Billy Jensen

I've read a quite a bit of true crime over the past year or so and Chase Darkness with Me is one of my favorites. I was drawn to it for a few reasons: it was cheap on Audible, I loved Michelle McNamara's [b:I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer|35068432|I'll Be Gone in the Dark One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer|Michelle show more McNamara|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499131009l/35068432._SY75_.jpg|56363890], and I fantasize about solving cold cases and wanted to read about someone who ended up doing it.

Jensen, who also narrates the book, lays out numerous cases that he worked on and I was interested in all of them. Whether it was the discussion of his methods or the family and friends of the victims, I had a tough time hitting pause to do other things.

Just like I did during and after reading I'll Be Gone in the Dark, I hit reddit looking at cold cases and all the true crime subs I could find. Almost immediately I was overwhelmed by just how many cases there are being talked about. And also by the daunting task of figuring out where to get started on even picking a case to start researching. The author clearly expects readers to feel this way and devotes time in an addendum to the book giving steps to follow to get started. I've already created my new reddit account and email address.

Jensen is coming to a local bookshop in the next few days and I've got my tickets to hear him speak. I'm hoping he'll offer some more tips on being a citizen detective. show less

Choose Darkness With Me is a fascinating account of Billy Jensen’s passion for investigating unsolved crimes, and developing new strategies with which to solve them.

“Whenever people ask me why I only write about unsolved murders, I always say the same thing: because I hate the guy who got away with it.”

Jensen’s obsession with true crime began in childhood, inspired in part by his dad’s rather inappropriate bedtime stories. After earning a degree in Religion, and forays into a range show more of diverse professions including house painting, web marketing, and professional roller hockey, Jensen became a journalist. Landing a job as a stringer he was on course to be a crime beat reporter but quickly realised that he wasn’t comfortable just writing about the awful things that happened to people. He wanted to help, and turned his focus to the hundreds of thousands of missing persons, and unsolved murders mainstream media deemed ‘low profile’, eventually leading to the development of the website ‘True Crime Daily’, and a desire to reinvent the way true crime stories are told, and solved, through the use of television, mobile and web.

The potential of crowdsourcing crime solving is something Jensen often discussed with the late Michelle McNamara while she was in pursuit of identifying The Golden State Killer. After her untimely death, Jensen helped to complete her book, “I’ll Be Gone In the Dark”, and was motivated to take more direct action.

“I’m not chasing people. I’m chasing shadows, phantoms that flit in and out of a surveillance video. That’s on a good night. On the other nights, I’m chasing darkness.”

Of course online armchair detectives have been active for years, Websleuths was launched in 1999, and they recognised the potential of social media as a source for solving crime early on. Jensen however claims to be one of the first to recognise the value geotargeted social media campaigns could have to help solve crime and set out to prove his theory. In Chase Darkness With Me he documents several intriguing cases in which geotargeting, primarily using Facebook’s and Twitter’s ‘boost’ tools (funded from his own pocket), in combination with other methods, has assisted in generating new leads, and even arrests, in cases deemed ‘cold’ by the police. This, Jensen believes, is something anyone can do, and to that end he also provides tips and advice for anyone interested in becoming a ‘Citizen Detective’.

“We are at the precipice of being able to solve more cold cases than ever before.... we need to get loud. Start fund-raisers. Recruit volunteers. You reading this book are deputized. Go get a megaphone.”

I found Chase Darkness With Me to be absolutely compelling reading. I’m certain those interested in true crime, law enforcement or related topics, will also find it entertaining and informative. show less

This is an interesting book for true crime fans, Michelle McNamara/Patton Oswalt/GSK connection notwithstanding. I've read both and IMO, this is the more interesting of the two although they're aiming to do different things.

McNamara's book is focused squarely on the GSK case - her personal connection to it and obsession with identifying and unmasking the killer and helping to bring him to justice.

Jensen's book is more about how he came to be fascinated with true crime, the cases on which show more he's worked or consulted, and a call to action to armchair true crime fans to do something to help whittle down the number of unsolved/cold cases, or missing person cases that go unresolved due to lack of police resources.

Part of this book is a how-to primer for others to put into practice the computer-based social media investigation practices Jensen has successfully used to crack or at least stir up interest in long-dormant cases.

Jensen is very thoughtful, with a strong and capable analytic mind (and journalistic skills). He's obviously ethically driven and wants to see justice realized for families who are desperate for it. That is a good thing. There is nothing wrong - and in fact, much is right about encouraging like-minded others to put their passion behind something useful.

But: not everyone who's interested in true crime - even if they're inclined to invest their resources to help and truly desire to see justice served - will have the same capacity, capabilities, network/experiences to draw upon, or as high a personal ethics bar as Jensen does.

Not all will have the same dogged, single-minded devotion to stick it out, investing their money and time into cases without expectation of a monetary reward or credit. Inserting themselves into an investigation, even a stalled one, isn't something that everyone can or should do. In fact, it could make things worse. Jensen, of course, isn't advocating or expecting all his readers to take him up on the idea, but still - even a few bad apples will create significant ripple effects of headache and heartache.

Another thing: Jensen is a huge fan of using genealogy and DNA databases for familial matching to find potential suspects of unsolved cases. There is a lot of investigative promise in that, but also thorny ethical questions and issues. Again, it's not Jensen himself that's a worry, but the others who come behind him that may be over-eager, social media vigilantes or form vigilante online justice mobs.

Where this book stops short is what makes it most interesting: There are gains and benefits from deputizing an army of true crime fans/justice seekers to work with local police/investigators and detectives. But, at best there will be unintended consequences, and at worst there's a dark side and cost that hasn't been well-considered.

Recommended--would make thoughtful book discussion. Also interesting reading for criminal justice students or practitioners, policymakers and others with interest in online/digital cultural and privacy issues. show less

Chase Darkness with Me by Billy Jensen is a 2019 Sourcebooks publication.

Gripping and personal journey into true crime reporting and crime solving-

The sheer number of cases that remain unsolved are mind numbing. We often focus on the crimes that make the big headlines, but for every one of those, there are numerous others that never make a blip on the public’s consciousness. Some cases go viral, such as the one where an innocent man is knocked unconscious, then hit by a car, then robbed show more while he lay in the street. Although the crime was recorded, finding the man who assaulted the victim took a long time, with many dead-end leads, and required much tenacity, patience, and a very sharp eye.

For Billy Jensen helping to solve the lesser known cold cases has become his life’s work. He is still a writer and journalist, but what he writes about is unsolved crimes. He became friends with fellow cold case/true crime advocate, Michelle McNamara, and he helped to complete her book after her untimely death.

In this book, Jensen explains how he became a crime reporter, his personal background, and even exposes his single-minded fixation on solving crimes, helping law enforcement, and bringing some closure to the victim's families, who at this point, just want to know the truth.

His heady exhilaration at having helped law enforcement close the books on a case is what keeps him from losing faith when so many cases hit a brick wall.

One thing that we can all agree on is that despite all the perils of social media, without it, and the advances in DNA and forensics, murderers and rapists like the Golden State Killer, might never have been caught. Jensen outlines the way he uses social media and the internet, in general, to help solve crimes.

It’s a fascinating story, and you have to hand it to the guy. He’s like a dog with a bone when he gets started on a story or case and he doesn’t turn loose of it, even when it looks as if he’s just chasing his own tale. This dedication might also be described as an obsession, though.

One issue I had with the book, and it is the same issue I had with McNamara’, is the layout and organization of the book. The flow is uneven, as Jensen seems unsure of when to insert something poignant or personal, which came off as feeling a little too forced and awkward. The timing is a bit off in that area, but I did enjoy some of the nostalgia from the seventies he spoke of. Adding personal antidotes was something that worked for McNamara, but not so much here, I think.

The other issue I have with the book is with the last portion, which is a DIY tutorial on amateur sleuthing and crime solving.

Because it goes without saying that law enforcement agencies nationwide are overwhelmed, it may have gotten to the point where it now takes a village to help solve crimes. It never hurts to be informed, prepared, aware, and alert. I do not have a problem with people logging onto to social media to study crime, cold cases, or missing persons profiles. Sometimes a citizen’s hyper-awareness could help save a life.

In many ways, I greatly admire Jensen and what he does. Without him, some crimes, and murders would mostly likely have remained unsolved.

That said-

While I read a great deal of true crime, and do follow certain specific cases, I keep my concerns and interest in the proper perspective.

Too many people interfering in official police investigations could backfire spectacularly. While Jensen found the internet and social media to be a huge asset, we all know by now that it is also packed with erroneous and harmful information, which could hinder, instead of help, solve a crime. It could also be very dangerous, opening oneself up to scams or cons or even physical harm. It could lead to false accusations as well, and we know that even a hint of such a thing can ruin a life in an instant.

So, I’m thinking this is a bit of a slippery slope and I’m not entirely comfortable with Jensen encouraging the general public to follow his chosen path. Putting oneself out there, interviewing victim’s families and the heart wrenching, day to day, drudge of following a lead that turned out to be nothing, is an emotional drain that can be mentally draining, and quite damaging… just take a look at the toll it took on Michelle McNamara.

I’m not saying Jensen glorified his work or sugarcoated anything, as the cases he examines are truly horrifying and one gets a glimpse at the cost the author pays, and the sacrifices his family must endure for him to be successful at what he does.

In my humble opinion, climbing into that dark, murky world, and becoming- shall we say- devoted- to the exclusion of all else in life can’t be all that healthy.

Still, I did find this book to be very interesting, and absorbing, overall, sans the DYI bits. Although I don’t necessarily recommend we all jump into the boat along with him, I’m glad Jensen has had success as a reporter, author, and amateur sleuth and hope that as he continues his work, he will at long last solve some of the cases that continue to haunt him.

3.5 stars show less