 2018, the Sacramento Police announced the April 24 arrest of a suspect in the Golden State Killer case: 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo (born November 8, 1945). DeAngelo, a former police officer in Auburn and Exeter, California,[10] was arrested and charged with six counts of first-degree murder.[11][12][13] Authorities in Sacramento, Orange, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties are preparing charges against DeAngelo for all twelve of the murders in the Golden State Killer case.[14] Police credited McNamara's dedication to the Golden State Killer case for raising publicity, but added that her work did not directly generate any critical tips or information that led to DeAngelo's arrest.[7]

The book and McNamara's work on the case are frequently discussed in the true crime podcast My Favorite Murder, which boasts a large fan base of true crime aficionados. The debut episode of the show ""Episode 1: My Firstest Murder" featured the case as well as discussion of McNamara's work.[15] Prior to the arrest, "Episode 115: I'll Be Gone in the Dark at Skylight Books" featured Oswalt and Jensen discussing the book and their roles in finishing the project following McNamara's death.[16] In this episode Oswalt discusses McNamara's writing process, including making "era-appropriate playlists to help her get into a proper mindset".[17] Oswalt describes finishing of the book as a bittersweet experience: "It's another part of her that's kind of gone. In a very sick way, not having the book done—and us working on it—meant she was still here."[17]

"Episode 118: Golden State Serial Killer Caught" released on April 26, 2018 (immediately after the arrest was made) featured Jensen discussing the case and his work on the book following McNamara's death.[18] "Episode 122: Surprise! It's Paul Holes" featured Jensen and Holes discussing the case and the impact of McNamara's work.[19]

Following their involvement in the Golden State Killer case and McNamara's work, in 2019 Jensen and Holes began a podcast called Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad where they discuss "unsolved murders, unidentified remains, and missing persons cases" with contributions from their listeners".[20] The show is produced with the Exactly Right podcast network, which was created by My Favorite Murder hosts Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff.

In April 2018, HBO announced they had purchased the rights for I'll Be Gone in the Dark and were developing it into a documentary series.[21] Filming for the series began April 24, 2018,[22] directed in part by Academy Award-nominee and Emmy-winner Liz Garbus.[23] The documentary premiered June 28, 2020.[24]

• 2018 in literature