True Crime America: The Functions of Our Murder Obsession

True Crime America: The Functions of Our Murder Obsession dives into our intense public interest in crime, criminal offenders, and the criminal justice system from the perspective of a renowned criminologist, forensic consultant, and true crime fan. I provide explanations why true crime is not only one of the most successful and wide-ranging sociocultural genres in the United States, but also one that serves important intellectual, sociological, and political functions. Highlighting the extraordinary variance in human behavior, documenting the popularity of true crime among women, and leaning directly into hot-button cultural debates, I explore the reasons for our murder obsession. Part scholarship, part investigation, part entertainment, true crime is a fascinating world of seekers, simpatico spirits who instinctively understand the powerful gravity of crime, the redemptive value of punishment, and the breathtaking expanse of individual differences. True crime engages the most sinister, destructive features of human behavior, only to recognize and rejoice at the light and mundanity of the whole. True crime is a source of security and protection, a happy place away from the haters and scolds, and a vessel for seeing, and sometimes weeping, about how others live. And sometimes, after all those hours in the library and time on the computer, amongst the stacks of legal briefs, criminal records, and yellow pads, it solves the case, catches the perp, and answers the why. View Less