True Crime

Key Themes and Perspectives

Ian Cummins, Martin King (Independent scholar and author), Louise Wattis (Northumbria University)

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Hardback

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English

Bristol University Press
21 October 2025

Cultural studies; Media studies; Crime & criminology; Offenders

True crime is a huge cultural industry: media organisations use crime stories to push sales and clicks. Yet behind this phenomenon lies the real-life victims and a disconnect between the representation of violent crime and its reality.

This book is a go-to guide for students and researchers in understanding the development of this phenomenon and its social and cultural impacts. Through case studies including Lucy Letby, the Yorkshire Ripper and Fred and Rosemary West, the book considers true crime's ethical implications and its wider influence on crime and punishment.

By: Ian Cummins, Martin King (Independent scholar and author), Louise Wattis (Northumbria University)
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781529238150
ISBN 10: 1529238153
Pages: 198
Publication Date: 21 October 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Foreword 1.Introduction 2.True Crime – a history 3.Consuming True Crime 4.Using True Crime to explore theoretical perspectives 5.True Crime and Punishment 6.The Ethics of True Crime 7.True Crime / True Detectives Case Studies section 8.A True Crime case study: The murder of Meredith Kercher 9.Fear of Masks: Reading Gordon Burn 10.They Walk Among Us. 11.Conclusion

Ian Cummins is Senior Lecturer in the School of Health and Society at the University of Salford. Martin King is an independent scholar and author. Louise Wattis is Assistant Professor at Northumbria University.

Reviews for True Crime: Key Themes and Perspectives

'True crime has been largely ignored by criminologists to date but this concise but comprehensive study will change all of that. It examines every aspect of the genre relevant to the social sciences, including vicarious thrills, digital culture and femicide. A key text for everyone researching or studying critical, cultural or narrative criminology.' Rafe McGregor, Edge Hill University 'An engaging study of the fascination with true crime and the media representation thereof. It offers a detailed examination of some of the most (in)famous examples of crime and criminals.' Ian Marsh, University of Chester