True crime is so hot right now. I’ve been reading a few and enjoying the experience, so I thought I’d jump right into the trend and compare two that had been begging for attention on my bookshelf. Both of these books are SO DIFFERENT, yet they both deal with the same thing: murder, and the despicable people who commit it. Each is for a very different kind of reader, so if this genre is one you are interested in, read on to find out which would suit your reading style best.
The Man Who Played With Fire, Stieg Larsson’s Lost Files and the Hunt for an Assassin by Jan Stocklassa, translated by Tara F. Chace is not for the ‘fair weather’ true crime fan. It’s dense, long, and full of names and historical events that won’t have much relevance for the North American reader. That being said, I know a lots of people will love this book because it delves into a famous assassination that has yet to be solved: the murder of Olof Palme, the Swedish Prime Minister in 1986. The detail and pacing of this book reminds me of The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre, a non-fiction spy thriller that’s been on bestseller lists for over a year.
I had never heard of this particular event, but from what I’ve learned since, the death was Sweden’s version of the Kennedy assassination; it rocked the country, changing the political landscape drastically. Also unbeknownst to me, the now-deceased, Swedish author Stieg Larsson, the author of the blockbuster The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo book series was obsessed with finding the killer. Journalist Jan Stocklassa became involved in the mystery by chance, but once he started investigating he became hooked, securing the rights to Larsson’s research and archives, picking up where he left off in 2004. Jan refers to this book as a work of creative non-fiction because he re-imagines some of his Stieg’s time during the assassination investigation, but aside from those few liberties, this book is straightforward and fact-based, even including actual letters that Stieg had written to friends and law enforcement regarding the case.
Although there were some sections that were quite dry, Jan interviews some of the key suspects decades after the murder, travelling to Greece and parts of South Africa in an attempt to track down new clues. The plot revs up towards the end when he orchestrates an undercover operation in an attempt to coerce a confession from someone he believes was partway responsible for the murder. The lengths he goes to is impressive and somewhat baffling, but it’s fun to follow along on his adventures when you know he pulls through (physically) unscathed. The connection to Larsson seems a bit thin seeing as the two never actually met, but Larsson’s earlier research and dogged determination in dismantling right-wing extremists helps situate the assassination within a larger political and atmospheric framework, setting up the perfect environment for Jan to continue his work. This book won’t necessarily appeal to fans of Larsson, instead, people who enjoy immersing themselves in a particular historical crime will enjoy it; just be prepared to wade through a significant amount of analysis and theory first.
On the other end of the true crime spectrum we have Chase Darkness With Me by Billy Jensen, also a journalist and now author. This book includes a cursory look at LOTS of unsolved murders, most of them based in the United States. Jensen becomes obsessed with trying to solve these crimes once he realizes how many killers are walking free, so he begins to crowd source tips from the public via facebook ads in an attempt to help police. This strange hobby of his turns into a full-time job as he works on true crime shows, podcasts, even speaking at true-crime conferences (yes, they have those!). He continues to work with families as a ‘victim’s advocate’, sending any information he collects to the relevant detective or police officer assigned to cold cases. At the end of the book he includes step-by-step instructions on how to become a victim’s advocate yourself, for those who are obsessed with true crime and want to help solve murders that their local police department don’t have the resources to themselves.
I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading a memoir, because I became frustrated early on in the book when cases would be mentioned, given a page-or-two of detail, effectively roping in my interest and empathy, then dropped unceremoniously with no conclusion or updates. It’s hard to jump from reading about a child-killer who has never been caught to a totally different kidnapping that happens a decade later-the book moves quickly, and in complete contrast to The Man Who Played with Fire, there are so many cases going on that it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of them.
Despite the unrelenting number of cases introduced, the book is accessible, written in a very conversational style with Jensen speaking directly to the reader, whom he assumes is a true-crime fanatic like himself. The foreword is written by Karen Kilgariff, cohost of the My Favorite Murder podcast and co-author of a memoir I reviewed last year. Fans of her podcast and book will no doubt want to read this book as well because they speak to the same audience and reference each other’s work. What’s different about Billy’s book is that his includes a natural call-to-action; he invites people to get involved and try to help their local police force solve these cold cases by volunteering their services, for example he suggests helping them digitize their files so cold cases can be easily searched to look for connections, clues, etc. His addendum “So You Want to Help Solve a Murder?” is where I found myself getting uncomfortable. Although he’s quick to point out that vigilantes are bad and he’s not encouraging that kind of behavior, his stories of becoming obsessed with crime made me feel a) badly for his wife and children as he readily admits that he spends almost all his waking hours on solving murders, and b) a bit anxious that a bunch of people are going to feel vindicated in their obsession with certain crimes, and go even further in their ‘pursuit of justice’. It’s all well and good for him to warn the public of the ‘right way’ of doing things-but when has that ever worked? People are the worst, no one ever listens to good advice!!!!
I tend to be a Nervous Nelly at the best of times, so I doubt others will get that same uneasiness that I did, and quite honestly, Jensen is giving people what they want with this book. The resurgence in popularity of true crime is unmistakable, and he does an extraordinary job at convincing us this new interest and energy can be channeled into helping others by finding peace for victims and their families. His persistence is admirable, and if it motivates others to spend their time fixing the wrongs of the past, there’s nothing to complain about there. And even if you don’t find yourself joining your local police force at the end of this book, you’ll find yourself utterly absorbed with the ups and downs Jensen takes you on.
True crime is so hot! I’m not naturally drawn to the genre myself … also an anxious person, ha ha. My imagination doesn’t need any help! But I would
imagine that it would be a bit jarring to get invested in a crime story and then not get much resolution in the second book.
yes indeed-jarring is a good descriptor for it
I think I’m similar to you in that I would be made nervous by Jensen’s call to help solve murders. Like, of course people aren’t going to use common sense and listen to good advice! I’m also always a little bit uncomfortable with true crime because it feels rather voyeuristic even though I think we’re naturally drawn to these stories.
yes, fair enough, I understand that completely!
Hmm… the Jensen book is making me uneasy just from your review of it. Somehow that level of obsession doesn’t seem quite healthy. I can’t for one minute imagine the British police being grateful at all for this kind of thing or for offers of help with digitizing records! The other one sounds more my style – I don’t know much about the Olof Palme story but I know that Larsson isn’t the only Swedish author to become obsessed by it. Leif GW Persson used the story in a crime fiction novel, Falling Freely as if in a Dream, having his detective obsessed with solving it, and went into great detail about the true crime inside his own fictional story. It was an odd combination that didn’t wholly work, but it did tell the reader a lot about the background to the murder and investiagtion. Deeply unsatisfying, of course, since his “solution” was fictional…
I did think of you FF with the Olof Palme one, I think you’d like that level of detail actually…
It really is so popular right now! I never read the genre but I’m glad it has a lot of fans. 😄
You never know, you may become hooked! haha
My blog truecrimemama.com is not just about a murder case, it is about why and how someone like me wants to write about this grisly topic. I think, fundamentally, I want to understand the inexplicable. Why someone would kill a woman he barely knew and how he could kill her two small daughters is not yet understandable to me. He was high on crystal meth, but many others are as well, and they don’t kill people. Last night I heard someone on t.v. (in a program about genetics) that it takes understanding “the outliers” to understand what’s normal. Maybe that has something to do with it.
This is a really interesting point! I like diving into topics like this
The interesting thing about these public calls for help solving murder cases is actually working. The DNA companies like 23 and Me and being used to solve murder cases, people are remembering things and able to contribute, simply because information is more quickly spread now vs. decades past when a news announcement could easily be missed.
He actually talks about that quite a bit, the fact that all this DNA is now widely available, and it’s helping solve cases! Exciting and hopeful stuff…
I’m writing a non-fiction book about the murder of Sherry Brannon, a young mother and her daughters, ages 4 and 7. DNA processing–along with superb detective work–was responsible for solving the crime. In researching this case, I became friends with a forensics expert, Dianna Taylor of Ignis Forensics in Colorado. She says that genetic testing and matching has transformed the field of crime forensics. Also, 37 years ago I researched the murder of Kathleen Krauseneck in Brighton, a suburb of Rochester NY. In November, 2019, her husband Jim was arrested for the murder following a grant jury indictment. Technological advances have made it possible to solve the case even after all that time. If you’re interested in the Brannon murders, check my website truecrimemama.com. I discuss the case and the process of writing the book collaboratively with Charlie Wells, the retired sheriff of Manatee County Florida where the murder occurred.
Sounds like you’ve gotten the true crime bug!!!
I enjoy/appreciate the process of these professional/amateur sleuths who are searching for solutions and I love how dedicated some individual people have been, to researching and resolving (whether or not a prosecution results) specific cases. it’s so moving to hear/read about the gratitude of friends and families too. And Isn’t anxiety actually as much of a reason to confront this kind of thing and try to learn as it is to avoid it? Of the two you’ve described, I think I would prefer the longer, drier bits to the shorter, teasing bits – the first book is likely more my style. Having said that, I’m more likely to listen to “Someone Knows Something” than to read either of these! 🙂