“Serial killers. They make the headlines. They give you nightmares. They make you afraid to leave your house. Yet according to statistics, you’re more likely to be murdered by someone you know than by a complete stranger. When a murder is committed by a stranger, it’s usually in connection with a burglary or robbery. But serial killers are a different entity. They’re the wildcard you never see coming.”
— from the Introduction of The Best New True Crime Stories: Serial Killers
True Crime. We see it everywhere – books, television, and even film. There are countless podcasts and blogs devoted to the subject. We can’t seem to get enough of it these days. So when an American publisher reached out to me about doing a true crime book, I thought: Hey, why not? Anyone who’s familiar with my work knows that I like to mix it up a bit. I never just do one thing. I like my readers to ask: “I wonder what she’ll come up with next?”
Now I’ve written and edited crime fiction before, and I’ve also produced the occasional non-fiction book. I even did my bachelor’s degree in journalism. Taking all this into account, true crime seems like a logical next step. I get to draw upon these skill-sets and make something new and exciting emerge from them – namely my new anthology, The Best New True Crime Stories: Serial Killers.
Whether we’re willing to admit it or not, we’re fascinated by serial killers. And there’s no shortage of material out there on them. Aside from dealing with the special challenges of producing a non-fiction book, particularly one in this area, I wanted to give readers something different. Rather than offering yet another rehash of what people already know, I asked my contributing writers to provide some fresh perspective on the cases they decided to write about. The really cool thing about producing an anthology is that you get lots of different voices and points of view. No two writers tell a story in quite the same way. That’s especially evident in The Best New True Crime Stories: Serial Killers. There are even first-person accounts from writers who have come face-to-face with their subjects. Having said that, the accounts in this book aren’t just about the serial killers; they are also about the impact their crimes have had on culture, society, and even the law. These stories give you something to think about.
The Best New True Crime Stories: Serial Killers is available from booksellers worldwide in trade paperback, digital and audio editions. You can hear me talk a bit more about the book in this brief video introduction.
To find out about book signings or related events, visit the News and Events tab at my website for details. And be sure to check out our ever-expanding mugshot page HERE.
I hope you enjoy reading The Best New True Crime Stories: Serial Killers!
