In “The People vs. the Golden State Killer” (Third State Books, Nov. 11, 2025), Thien Ho, the current District Attorney of Sacramento County, delivers the first official account of the investigation, capture, and prosecution of Joseph DeAngelo, one of America’s most notorious serial predators. Known by many chilling names over the years, including the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, the Original Nightstalker, and finally the Golden State Killer, DeAngelo terrorized California communities for over a decade – and then disappeared without a trace for more than 30 years.
As the lead prosecutor on the case, Ho recounts the exhilarating and harrowing experience of bringing a cold-case killer to justice and putting him behind bars for life. Rather than focusing solely on the criminal and the crimes, Ho’s narrative centers the dedicated law-enforcement teams who never gave up their pursuit of the GSK; and the courageous survivors of his crimes who fought to heal and regain control of their lives. “The People vs. the Golden State Killer” includes hundreds of never-before-revealed details and firsthand insights. Unlike previous accounts, this is the first time the public hears directly from the lead prosecutor who helped close the case. The book also features the authorized voices of survivors who turned their trauma into powerful advocacy. A portion of the book’s proceeds will benefit Phyllis’s Garden, a nonprofit that honors a GSK survivor and champions victims’ rights…