20 July 2020
When Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck and murdered him, many white people said they were shocked. Perhaps they are shocked because they are used to seeing a different version of that scene: they are experienced in watching fictional portrayals where white law enforcement uses deadly force, the white officer is sympathetic, and the killing is always justified.
Every genre has its preoccupation, and the central preoccupation of crime fiction is justice. But in this moment of political upheaval, where our notions of justice are subject to intense scrutiny, we must ask what role has crime fiction played in getting us here.
