I Know Who You Are

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

By: Barbara Rae-Venter

Narrated by: Barbara Rae-Venter

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Critic reviews

“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

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.

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.

Great listen.

The book was laid out well and was extremely informative. Would definitely recommend for anyone interested in IGG, not just the GSK case.

Great story about genetik genealogy

Interesting to hear how genetic genealogy is used to solve crimes and uncover mysteries. The golden state killer case made world news when he was arrested.

Outstanding & inspiring

This was a fantastic book. I am a very amateur genealogist with a overwhelming interest in IGG. Barbara Rae Venter’s experiences, dedication, late nights, and what must be an uncanny ability to keep facts straight, have lead to an incredible list of solved cases. I was absolutely inspired at the end of this book and can only hope to help as I enter the world of IGG in even a small way. If you have any interest in genealogy or would like a wonderful example of what a dedicated group of volunteers can do, this is absolutely a must read.

Fascinating

Great true story told by the brilliant author. A must read for law enforcement, followers of true crime and lovers of science.

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.

Excellent and compelling story.

Barbara is an excellent storyteller and I couldn’t stop listening to her. I heartily recommend this book.