Why Do We Like True Crime?

Ever wonder why we like to read what we like to read? Or watch what we like to watch? I wonder why I like to read true crime, for example, and I like to watch it on TV. I went through a time when I stayed away from it, and I still try to avoid it, because sometimes it feels addictive, and anything that feels addictive I try to avoid. I confess I could watch true crime on TV for a very long time. I had a paperback book I had ordered on Thriftbooks because I had watched an episode of "Snapped" on my true crime channel, and I wanted to find out how the perp ended up, because I didn't remember. Well, the book stayed in my room for months until I saw that Thriftbooks would give me $1.92 for it in PayPal or store credit. Well, today, I decided I had better read it, because I had read the other books I was thinking about selling back to Thriftbooks. So, I picked it up and could hardly put it down. As of now, I have read about a third of the book and I am probably not going to let it go until I've finished it. I am not lingering long on the pages, mind you. I am the kind of reader who likes to get through the book and find out how this or that ends up. In this case, the murderer, after being caught, charged and imprisoned, manages to escape and runs away and stays on the run for a period of time, assumes another identity, changes her appearance, and, finally, is caught again and what I want to find out is how she ends up. Don't give it away if you know. I'm referring to "Black Widow" by R. Robin McDonald. I am kind of skimming a lot of the book because I want to get to the end. On the other hand, I don't want to skip the whole thing and read the last few pages. The author's writing is excellent too, and I am always interested in good writing. She was a reporter before she wrote books, and may even still be a reporter, I'm not sure. In any case, it is interesting stuff, even though, as I said, there are periods in my life where I have actually been repulsed by the whole idea. That is apart from the times when it feels like an addiction to be reading the stuff. There are different kinds of writing too, about violence and murder. For example, I read in "War to the Knife: Bleeding Kansas 1854-1861" by Thomas Goodrich, scenes I do not ever want to revisit, which is why I will probably be getting rid of that one. There are different ways to approach the topic of "man's inhumanity toward man," war and murder. I will not be reading Goodrich's book again, and I have never kept a true crime book after reading it once. "Black Widow" is about a woman whose M.O. was arsenic poisoning, her motive, money. She got people's insurance after she killed them, and she was always having financial problems. Because of her chosen approach to murder, there is quite a bit of description of the terrible effects of the poisoning on the victims, but it's not really "graphic," per se. And yet, still, there's only so much a person wants to keep reading all that. So, why should I, why should anyone question why anyone chooses to read what they choose to read or watch what they choose to watch? I just find it interesting because I find people interesting. I think what I like best about true crime is when they solve the crime and the perpetrator gets the justice they deserve. I enjoy being part of the investigation process, how they find out who did it, etc. I actually read a murder mystery during my graduate studies in child development. It was billed as an example of "qualitative" research, which is the kind of research I did for my doctorate. I don't think I had ever read a murder mystery before that. It was "Before and After" by Rosellen Brown. There was another one, but I can't remember what it was. I read "Before and After" again. There was a film made of it also. So, I'm not the only one interested in such things. But be that as it may, I am now going to watch my Hallmark Hall of Fame romance, "Sarah, Plain and Tall" with Glenn Close and Christopher Walken (1991). I could watch that again and again. So, enjoy reading whatever you like reading or watch whatever you like watching, we all have our reasons. Maybe next time I'll explore why romantic fiction is so appealing. Have a good weekend, and goodnight.