The narrative thread of real-life crime

WHEN I WORKED at one of Manhattan's independent mystery book shops a few years back, a prospective customer came in every so often with a request for a true crime book. The first time this happened I bounded from behind the cash register to hunt for a section that, much to my surprise, was nonexistent. The disappointed customer left (presumably for the nearby chain store) and I conferred with one of the store's owners. True crime doesn't sell very well in store, she explained, so unless it's a blockbuster title -- think Patricia Cornwell's "Portrait of a Killer" or John Grisham's "The Innocent Man" -- stocking a full section makes no economic sense.

By Sarah Weinman

June 8, 2008