> By using the Ripper formula, you don't have to
concern yourself with
> realism. Who needs a fully dimensional murderer?
Just make him a wacky
> genius with a particular tic. He likes to poke out
eyes because he saw
> Mommie kissing Santa Claus. He likes to remove
livers from brunette
females
> because his older sister would steal the liver off
his breakfast plate..
>These books have much more in
> common with cozies than they do with realistic or
hardboiled novels.
Or maybe with pure pulp stories. Cozies seem the other
direction of unbelievable: "By george! A body! What
luck!"
Still, I think this is an interesting argument. Serial
killers do exist, yes, and there are severe psychological
problems with them, but I think the time for the
self-indulgent interest in them should pass. The interesting
realistic problem now seems to be the anger of the culture,
with people doing one-off shootings and crimes, the reasons
even less understandable, more beatings and unsensical
massacres. Another one in Detroit today. What's up with that?
And where are the crime writers ready to dig into those types
of crimes?
Too close to reality for most, I guess.
I read SHAME THE DEVIL recently. I think George is heading in
the direction I'm speaking about. He's interesting in
exploring that whacked-out violence that surrounds us daily.
Good.
Neil Smith
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