Identifying with the Murderer

It takes a skilled writer, a slight of hand and a touch of honesty in order to make that happen, because it doesn’t present itself all at once, but in stages, single actions, moments even. Some of these following titles tell you right from page one that the person you’ll be keeping company with for the next 300 pages is a killer, and other times, it takes time to seep in. Sometimes, you don’t know until the last sentence. But that is the job of a writer; to take you someplace you’ve never been before, or even someplace you never intended to go. 

Here’s a list of my favorite books that tricked, cajoled or eased me into the mind of not maybe a homicidal maniac, but just an ordinary killer, one who could be mistaken for you and me.

Gillespie and I, by Jane Harris

Harriet Baxter is an old spinster in the 1930’s, telling a tale of her youth forty years prior when she falls into the company of an artist Ned Gillespie and his wife in Victorian England. Baxter becomes basically one of the family until a chilling crime happens, and she is accused as the perpetrator. Then, the reader descends into the darker section of the book until the surprising conclusion when I felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped over my head. That good.

The Paying Guests, by Sarah Waters

Loved this book, from beginning to the end. I was hooked from the first chapter. The pace is excellent, as the books turns from a domestic drama to a love story and then to a tense, anxiety-filled roller coaster that doesn’t stop until the very, and I mean VERY, last page. I couldn’t call the end or about half a dozen twists that came before that. I’m not keen on love stories, but it never really got sentimental, so I was cool with it. I think this book was wonderfully done, Waters is a master at pacing and flow. I loved that I had no idea what would happen next.

Eileen, by Ottessa Mosfegh

Oh, Eileen. This novel is slight, a challenge and a fun fight to get through. Eileen can be not very nice at times, but she’s also struggling with who she is, where she is and how she got there. She has dreams, but she works a tedious job at a juvenile facility that suddenly comes alive when a new psychiatrist joins the staff. The movie was good; the book much better and presents the reader a unique opportunity to get into steam of consciousness of someone you’d never otherwise notice, sit next to in the cafeteria or strike up a conversation with, and that is a shame because what’s inside Eileen is very, very interesting. And rather horrible.

See What I Have Done, by Sarah Schmidt

A brilliant, wonderfully written book about what might have gone on inside of Lizzie Borden’s head–and her sister’s and maid’s as well. The structure is beautiful, simple enough to follow but complex enough to make it interesting. The events of the murders are presented in a much more lyrical way that we already know. Woven carefully enough to get Lizzie inside your head, you’re not surprised and might actually smile when that axe begins to fall.

 Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood

Convicted of murdering her employer and the housemaid, the book toggles main character Grace back and forth: did she do it? Is she insane? Is she innocent? Why does she have no memory? No surprise that Margaret Atwood keeps this uncertain, dangling energy going throughout the whole book—are you cheering for a murderer or a wrongly convicted girl? The pendulum swings back and forth, keeping time for the pace and the narrative that will keep you guessing until the very last graph.

Under the Harrow, by Flynn Berry

Author Flynn Berry took my hand and down a complex garden path of twists and turns as her main character is intent on finding her sister’s killer. It’s suspenseful, riveting and left me unable to predict what would happen next. I never knew which way this book would turn, but never saw the ending coming until I got there and read the last page ten times over, stunned and delighted that I had been so blind.  

Turn of Mind, by Alice LaPlante

A retired surgeon is accused of murdering her best friend, at the same time she is experiencing bouts of dementia and memory loss. The tricks of time and deception flutter like curtains throughout the novel, and you’re never really sure if you’re rooting for the hero or not. Skillfully structured and deliberately tricky, the novel takes you in and out of wakefulness and who knows what else—the past, a dream, a false memory until nothing seems concrete and every recollection is questioned. Page turner; be prepared to be up all night.