Patton Oswalt Reveals Release Date for Late Wife Michelle McNamara's Final Book
Michelle McNamara, the celebrated true crime writer and wife of comedian Patton Oswalt, died while in the midst of working on a book about an infamous Californian serial killer. Now, Oswalt has revealed that that tome has been finished in her stead, and is set for release next year,
The comedian made the announcement on Twitter on Monday, where he shared the book's title and synopsis. It's called "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" and subtitled, "One woman's obsessive search for the Golden State Killer."
My late wife's true crime book, I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK, comes out 2/27/18. It's amazing, Pre-order here: https://t.co/oSPVesPuru
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) September 18, 2017
Oswalt called the book "amazing," and the official description from publisher HarperCollins certainly seems to back up that assessment. The book chronicles not only the chilling crimes of the mysterious titular serial killer and rapist -- who terrorized both northern and southern California for a decade, beginning in 1976, and committed 50 rapes and 10 murders -- but also McNamara's dogged efforts to identify him.
According to HarperCollins, McNamara "pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was" in order to unmask the killer. But the writer passed away suddenly in April 2016 at the age of 46, from what was later discovered to be the result of mixing medications with an undiagnosed medical condition. "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" was eventually completed with the help of McNamara's lead researcher and a close colleague.
The book features an introduction by crime fiction author Gillian Flynn, as well as an afterword by Oswalt. It's is due to hit shelves on February 27, 2018.
[via: Patton Oswalt/Twitter, HarperCollins]