Genre News & Links

Readers of my books might have noticed that my sense of humor is as dark as the inside of a badger and that I find murder irresistible subject matter. Sometimes these idiosyncrasies stroll arm in arm. I long ago ceased apologizing. After all, murder is the most dramatic of all human actions and is one of the few topics everyone finds interesting. Most of us can identify with Hume Cronyn's character in Alfred Hitchcock's film Shadow of a Doubt, a mild-mannered and clerkish fellow without a drop of malice in his personality who nevertheless is unable to refrain from reading about real murders and discussing their finer points with fellow aficionados.

--Keven McQueen, Murder in Old Kentucky

Trying to stay on top of new offerings of true crime literature in book, movie, and web form is a job for a squadron of childless obsessives. Here is just some recent news of note, many shared by CLEWS readers. If you see a link too worthy to skip, please pass it along.

OJ's Book Divides Victims' Families While the Goldmans have acquired the rights to OJ Simpson's book, and it was recently announced that they have a publisher, Nicole Brown's family accuses them of "commercializing blood money." What a predicament for all concerned. Presumably the new version will be annotated with sharp observations. Or will they merely publish it as it stands? (And it's a minor point, but I'll make it anyway - seems a shame that if they are going to put the thing in bookstores, they can't take advantage of the 400,000 copies already optimistically produced by Regan Books before everything hit the fan.)

Another Lizzie Borden Blog If I'm keeping up with her internet hauntings, this is the third blog devoted to Fall River's femme fatale. It's Lizzie Borden: Warps and Wefts (a reference to the city's textile industry). Reporting from ground zero, the blogger dishes out what's going on there today. A recent post mentions some of the famous people who have stayed at the house lately, and they've included famous film critic Rex Reed, Richie Zambora of Motley Crue and wife Heather Locklear, and Mickey Rooney - who refused to enter!

Albert Fish on Film - Again?! Rumor has it that the world will be burdened with yet another movie about child molester turned child killer Albert Fish (Wikipedia), a most disgusting but (really, let it be said) not particularly interesting murderer, even if the headlines came up with clever nicknames like "the Werewolf of Wisteria." He is constantly compared to Hannibal Lecter, which is an insult to Hannibal Lecter. CLEWS does not approve. So if you want to watch this film, tsk tsk, find the link yourself.

"Perfectly Executed" That's the chilling title of the second book in the "48 Hours Mysteries" series that converts true crime TV documentaries to a paperback format. The authors are producers Peter Van Sant and Jenna Jackson. It will hit bookstores at the end of the month and help us genre fans determine the trajectory of the niche.

Comments

[Jeri Westerson]

And then the bookstores chime in on the Simpson book. This is an excerpt from Publishers Weekly:
...It's too soon to know how readily available the book will be. Spokeswomen for Barnes & Noble and Borders Group both said no decision on whether the retailers will carry the book has been made yet. "The publisher has not presented the title yet, so at this point we have not made any decision to buy it yet," said Borders’ Ann Binkley. A similar comment came from B&N’s Mary Ellen Keating who noted that B&N "has not been approached by the publisher," adding that "at this point no decision" has been made about the book.

Early reaction from independents was split, though even those who say they will carry the book expressed little enthusiasm for it. McKenna Jordan, manager and book buyer at Murder by the Book in Houston, said the store will not carry the title. "To be blunt, it's tacky. I’m not a fan of censorship, but I know that customers would not appreciate seeing it in the store and would be offended," said Jordan. Steve Bercu, owner of Book People in Austin, said he will carry it. "I loathe the idea of censoring any book based on my personal feelings and the public will decide very quickly whether they're interested in it or not."

Darielle Linehan, owner Ivy Bookshop in Baltimore noted that "When the book was first announced, I was torn as a bookseller: I didn’t want to censor a book but at the same time was disgusted with the whole thing. So I made an arrangement with a women’s shelter to forward the profits to them. I don’t have any change of heart concerning the book now that the Goldman family is behind it. Its just unfortunate that anyone is making money off this. It will have a prurient interest that people may want to read for the morbid details. I think the media will scan the book and give the titillating parts of the book prior to publication, so I don’t think there will be many surprises left in the book and I predict mediocre sales."

In New England, Joseph Barber, manager of The Owl and the Turtle Bookshop, Camden, Me., said they will order it if somebody orders it. "We wouldn't put it on the shelf," he said. "There's making money, and there's making money."

[Cari]

Laura:

I tried to comment on the Lizzie Bordon blog, but the comments were closed. So.....there is no Rick Zambora of Motley Crue. There is a Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi (who also used to be married to Heather Locklear, who was mentioned in the same celeb article). Just thought you might want to know the correct information.

[Laura]

Thanks for the correction Cari ! I fixed the reference.

Curiously enough, there is an overlap between fans of true crime and fans of hard rock / heavy metal music. What that connection is, I haven't the foggiest, but there you have it (and there you prove it!).