by Nicola Warwick
by Nicola Warwick
"Dead on Deansgate" is a now famous literary event
in the writing calendar, most particularly the crime writing calendar.
Known succinctly as "DoD", this year's festival
was the fifth to take place and the first one I'd attended. I'm
not a crime aficionado any more than I'm specifically a biography
or fiction fan. I have a wide range of genres represented
in my ever-growing book at bedtime pile by the side of my bed.
But the vast majority of the "DoD-ers" were dyed in the wool, serious crime fans. The Deansgate branch of Waterstone's in Manchester, England was heaving with people and the Reading Room was packed for each event. In the evening there was to be a Festival Dinner and I kicked myself for not having booked to go. The fascination for crime rubs off easily.
People talk in hushed tones about murder usually. But not this crowd. They reveled in the gory details, lapped up the bloody stories and took notes.
These were the crime fiction buffs, fascinated to know "whodunit", following a trail of clues but very much looking at murder from a fictional perspective. The real thing is much darker.
One of four panelists that afternoon, Carol Anne Davis is a true crime obsessive and proof that appearances can be deceptive. A cheery demeanour and ready smile conceal her interest in a multitude of sins. As well as writing informed novels about murder, Carol has branched out into true crime with the recent publication of Women Who Kill, to be followed, in 2003, by Children Who Kill. A disturbing and gruesome read, Women Who Kill is best read in small chunks.
Carol's interest in murder started early, having its roots in an unhappy childhood that has influenced and been an important part of her writing life. Living in a home without books, Carol would read anything she could lay her hands on in those early years--even the Cornflakes packet. Salvation eventually came when a teacher pointed her in the direction of the library where, armed with her library ticket, Carol started reading books by Enid Blyton. But the stories were so far outside Carol's childhood experience that they held little relevance for her. It wasn't until the age of 16 when Carol started reading about true crime and delving into the dark emotions and revenge associated with it, that she began to relate to what she was reading.
Carol's obsession with crime specifically focused on the "why" rather than the "how" and, in particular, understanding what it is that triggers the murderous instinct in one person and not another. Carol gives as an example a family of abused children. One may turn to murder, another to alcohol, a third may rise above it and become a humanitarian or even prime minister.
There is clearly an element of choice although many children do repeat the actions and even mental abuse of their parents.
It was at that stage in her life that Carol perceived that lifestyle choices were a conscious decision and she had to make a choice about her own life. Carol felt she had to look at the difference between what she wanted to be and what she was, and address the gulf that lay somewhere in between. She wanted a house to feel safe in and where she could enjoy intellectual pursuits. Already a writer, Carol wanted to create a body of work that could be deemed to be normal. Her life experiences were to prove to be key to her writing and were translated into her work in an effort to make sense of her life, her feelings and thoughts, and to achieve a sense of balance.
Undertaking a project like Women who Kill is not for the faint-hearted and took its toll on Carol when she had nightmares about one of the cases, Rose West. Taking nine months to research and another nine months to write, it involved considerable background reading about each case. In many instances, much background information had been lost making it difficult to know what the killer was really like. Carol read, on average, three books relating to each case, often importing second-hand books from the United States. The aim with Women who Kill was to create a profile of the killer from childhood and this necessitated the in-depth background research. The killers were often described in the press in very general terms such as "evil" or "violent", and information on the Internet was frequently inaccurate or even invented. It was important to look at information available some time after the initial trial, to read the views of a variety of people and start identifying the "voices in the darkness" revealing accurate information.
Women who Kill is an important work clearly showing the potential impact abuse of our children can have on their future. Whilst it seems that there is a choice in succumbing to a life of violence and killing, adopting a zero tolerance approach to violence now could save many children from such a future. It is clear from Women who Kill that emotional abuse is a consistent element in each female killer's childhood
Crime fiction is perceived, like many of the murder mysteries on television today, as "entertainment". True crime writing is quite a different thing altogether. Women Who Kill highlights the connection between treatment of children during their childhood and their potential behaviour as adults.
Whilst there is a choice in the way they behave as adults the seeds are sown in their earlier years and it makes sense that by identifying children at risk and reducing the abusive behaviour children have a better chance of growing up in better environments to ensure their futures. Here in the UK, the NSPCC has launched a campaign to put an end to violence. Carol shows in Women Who Kill just how important this campaign could be.
As well as Children who Kill, another novel by Carol will be available in June 2003 called Kiss it Away, (the title is taken from a song by Dr Hook).
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