SHOTSMAG CONFIDENTIAL |
- Why We Listen to Psychopaths: The compelling testimony of the smartest, coldest figures in literature
- Can a Wealthy Family Buy Their Alibi? Books Focused on Opulent Wealth, Family Secrets & Suspense by Georgina Cross
- Writing No Less The Devil by Stuart MacBride
| Posted: 28 Apr 2022 10:00 PM PDT  Hannibal Lecter delivered those lines to Special Agent Will Graham while supposedly helping him to catch a serial killer (and actually trying to get him and his family killed by said killer. Classic.) What Hannibal engages in here is some textbook psychopathic manipulation. He begins by telling Will that they are they are different and special, with their own bond. He gives Will the ultimate compliment in telling him he is a psychopath like him. He must be, because it takes a psychopath to imagine how another's mind might work. But Lecter's comment says more than this, too. It sums up, neatly, the particular draw that the psychopath has on all of us. They provide a vividness and imagination that is anything but dull. Time spent with one is, at first at least, addictive and enthralling and enlivening. It throws everything else into the shade – but it comes at a cost. In fiction, that cost can range from the small – like having to live with someone who might just decide to kill you – to the major. We'll call this worst option "They kill everyone you know and then either kill you, or frame you." For some reason, despite the obviousness of this cost, we can't get enough of psychopaths. From Villanelle in Killing Eve to Amy Dunne in Gone Girl; from Tom Ripley and all his talents, to Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes. From the Marquise and Visconte in Liaisons Dangereuses, to the dark antics of Dexter: we are fascinated by them. And of course there's Hannibal himself, the most-quoted psychopath of them all, and the reason Antony Hopkins rarely gets invited to kids' parties. It isn't just that we like to watch them do their evil misdeeds. It is, I think, more profound than that. We crave their insight, because they have an ability to cut through all the layers of social conditioning and say piercing truths that none of us are willing to. They are, in literature at least, always profoundly smart. And there's a small part of us that wants them to be redeemable, too. We are desperate for them to turn out to be the charming, likable version of themselves that they put forward when it suits them (usually right at the beginning or just as you are about to tell them "no"). We want them to genuinely see the main character as special in the way that they claim, and to go out of their way to save them from harm. I was certainly conscious of all this when writing Keely, my very own psychopathic young woman, in Little Sister. She is someone who seems to have been willing to sacrifice anything to get what she wanted, including her own younger sister Nina, and in the early chapters, sits opposite DCI Jonah Sheens, telling him that he needs to play her game or never see Nina alive again. The problem for Jonah is that, like so many of those who encounter a psychopath, he doesn't know whether to believe what she is telling him; or to treat her as you might a snake. And every sudden rush of belief in her as human comes up against her biting sarcasm – or against what seems to be cold, hard reality. So why does Jonah keep trying, and why do all of us want to hang in there, too? Intellect without empathy The strange thing about our belief in psychopaths is that we look to them for an understanding of human nature. It's strange because these people lack empathy, the one quality necessary to really understand the people around us. In its place, psychopaths have (in fiction at least) pure intellect, which has allowed them to learn how to manipulate people. They may not have always grasped complex emotions, but they have recognised what ordinary peoples' grubbier desires are and how to control them. And though they lack any morality, they are quite happy to use other people's desire to be moral for their own ends. It immediately gives them a starting bonus. Think Iago in Othello, mocking his superior for his "foolish honesty" and using it to destroy him. And yet, in spite of their lack of empathy, these villainous psychopaths so often deliver exactly the kind of insight that makes us feel like they're voicing all the thoughts we've had but not been able to put into words. Take, for example, Amy Dunne's glorious rant about "cool girls" in Gone Girl. "Men always say that as the defining compliment, don't they? She's a cool girl. Being the Cool Girl means I am a hot, brilliant, funny woman who adores football, poker, dirty jokes, and burping, who plays video games, drinks cheap beer, loves threesomes… Men actually think this girl exists. Maybe they're fooled because so many women are willing to pretend to be this girl… You are not dating a woman, you are dating a woman who has watched too many movies written by socially awkward men who'd like to believe that this kind of woman exists and might kiss them." If you're anything like me, it's impossible to read that as a woman and not feel as though Amy Dunne has cut to the heart of your own discomfort with this kind of woman: a woman held up as an ideal, but who is acting with only the male gaze in mind. It's wonderful to have that behaviour exposed. Liberating. The same can be said for the Marquise de Merteuil's reflections on the status of women in Les Liaisons Dangereuses: "I already knew that the role I was condemned to, namely to keep quiet and do what I was told, gave me the perfect opportunity to listen and observe… I became a virtuoso of deceit. It wasn't pleasure I was after, it was knowledge. I consulted the strictest moralists to learn how to appear, philosophers to find out what to think, and novelists to see what I could get away with. And in the end, I distilled everything to one wonderfully simple principle: win or die." Like Amy, she rages against how society is attempting to make her and other women behave, and chooses another path. But such observations are also part of the psychopath's toolkit. By revealing them to us, we've been drawn into a feeling of fellowship with Amy, and with the Marquise. We feel that we might sympathise with her. We might even like her. These thoughts may also, perhaps, not be quite true. Just like Lecter's reflections on Will or Clarice, those harsher thoughts of ours about "cool girls" – those tired-and-fed-up judgements that she is echoing – may be no more the right answer than the ones wrapped in social norms and empathy. People are complex, after all. They might like the things they claim to like more than Amy Dunne understands. And the Marquise's thoughts about being condemned to "shut up and do as she was told" are perhaps belied by the way other clever women of her generation lived their lives. I had Keely Lennox paint a similarly harsh portrait of human nature. She tells Jonah: "We all have the same savage possibility in us. I know I do. Mine got stripped pretty bare by everything. To find my sister, you have to look in the mirror, and actually see what's there. Have a good delve into all the dark places. At all the times you've chosen your own interests over someone else's. All the petty or selfish things you've done. Isn't it weird how, with all those things, you can still hold it all together and tell yourself you're a good person? That's because you didn't have the same pressure I did. You know, I'd probably be a lot like you if all the bad stuff had happened later. It wasn't really child-appropriate, any of it. The trouble is, nobody's overseeing this stuff, and life just does its thing. It has basically no respect for ratings." It's persuasive and engaging, and like Hannibal Lecter's words to the officers who come to see him, it puts Jonah and Keely on a level to a certain extent. But is it honestly true? In both Amy and the Marquise's cases, there were other courses of actions open to them than the destructive ones they took. Amy might simply have exposed her husband's affair, instead of framing him for murder. The Marquise might have sought a partner who saw her as an equal and gathered like-minded people around her. But that was never their game. Playing nicely wasn't Keely's game, either. But it isn't clear to Jonah or his team whether that happened out of choice – or out of necessity. And I won't spoil the surprise here by revealing all… The hope of redemption And so we come on to the other incredibly appealing side to the psychopath: that strange hope in all of us that the bad will be redeemed. It is a trope seen over and over again in literature: most commonly in the bad boy turned good, but only because of the love of a particular person, or the friendship of another. It is this trope that underlies the draw of The Silence of the Lambs, and still more so the Hannibal TV spin-off. We have seen Will Graham and then Clarice Starling finally get to Hannibal. They have each of them become a soul-mate. An equal. Someone with a bond that goes beyond the normal. Instead of simply voicing a recognition of them in order to manipulate, Hannibal has in each case become emotionally entangled with the investigating officer. It is never more clear than when, in the series, Hannibal asks Will Graham, "Do you think you can change me as I've changed you?" We know that Will is right when he replies that he already has. We see it clearly in Villanelle's relationship with Eve, where the psychopathic assassin is suddenly drawn to care for and protect the woman she becomes besotted with. And once again, this obsessive care is reserved for Eve and Eve only. Her husband and friends are no more than collateral. We see it in the development of Joe Goldberg in Caroline Kepnes's You series, and even in Humbert Humbert in Lolita. We see it in Amy Dunne's bloody return to Nick after he calls to her on-air in Gone Girl; and in the Visconte Valmont's respect and love for Madame de Tourvel in Les Liaisons Dangereuses - while he continues to treat Cecile Volanges as though she is worthless. The fascinating side to all of this is that we all of us appear to identify with the main character in these scenarios. We take satisfaction from seeing the psychopath not only become to a very limited extent good, but more importantly, besotted. Even when the psychopath still treats others with as little care as ever, and perhaps almost because they still do, we find ourselves drawn to them and this new close relationship. There's a real question to ask, here, about what makes this so fascinating. The answer seems, to me, clear. We're all of us, when becoming absorbed in these books or films, seeing ourselves in those main characters. And that means that we have been singled out as special by the psychopath. That manipulative, charming man or woman with their promise that we meant something has suddenly decided that we really did mean something. This hardest of people to please and reach has actually come to like and respect us. And somehow, this is the very best prize of all. Little Sister by Gytha Lodge is published on 28th April by Penguin Michael Joseph.
You can follow Gytha Lodge on Twitter @theGyth. You can also find her on Facebook |
| Posted: 28 Apr 2022 12:00 AM PDT
.TIF) For readers, novels about the uber wealthy can be an enticing foray into another world, a sneak peek into how "the other half" lives, complete with glamour and over-the-top situations. It's a fascinating exploration of a person's flamboyant behavior and entitled notions about their money buying them everything—including a way to bury their secrets. In my novel, Nanny Needed readers are cast into the mesmerizing world of the Bird family who live in an extraordinary penthouse in the Upper West Side, New York City. Despite the family's unusual way for hiring nannies and the fact Sarah has zero nannying experience, Sarah takes the job. She agrees to the family's strict instructions, including that ominous detail she chooses to ignore: Special conditions apply. While dealing with the mother Collette's tragic behavior and the child in their care, Sarah finds herself going against the powerful family who employs her and the lengths they will take to make sure no one talks—especially the nanny. Until now, the Bird family may have gotten away with a few too many tragedies, but with Sarah, their secrets are about to rise to the surface. Other books about families with wealth and secrets: Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier Speaking of opulent wealth, the title says it all. As one of my personal, most anticipated reads for the upcoming year, Eliza Jane Brazier's sophomore book Good Rich People takes us into the lives of a wealthy couple living in L.A. and the twisted games they will unleash on the people they invite to stay in the guesthouse of their Hollywood Hills mansion. Lyla and Graham have it all, and yet, they can't stand the idea of someone else having a self-made success story. Enter Demi, a destitute woman who jumps at the chance to take over another person's identity and deceives her way into living in their guesthouse. But little does she know what Lyla and Graham are planning, and how far they will go to win at their wicked games. Because after all, doesn't having a lot of money mean you always come out on top and you're the winner? But Lyla and Graham may have sorely underestimated the latest player living under their roof and she has a few tricks up her sleeve too. Good Rich People is a wild, witty, suspenseful and wholly original story. Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins With Nanny Needed soon to be published, I am definitely plugging another nanny book. Nanny Dearest is Flora Collins' debut with her novel already gaining quite the buzz as an intense, psychological thriller. When Sue Keller is in her mid-twenties, her father dies, and she finds herself reconnecting with the nanny who cared for her as a child. Annie looked after Sue and lived with the family in their enormous house upstate. She loved Sue as her own. But while the two women rekindle their bond, Sue begins to ask questions and she discovers several tragedies that may have occurred around the time Annie lived with them. A slick thriller, Nanny Dearest shows the dark side of a family and the nanny who promised to care for everyone in the home. When She Disappeared by Nicole Mabry and Steph Mullin Writing duo Nicole Mabry and Steph Mullin are back at it again with another suspenseful read. When She Disappeared focuses on the discovery of a teenage girl's body, the same girl who disappeared fifteen years earlier, and the lengths one family will go to so their only son doesn't become the main suspect. When Margo returns to her hometown, she works with a documentary crew to investigate the case about the discovery of her high school best friend's body. But the Abbott family will use their stature to convince everyone—and anyone—to turn the spotlight away from their son. But as Margo uncovers shocking secrets, it appears the Abbotts aren't the only ones who didn't want Jessie's body to be found. A Mother Never Lies by Sarah Clarke (Out now) In A Mother Never Lies, a young woman had the perfect life: a nice house, a loving husband, and a gorgeous little boy. But in one horrific night, everything she knows to be good and pure is taken away from her. Fourteen years later, she's finally ready to face the past—and she will take her son back. She will bring him home, even if that means going up against her husband's wealthy and incredibly powerful family who remain intent on brushing their past traumas beneath the carpet. But this mother is no longer going to take no for an answer. .TIF) Nanny Needed by Georgina Cross (HarperCollins) When Sarah Larsen answers the Bird family's advertisement, her life changes overnight. The job seems like a dream come true: nannying in a glamorous penthouse apartment with a salary that adds several zeroes to her income. Sarah signs the contract binding her to complete secrecy without a second thought. These are important people, after all - they can't be too careful about who they let into their home. All is well until events in Sarah's life begin to take a sinister turn and the trail leads back to the Birds. She soon realises there's something very strange about the family. But by then, is it too late for her? Georgina Cross is the bestselling suspense author of The Stepdaughter and the author of The Missing Woman published by Bookouture, as well as Nanny Needed with Bantam, Penguin Random House. Two more books are set for publication in 2022. Georgina is a member of Mystery Writers of America and also the Founder & President of Susie's Wish Inc. which sends patients with life-threatening illnesses to the beach. Married to David, they spend their weekends filled with kids' basketball tournaments, scary movies, and trying new restaurants with their combined family of four sons. More info on Georgina and her books: Instagram: @georginacrossauthor, Twitter: @gcrossauthor, Facebook: @GeorginaCrossAuthor, and georginacrossauthor.com |
| Writing No Less The Devil by Stuart MacBride Posted: 27 Apr 2022 10:00 PM PDT  Normally it can be quite difficult for me to identify the exact genesis of a story, but that's not the case with No Less the Devil. Years and years ago, back when I was young and fresh faced… Well, that's a lie. Back when I was slightly less haggard and grumpy. That's more like the truth. Anyway, way back then I was asked to write a short story to be read out on Radio 4. I, being an international man of mysteries, was on my way to South Africa at the time to do a lovely wee festival there and a bit of a book tour, and as it was one of those overnight flights I decided to fulfil my short-story obligation on the plane. I never sleep on these things anyway – why not put the time to good use? So, between Heathrow and Johannesburg I sat in my seat and came up with what I thought was a nice little family tale with a crime-fiction twist. Emailed it off when I got to my hotel, then forgot all about it. Just before I was supposed to get on the plane back to the U.K, having enjoyed a very nice time in lovely South Africa, thank you very much, i got an email from the BBC saying that my nice little family tale was far too dark to broadcast on the radio!' with more than a whiff of 'what's wrong with you?' about it. Right. In if they didn't like that one (which has never been published, by the way), then I would write them something else on the plane home. And somewhere over Zambia or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I had an idea. And I wrote a fragmented short story about a little girl called Lucy and her little brother and a very naughty dog called Mr Bitey. Which seemed to go down OK. Not too dark for the delicate sensibilities of the British radio-listening public. And that was that. Or it should've been. The trouble was that Lucy really intrigued me, not in a 'thinking about it every day fashion', more a 'niggling away at the back of my skull' kind of thing. As the years went on I'd come to from a dwam, and find I'd been staring out the window for a while, pondering what Lucy would be like when she grew up. Would she be happy? Would she have changed? What would she be doing now? And what would happen if she joined the police… This is what we shall now refer to as: Tab A. Slot B came into being before the first lockdown was announced, but it was a vague and fuzzy slot without clearly defined edges, and then the pandemic hit. And then all the stories of VIP lanes, and massive contracts worth hundreds of millions doled out by sleazy idiots to their avaricious cronies. Cronies with no experience supplying the things they were now being paid massive sums of tax-payers' money to supply. Things that often didn't work and cost twice as much as they should have. It's been clear for years that we live not in a real, genuine, un-bought-and-paid-for-by-entities-and-individuals-who-do-not-have-our-best-interests-at-heart democracy, or even a kleptocracy (though it sometimes feels that way), but an ineptocracy. Where we're governed by people wholly unfit for the task, whose only qualification is that they're privately educated and sound a bit posh. Which made me wonder – what if all the staggering displays of ineptitude on daily display weren't just because these people had the intellectual heft of what could be dug from your average tumble dryer's fluff filter after doing a load of socks and pants? What if they were part of a pattern? What if they were part of the plan? Hell, what if they were the plan. What if the only reason these people had, to claw their way up the greasy political flagpole, was to enrich people exactly as venal and useless and overprivileged as they were? At which point Tab A slid neatly into Slot B, and No Less the Devil was born. Then all I had to was write it, which is a different story entirely…  No Less The Devil by Stuart MacBride (Transworld Publishers) Out Now We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell. It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast. Now isn't the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn't have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just eleven, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one's ever figured out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he's back on the streets again - battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy 'They' are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help.It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy's ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? And what's going to happen when Lucy goes after them? |
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