We all became detectives in Erin Patterson’s trial. But as a crime writer I can’t help wonder, at what cost? | Candice Fox

The true crime industry is making professional crime solvers of all of us. We must not lose sight of the victimsFrom the moment we saw Erin Patterson sobbing and wiping her eyes in her driveway in Leongatha, we started to judge her. The tone of her voice. The mournful tilting back of her head as she tried to control her emotion. The strange examining of her own fingers for tears. Was the performance real, or was she faking it? We had to decide. We had to participate.The public’s natural hunger for participation in solving crimes has fuelled a billion-dollar podcast industry rooted in true crime. It’s elevated crime fiction to the leading genre in the book world. Overwhelmingly, true crime podcasts that deal with unsolved mysteries dominate the hit lists, and the industry celebrates crime novels with unexpected twists and unreliable narrators. That’s because the public wants to get involved. To join in. The human brain is made for solving puzzles and we hate to be fed answers. The media is riddled with advertising for opportunities to be a crime-fighting hero, from subscriptions to mail-out mystery solving games to in-person crime nights. Sydney-siders can now experience a simulated courtroom environment and be seated on a mock jury with The Jury Experience. The website boasts that “the power to deliver justice is entirely in your hands!” Just $39 a ticket. Continue reading...

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