Wanting to be bad

It just occurred to me—maybe this shows how dull I am—that the reason crime novels, murder mysteries, serial-killer procedurals, and the like are so popular is not the hazy interest we call “morbid fascination” but something much more specific and easier to understand:  envy.  Simenon had it right:  Suspense should be told from the criminal’s point of view, because she is us, and we are pulling for her.

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