Hmmm. So I used to read a fair amount of true crime, but not because I really liked the drama of it. I liked the books by John Douglas (the guy who started the FBI’s profiling team and on whose work Criminal Minds and Mindhunter were based), mostly because he devoted his life to not just catching criminals, but understanding their internal logic and how they worked. I found that part interesting. I’ve always found people to be like puzzles I can’t quite work out. But I find it fascinating to try. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent my life unknowingly masking, which involves studying how “normal” people behave in different situations, how they respond to things that happen to them, and trying to mimic the most successful of them. I like trying to figure people out, particularly if they’re also putting a lot of effort into how they are perceived. So psychology interests me, as do studies of human behaviour and culture. But I don’t like the sort of salacious, voyeuristic element of true crime. I couldn’t even get through Helter Skelter, though it was frequently recommended to me. I loved the show Criminal Minds (yay for it coming back!) and enjoy British crime shows that have some psychological depth to them and aren’t just straight whodunnits. That way there’s a chance I won’t guess who did it right off the bat! But yeah, with those few exceptions, I’m not a huge fan of true crime, more the fictional versions.
What about you guys? Do you enjoy this genre? If not, do you like a different type of mysterious book instead?
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I finished “Helter Skelter” and also “Raven,” for research for a paid writing project once, but hated both books.
Yikes! Congrats on finishing them, but I’m sorry you didn’t like them. I don’t think I’ll ever finish Helter Skelter!