Audible Book Review: Chase Darkness With Me by Billy Jensen

This was an interesting presentation of a determined journalist helping to find murderers and missing people.

Chase Darkness with Me
How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders
By: Billy Jensen, Karen Kilgariff - foreword
Narrated by: Karen Kilgariff, Billy Jensen

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
Release date: 04-11-19
Publisher: Audible Originals
Genre: Forensic Science, Journalist Biography
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
Have you ever wanted to solve a murder? Gather the clues the police overlooked. Put together the pieces. Identify the suspect.
Journalist Billy Jensen spent 15 years investigating unsolved murders, fighting for the families of victims. Every story he wrote had one thing in common - it didn’t have an ending. The killer was still out there.
But after the sudden death of a friend, crime writer Michelle McNamara, Billy became fed up. Following a dark night, he came up with a plan. A plan to investigate past the point when the cops have given up. A plan to solve the murders himself.
In Chase Darkness with Me, you’ll ride shotgun as Billy identifies the Halloween Mask Murderer, finds a missing girl in the California Redwoods, and investigates the only other murder in New York City on 9/11. You’ll hear intimate details of the hunts for two of the most terrifying serial killers in history: his friend Michelle’s pursuit of the Golden State Killer which is chronicled in I’ll Be Gone In The Dark which Billy helped finish after Michelle’s passing, and his own quest to find the murderer of the Allenstown 4 family.
And Billy gives you the tools - and the rules - to help solve murders yourself.
Gripping, complex, unforgettable, Chase Darkness with Me is an examination of the evil forces that walk among us, illustrating a novel way to catch those killers, and a true crime narrative unlike any you’ve listened to before.
With a foreword by Karen Kilgariff of My Favorite Murder.
©2019 Billy Jensen (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

Review:
Billy Jensen grew up under a father who read the newspapers and shared the news with his young son. He always talked about the big crimes and when criminals were caught. Billy determined to become a journalist and, after being assigned to report on a crime story, then he became intent on helping to find the missing victims and the killers on the loose.

Billy shares several cases of murders caught on tape where the killer walked away but the efforts of private citizens ultimately helped to capture the murderers. He also contributed to finding victims who were unidentified but identified years later after dogged determination with the help of DNA, genetic research and other online tools. Billy brought relief to family members who needed closure on their losses.

In addition to telling the reader/listener some harrowing tales of true evil (the stuff horror books could be made of), Billy shares how citizens can help law enforcement without interfering with the official investigations.

The work is presented with vivid, detailed descriptions as well as emotional frustrations, shared energy and angst. I don’t rush out for true crime but I found this engaging. The combination of technical detail and personal involvement made this interesting to listen to. I recommend this to fans of true crime, and even horror fans.

Audio Notes: Billy Jensen and Karen Kilgariff did a good job on the narration. They shared their true concerns and frustrations with voices that kept the matter interesting.

Source: 11/5/2019 Audible Daily Deal $2.95. This qualifies for 2020TBR and 2020Audiobook goals.