By Sarah Statz Cords
Don’t be afraid: I’m not thinking about committing it. I’m thinking about True Crime, the nonfiction genre.
I was recently at a family party, where I found, through pretty innocent conversation, that a cousin of mine reads a ton of True Crime nonfiction (Ann Rule being one of her favorite authors). This year’s been a superlative one for True Crime narratives, so I found myself enthusiastically talking about various titles with her. Soon (although not soon enough?) we noticed that other relatives were listening to our conversation and looking a bit concerned. Who could blame them? The casual eavesdropper would have caught many concerning words and phrases in our animated talk: Ted Bundy, multiple victims, a doctor who killed his patients, Charles Manson, BTK, the Green River Killer stalking Ann Rule, etc.
We moved on to talking mysteries (fiction ones, that is) to try and deflect attention. But my wondering about True Crime narratives, and their appeal, has stayed with me. What is it about these narratives that readers find so compelling? Many of the true crime readers I’ve known have been among my gentlest and kindest acquaintances; they are by and large people to whom the idea of violence is completely repellent. So what is it about these books? And do readers of them steer clear of asking for RA help for fear of how they will be judged?
