I grew up in Lanarkshire in the 60’s and my father was Glaswegian. I have vague memories of the frenzy at the time over the unsolved murders by "Bible John" and remember the photofit being in the newspaper fairly regularly on anniversaries. This is an excellent book but it’s not really about the search for a killer. It’s about the victims, the police, the reporters, the families and all the myriad people affected by a crime like this.

Mr Garcia is a very skilled writer and the book reads like having a chat with a friend but it’s packed full of information and atmosphere. We often went to the Barras market at the weekend and I would see the Barrowland ballroom and wonder at what magic it held. The author beautifully creates the atmosphere of the area at the time and the excitement of a night out dancing away from responsibilities.

I learned a lot reading this book. A lot I didn’t know about the people in the orbit of a killer. Especially the families as they tried to keep the story live in the hope of catching someone.

The way the narrative runs works very well and the research is handled deftly.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

i've heard a bit about bible john over the years on podcasts and other true crime books but this is an indepth, intense look at glasgow in the 60s, the reaction and manhunt for this serial killer, and the impact it's had on the city in the decades since

‘We All Go Into the Dark’ explores the unsolved case of Bible John, an unidentified serial killer who is believed to have murdered three women in 1960s Scotland.

Francisco García gives context to the crimes which is a great introduction to Bible John for those (like me) who aren’t already aware of this case.

There are, understandably, no conclusions to be found here. But what is particularly great is Garcia’s willingness to admit what he doesn’t know and establish his own take based on comprehensive and unbiased research.

This isn’t Michelle McNamara’s ‘I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,’ nor is it trying to be. ‘We All Go Into the Dark’ is better suited to those who are already interested in true crime rather than those just beginning to dip in their toes.

Overall a very informative and interesting read that maintains factual integrity throughout.

Thanks to Net Galley, Harper Collins and Mudlark Publishing who granted an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first true crime novel for some time, I probably should have started on something less dry. I’ve never heard of the bible John case and therefore wasn’t really familiar with the fact that it’s an unsolved case that being the case I persevered. The first section of this book was informative and helped bring me up to speed but the second half with interviews with people made it slow reading - I understand the the author didn’t really have anywhere to go as I said before it’s an unsolved crime so dallied over the theories of tv personalities and previous investigators as to who might be the killer - without any really further leads it’s difficult to say who actually was bible John and it made for frustrating reading knowing that lots of forensic evidence was never obtained or was missed.

The author did however cut through all the BS that had originally surrounded this case and did put forward a fair take amongst the biased views when this case tried to resurface because of the Peter Sutcliffe case and I’m grateful for the lack of sensationalism that he could have added.

It was informative and dry but got a little weyward towards the end, but how do you end a nonfiction book without a real ending anyway? ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

#weallgointothedark #fransiscogarcia #biblejohn #truecrime

Whether we needed another book about Bible John is arguable, but nobody can fault Francisco Garcia's evidently meticulous research.

I appreciate the ways in which the author attempts to provide a well-rounded account of the women - names, humanising them and their bereaved families. Having said that, I still don't feel like we know much more about who they were as people. Garcia states this as being a main motivator in writing the book, although one has to wonder whether the tantalising possibility of finally unmasking the killer(s) was the true incentive - much like the true crime aficionados and podcasters he appears to criticise.

What the author does achieve, very well, is to give us a real flavour of Glasgow in the 60s and 70s. I also found some excellent resources for further reading, as the author mentions various books throughout.

As I read, I was particularly stricken by Garcia's account of the sheer dogged tenacity of the media - with little to no regard for the wellbeing of the people most affected by these murders. The ways in which George Puttock was repeatedly wheeled out, his pain exploited for public entertainment, is unpardonable. I just find it all so sad. I wanted to be a journalist when I was a wee girl. I'm glad it's not a career I chose to pursue in the end because the industry is increasingly being exposed as historically vicious, vile and staffed by vultures. In many ways it feels worse since the advent of social media.

The ending of the book felt quite abrupt.

Impeccably Researched..
A unique take on the true crime case of Bible John - as the author explores the case from different perspectives - namely the victims, the media, authors, the public and the police. Exploring the case this far down the road enables a new take on matters and with a fresh eye. The author manages to locate various players who were involved in the case at the time, many of whom give startling and eye opening accounts. Fascinating and impeccably well researched.