Chase Darkness with Me How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders

A fellow sleuth of Michelle McNamara. He details how he uses various on-line methods to track down criminals and re-open cold cases.

Investigative journalist Billy Jensen really pulled me into his work, his passion and his desire to make killers pay for their crimes. His dedication to help the families find closure was inspiring and his methods were quite interesting to get deeper into. I really loved the parts discussing his dad's "bedtime stories" reading horrible news to him or talking about unsolved cases, I loved their relationship and how it shaped him as a person. It was also quite interesting to have an account of his work and friendship with Michelle McNamara,who is quite famous to true crime aficionados. Billy Jensen helped finished I’ll Be Gone in the Dark after Michelle passed away and even though I remembered other people helped wrap this up, I didn't really pay attention. Now Billy Jensen is a name I won't forget. Billy Jensen is an advocate for the use of DNA databases, along with McNamara, and also extensively uses social media to appeal to the public and get information on violent crimes. I found this section of the book quite enlightening. If you’ve ever wanted to become a citizen detective, the author has a section at the end of the book with instructions, tips and warnings. I personally wasn't interested in that section at all and I think it could totally be skipped. This was a compelling true crime book but can be frustrating since the author doesn't focus on the cases he solved, but also tries to convey how discouraging it is to never be able to find closure. It might be less appealing to some readers, but I thought that it was way more realistic.

As a listener of Billy Jensen's podcast with Paul Holes, The Murder Squad, I couldn't help but hear this whole book in Billy's voice, even though I read it in paper form. I learned a great deal more about the cases Billy has worked on. The details of how Billy has used social media campaigns to help identify and track people down are interesting and accessible to the average citizen detective. While I don't intend to try to track down any murderers any time soon, knowing how regular people can help gives me hope that fewer murderers will go free.

Beautifully written, captivating, solidifies my love of him and his work.

Hello I am DEEPLY in love with Billy Jensen. 😍😍😍 This book is EVERYTHING to a true crime fan. The way Billy writes really resonates with me. Enjoyed every single word.

I got this book digitally from the library, so I had to move it ahead of most of the other books I was reading to make sure I finished in time, but that was sooo not a problem. I picked this up and within the first day, I was over halfway through. Being a true-crime buff this book was always going to grab me, but I just loved reading about Billy Jensen's stories and how he started believing he could help solve the unsolved and then how he actually started doing it. Not sure where this man gets the time to do all he does, but bless him for it. Even if he doesn't end up helping solve a lot of cases the few that he has managed to help with I am sure makes a world of difference to the families and friends of those who have lost someone. I also loved how he included Michelle McNamara's quest for the Golden State Killer in his book and the labor of love it was for him and Patton Oswalt to finish her story after her untimely death.

Oh Billy, this book is just wonderful. As an MFM fan, who has read "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" and listens to the Murder Squad this book was a great insight into how Billy Jensen got to where he is today. The stories are captivating, and the balance of drawn out stories and shorter pieces blend nicely. It was a great book to read, and I look forward to seeing how many more crimes Jensen and Holes will be able to help solve. Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Billy Jensen has made a name for himself as a citizen detective with a proven track record. In hie memoir he tracks the path that led him to that calling and outlines the way all citizens can step up and help solve some of the hundreds of thousands of unsolved murders in America. Like many, I was first introduced to Billy through his connection to Michelle McNamara and the hunt for the Golden State Killer. Thanks to his close relationship to Michelle and the case (he helped finish her book after her sudden death), this book is the perfect companion piece to I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. Billy provides a behind the scenes look at that experience as well as his exact thoughts when he found out GSK was caught. But all the cases Billy describes in this book are interesting, not just the ones with headline recognition. It was fascinating to read about the ways in which Billy has utilized social media to track down murderers and missing persons and inspiring that, if one has endless dedication, they too can solve a murder.

Billy Jensen is a captivating human with excellent story telling skills. In this book he is not only telling his story, but the stories he's covered and the steps those jouneys all went through. He gets emotionally invested in what he's saying and gives you the tools to do something actionable with those emotions. My true crime self loved this book and has reread it more than once.