True crime matchmaking: marry a great fiction writer with a great true crime case
the true crime that's worth your time
One of my favorite lines in Glass Onion involves the intersection of fiction and crime. A Musk-like billionaire (Ed Norton) tells detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) that he hired Gone Girl scribe Gillian Flynn to concoct a real-life murder mystery scenario at, he says with a stingy grimace, great expense.
Now, the murder Flynn concocted isn’t the mystery at Glass Onion’s heart, I can safely say without spoiling a damn thing (though, if you haven’t watched this delightful film yet, why not? Seriously, if it’s a matter of Netflix passwords that can be arranged), and in real life, Flynn had nothing to do with any of the movie’s mysteries. In fact, she was taken by surprise when her name came up, albeit mispronounced).
That goofy line, which said so much about rich people/arts patronage/posturing within the privileged class, also made me think about how great Flynn would be if she ever chose to turn from her (likely lucrative) vocation in fiction to examine and write about actual true crime. A veteran journalist, we know she has the research and reporting chops — and as a stylist, it’s hard to think of a currently active rival in the nonfiction genre. She could be the next Truman Capote, if she wanted to be, I will boldly state.
I’ve been reading a lot of fiction the last few weeks, and there are a couple other authors I’d love to see tackle a true crime longread or book. Stephen King has dominated the fiction charts for so long, for example, it would be great to see him presented with a nonfiction challenge in our chosen genre. (King on Zodiac, y’all. Can’t you see the cover now, in that Stranger Things font*?)
I know a lot of you read fiction, too, and might have some ideas on who should cross the truth barrier. So let’s hear it — what author of fictional works would you love to see turn to true crime, and what cases deserve a look from someone with creative writing chops? — EB
*It’s called Itc Benguiat, for y’all font nerds out there.