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This recording features a conversation between a trio of award-winning mystery and crime-fiction writers. Laura Lippman sets the tone for the panel with Megan Abbott and Gillian Flynn—entitled “Fatal Vision: The Imprint of True-Crime Movies”—by remarking at the outset that the panel’s title had been classed-up; what they are actually going to talk about is a shared, un-ironic, love for Lifetime movies.

Lippman has written an essay expanding on the panel’s central theme, which is the lack of meaty roles for middle-aged women in Hollywood and how the true-crime genre, frequently derided as trashy, allows women to express their full dark sides. Their discussion explores the gender bias that influences how novels and films created by women or featuring women as central protagonists are presented in popular culture and perceived by audiences. “Things that make men cry are considered profound,” remarks Lippman, while “things that make women cry are considered sentimental. You wouldn’t have to have a panel defending the gangster film.”

Megan Abbott is the Edgar award-winning author of six novels, including Dare Me, which was chosen as one of the Best Books of 2012 by Amazon and Entertainment Weekly. Gillian Flynn is the author of the literary mysteries Sharp Objects, Dark Places, and the #1 New York Times bestseller, Gone Girl. Laura Lippman is the author of the Tess Monaghan series and has been nominated for virtually every award given to crime novelists in North America—and won most of them, starting with the Edgar for her second novel, Charm City.

From KWLS 2014: The Dark Side: Mystery, Crime, and the Literary Thriller.This recording is available for noncommercial and educational use only. All rights belong to the authors. © Megan Abbott, Gillian Flynn, and Laura Lippman. Used with permission from Megan Abbott, Gillian Flynn, and Laura Lippman.