Have you given murder a shot?

I just finished reading one of the most disturbing true-crime books I have ever been unable to put down: Too Young to Kill by M.William Phelps. Fans of the genre will know the Phelps is one of the most brilliant writers in this genre and an increasingly familiar and telegenic personality on such crime-themed shows as Deadly Women. In his newest book, he puts you in close contact with some of the most disturbed and disturbing teens you will ever meet and shows you a side of society to which you would likely never have entree. And that's one of the most exciting things about true crime: the truly horrible real-life people you can get so close to. As I posted once before, many people find it odd that I almost exclusively read true crime books. I think they feel one must be sadistic to do so. But they'd be surprised at how many true crime fans there are and how timid and gentle most of them are likely to be. Millions of tender-hearted Americans devour one murder after another and then haunt the book stores for one they haven't read. In England, they're even more fanatic than we are and have all kinds of book clubs devoted to murder, mayhem, kidnapping, rape and anything else that makes one's blood curdle. Then, of course, they can boast some of the very best murderers: Crippen, Christie, Shipman, and the killer of killers, Jack the Ripper, to name a few. Unlike many fans, I am particular about my murders. I have no interest in reading about weirdly sadistic killers like Jeffrey Dahmer or any of the myriad random serial killers, though Ted Bundy was pretty fascinating. No. I prefer books about the black widow who murders for money, the vengeful spurned lover who kills out of jealousy, the spoiled child who feels that slaughtering his parents will make his his or her life less restricted. Recently I read about a woman who killed both her husbands by spiking their cocktails with anti-freeze. As the law closed in on her, she reasoned she could throw them off her track by poisoning her 16-year-old daughter after writing a fake suicide note and deathbed confession in which the child admits to mom's other killings. Fortunately the daughter survived and mother was convicted. Isn't that more interesting than a fictional crime? The most fascinating and frequent aspect of true crime is the number of already living-in-luxury murderers who kill out of greed. They are wealthy men and women who have everything, but want more, more, more and end up in prison with nothing, nothing, nothing. Look at the Menendez Brothers: two handsome young men, with nothing but success in their future, who thought killing their parents would bring it on faster. Silly boys. Anyway, I love true crime and have converted many other readers to its sublime pleasures. If you haven't read at least one juicy true-life murder, I suggest you start with anything by M. William Phelps, Anne Rule,or Gregg Olsen. I also recommend two books by Thomas Thompson: Blood & Money and Serpentine. However, there there are many excellent specialists in the genre. Of course if you want to get hooked instantly with a haunting page-turner readily available at the nearest book store, then buy Too Young to Kill. But don't blame me if true crime is your newest addiction.