When I was a kid, there was a book on my parents' bookshelf called "40 Years of Murder", it was a memoir by longstanding Home Office pathologist Keith Simpson. I'd never outright asked to read it, but had been informed that it was Not For Children. Of course, saying something is out of bounds to a 9 year old is a sure fire way to convince them that they're missing out on something incredibly exciting, so every opportunity I could get, I would sneak the book off the shelf and read excerpts - half spooked, half enthralled by descriptions of the Acid Bath Murders and the mystery of Lord Lucan. Fast forward a year or two, and this little overachieving book nerd was bored of children's novels, and was devouring the YA section at a rate of knots. My mum, worried that if I read too much YA, or even, god forbid adult fiction, I would be corrupted by swearing and literary sex, inadvertently fuelled my interest in murder by steering me in the direction of the only thing that she was convinced would be free of both those things: Agatha Christie.
So: sex and swearing- awful, dreadful, out of bounds. Horrible murders- totally fine. Got that? Great.
Obviously as adults we can read about all the sex and swearing we want with no consequences, but there's a far better way to feed the murder fascination: by having it piped directly into your ears via podcast. If true crime tickles your sick little pickle and you're not already listening to RedHanded, then I can definitely recommend it. RedHanded is an award winning, British true crime podcast hosted by Suruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire. I wasn't super in to true crime podcasts before I found this one - I found the US based ones cringey and over-the-top - but Hannah and Suruthi delve into the stories of infamous and lesser known killers in a manner that's highly informative, interesting, and peppered with dark wit and sharp socio-political commentary; while still managing to be victim-centric and appropriately respectful.
Anyway, after a few years in the podcast business they evidently found they were coming across the same themes over and over, and so decided to unpick those in more detail - in book form. An Exploration of Criminals, Cannibals, Cults And What Makes A Killer Tick, if a bit of a mouthful, deep dives into the age old debate of Nature vs Nurture - what really makes a killer? Are they born that way, with their murderous instincts predetermined by their genetics, or are they made, crafted by a particular combination of trauma and experiences? The answer, it turns out, is both. By challenging the narrative that murderers are "monsters", Hannah and Suruthi force us to reject the idea that someone who kills is an "other" and instead confront the series of unfortunate events that can lead to potentially anyone becoming a murderer, through chapters focusing on key themes such as genetics, childhood, sex and bigotry, as well as the wider societal, cultural and political influences.
If you've already got a degree in psychology, criminology or similar, then this book probably isn't going to do much for you, as most of the content, though meticulously researched, is fairly entry level. However, if like me you're just a true crime hobbyist then this is a great introduction to the deeper workings of a killer's mind. It's also does well to match the vibe of the podcast, though I have to say that it can be tangential and does jump around a bit in places. On occasion I found myself flipping back and forth a bit to remind myself exactly where I was and what was being discussed, though I didn't think it detracted too much from my overall enjoyment.
So, if you've watched every true crime documentary on Netflix, I can certainly recommend this book - and the podcast for that matter. Though I still think I prefer my true crime in audible format, maybe it's time I revisited 40 Years of Murder, and read it cover to cover this time, without having to cram it back on the shelf every time I hear footsteps on the stairs or a car in the driveway. Adulthood does have some perks.
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