But his feeling that there is a good story here just cannot be shaken, so Chandler purchases the store front-now-turned-house in which the murders took place, moves in and tries to piece together what happened. The story never made it very far in the press, and Chandler’s initial research into the mystery yields few promising results. It’s no surprise then, that his books feel remarkably similar to his musical work.ĭevil House tells the story of Gage Chandler, a well-known true crime writer who stumbles upon a strange set of murders that took place decades ago in the small town of Milpitas, California. Darnielle’s lyrics are filled with metaphors that feel sinewy and messy, like a few-days-old bruise, and his voice - that iconic keening - cradles you tenderly in your own misery. There is an anger to a Mountain Goats song that both reminds you of all your past failures while simultaneously making you feel okay about them. His songs often fluctuate between feeling musically uplifting and lyrically hopeless. Even so, this method of reconstructing a person’s life in order to tell a particular story makes for good entertainment, and the question of whether or not we ever truly get a full picture of those involved in a murder is what John Darnielle seeks to explore in his latest book, Devil House.ĭarnielle is known perhaps first and foremost for his music as the main member of the band The Mountain Goats. Only the most pertinent details are left intact, and typically these details only serve to enhance the story, not the person being described.

It’s as if their lives have been boiled down to a very specific moment in time and everything else they may or may not have accomplished is forgotten.

The people involved in the case, whether it be potential suspects, victims, or their family members, are all illuminated in a way that makes them interesting to the story.

If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, then you are familiar with the way these gruesome murders are usually crafted to draw the listener in.

John darnielle book