The Invention of True Crime

Illustration of Mary Rogers floating in the HudsonSometimes fact is more horrifying than fiction. This is the philosophy behind true crime, a genre that seeks to present nonfiction accounts of real-world crimes in a style accessible and entertaining to the average reader. The genre has been a hot topic lately, after a new suspect was arrested last week for the crimes of the Golden State Killer, just months after Michelle McNamara’s true crime book on the subject, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, hit the New York Times bestseller list. But can true crime books really help solve cold cases? The inventor of the genre seemed to think so.  Continue reading The Invention of True Crime