Blending True Crime and Fiction

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Two suspected killers, one victim. But which is which? Frederick Bywaters, Edith Thompson and Percy Thompson, 1921

In a recent blog post, Angela Buckley, the Victorian Super Sleuth, explores the crime cases that could have been the inspiration for one of Agatha Christie’s best known novels.

In After the Funeral, the deceased’s solicitor, Mr. Entwistle, suspects his client was the victim of foul play. Musing on the motives for murder, Entwistle discusses specific murders and the reasons behind them. In her post, Buckley matches Christie’s descriptions to real-life murders that occurred in the same era, and guesses whether the character’s comments were based on fact or fiction.

A fun read, but for our purposes, also food for thought. Could you weave real-life crimes, murder or otherwise, into your fiction? What crimes would highlight your theme, add perspective to your story, or lend a clue to the reader?