This was a fascinating read for sure. Carrere set out to write a non-fiction account of an extraordinary murder case, motivated by lies and fraud perpetuated over several decades, by a seemingly ordinary but absolutely ruthless man. The real life story itself is chilling already, and leaves you wanting to know more. But this book is more than that.

Carrere was obviously inspired by the father of the true crime genre, Truman Capote, but from the very first pages he admits his inability to abstract himself from the story. This leads to an interesting literary experiment where the author is part of the novel, he (much like Capote had, only he decided not to disclose it to the reader) has contact with his characters, he’s moved by his personal motivations, and he weaves in the testimonies of the court case together to build a narrative. I’m not saying this makes it better than in cold blood, I probably just liked the same.

Ultimately, the nature of this case makes for a very interesting read. It’s so hard for a normal person to grasp what moved such a pathological liar to each and every one of his actions. It’s even harder to discern whether he’s ever telling the truth, which the author is always keen to point out. It’s a study into the human psyche in a way, though not one that is claiming to reveal some ominous universal truth. But it sure makes for a very captivating non fiction novel.