6 Thrilling Novels About Serial Killers
I think every crime and mystery writer has four types of novels they will inevitably write in their career: a murder mystery, a heist novel, a novel of revenge — and a serial killer novel.
Serial killers are our modern-day boogeymen (and women). They have replaced the vampire, the werewolf and even the ghost as the harbingers of doom and the avatars of societal degradation. The serial killer is the Red Death wearing the mask of civility and friendship. They are the Other, disrupting the masquerade of order that we collectively agree to maintain.
They are the all-too-human monsters that wait for us in the dark.
For me, serial killers are a fascinating subject to write and to read about. Through their abominable acts, we see a twisted fun-house reflection of what we could become as a society — or what we already are. Here, in no particular order, are six of my favorites.
These Women
First, we have a serial killer novel where the killer is the least interesting part.
In 'These Women,' Pochoda takes us into the hearts and minds of the people who must face the evil of a pathetic, venal, disturbed man and shows us their strength and the deep reservoirs of their resolve. Told through the eyes of six vastly different but hauntingly complex women in Los Angeles, this book succeeds where a lot of serial killer novels fail: remembering the people who survived. Published in 2020, it is a fearless, simmering hot stiletto of a novel, and an instant classic.
Heartsick
Archie Sheridan, a police detective, spent years chasing one of the most deranged and vicious serial killers to ever appear in the pages of a book, the beautiful and completely insane Gretchen Lowell. After a decade of cat-and-mouse, Gretchen caught Archie and tortured him for 10 days before mysteriously letting him go and turning herself in to the authorities. Now, a new killer is terrorizing the Pacific Northwest, and Archie must consult the best expert on killers that he knows: his one-time foe. But Gretchen seemed to know that Archie would be visiting her long before the new monster made its presence felt.
Inverting the usual investigator-killer dynamic, 'Heartsick' is a dark and moody examination of obsession and trauma that never takes its foot off the gas.
Darkness, Take My Hand
During a long, brutal Massachusetts winter, the private detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are hired to protect the son of a well-known psychiatrist. But what starts out as an easy payday soon becomes an unsettling journey into the deepest pits of human depravity.
A horror novel couched inside a searing mystery, 'Darkness, Take My Hand' is by turns terrifying, moving and ultimately — as impossible as it may sound — hopeful. It is an example of a writer at the peak of his powers, creating suspense out of such mundane details as a song playing on a jukebox. Lehane stares into the abyss and dares to transcribe what he sees without blinking or turning away. He forces us to confront the worst humanity has to offer — while also showing us at our best.
Jar of Hearts
Fourteen years ago, a teenage Georgina Shaw helped her then-boyfriend Calvin James dispose of the body of her best friend, Angela Wong. Georgina went on to become a fast-rising executive. Calvin went on to become a serial killer. Now, Angie's remains have been found and Georgina's terrible secret has been exposed to the world.
But there are darker secrets yet to come.
Using the serial killer as a metaphor for trauma has rarely been done with more panache. This novel takes us on a journey of regret and redemption and dares to ask: What kind of person were you before you became who you are now?
The Killer Inside Me
From the outside, Lou Ford seems to be every bit the easygoing, aw-shucks deputy sheriff of a small Texas town. But that is just the facade he has created to mask the boundless and bloody black hole of degeneracy that rages within him. Lou is a deeply twisted profligate sadist: While not technically a serial killer, he abuses the people in his town with wild abandon, building to one of the most visceral descents into madness in modern fiction.
'The Killer Inside Me' is crime fiction as philosophical dialogue. Lou presents the face of every killer who is described by his friends and neighbors as 'a nice, quiet guy.' But in that quiet, madness reigns.
Red Dragon
Will Graham is not the toughest detective ever to hunt human monsters. He might not even be the smartest. But he's without a doubt the best, because he does what no one else has the ability to do: put himself in the minds of the worst people to ever walk the earth.
Years after catching and almost being killed by Hannibal Lecter, Will is living a serene life on the Florida coast, working on motorboats and watching the postcard-perfect sunrise every morning. Then his old boss Jack Crawford comes with news that both troubles and excites Will: A new killer is on the prowl, and he may have a connection to Lecter.
In the years since this novel was released, popular culture has fallen in love with the urbane, suave and sophisticated version of Lecter that lives in our zeitgeist. But in 'Red Dragon,' Harris never lets us forget that Lecter is a monster — intelligent and cunning, yes, but also repugnant and insane. Will is blessed and cursed with the ability to inhabit that insanity. The price for that skill may be his soul.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Puppy Sleeps Through Noise & Chaos in Viral Instagram Video
In a now-viral Instagram video, a Golden Retriever puppy managed to sleep through the hustle and bustle around him. Archie the Golden Retriever puppy's owner found him sleeping soundly with his limbs stretched out, capturing the adorable moment on camera. Moreover, the gym equipment lying around him added a hilarious false pretext for netizens, with many joking that his deep slumber might have come from all the exercise. A hilarious viral video captured Archie, the Golden Retriever puppy, sleeping like a baby amidst noise and chaos. The humorous element comes to life when the camera pans to the noisy carpentry in the backdrop. While the room fills up with noise, it does not budge the pup. He continues sleeping on the exercise mat with no care in the world. The short clip begins with a shot of Archie sleeping on the mat. With his limbs stretched out and a slight smile on his face, he slept without any care. The camera then zooms out to reveal the exercising equipment all around the puppy. While everything seems normal, the camera slowly reveals the bigger picture. The video captures a man plugging in a drilling machine. Once he does so, he rests on what appears to be newly made furniture, while another individual uses the device. The noise of the drilling machine fills the room. However, despite the noise, the puppy does not budge. The Golden Retriever does flinch at the sudden chaos, but he doesn't let it disturb his peaceful sleep. Looking like he is tired from exercising, Archie does not let the noise bother him. The puppy's deep sleep resonated with a wide audience, who took to the comments to let their admiration for the canine be known. A user remarked, 'He is like such a cute, fluffy stuffy,' while another joked, 'He looks like a little lamb.' Another commentator advised, 'Open a bag of chips, that'll wake him,' and the owner agreed, replying, 'It would wake him up instantly.' The video serves as a reminder of the little joys that puppies bring into people's lives, even when they are simply sleeping. The post Puppy Sleeps Through Noise & Chaos in Viral Instagram Video appeared first on DogTime.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Music Review: HAIM return with a superb and salty breakup album
HAIM has declared this season to be 'single-girl summer' and offered us the soundtrack. Heartsick never sounded so good. 'I Quit,' the fourth full-length album from the trio, is a breakup collection that never gets too weepy. You can dance to a lot of it. Even the song 'Cry,' which name-checks the seven stages of grief, is an upbeat bop. Six years after the trio released their jazzy, Lou Reed-y single 'Summer Girl,' the mood has somewhat soured this summer. Across 15 tracks, the songs are about fresh splits, old wounds and newfound independence. 'Now I'm gone/Quick as a gunshot/Born to run/Can't be held up,' go the lyrics for the opening track 'Gone,' which samples from George Michael's anthem of liberty 'Freedom! '90.' Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim found themselves all single for the first time in a long time while making the album, looking back with equal parts venom and guilt. 'You know I'm trying to change/'Cause I know I'm not innocent,' goes 'Love You Right.' 'The Farm' has a rootsy twang, 'Down to be Wrong' has a Sheryl Crow vibe and 'Take Me Back' has a Go-Go's feel. 'Love You Right' is pure Fleetwood Mac harmonies, even making reference to a chain. 'Spinning' is a slice of house bliss with overlapping harmonies, easily the most danceable Haim song since 'I Want You Back.' The wistful, warm 'Million Years' leans into electronica. The bluesy 'Blood on the Street' has more vitriol ('I swear you wouldn't care/If I was covered in blood lying dead on the street') but ends with freedom: 'Now the sun's up, I'm out, and that's that.' And 'Relationships' is a standout on a standout album, with Danielle Haim's falsetto exploring the agony of romantic ties and her sister's bass thumping. But the best song has to be 'Everybody's Trying to Figure Me Out,' in which each Haim shines as tempos change and the song morphs from folk to indie rock to blissed-out '70s, with the final mantra: 'You think you're gonna die/But you're not gonna die.' The album is co-produced by Danielle Haim and HAIM's frequent collaborator Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend. The trio's usual producer, Ariel Rechtshaid, split with Danielle Haim, which may account for the new energy. The album closer, 'Now It's Time,' interpolates U2's industrial-pop song 'Numb,' adds cool drum rhythms and an Alanis Morissette-like strut, ending with an exhilarating jam session. 'It's time/To let go,' says the lyrics. Not to this album. ___
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Music Review: HAIM return with a superb and salty breakup album
HAIM has declared this season to be 'single-girl summer' and offered us the soundtrack. Heartsick never sounded so good. 'I Quit,' the fourth full-length album from the trio, is a breakup collection that never gets too weepy. You can dance to a lot of it. Even the song 'Cry,' which name-checks the seven stages of grief, is an upbeat bop. Six years after the trio released their jazzy, Lou Reed-y single 'Summer Girl,' the mood has somewhat soured this summer. Across 15 tracks, the songs are about fresh splits, old wounds and newfound independence. 'Now I'm gone/Quick as a gunshot/Born to run/Can't be held up,' go the lyrics for the opening track 'Gone,' which samples from George Michael's anthem of liberty 'Freedom! '90.' Sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim found themselves all single for the first time in a long time while making the album, looking back with equal parts venom and guilt. 'You know I'm trying to change/'Cause I know I'm not innocent,' goes 'Love You Right.' 'The Farm' has a rootsy twang, 'Down to be Wrong' has a Sheryl Crow vibe and 'Take Me Back' has a Go-Go's feel. 'Love You Right' is pure Fleetwood Mac harmonies, even making reference to a chain. 'Spinning' is a slice of house bliss with overlapping harmonies, easily the most danceable Haim song since 'I Want You Back.' The wistful, warm 'Million Years' leans into electronica. The bluesy 'Blood on the Street' has more vitriol ('I swear you wouldn't care/If I was covered in blood lying dead on the street') but ends with freedom: 'Now the sun's up, I'm out, and that's that.' And 'Relationships' is a standout on a standout album, with Danielle Haim's falsetto exploring the agony of romantic ties and her sister's bass thumping. But the best song has to be 'Everybody's Trying to Figure Me Out,' in which each Haim shines as tempos change and the song morphs from folk to indie rock to blissed-out '70s, with the final mantra: 'You think you're gonna die/But you're not gonna die.' The album is co-produced by Danielle Haim and HAIM's frequent collaborator Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend. The trio's usual producer, Ariel Rechtshaid, split with Danielle Haim, which may account for the new energy. The album closer, 'Now It's Time,' interpolates U2's industrial-pop song 'Numb,' adds cool drum rhythms and an Alanis Morissette-like strut, ending with an exhilarating jam session. 'It's time/To let go,' says the lyrics. Not to this album. ___ More AP reviews:
