Hi everyone, I've made my way through the forums and you all have been super helpful, and I try to chip in when I can. Anyway, I am about to start planning my novel about a broken PhD student with a horrific traumatic past. Her sister is taken by a notorious serial killer in rural Vermont. The sister eventually dies, and while they hold a vigil for her and another previous victim, I want the antagonist to reveal himself to my protagonist in the crowd of mourners. The antag is a semi-famous retired author and current art gallery/book store owner. He's 52 years old and her sister was his 15th victim in several years (there were 13 before the book started). I'm basically looking for reasons someone would give this information. I know some serial killers like playing with their victims' families (Zodiac, BTK, crying killer guy...), so I'm not sure what route to take. I do know, however, that I want my protag to do what we'd all do and go to the police and no one believes her because of his philanthropy and status as a local celebrity. What do you think? Why would a serial killer, who's been active for decades, reveal to this character that he is the killer? Thanks for your responses ahead of time!
I saw this kind of thing happen on Death Note. Light reveals that he's Kira to Naomi two seconds before her arranged death written on the Death Note. He just wanted to mess with her because he knew that she'd die anyway, so no risk to his secret. I don't really remember the show very well but I'm pretty sure that she had come to trust Light a lot, which made the scene all the more impactful. One reason I can think of is to traumatize the protagonist further. If the antagonist is highly reputable and extremely unlikely to kill someone in the eyes of the evidence and his publicly known-past as well as character of the antagonist, then nobody would believe her. She's just be talking to a bunch of brick-walls, living in the misery of knowing who did it but having absolutely no power to do anything about it. That is, *dramatic music*, until she decides to do something herself. Queue the rising action!
The police have named the wrong guy as the killer (probably someone long dead so it can't be contested) and the real serial killer feels cheated. He'd rather be caught than have someone else get credit.
Yes, that's how I want to portray him...as someone who's so kind and gentle...giving to the community that there's NO WAY he could ever do anything like that. I thought this would also bring my protag from reacting to action. I think toying with her would be a good start. Thank you for this info and answer!
Yeah, this happened with real life serial killers. I never really thought to implement something like that. That's actually a great idea.
The "Bond Villain" trope of revealing the evil plan, while it's broadly considered terrible and overdone, is actually based on good solid psychology. A narcissist loves to gloat, and to toy with their victim cat-and-mouse style. You have to be careful with it though, most people don't understand narcissists and largely buy into their cover story. But if you pay attention to people you've known who were real self-centered jerks, or certain public figures, many of them seem to deliberately reveal how evil they are, from a lack of self-awareness combined with an inflated sense of self-importance and desire to feel superior. Plus they always underestimate the intelligence of other people, they think they're the only smart person in existence. And narcissism is the base condition of sociopaths and psychopaths, which would include serial killers.
I appreciate the response! And I wholeheartedly agree. This will certainly not be the cliché...villain clenching their fingers together with the evil laugh type. I will make sure to build it up to make my antag a narcissist...something that would make him revealing himself believable. His psychopathic wife/sister (later revealed) will fly into a rage when she finds out. I will develop my antag through 3rd person chapters leading up to this reveal, so more will be known about him than a typical thriller like this. If I remember correctly, BTK tried this very thing...toying with the police, only to be caught because he believed them when they said a floppy disk can't be traced. Once he was caught, they learned really quick that he wasn't a mastermind. He was pretty stupid, actually. A total narcissist, though. Thanks again for your help!
I'm not up on my serial killer nomenclature. Blue Tooth Killer? Lol, probably not! If he had bluetooth capabilities why would he be messing around with primitive technology like a floppy disc?
haha it stood for "Bind, Torture, Kill." It was a name he gave himself...so you can tell the narcissisms runs deep with him. He was caught in the early 2000s even though he was active for decades, which would explain the floppy disc. He's probably one of the biggest dirtbag serial killers out there. It's also rumored that he's a sissy in prison lol
A website of the US government on Serial Murder states: certain traits common to some serial murderers, including sensation seeking, a lack of remorse or guilt, impulsivity, the need for control, and predatory behavior. These traits and behaviors are consistent with the psychopathic personality disorder. Serial killers are charming, manipulative and intimidating, all to satisfy their selfish needs. In talking to the woman, he must feel like he's taking control. He would play head games with her.
