And following up the delightful Eric Idle reading his autobiography, I listened to the audio version of Chasing the Devil, written by the first detective on what eventually became known as the Green River Killer case. This audio book includes actual recorded interviews from the case, one of which is Reichart interview Ted fucking Bundy to get his insights. It was definitely an abrupt switch from the Pythons.
Eventually identified as Gary Leon Ridgway, the Green River Killer wreaked havoc in the 1980s and 1990s along the Green River in Washington. He targeted sex workers and runaways, luring them into his truck, strangling them and then dumping their bodies in the King County woods (and often going back to visit with and sexually assault the corpses). Reichert became involved with the case with the first body found, and stuck with it for over 20 years until DNA evidence finally confirmed the killer’s identity and the total number of his victims became known.
I enjoy true crime books, but I honestly think Michelle McNamara has ruined all others for me. The writing in I’ll Be Gone in the Dark was superior to many of the books I’ve read of any genre, so a book written by a sheriff (who has since served 8 terms in Congress) will have trouble living up to that standard. That being said, I definitely think the incredible amount of detailed information about the case as well as the inner workings of a police department suffered some due to slightly amateur writing, but the story itself is gripping.