My so-called obsession with murder
Does writing murder mysteries have any usefulness in real life?
My teen daughters have accused me of being “obsessed” with murder. I suppose they have a point. I do tend to discuss forensics, police procedure, writing mysteries, and true crime at the dinner table, which apparently not all mothers do.
Is it an “obsession”? Sure, any time a writer is deep in book writing mode, it consumes their mind. But does this obsession have any usefulness for real life?
Predators
Years ago, I read a non-fiction title about protecting oneself from predatory people. (I believe it was Predators: Who They Are and How to Stop Them, by Gregory Cooper and Michael R. King.) The authors, both retired detectives, make the point that to protect yourself and loved ones, you need to think like two people:
The criminal who wants to harm you.
The detective who investigates the crime.
In other words, look at the places in your life where you are vulnerable. Where and when and how might a predator attack you? (That wouldn’t cast the blame on you, the victim. But an honest assessment of your daily habits is a good idea.)
And also imagine the worse-case scenario—homicide—and what a police detective would look at while investigating your murder. What evidence would lead them to the perpetrator?
Not a pleasant dinner conversation topic. If I bring it up, my daughters almost screech in protest and my husband sighs and my friends quickly change the subject.
A murder mystery writer’s mindset
But if you think about it, this is a murder mystery writer’s mindset. We create the villain, the victim, and the sleuth. That means we have to look at:
where, when, and why the victim was vulnerable
how and why the killer chose to kill and how they planned to hide their crime
how the sleuth, whether a professional or amateur detective, uncovers evidence that leads them to the killer
So far, my victims have fallen into two categories.
One, the innocent (a child and an elderly widow) who do nothing wrong and have no reason not to trust their killer. (This is why adults must protect the children in their care! And do check on your elderly neighbors and relatives, too.)
Two, the more classic murder mystery "victims”: the dastardly ones who supposedly “deserve” their fate. I’ll leave the discussion about whether or not anyone deserves to die for another time. But these victims, while unsympathetic people and not to blame for the killer’s actions at all, were also vulnerable.
For example, one intoxicated man wandered away from a night-time wedding reception to an isolated place, which the killer lured him to with spoofed text messages, supposedly from someone he trusted. I had to imagine the killer’s plan and what might possibly go wrong and how the killer planned to prevent anything from thwarting them. (Someone witnessing the murder, or the victim realizing the messages were spoofed, for example.)
But is this useful in real life?
I don’t know about other writers, but for me, it is. I much more readily recognize potentially dangerous settings and people, and stay away from them (if possible) or at least exercise caution.
For example, when I read Predators, my biggest physical vulnerability then—not now—was going to my 24-hour gym at 3 a.m. and walking alone to and from my car. I didn’t stop going to that particular gym at that time. But I exercised more caution by parking directly in front of the well-lit, locked building rather than inside the more isolated parking garage. I was also keenly aware of who else was in the building—usually my fellow gym-rats—and my surroundings at all times.
I didn’t need to be in a constant state of terror or even change most of my behavior. I only had to exercise common sense.
(And, yes, I did eventually stop going to the gym at 3 a.m. Covid happened. I work out at home.)
Consider those spoofed messages. I know to delete spam texts and emails, not to click on unsolicited links in emails, and not to fret when Amazon calls to tell me that I bought something work a thousand bucks. I didn’t, because it’s not Amazon. I doubt anyone would use these spammy texts to lure me to an isolated place on a former plantation to stab me in the back, but they’re not up to any good, either.
I don’t live in fear. But I do exercise caution.
There’s a verse in the Christian New Testament where Jesus commands his followers to be as “wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.” In other words, people should recognize evil (be street savvy) but also not engage in evil or let fear of evil dictate our lives.
Thoughts?