Book discussion focuses on 'Golden State Killer'

The terror spread from Northern California to Southern California over the course of a decade as "the Golden State Killer" plucked out victims to rape and murder at will.

He deftly skirted authorities and left untold suffering in his wake.

And then along came journalist Michelle McNamara, who delved into the case with the grit of a bulldog. Her interest exploded into obsession, many said, but before her reporting was done, she unexpectedly died.

Next month, the resulting book, "I'll Be Gone in the Dark," will be presented by McNamara's husband, comedian and actor Patton Oswalt, during a visit to Naperville.

Oswalt will discuss the book at a program moderated by best-selling author Gillian Flynn, author of "Gone Girl," who wrote the book's intro.

The discussion, sponsored by Anderson's Bookshop, is set for 7 p.m. Friday, March 2, at Community Christian Church, 1835 Emerson Lane. Tickets are required and available exclusively at PattonOswaltAndersons.brownpapertickets.com.

The book focuses on a mysterious and violent predator who committed 50 sexual assaults in Northern California over 10 years before moving south, where he perpetrated 10 sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the region.

Three decades later, McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer."

She pored over police reports, interviewed victims and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.

"I'll Be Gone in the Dark," the book McNamara was writing at the time of her death, offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind.

It is also a portrait of a reporter's obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. The book was completed by her lead researcher and a close colleague.