If you’re on the fence about signing up to this newsletter, you might be wondering why you’d want to stick around. After all, letting yet another newsletter into your email inbox is a big deal, right?
This post answers some questions you might have about the newsletter, as well as letting you know what to expect from each edition! And if you’re already signed up - here’s what you’ve got to look forward to…
Do I have to pay for this?
Nope! The newsletter is totally free. I will be introducing a paid version down the line - I haven’t decided completely on that yet, but it will likely be either more frequent updates or the inclusion of some cases that are harder to research, so you get more content and I get compensation for spending that extra time.
What’s Lunch Time Crime?
Lunch Time Crime is the new direction I’m currently taking this newsletter in. I wrote a whole post about it here, but the TL;DR is that this new format allows me to write less often, shorter posts, and have no stress from this newsletter. No stress is a good thing. If there becomes stress again, I’ll stop. Anyway, Lunch Time Crime is a short lunch-break-friendly missive about UK true crime news that releases on an irregular schedule, usually with about three stories per update. The rest of this FAQ is about the older posts in the archive, but I may one day get back to adding more in that style as well.
Should I read Serial Investigations first?
Not at all! Of course, I’m going to encourage you to read my book series, because my very unbiased opinion is that it’s worth it ;) However, this newsletter isn’t really linked to the books. It started from the fact that I include a (much) shorter version of this kind of content in my book newsletters, from the point of view of the character Will, who loves researching old cases. But this newsletter itself stands completely alone from that, and you don’t need prior knowledge of the books or the characters. We’re all true crime only here!
What kind of cases are included?
I try to go for the cases which are less known. We’ve all heard of Ted Bundy, and watched approximately seven hundred documentaries and films about him, so why go over old ground? I include serial killers, spree killers, interesting murderers, and cults. At the moment, I’m focusing on killers from the UK - because this is where I live, and because most true crime stuff seems to focus on the US. In the future, if I get through enough UK cases to start to feel like the material is drying up, I might look further afield.
What can I expect from each newsletter?
A brief fact sheet about the killer(s) in question. This is followed by an overview of the case, with footnotes linking to pertinent research if you want to go even deeper. I like to tell it in a semi-narrative style so you can sometimes feel like you’re there or watching it happen. This is where you’ll find the spine-chilling, eyebrow-raising, and nightmare-making details which explain why I picked out this case to be featured. In other words, it’s the fun part!
Isn’t this a bit dark?
Oh, yes. That’s why I include a little bit of dark humour here and there. But true crime fans get it: whether it’s about knowing your enemy, facing your fears, or just the morbid fascination that comes with awful history, killers have a strange kind of appeal. It’s that feeling when you can’t look away, even when you know the bad guy is about to strike in the horror movie. It’s also just a touch of the memento mori: most of the victims we’ll mention could have been anyone, including you or me. That’s part of what makes their stories so tragic.
What’s with the Leslie Knope gifs?
They make me feel better about all the true crime research I have to immerse myself in, and all the gory details I repeat for you. I guess a little lighter humour to counteract the gloom. Also, it’s been said on many occasions that I pretty much am the same person as the Leslie Knope character, so I use these gifs a lot in my daily life and it felt right to bring a bit of myself to the newsletter.
My question wasn’t answered!
Drop me a comment or email, or hit me up on social media, and I’ll do my best to help!