I Know Who You Are

How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever

De: Barbara Rae-Venter

Narrado por: Barbara Rae-Venter

EDGAR AWARD FINALIST • “A true-crime masterpiece written by a cold-case-cracking master.”—John Douglas, New York Times bestselling co-author of Mindhunter

“Barbara Rae-Venter isn’t just the genealogy expert who helped capture the Golden State Killer—she’s an unsung hero who has given murdered women and children their faces and names back.”—Maureen Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of American Predator

“Echoes the dedication displayed by such fictional police detectives as California novelist Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch.”—The Wall Street Journal

For twelve years the Golden State Killer terrorized California, stalking victims and killing without remorse. Then he simply disappeared, for the next forty-four years, until an amateur DNA sleuth opened her laptop. In I Know Who You Are, Barbara Rae-Venter reveals how she went from researching her family history as a retiree to hunting for a notorious serial killer—and how she became the nation’s leading authority on investigative genetic genealogy, the most dazzling new crime-fighting weapon to appear in decades.

Rae-Venter shares haunting, often thrilling accounts of how she helped solve some of America’s most chilling cold cases in the span of just three years, frequently starting with little more than a DNA sample. She brings listeners inside her unique “grasshopper mind” as she pores through obituaries, marriage records, and old newspaper articles. Listeners join in on urgent calls with sheriffs, FBI agents, and district attorneys as she details the struggle to obtain usable crime scene DNA samples, until, finally, a critical piece of the puzzle clicks into place.

I Know Who You Are captures both the exhilaration of these discoveries and the deep-rooted emotions that linger around cold cases. It is a story of relentless curiosity and reinvention, and of human beings striving to answer the most elemental questions about themselves: What defines identity? Where do we belong? And are we truly who we think we are?

©2023 Barbara Rae-Venter (P)2023 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Like a good crime writer, Ms. Rae-Venter has a gift for storytelling. Her scientific explanations are concise and her revelations are dramatic. I Know Who You Are is a remarkably exciting book. . . . Her description of the obsessive zeal with which she sought this personification of evil echoes the dedication displayed by such fictional police detectives as California novelist Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch.”—The Wall Street Journal

“A lucid and entertaining detective story . . . Rae-Venter is a scientist at heart, and driven by a scientist’s particular, almost possessive hunger for knowledge.”—Slate

“A gripping story tracing the hundreds of hours spent rifling through people’s family ties to find killers and identify bodies.”—Nature

How beneficial genealogy can really be for many different things!

Hearing about the adventure that she went through to help capture the Golden State killer.

A must read for anyone interested in true crime!

A great book that often reads like a thriller. I listened to it in one day.
I've long been curious about investigative genetic genealogy and listening to this book (which was narrated by the author) certainly did not disappoint!
In this powerful, gripping and deeply insightful book, Barbara takes you behind the scenes of some high profile cases. Most notably the case of the Golden State Killer and quite specifically how it was finally solved using genetics.
With a view toward justice, humanity and humility, this is a must read for anyone interested in genealogy, justice and/or compelling true crime stories.
Well done Barbara! And thank-you for all you did to bring a monster to justice.

What an interesting and insightful book!

Adam amateur genealogist learned so much, but as a lover of good books I was drawn in and fascinated by the story. I highly recommend this book for anyone! Whether you’re interested in a good mystery or crime fighting or issues of privacy, you will be fascinated.

Genetics!

Loved the recap of all of your cases. Or well of many of your cases. This was an excellent book and it was easy for me to follow. I did not think it was too technical for me.

Fascinating!

I was drawn to this book because of my love for genealogy, and, being from Northern CA, remember the ‘Golden State Killer’. But to understand how the more recent advances in genetic genealogy are being used for investigative purposes was fascinating.

connections to those who came before us.

I listen to this book because I was interested in genealogy, as well as in true crime. But this writer went way beyond all of that. I love how she shares personal experiences, and what connections meant, and means to her and to those she writes about. Sometimes those connections can be horrifically painful and devastating. Sometimes they can be distant memories that our heart and spirits and bodies remember but our minds do not. Especially liked the last chapter when she writes about her trip back to her own roots. This is a really great book and I recommend it to anyone!

Science gets personal

This stunning book, combines, somehow, the solving of a horrific series of crimes with personal stories and science. Rae-Venter’s unique application of both brilliance and empathy are desperately needed in these times, and in these circumstances. Thank you for writing this, and for reading it in your voice.

Well written, well told, fascinating true story

I am delighted that Barbara Rae-Venter finally decided to share her story. She is a legion in the world of forensic genealogy and I have always wanted to hear how the field evolved from her perspective. Listening to this book was like sitting with a very intelligent, warm and interest person while they tell you the most fascinating true story you have ever heard. I finished it in 2 days. Usually it's a mistake for an author to read their own book but she was perfect. I could hear the emotion in her voice as she described how she felt about the survivors of the horrific crimes she helped solve. It was truly touching. Never sensationalized.
She also has a way of explaining technical information in a way that keeps you engaged and makes you want to learn more. She would make a great college professor. Highly recommend.

very informative

I really enjoyed this book. it had a lot of information and gave insight on how even regular people can help law enforcement.

Loved It!

I loved the book! It was recommended to me by a Search Angel friend as she knows how much I love Genealogy, research and investigating. I have listens to it twice in two days. I enjoyed the author reading it herself, as she could put her own inflections in the story. Chris for coming out and standing up to be recognized when another tried to steal your glory. Thumbs up to your son as well.