Understanding a True Crime Obsession

What a criminologist is reading

I used to be an avid reader, devouring book after book. It has been a long time since I have devoted time to reading (other than for work). Yet, this has not stopped me from accumulating books. My home office hosts a stack of unread and partially read books on creativity, communication and, of course, crime and various types of fiction.

Since it is summer “break” and I do not have travel plans, I decided it is time to start making my way through this stockpile. Since some of these books about crime, I decided to add “What a Criminologist is Reading “ to the FRAMED rotation.

I like to read memoirs and recently came across a unique one—Murder Book: A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell. Campbell is a cartoonist and a comedian. She employs these skills to look at her life to understand why she is obsessed with murder stories. She assumes anyone reading her book also loves murder or because they are trying to understand why someone they know loves murder.

Why did I decide to read it? In large part because I am preparing for a talk on true crime that I will be giving this fall. It has been five years since Fear, Justice, and Modern True Crime was published, so I am dipping my toe back into the true crime world more purposely to prepare my presentation. Although I selected this book in particular is because it is a graphic novel and contains humor.

Photos by Dawn K. Cecil

Throughout the story, Campbell explores her family history, which is filled with a couple of generations of murder-loving women. She looks at how she was raised, dissects the impact of the movies and television shows she grew up on, and discusses the crimes that piqued her interest throughout her life. During this exploration she also introduces the reader to some facts about the genre of true crime and its history. And, importantly, she end with an an honest reflection on how this obsession has impacted her.

Overall, I really enjoyed Campbell’s take on her murder obsession. If you are looking to understand your own or someone else’s fixation with true crime and enjoy humor, I highly recommend you give it a read.