Can't Stop Talking About...

True-crime recs:

*"American Predator." This is a new book that explores the life of Israel Keyes, a notorious serial killer from Alaska.

Evil is not always interesting--although the part where (already-thin) Keyes seems to get a gastric ring to make himself into a more super-efficient killer ... is memorable--but do you know what *is* consistently interesting? The ingenuity of good people. "AP" does a fine job of tracking the smart moves of a heroic investigator--Payne--as he contends with moral turpitude and at least one really misguided colleague. You begin to see detective work as an art. Fabulous, hold-your-breath reporting.

*"I Love You, Now Die." This is an unfortunate title: It makes me think of the musical, "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change." But the story is worth discovering. We're talking about the girl who sent a series of text messages to her "boyfriend," coaxing him toward suicide. That girl is now behind bars, and will remain there for several more months.

In the press, the villainess was treated as a demonic mean girl, but of course the story is much more complex, and it's even possible that you may eventually feel sympathy for the author of the disgusting text messages. The filmmaker here--Erin Carr--is my hero, and she has done excellent work in other areas, as well. (I'm thinking of "Thought Crimes" and "All That You Leave Behind.") Carr made her start in the world by filming a man who believed he was entitled to create functional guns with a 3-D printer. I haven't seen that footage, yet, but I'm curious.

*"Behind Closed Doors," "The Innocent Man," "The Cheshire Murders." I haven't watched. I will soon. I can't watch "The Cheshire Murders" while I'm home alone.....

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