I started reading McNamara's book over the weekend in anticipation of this discussion, and so far I'm enjoying it (insofar as one can enjoy reading about gruesome crimes.) I also hadn't heard of the Golden State Killer before, which really is surprising considering how prolific he was. McNamara does, I think, an excellent job of laying out the details of the crimes without being ever becoming sensationalist. She also is very good at reminding the reader of key details and similarities between the many, many, many crimes committed by this man, without it ever seeming repetitive to read. I'm only half way through, but so far I would say it's a very solid account of a complex case.
The only negative, and this is more about reaction to the book than the book itself, is that some people seem pretty certain that this book will lead to the case being solved. On the one hand, I think that's a lovely testament to how they felt about the book, but on the other hand, you know, sometimes it just doesn't work that way. I think you guys mention this in the podcast (I've also only had the chance to get about half way through that today too), but with what everything Michelle lays out, it seems highly unlikely that there's just that *one* piece of evidence that needs to be uncovered that will break the whole case wide open. There's a lot of evidence, and this guy, abhorrent as he is/was, also appears to have been very smart. That he has evaded capture this long isn't because the crimes weren't being thoroughly investigated, but because he's been able to escape detection; unless someone in his life reads this account and recognizes him, I don't think he'll ever be caught.
That feels like a real down note to end my post on, but I did enjoy both the book and the podcast! I know this is specifically a tv podcast, but if there good book tie-ins to future topics, I'm always happy to get a recommendation.