I think I found this book from its excerpt on The Guardian and honestly, I’m glad I found it because this book managed to do what Murder by Candlelight tried to do but failed.

Murder by Candlelight tried to use five accounts of murder to reveal the history of why we’ve fallen in love with crime – but ended up being a summary of different murders. Savage Appetites takes a narrower look at our fascination with crime, focusing on why modern true-crime fans tend to be overwhelmingly female, and by weaving the author’s story into the story of four women who were also obsessed with crime, explores the reasons why we might be so fascinated with it.

The women examined in this book are:

• Frances Glessner Lee – an heiress who broke out of her restrictive circle by pushing for the development of legal science and created murders in miniatures to try and train law enforcement.
• Alisa Statman – the woman who became fascinated with the murder of Sharon Tate, managed to be a part of the lives of a few of the Tate family members, and in the end tried to speak for victims (or grab the spotlight and exploit Tate’s death, depending on who you’re speaking to)
• Lorri Davis – the woman who watched a documentary and ended up marrying and championing the innocence of Damien, one of the West Memphis Three.
• Lindsay Souvannarath – the woman who became fascinated with the Columbine school shooting and tried to plan one herself.

Each chapter explores one aspect of the appeal of true crime and its complexities. From Frances Glessner Lee, we see how true crime allowed her to have a voice, but also how forensic science has allowed us to believe that murders will all be solved (the same way mysteries give us a sense of control over death). From Alisa Statman, we can examine the complex ways we categorise victims and how we seem to insist on championing those we deem as “innocent victims”. From Lori, we look at how she found a purpose in life and how the internet obsession with murders started (at least, in one case). And from Lindsay, we see how crushes on murderers can be an expression of a desire to express something and to be seen and heard in the world.

Savage Appetites links this fascination that women have with true crime to the unspoken curriculum given to women – how to stay safe and how to avoid danger. As the book puts it:

“At its best, true crime is a recognition of this subterranean knowledge; it brings it up and out into the open. Through crime stories, we can talk about the violence that’s been done to us, or to people we love; we can tell difficult truths and work through our anxieties. These accounts of the worst parts of human experience open up conversations about subjects that might otherwise be taboo: fear, abuse, exploitation, injustice, rage.”

Savage Appetites by Rachel Monroe

While the book acknowledges this positive function of true crime, it also explores the dangers of going overboard and the harm it can do, most notably in the chapters on Alisa and Lindsay.

Overall, Savage Appetites is a fascinating and respectful look at our fascination with true crime and what that reveals about us. By weaving her story into the rest, Monroe makes this fascination personal, showing the reader that she too, is also fascinated with it. She also gets it.