I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever
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- Create Date：2023-03-05 00:19:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Barbara Rae-Venter
- ISBN：0593358899
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Summary
For twelve years the Golden State Killer terrorized California， stalking victims and killing without remorse。 Then he simply disappeared， for the next until an amateur DNA sleuth opened her laptop。 In 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 leads readers on a vivid journey through the many cases she tackled， often starting with little more than a DNA sample。 From the first criminal case she ever solved—uncovering the long-lost identity of a child abductee—to the heartbreaking story of the Billboard Boy， whose skeletal remains were discovered along a highway， to the search for the Golden State Killer， 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。
For each investigation， Rae-Venter brings readers inside her unique “grasshopper mind” as she analyzes DNA data and pores through obituaries， marriage records， and old newspaper articles。 Readers 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 tumbles into place。
captures both the exhilaration of the moment of discovery and the sheer depth of emotion that lingers around cold cases， informing Rae-Venter’s careful approach to her work。 It is a story of relentless curiosity， of constant invention 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？
Rae-Venter leads readers on a vivid journey through the many cases she tackled， often starting with little more than a DNA sample。 From the first criminal case she ever solved—uncovering the long-lost identity of a child abductee—to the heartbreaking story of the Billboard Boy， whose skeletal remains were discovered along a highway， to the search for the Golden State Killer， 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。
For each investigation， Rae-Venter brings readers inside her unique “grasshopper mind” as she analyzes DNA data and pores through obituaries， marriage records， and old newspaper articles。 Readers 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 tumbles into place。
captures both the exhilaration of the moment of discovery and the sheer depth of emotion that lingers around cold cases， informing Rae-Venter’s careful approach to her work。 It is a story of relentless curiosity， of constant invention 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？
Reviews
Michelle
，
I have watched every documentary about the GSK but I loved how she went in-depth on all the science discoveries and explained the dna genealogy aspect of the case。 I have heard about the cases she talks about also。 I feel like so many cold cases could be solved using the technique they used in solving the GSK case。 I love genealogy and I learned a ton of information on what to do and not do when building trees。 I will have to get the hardback copy so I can have them in front me as well， lol。
Nikki
，
Trigger warning: this book discusses disturbing violence， rape and other upsetting topics。 A fascinating account of how Investigative Genetic Geneology was used to catch the Golden State Killer。 I wondered if this would be slightly redundant since I had previously read "I'll be gone in the dark" by Michelle McNamara， but it was not。 Barbara Rae-Venter discusses a variety of other cold cases that she helped solve using genetics and creating extensive family trees。 It's mind-boggling！ She has reti Trigger warning: this book discusses disturbing violence， rape and other upsetting topics。 A fascinating account of how Investigative Genetic Geneology was used to catch the Golden State Killer。 I wondered if this would be slightly redundant since I had previously read "I'll be gone in the dark" by Michelle McNamara， but it was not。 Barbara Rae-Venter discusses a variety of other cold cases that she helped solve using genetics and creating extensive family trees。 It's mind-boggling！ She has retired from her career as a patent attorney， but she clearly has developed a second career （originally a hobby） in helping adoptees find their biological families and cracking cold cases。 The psychological toll this must take on her and similar IGG specialists must be hard to grapple with， but she does sound as though she gets an immense sense of satisfaction when a case is solved。 I also am tremendously appreciative that she shared that she has ADHD and that this element of her being a neuro-divergent thinker is probably one reason why she's good at this。 Clearly， she uses her hyperfocus， non-linear thinking， and fantastic memory/recall of details to help her succeed。 When the GSK case was initially solved she asked to remain anonymous for fear of her own safety。 Years later her son encouraged her to come forward and get some recognition for what she had accomplished in that particular case and I'm so glad that she did！ She provides enough scientific detail in her book without getting too far in the weeds and she also provides thoughtful arguments about why law enforcement should continue to have access to Direct to Consumer DNA databases in the interest of solving violent crimes。 I know that using commercial DNA sites to catch the GSK was controversial （and remains so）， but no one can argue that that wasn't a good use of the resource since it succeeded， identified a true monster， and put him in jail。 。。。more
Maria
，
The genetic genealogist who helped identify the Golden State Killer （GSK） tells her part in the final solution to bringing a cold case fugitive to justice。 I enjoyed her writing style and the crime cases she assisted with， but the last fifth of the book was more about her personal life which I feel detracted from the main focus: DNA crime solving。 That said， she brings to light the ethical issues of DNA sharing but also asserts her belief in its overall value。 For true crime enthusiasts。
Cindy Knoke
，
Fascinating book。 Couldn't put it down。 The author is a modest， but most impressive person。 Highly recommend。 Fascinating book。 Couldn't put it down。 The author is a modest， but most impressive person。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Sally Noran
，
While I am not a true crime aficionado， I have been doing my family （and related） history for 23 years。The author has inspired me to learn more about DNA and use my tree-building skills for something truly important。 I literally couldn't put this book down！ The more monsters off the streets the better， so I have opted in on Gedmatch and FamilytreeDNA for forensic purposes。 I will also contact Ancestry。com （where I have my main tree） and request that they allow opting in to forensic DNA analysis。 While I am not a true crime aficionado， I have been doing my family （and related） history for 23 years。The author has inspired me to learn more about DNA and use my tree-building skills for something truly important。 I literally couldn't put this book down！ The more monsters off the streets the better， so I have opted in on Gedmatch and FamilytreeDNA for forensic purposes。 I will also contact Ancestry。com （where I have my main tree） and request that they allow opting in to forensic DNA analysis。 Thank you Barbara for a truly inspiring book and for the useful work you do。 。。。more
Jeanette
，
Outstanding in more than just pure knowledge taught。 Absolutely one of the best non-fiction books I've read in the last 5 years。 In that category of ALL non-fiction- this would be in the top 3 for the last 20 years。Exact and precise writing which gives clear and chronological progressions。 Not only to her "hobby" but to the events and processes which contain the purposes and steps of inquiry which will result in a triangulation of data which will lead to the MRCA in a DNA content study。 MRCA is Outstanding in more than just pure knowledge taught。 Absolutely one of the best non-fiction books I've read in the last 5 years。 In that category of ALL non-fiction- this would be in the top 3 for the last 20 years。Exact and precise writing which gives clear and chronological progressions。 Not only to her "hobby" but to the events and processes which contain the purposes and steps of inquiry which will result in a triangulation of data which will lead to the MRCA in a DNA content study。 MRCA is the Most Recent Common Ancestor。 When this person has been plotted， you are THEN able through records and other research （some of it is tech biological based too） to go downwards through the generations of descendants to place the possible DNA matches。 First you will need to find 2， 3， or even better- possibly 4 DNA match relatives of snips- SNP profiles。 It is reflected in a count of compatible DNA to a degree in language that can be expressed in numbers of "alike"。 Now I know what all those cm decimals mean。 Barbara Rae-Venter can do this for a baby completely abandoned/ unknown- dead or alive。 From 50 years ago or last week。 For adopted humans of every age wanting to know their birth names or parents etc。 But even more， for any number of reasons for living humans who want to know their histories， when most have a complete blank。 Or to solve closure of missing persons' identities for those they have left behind， never knowing their outcomes。She is brilliant。 Has a "grasshopper mind" which surrounds inquiry and knowing to detail of depth。 She will continue and continue until ALL that can be known will be known。 That she eventually got embedded within the criminal justice system by happenstance is no surprise。 NONE。 That this came out of retirement whimsy time spent， this doesn't surprise me at all either。This book is a high recommendation for ALL。 Read it。 She writes as well as she thinks。 And if you are not a science buff in any sense， MORE SO- read this。 Barbara spent most of her adult life as a biological product patent lawyer。 Most of it in Texas and CA。 BUT- she was born in New Zealand。Fabulous book。 This is not just about the case mentioned in the title。 There are 5 or 6 other criminal inquiries detailed to a T。 All of them from inquiries done from 2015 until today。 Most of which are between 15 and 35 or 40 years old cases of unknown victims。 She has even deciphered the original name of a 150 plus year old 2 year old found in an air tight casket （buried in the 1870's） while a house was being built。 She has help now。 Mostly doing internet searches to the people in the "count down and locale" that are possible descendant paths。 And always had at least 10 different sites to peruse and search and download and combine to "eliminate" or "must be" paths。 She also has aides as of this current last 2 years who do internet， obituary， leg searches on geographic locations or telephone work for her now。 Paul Holes is just one of the names for the 5 or 6 main law enforcement keys who have roped her into doing what she does- FOR THEM。 The top three are now retired。 Each doing their last "close" after up to 40 years of searching and never finding their perpetrators。 I've read books by 3 to 4 of these associates but NONE OF THEM can write。 Barbara can write too。 Barbara has chapters on ethics。 Magnificent。 We are in the "Wild West" right now for being able to do some of these cross cut searches。 GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA questions？ Ancestry or 23 and Me？ Read this， please。 She actually has changed my mind about some very key permissions。 We do have rights of privacy， for sure。 But we do not have rights of invisibility？ We are who we are。 And we shed cells endlessly which state exactly who we are。 Now DNA snips can be produced from hair shaft。 One or two of her solves are hair shaft only at the beginning。 The Boy under the Billboard story is 6 stars。 There WERE people waiting for him to come home。 Because I read of the women in the metal barrels before from the other side of law- this FINALLY made me understand how the man with 25 different names who killed all of them was established。 And the outcome。 She was so pivotal that she has been given dozens of honors。 Her system devised through logic and practice has become now more copied。 She gives praise and acknowledgment to all who are connected with her 1000's and 1000's of hours process。 And deems that it has changed her too- since she never saw the depth of "bad" like this before in her life。 She is a saint for the help she has given the truly bereft and those ignorant of their identity for which they NEED information。 She listens and she searches。 This is also done SO supremely well， that you little realize it- it is a memoir。 Do I agree with all her feelings and summations？ No。 But I do for almost 95% of them， at least。 She absolutely deserved to have a reserved seat at the Joseph DeAngelo sentencing。 As I have also read I'll be Gone in the Dark and Unmasked- this book was like giving me new eyes to those who have gone before。 Those trying so hard but not falling into just the right slants or facts or states of mind or combined talents to make logical deductions within mathematical mapping proof。Everywhere you go， you leave cells and believe me- they don't lie。 。。。more
David Corleto-Bales
，
Barbara Rae-Venter， a scientist and expert in genealogy has been able to do amazing things using DNA databases that people have been tracing their ancestry with， helping police forces around the country solve cold cases。 Her work has aided them to not only catch suspects， such as the infamous Golden State Killer， but also identify previously unknown people。
Heather Fineisen
，
A fascinating look into genetic testing and its role in catching killers。 True crime readers will want to pick this up。 The author explains the process， which gets a little technical， and then uses various cases to show how the process of genetic testing works。 Also introduces the controversy of using family trees for what it was not intended for and the right to privacy。 An interesting and suspenseful read。Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley
Dee
，
4。5 stars rounded down for this riveting N/F written by the woman who got the Golden State Killer in just 63 days using investigative genetic genealogy， after a multi-decades long and fruitless investigation had stalled out。 The author is very self-effacing and seems quite genuine。 I consider this one part of the “GSK Trilogy” with M。 McNamara’s “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” & Paul Hole’s “Unmasked”， both so great， before it。
Julia
，
to start， the title is clearly something the publishers came up with the hook readers-- this is a book that does talk about the golden state killer， but that is just one of the many stories in there。 it is a book about the details of the start of genetic genealogy and how it is used in a forensic setting， specifically related to the author's work on several unsolved cases。 now， i happen to love this because i am a total nerd for genetic science and for genealogical research。 this is probably not to start， the title is clearly something the publishers came up with the hook readers-- this is a book that does talk about the golden state killer， but that is just one of the many stories in there。 it is a book about the details of the start of genetic genealogy and how it is used in a forensic setting， specifically related to the author's work on several unsolved cases。 now， i happen to love this because i am a total nerd for genetic science and for genealogical research。 this is probably not a book for everyone， but if you happen to fall in the niche of enjoying genealogy， details of genetics， and true crime solving， i highly recommend。 all said， i really enjoyed it。 。。。more
Elisha
，
I Know Who You Are By Barbara Rae-VenterReview and Rating 4 ⭐️I Know Who You Are by Barbara Rae-Venter is the story of （as the book cover says） how an amateur DNA sleuth unmasked the Golden State Killer and changed crime fighting forever。 But it is really more than that。 It tells how Dr。 Rae-Venter， a former genetic genealogist and patent attorney became interested and ultimately started working with law enforcement to solve cold cases。 She explains how she helped solve her early cases using lit I Know Who You Are By Barbara Rae-VenterReview and Rating 4 ⭐️I Know Who You Are by Barbara Rae-Venter is the story of （as the book cover says） how an amateur DNA sleuth unmasked the Golden State Killer and changed crime fighting forever。 But it is really more than that。 It tells how Dr。 Rae-Venter， a former genetic genealogist and patent attorney became interested and ultimately started working with law enforcement to solve cold cases。 She explains how she helped solve her early cases using little more than a DNA sample and thousands of hours of genetic genealogy work to eventually become the leading authority on the process。 The Golden State Killer case is covered and is very interesting。 The way it was solved was actually not in the way I had thought from what I had heard from media and social media。 Of course， the use of DNA data from databases such as Ancestry and 23andMe is covered and the questions we face are raised。 Is it ethical to use this data to solve crimes， do they have the right to the data， what are the potential drawbacks？ I really liked this book as a true crime reader and science lover。 Although some of the terms and processes were tedious， Dr。 Rae-Venter does a good job of explaining everything as she goes along。 4⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine， Barbara Rae-Venter， and Net Galley for providing me with an eARC。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own。 #IKnowWhoYouAre #NetGalley。 Book Rating Key⭐️ Not Recommended⭐️⭐️ Readable Book⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings。 If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it。 As for 5 ⭐️books， I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️， and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books。 Happy Reading！ 。。。more
Jo Ann
，
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley。This is a very interesting memoir by Barbara Rae-Venter describing her career change from retired patent attorney to solver of cold cases using DNA。 She started to trace her family's roots and then became involved in helping adopted people find their lost families。Ultimately， this led to her involvement in tracing the criminals responsible for heretofore unsolvable cold cases。 As the science of DNA evolved， IGG （Investigative Genetic Genealogy） becam I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley。This is a very interesting memoir by Barbara Rae-Venter describing her career change from retired patent attorney to solver of cold cases using DNA。 She started to trace her family's roots and then became involved in helping adopted people find their lost families。Ultimately， this led to her involvement in tracing the criminals responsible for heretofore unsolvable cold cases。 As the science of DNA evolved， IGG （Investigative Genetic Genealogy） became an important tool in breaking these cases， imprisoning the criminals （if they were still alive）， and bringing closure to the victims' families。 Her efforts led to the capture of some of the worst serial rapists and murderers in modern times。In addition， Rae-Venter discusses the moral， ethical， and legal ramifications of investigative applications of DNA。 。。。more
Terri
，
OK， so practically everyone has heard about the Gold State Killer and the way the case was finally solved。 This book tells the tale of how crime solving has been changed forever because of an amateur crime solver and the new techniques that came about because of this case。 This book was so good！ I didn't want it to end， and yet I kept reading because I couldn't put it down。 OK， so practically everyone has heard about the Gold State Killer and the way the case was finally solved。 This book tells the tale of how crime solving has been changed forever because of an amateur crime solver and the new techniques that came about because of this case。 This book was so good！ I didn't want it to end， and yet I kept reading because I couldn't put it down。 。。。more
Caitie
，
3。5 stars， and I understand this is an unpopular opinion。 I am incredibly disappointed that I couldn't get into this one more。 But I feel like the title is misleading: most of the book is dedicated to the identification of a living victim involved in the Bear Brook Murder Case and a smattering of other John/Jane Doe cases。 （More information about the Bear Brook case here: https://abcnews。go。com/US/terry-rasmu。。。） For most of the book， the narrative jumps back ad forth--suddenly we're going from 3。5 stars， and I understand this is an unpopular opinion。 I am incredibly disappointed that I couldn't get into this one more。 But I feel like the title is misleading: most of the book is dedicated to the identification of a living victim involved in the Bear Brook Murder Case and a smattering of other John/Jane Doe cases。 （More information about the Bear Brook case here: https://abcnews。go。com/US/terry-rasmu。。。） For most of the book， the narrative jumps back ad forth--suddenly we're going from the Golden State Killer case to this other case involving trying to give the identity of a woman who was kidnapped as a young girl。 However， the writing style made me want to keep reading。 I found it to be very accessible to the average person who doesn't know a lot about science behind DNA analysis。 The kind of "inside baseball，" aspects of the Golden State Killer case were also interesting to me， and how they eventually led to the killer。 This just wasn't what I was expecting it to be。 。。。more
Bon
，
What a fascinating and touching book。 I even learned a bit about how to approach continuing to fill out my own casual family tree online。
Meg C
，
If you're a true crime fan （especially I'll Be Gone in the Dark and the Bear Brook podcast）， this was a quick， interesting read about how she tracked down multiple criminals using genetic genealogy。 If you're a true crime fan （especially I'll Be Gone in the Dark and the Bear Brook podcast）， this was a quick， interesting read about how she tracked down multiple criminals using genetic genealogy。 。。。more
Dana
，
Several months after the identity of the Golden State Killer was announced， we heard the name of the genetic genealogist who had worked on the case: Barbara Rae-Venter。 But this wasn’t the first cold case she’d solved using DNA and the emerging field of investigative genetic genealogy。This book follows Barbara through some of those earlier cases before diving into the GSK case。 These time-consuming cases brought answers to cases that appeared unsolvable。 She also shares about the make-shift， COV Several months after the identity of the Golden State Killer was announced， we heard the name of the genetic genealogist who had worked on the case: Barbara Rae-Venter。 But this wasn’t the first cold case she’d solved using DNA and the emerging field of investigative genetic genealogy。This book follows Barbara through some of those earlier cases before diving into the GSK case。 These time-consuming cases brought answers to cases that appeared unsolvable。 She also shares about the make-shift， COVID spaced courtroom where the self-described survivors， not victims， were able to share their stories and address the confessed rapist and killer。 I was surprised to read that the photo was all see of this feeble old man was just an act！Barbara finishes the book by giving insight into the traits and skills that can help someone succeed in the field of investigative genetic genealogy。 。。。more
Dawn Michelle
，
Having read Michelle McNamara's book "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" and then just this past December reading Edward Humes' book "The Forever Witness" [<--THIS book was amazing and I highly recommend it]， in which I learned the authors name for the first time， I knew I had to read this the minute I saw it。 In looking stuff up， I found that one of the investigators in the GSK case， Paul Holes， has ALSO written a book and now that one is on my list。 Yes， I tend to go down rabbit-holes and hard。 LOLI ca Having read Michelle McNamara's book "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" and then just this past December reading Edward Humes' book "The Forever Witness" [<--THIS book was amazing and I highly recommend it]， in which I learned the authors name for the first time， I knew I had to read this the minute I saw it。 In looking stuff up， I found that one of the investigators in the GSK case， Paul Holes， has ALSO written a book and now that one is on my list。 Yes， I tend to go down rabbit-holes and hard。 LOLI cannot say anything here that other [better] reviewers have not already said - it is truly an amazing book。 Even the stuff I didn't understand [and there was A LOT I didn't understand] was amazing as the author breaks the whole DNA process down [this said， this is actually not a hard book to read - she writes in such a way that most people will get what she is saying; I have a learning disability that makes processing sciencey {and maths} stuff more difficult than it is for most people and even I got *MOST* of what she was saying。 There were moments though where I was completely lost and had to just move on]。 That [because it is something I am used to] did not take away from the book for me though; I was still in awe of all that the author [and others] can do with DNA and how she and a dedicated team solved the GSK cold case and others [the Lisa story will bring you to tears and I cannot even talk about the "Boy under the Billboard" without breaking into tears and am then unable to continue]， and the parts about the GSK and his plea deal and sentencing was gripping - I cannot even imagine what his victims and victims families were feeling; relief yes， but oh so much more。 Even the author admits to having trouble adjusting after all that is finished。 For me， all of this was amazing and thought-provoking and anger inducing [WHO chooses to NOT want to help find killers？？ Seriously？] and [weird as this is to say] I enjoyed every bit of this [seeing bad guys get caught， people finding their true names and the dead finally honored makes for riveting and enjoyable reading] but for me， it is the last chapter that really got me。 A chapter about what constitutes home [something I struggle with] and it was a very profound way to end an already profound read。 Well done。 I highly recommend this。 Thank you to NetGalley， Barbara Rae-Venter [and her amazing teams that help do all this fantastic work]， and Random House Publishing Group/Ballentine Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Teri
，
Interesting read on how DNA is used to find criminals。
Aaron Brown
，
Riveting and fascinating stuff with a healthy dose of science and true crime narrative。 If you want to understand how one of the most prolific， ruthless and cunning rapists and murderers ever was caught， after almost 30 years of silence， this is the book。 There are some interesting new details about the lead up to the Golden State Killer 's arrest that I don't think have been published before as well。 But the book is really all about the author's use of new DNA ICG techniques， which she perfecte Riveting and fascinating stuff with a healthy dose of science and true crime narrative。 If you want to understand how one of the most prolific， ruthless and cunning rapists and murderers ever was caught， after almost 30 years of silence， this is the book。 There are some interesting new details about the lead up to the Golden State Killer 's arrest that I don't think have been published before as well。 But the book is really all about the author's use of new DNA ICG techniques， which she perfected on other criminal cases， before taking down the big one。 Well worth the read for readers interested in true crime， forensics and the Golden State Killer。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
The title of this book is misleading—only one of six parts has to do with the Golden State Killer。
Kristine
，
This was a fascinating compelling read。 The DNA and scientific parts of the book were well explained and understood。 I love when a cold case is solved！！ Highly recommend
April
，
This was such an interesting book I couldn’t put it down。 It wasn’t just about the GSK case， she also talked about some of the other cases she helped solve using investigative genealogy and it was really interesting to learn how she worked to put all the pieces together。 She also talks about the ethics of using DNA databases like 23andme and AncestryDNA to solve crimes。 Really enjoyed this one。
Forrest Parkinson
，
I would reccomend this book to anyone interested in the science behind solving cold cases。 I appreciated that this book didn't glorify the crimes but put the spotlight on how these horrifying crimes were finally solved。 Barbara deserves so much credit for giving freely her time to give families closure and make this man pay for his crimes。 Huge thank you to Random House & Ballantine Books for this ARC。 I would reccomend this book to anyone interested in the science behind solving cold cases。 I appreciated that this book didn't glorify the crimes but put the spotlight on how these horrifying crimes were finally solved。 Barbara deserves so much credit for giving freely her time to give families closure and make this man pay for his crimes。 Huge thank you to Random House & Ballantine Books for this ARC。 。。。more
Tammy
，
This was a very interesting read！ I was intrigued from the Preface！ I found myself glued to the story， how an amateur could gather information enough to help name a serial killer。 Having done my own DNA a couple of years ago， it was fascinating to me how what started for the author as an interest in her own family history to then become a whiz on using genetic genealogy to help Crime Investigators solve cases。 I enjoyed the book and the evolving of using DNA to help solve cold cases。 Disclaimer: This was a very interesting read！ I was intrigued from the Preface！ I found myself glued to the story， how an amateur could gather information enough to help name a serial killer。 Having done my own DNA a couple of years ago， it was fascinating to me how what started for the author as an interest in her own family history to then become a whiz on using genetic genealogy to help Crime Investigators solve cases。 I enjoyed the book and the evolving of using DNA to help solve cold cases。 Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book from Ballantine Books， a division of Penguin Random House， LLC， New York with no expectation in return。 The thoughts above are my own and I chose to share them。 。。。more
Lisa
，
I gasped， I cheered， it became a part of me。 What a great book for me， a huge true crime nerd who loves forensic science。 Just loved it。
Paula
，
Received as a free e-ARC from NetGalley。I had heard of Barbara Rae-Venter in other cold case books I've read such as Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases and The Forever Witness: How Genetic Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Humes。 Barbara describes her life before she was a DNA genealogist and why she became interested and how she became interested。 She talks about the cases she was involved and was initially going to remain anonymous until someone tried to Received as a free e-ARC from NetGalley。I had heard of Barbara Rae-Venter in other cold case books I've read such as Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases and The Forever Witness: How Genetic Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Humes。 Barbara describes her life before she was a DNA genealogist and why she became interested and how she became interested。 She talks about the cases she was involved and was initially going to remain anonymous until someone tried to steal her credit。 Although interesting， it can be slow and choppy。 Information can be repetitive。 The chapters are titled leading one to believe that is what the chapter is going to be about， but there is jumping back and forth between the cases which can lead to some confusion and repetitiveness。 Overall， it is a good book and offers a different point of various cold cases and poses the question whether law enforcement should be able to use genealogy programs in their line of work。 The book will appeal to readers who love true crime， science， cold cases， genealogists， arm chair detecting。 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
，
Fascinating read about a retired woman， with a plethora of degrees and experience， behind her name， delved into helping people find their ancestry using DNA。 While her work on the Golden State Killer was interesting， I was mesmerized by her endlessly and relentlessly searching for adoptees Information。The author is a bloodhound。 She will sniff out and flush out the most remote information for DNA research。Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the advance read。
Kerry Pickens
，
I enjoyed learning about how the author generously volunteered to do genetic research to find missing family members， and eventually became involved in criminal investigations。 The cover of the book is a bit misleading because the Golden State Killer was not the only investigation that she contributed too。
Anna
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This is a great read for those of you interested in true crime。 If you followed Golden State Killer or are fans of Paul Holes， this is for you。 Venter details her life and career and how she became involved in genetic genealogy and why she wanted to remain anonymous。 She worked on several high profile cases and discusses those in addition to GSK including Terry Rasmussen。She mentions and credits Michelle McNamara for not giving up on the case and being a big part of why this case was solved。 Of This is a great read for those of you interested in true crime。 If you followed Golden State Killer or are fans of Paul Holes， this is for you。 Venter details her life and career and how she became involved in genetic genealogy and why she wanted to remain anonymous。 She worked on several high profile cases and discusses those in addition to GSK including Terry Rasmussen。She mentions and credits Michelle McNamara for not giving up on the case and being a big part of why this case was solved。 Of course she dishes about her and Paul Holes working the case together and how it was ultimately solved。 Finally， she discusses DNA/genealogy ethics which I think many stories in the true crime world leave out especially with all the recent developments in the ease of DNA testing and uploading it to various online databases。 I definitely recommend this read！ Of course， content warnings include murder， child murder， sexual assault。 。。。more
tpg0
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As an AI language model， I cannot have personal opinions about the book， but I can provide you with some information about it。 "I Know Who You Are" is a non-fiction true crime book written by Diane Dimond。 The book tells the story of how Joseph James DeAngelo， also known as the Golden State Killer， was finally identified and arrested after committing a number of rapes and murders in California in the 1970s and 1980s。 The author highlights the role that genetic genealogy played in the investigation and how it changed the way law enforcement investigates and solves crimes。 The book received positive reviews from readers and critics alike for being meticulously researched， well-written， and providing insight into the groundbreaking methods used to catch the Golden State Killer。 If you're interested in true crime， forensic science， or DNA analysis， "I Know Who You Are" could be an intriguing and informative read。
tpg1
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I am an AI language model and do not have the ability to provide personal opinions or reviews on books。 However， the book 'I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever' by Alice Feeney is a non-fiction work that explores groundbreaking DNA technology and its role in solving the Golden State Killer case。 It has received positive reviews and is recommended for readers interested in true crime and forensic science。
tpg2
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