Women’s Interest in True Crime: Two Women’s Take

March 15, 2025. Since writing my first book: Jigsaw and Jane: Thirteen Years of Murder and Mayhem with Badge Number One, I’ve been fascinated by the notion women have a particular interest in true crime. I decided to read further to see what the experts thought.  

Drew University Professor of Criminology, Scott Bonn wrote: “A serial killer’s actions may be horrible to behold, but much of the public cannot look away from the spectacle. It allows us to experience fear and horror in a controlled environment where the threat is exciting but not real.”

Psychotherapist Helen Villiers, a specialist in areas consisting of women and toxic relationships wrote: “There are several heartbreaking and – quite frankly – disturbing reasons that women seemingly have more of an interest in heinous, real life criminal cases than men. Being able to predict patterns is seen as a way to keep themselves safe. There is a deep protection and safety in a belief that you would be able to protect yourself from the likes of Ted Bundy.”

In an article titled: “Why Women Find Watching True Crime Comforting” Jessica Grose wrote: “The explanation I see more frequently is that women watch true crime to protect themselves: We are usually less powerful than men are, and we think that by understanding the psychology of criminals we can better avoid them.”

When my good friend, Cheryll Smith PhD, who has expertise in this area based on her work at Atascadero State Prison, and I decided to get together over a weekend, I thought this would be an ideal time to dig deeper into the topic of women and crime.

Her five comments (1) “Some experts think this interest allows a woman to experience fear from a safe distance. It’s a way to be familiar with and experience dangerous subjects without actually experiencing real danger.   

(2) Many true crime stories focus on victims, often on female victims, and reading about these stories connect with women who can identify emotionally with these stories.

(3) Maybe being familiar with true crime stories helps women to identify real dangers and to anticipate how to avoid these dangers especially when women are the victims in the stories. Practice for personal safety.

(4) Women tend to emotionally identify with the victims – and many of the victims in the crime are women – women connect emotionally with these stories and may feel fulfilled when the crimes are solved.

(5) True crime stories can elicit an adrenaline rush. They are a safe way to experience this rush without being in real danger.

When Cheryll asked why I thought women were attracted to true crime since my experience was as a writer, not a therapist, my response was a bit different.

“I think women are drawn to true crime because women – like detectives – are problem solvers. They spend much of their lives solving problems that are deeply personal with real consequences. Women are naturally curious too – a trait which Jigsaw used to solve every case he ever worked on. Lastly – women are darn good at solving puzzles. Especially big ones.”