Killer Books

Why do some novels inspire people to commit murder? Which fictional characters and plots arouse lethal violence in the real world? How does fiction become crime fact?

Novelist and presenter Marcel Theroux and one of the country’s leading criminologists Professor David Wilson combine their professional backgrounds to discuss books that have motivated murder and how fiction can sometimes become fact.

Professor David Wilson

“I’m used to killers explaining that they murdered their victim because they were jealous, out for revenge, or that they had merely killed in ‘five minutes of madness’.  Discussing this one day with Marcel, we discovered that there were also a surprising number of murderers who had killed because they had been ‘inspired’ to do so by a fictional character or by the plot of a novel.  But how does lethal violence emerge from the pages of a novel and seep into real life creating genuine victims?  Frankly, we have become obsessed with this question and we think that when you hear the stories of real murders that Marcel and I want to tell, you too will become fascinated by killer books.”

Marcel Theroux

“As a novelist, I’m fascinated by the way we make up stories and the power that stories have over us.  But I’m also wary of that power.   Stories have the power to do immeasurable harm: to isolate people, to justify violence, to strip away someone’s rights and humanity.  In Killer Books, Professor David Wilson and I will look at the role certain stories have played in acts of murder.   We’ll be looking at books that have been cited as inspiration for the most terrible crimes. “