With the extreme rising of the cases of crimes all across the globe, the realm of film and literature have taken these matters as inspiration and turned them into wonderful masterpieces. Most true crime literary works and movies cover cases of murder, serial killers, and other gruesome crimes. The world went a buzz when news about a Ted Bundy movie is being filmed and when Netflix released the Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes documentary series. Aside from the Ted Bundy documentary series, there are also other remarkable true crime series — such as The Act, Making a Murderer, The Confession Tapes, and American Crime Story. It only shows that stories about transgressions and criminal acts set the people on fire.
Literature is a broad field of wonders. It already has a faction that covers crimes but with a hint of fantasy called crime thriller that belongs to general fiction. In contrast to the mentioned genre, the literary realm also has works about true to life crime stories called true crime — which falls under nonfiction category. True crime novels commonly have a pattern. The stories these books contain revolve around the committed viscous crimes until the conducted thorough investigation. Examples of page turner true crime novels are listed below:
- The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story by Anne Rule
This autobiographical novel is authored by Ann Rule centers on one of the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy. It includes a glimpse about the serial killer’s birth and family. Later on, it narrated the interaction between the author and Bundy and the friendship that they had formed. She then mentioned her first impressions about him and described the killer as “kind, solicitous, and empathetic.” The story continues to move until it arrived to the discovery of the brutal killings of women in Seattle. The person that these ladies were seen together with before their disappearance was tall, handsome, and named “Ted” based on the witnesses. It took plenty of years until Bundy was completely captured — after his two prison break escapade and bunch of killing spree. This novel has been adapted into a television film in 2003.
- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Truman Capote wrote this nonfiction true crime novel based on the murder of the 4 members of a family in the state of Kansas. The victims of this case was a successful and wealthy farmer Herbert Clutter, his wife Bonnie, and his two younger children Nancy and Kenyon. Ex-convicts Richard Hickock and Perry Smith are the suspects for this brutal murder. They raided the farmer’s house in the hopes of getting a bounty of cash from the household. However, they were not arrested until 6 weeks after the crime was committed. The killers were later on executed years after they were proven guilty and convicted. The author, along with his childhood friend Harper Lee, researched about the case and interviewed people related to this crime. Capote allocated 6 years of his life working on the book, thus this novel has complete ingredients and elements.
- The Witness by Wanda Draper
Author Wanda Draper has written a detailed and amazing novel about the anatomy of a murderer. The Witness circulates on how a person becomes a cold-blooded killer, what are the contributing factors and triggers on his or her becoming. This is novel creates a fresh perspective of literature’s true crime genre. It does not merely centers on a hideous killing and its following investigation instead it focuses on what makes a person transform into a dangerous killer. Draper incredibly let readers shape an outlook on why a murderer behaves that way and how did he or she manage to do such crime. This books examines and narrates a suspect’s life experience ranging from his or her childhood to the turning point when the individual committed the crime.
- Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent Buglioso wrote a book, together with Curt Gentry, based on his experience as the prosecuting attorney of the case of the Manson family. The Carl Manson family refers to the 5 people who cold-bloodedly murdered innocent individuals that took place in two different locations — the homes of Sharon Tate and Leno LaBianca. Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, Charles Watson, and the leader Charles Manson were the convicted murderers of the gruesome killings of a total of five people. The novel Helter Skelter was published by W. W. Norton & Company in the year 1974 and was recognized as the Best Fact Crime book of 1975 Edgar Award.
There is just something appealing about this genre that makes the readers addicted to it. The weight and mixture of emotions that it awakens from the audience that make them filled with excitement is incomparable. True crime is indeed a jewel of nonfiction.
Alex Writes 