RARA-AVIS: Re: Serial killers

From: Kevin Burton Smith ( kvnsmith@colba.net)
Date: 29 Feb 2000


Etienne wrote:

>Serial killer is now to American HB/Noir lit what
>special effects explosions are to contemporary American
>cinema:
>a pure nuisance, a bore and an excuse to try to
>capture a non informed audience...

Serial killer books are the cozies of the new age. Sloppy, overwritten books about people who kill for no damn good reason at all. Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE pumped up with more violence, and some trendy psychobabble. I'm tired of it. And I'm tired of psycho killers in general, not just of the serial variety. It's too often a way for writers to cheat on writing believable motives.

Maybe it's time we give murder back to the people who commit it for a reason.

Kevin Burton Smith The Thrilling Detective Web Site http://www.colba.net/~kvnsmith/thrillingdetective/ This month: The P.I. Poll on Short Fiction, plus new stuff from Hugh Lessig, Peter Parmantie and Dave White.

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