Two Psychopaths in Love? (books, genre questions, etc.)

andiwrite · Jan 5, 2015

I'm interested in stories that can make evil people sympathetic, and I'd like to read some romantic books that feature a murderous couple. Two psychopaths in love, kind of like Natural Born Killers.

I'd like to write something like this one day, but I want to see how other authors have done it first. NBK is the only story I can think of off the top of my head that does this (with a happy ending for the couple). Would this type of thing be classified as romance, horror/romance, straight-up horror, or something else?

Does anyone know of any books like this that I can read?

(I wasn't sure whether to post this question here or in the romance forum ... Or the books forum. Sorry if it's in the wrong place.)

cbenoi1 · Jan 5, 2015

http://www.donovancreed.com/DonovanCreed.aspx

Not horror per se, but plenty of pointy knives, torture, poisons, and sex.

-cb

Marian Perera · Jan 5, 2015

Try Dean Koontz's Strange Rivers of the Heart.

andiwrite · Jan 5, 2015

cbenoi1 said:
http://www.donovancreed.com/DonovanCreed.aspx

Not horror per se, but plenty of pointy knives, torture, poisons, and sex.

-cb

That looks good! Thanks!

Helix · Jan 5, 2015

I'm sure there must be novels based on Bonny & Clyde.

quicklime · Jan 28, 2015

ketchum had a short at the end of one of his books that fit the bill, but forgot the name of it :-(

Jackx · Feb 8, 2015

andiwrite said:
I'm interested in stories that can make evil people sympathetic, and I'd like to read some romantic books that feature a murderous couple.

I just read a great little book called The Grove by John Rector. It wasn't Natural Born Killers, but it did have a pretty messed up protagonist that you normally wouldn't root for. Rector was able to make him sympathetic enough to where I was actively rooting for him to succeed by the end, and I didn't expect it. There was also a very twisted "relationship" in there, too.

Other books that might provide some inspiration… Have you read anything on Charles Starkweather and Ann Fugate? They were the inspiration for Natural Born Killers, but I think all the books on them are non-fiction.

Rhoda Nightingale · Feb 8, 2015

The Hellbound Heart if you squint, but then again, that book takes my mind to . . . strange places . . .

Two Psychopaths in Love? (books, genre questions, etc.)

andiwrite

cbenoi1

Marian Perera

starting over

andiwrite

Helix

socially distancing

quicklime

all out of fucks to give

Jackx

Rhoda Nightingale

Vampire Junkie