What does it take to pen down a bestselling crime novel? Common answers would be having your imaginations run wild, a penchant for juxtaposing words and sometimes, inspiration from real-life incidents. Now the question arises, to what extent do writers take inspiration from real-life incidents? A renowned novelist has shocked the world by claiming that writing good crime novels is becoming difficult due to the lack of serial killers. Renowned American crime writer Harlan Coben has penned 33 books of which 80 million copies were sold and been translated into 43 languages.
In 2018, he signed a multi-million-dollar five-year deal with Netflix to adapt 14 of his books into TV series, which include Fool Me Once and The Stranger. 62-year-old Harlan Coben has come up with his latest work Think Twice, which revolves around a serial killer. But he believes it is becoming increasingly difficult to churn out plots because of modern policing.
He contends that the number of serial killers has significantly decreased. He says that once the US had many, but the reduced number is certainly not due to improved societal health. Does the reduced presence of serial killers in the news indicate a decline in the popularity of related novels? Talking of how serial killers cannot get away in today’s times, he said that everyone has smartphone technology and there are CCTV cameras everywhere, Coben attributes these technological advancements where everyone is being monitored as the reason the crime rate has fallen.
In the 1970s, there were 300 known serial killers in the US, but by 2010, the number had fallen to just 50. A similar trend has been observed in Britain. While many believe the statement was just publicity for his new book Think Twice, some have questioned the morality behind the statement. Coben’s statement also forces one to think about whether the popularity of crime novels depends only on the abundance of criminal incidents in society.
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