True Crime

I have recently begun reading Michelle McNamara's true crime book I'll be Gone in the Dark.  The book so far is pretty good.  Part of the challenge of reading a posthumous work like this is realizing that the authority is not completely hers.  Editors worked to complete the book that she was writing, so this might not be the completed project that she had envisioned.  I have not read a lot of true crime in the past, so I was not sure what to expect coming into this.  I was interested in this because I have always liked her husband Patton Oswalt, and I found his open letter to her and his earnest way of speaking about the devastation he endured losing her deeply touching.  I had heard that the book was good and I figured this would be a good way to break into a new genre.  I have read and taught smatterings of true crime here and there (this means that I forced college freshman to watch and write about In Cold Blood).
I included the opening caveat because I don't know how much of what I have read is in line with other true crime writing or how much of it was influenced by either McNamara's own style or the editorial contribution of others.  What strikes me about the book so far is that way that McNamara personalizes the story.  Her discussion of the crimes include passages describing her efforts to uncover truth and a chapter about her own family.  This helps to develop context for her interest in cold cases and in this case in particular.  To extend this, it provides a sort of rationale for all of our interests in this macabre topic.  Many are ashamed of their interest in true crime or serial killers, but this book and popular podcasts such as My Favorite Murder reveal the truth about this: it fascinates a lot of us.  When McNamara explains the connection between her youth and the unsolved murder in her neighborhood, she awakens the connections we may feel.  She may even embolden more of us to own our interests.
I haven't gotten terribly far into McNamara's book, but I can see why so many like.  I am going to leave this incomplete for now, and maybe forever because I can't think of a way to end this post.