Crime novels must not ignore computer crime ‹ CrimeReads

When I ask crime fans about their favorite books, they usually name stories that revolve around traditional crimes, the kind of crimes that are common in the genre. Most of the time, these are crime stories, but occasionally I hear recommendations for books that deal with theft, kidnapping, or government corruption. One category of criminal activity, however, is rarely mentioned: cybercrime. No one has yet told me that their favorite book is about a villain who wreaks havoc on a computer.

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Of course, this anecdotal evidence does not necessarily mean that hacking, malware, online stalking, cyberterrorism and other nefarious online activities never appear. Occasionally, these themes crop up in crime novels, typically in the hybrid tech-thriller genre. But by and large, crime novels seem to be more comfortable with cleavers than keyboards. If you go down the list of recent bestsellers in crime fiction, cybercrime barely shows up. (There are, however, several titles featuring serial killers, satanic blood rituals, and the theft of rare books.)

The Internet is now omnipresent in our lives. Why is it so rarely featured in popular literature?

At first glance, one might attribute the lack of cybercrime in novels to mere timing. After all, writing a novel is a laborious process that can take years, and it is plausible that many authors have not yet found ways to seamlessly incorporate the digital world into their narratives. However, this argument falls short upon closer inspection. The World Wide Web was made available to the general public as early as 1991. Authors have had three decades to come to terms with technological change. Groundbreaking authors such as William Gibson portrayed technology-related crimes in their works as early as 1984 in his iconic book The Power of Cybercrime—not just hacking, but also malicious AI. NeuromancerThe truth is that writers and readers have had more than enough time to adapt to the changing technological landscape in literature.

The lack of computer crime in modern fiction could also be explained as a problem of expected market demand. Let us take the example of The Thursday Murder Cluba charming (and best-selling) crime series about old people who live together in a retirement home and solve crimes. Would a novel about a group of seniors fending off cyberattacks sell as well? Hardly. But why?

Readers may perceive cybercrime as less intense or lacking dramatic appeal. A detective discovering a computer virus doesn't have the same emotional impact as discovering a gruesome murder. Yet the 2023 Cybercrime Report reflects the harsh reality: countless people have lost their life savings to cyber fraud, crypto scams, and hacker attacks. And while the FBI is known in crime fiction for pursuing serial killers, it is now sounding the alarm about countries like Iran and China, whose attacks threaten to bring down the entire power grid. The threat of cybercrime is real and cannot be underestimated.

Finally, authors may be reluctant to include computer crime in their works because it is so technically complex. On the other hand, one of the great advantages of writing novels is the ability to control the amount of detail revealed to readers. Dan Brown's Digital Fortress does not explain the intricacies of the NSA's code-breaking technology; instead, it simply establishes its existence and uses it to create a compelling narrative. And remember, some readers actually enjoy a certain level of technical complexity in their fiction if it helps them get drawn into the narrative. Take the success of Andy Weir's The Martianwhich has developed a loyal following due to its detailed scientific explanations and realistic problem-solving. Perhaps crime writers should take a closer look at their colleagues in the field of speculative fiction.

Ultimately, I suspect that the main reason why computer crime is so absent from popular literature is actually a sad one: readers spend so much of their lives interacting with email and screens, and read books partly to escape the stresses of the digital world.

But it's important to remember that we read stories not just to escape reality, but to explore questions of good and evil. As famous crime writer James Ellroy once said, “The crime novel is the great moral literature of our time.” In today's world, where so many moral challenges are intertwined with technology, it would be a grave mistake to ignore computer crime in literature. Moreover, the inclusion of the internet is a more honest portrayal of modern life and reflects how technology often mediates the human experience, including its darker elements. After all, today's stalkers use Instagram, and TikTok fame has had deadly consequences. By incorporating technology, crime writers can increase the moral significance of their work while adding a grim dose of realism.

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