<P> McNamara became interested in the Golden State Killer case and wrote an article for Los Angeles magazine about the serial killer in 2013 . She then signed a book deal with HarperCollins and began to work on a book about the case . </P> <P> McNamara herself coined the moniker "Golden State Killer" to refer to the serial killer / rapist who had previously been referred to by various other names (e.g., Original Night Stalker, East Area Rapist, and the Diamond Knot Killer). </P> <P> McNamara died in her sleep on April 21, 2016, at the age of 46 . At the time of her death, she had been in the middle of her hunt for the killer, and her book was unfinished . Crime writer Paul Haynes, investigative journalist Billy Jensen, and McNamara's widower Patton Oswalt helped finish the book after McNamara's death . </P> <P> The book--McNamara's debut--was released on February 27, 2018 (almost two years after her death) and reached the top of The New York Times Best Seller list for non-fiction . As of April 25, 2018, the book had been on the list for four weeks . </P>

Who helped finish ill be gone in the dark