10 Books that Influenced Letters to the Purple Satin Killer by Joshua Chaplinsky

My new book, Letters to the Purple Satin Killer, comes out August 6^th from CLASH Books. It is a dark epistolary novel that explores the aftermath of a serial killer’s crimes via the correspondence he receives while on death row. What sets it apart from other similarly structured novels is that it’s comprised solely of letters written to the titular killer. None of them are from him. We learn everything we know about Jonas Williker through other people, many of whom have never met him. 

So how did I go about building a character out of the space left vacant by second hand accounts? By starting with a strong foundation of influences. I dug deep into the stacks and pulled from some of the best serial killer, true crime, and epistolary novels of the past. This list could have easily been twice as long, but in the interest of concision, here are 10 books that helped inform the writing of Letters to the Purple Satin Killer.

The Collector by John Fowles

This is the classic story of boy sees girl, boy kidnaps girl and locks her in his cellar. Told first from the kidnapper’s POV and then through letters written by his captive, The Collector makes great use of not only the epistolary format, but of the vagaries of perspective. It also proves that incels existed long before the internet gave them a voice.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Lewis’s classic satire plays out as a series of letters between an elder demon and his naïve, inexperienced nephew. It’s one of the first epistolary novels I can remember reading. At the time it might have been a bit beyond me, thematically, but it made an impression, and it’s a book I’ve revisited a number of times over the years—including while I was writing LTTPSK.

American Psycho: The AM2000 Emails

American Psycho might be THE seminal serial killer novel, but an even bigger influence on LTTPSK would be the AM2000 emails that were released in conjunction with Mary Harron’s film adaptation. They weren’t written by Ellis, but emulate his style, and are very much a product of the early aughts, using the then-unheard of notion of online therapy—or “therap-e”—as their central conceit. 

The Sluts by Dennis Cooper

This is a big one. The Sluts is a compilation of fictional correspondence between members of an online community obsessed with the degradation and murder of a beautiful sex worker named Brad. It is an orgy of conflicting reports and unreliable narrators. It is also one of the darkest books on a list of very dark books. 

The End of Alice by A. M. Homes

Speaking of dark, how about a book where an incarcerated pedophile exchanges letters with a young woman who wants to seduce a 12 year old boy? Yeah, that’s dark. It’s also infinitely compelling, and pushes the boundaries of what type of stories “literary” novels are allowed to tell. 

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

This is probably one of the more obvious influences on the character of Jonas Williker and his narrative arc. Bundy’s charismatic courtroom shenanigans are the stuff of legend. I didn’t want my killer to be an antisocial cliché. I wanted him to have personality. Rule’s correspondence with Bundy really highlights the dichotomy of the person you think you know and the killer lurking inside them.  

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

This graphic memoir influenced LTTPSK in a number of ways. Whereas Ted Bundy was one of the major touchstones as far as timeline is concerned, Backderf and his relationship with a young Dahmer informed many of the social interactions between Jonas Williker and the people from his past. 

Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates

Another one inspired by Dahmer. This one’s a fictional account of a guy who kidnaps young men and attempts to “re-wire” their brains (via amateur surgery) to create the perfect sexual slave. Even though his attempts are largely unsuccessful, don’t feel bad—in the end he comes to realize that it’s the journey, not the destination, that truly matters. 

From Hell by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell

A fictionalized account of real-life events told via the medium of comics, based on the notorious Whitechapel Murders perpetrated by Jack the Ripper in Victorian era England. Despite being based on now-debunked theories, From Hell is still a great example of the power of myth, weaving history and conspiracy into a single bloody fabric.

Mindhunter by John E. Douglas

A classic of the true crime genre, Mindhunter is a great source of reference for the creation of law enforcement types as well as a crash course in criminal profiling. If you are looking for the quintessential true crime read, this is the book for you. 

Letters to the Purple Satin Killer by Joshua Chaplinsky

Jonas Williker is considered one of the most sadistic serial murderers of the modern era. This epistolary novel explores the aftermath of his arrest and the psychological trauma of those who lived through it.

The Pennsylvania native brutalized his way into the zeitgeist during the early part of the new millennium, leaving a trail of corpses across five states before his eventual arrest. All told, Williker was responsible for the rape and murder of 23 women, and is suspected in the deaths of dozens more. His calling card-a torn piece of fabric found on or inside the bodies of his victims—helped popularize his now ubiquitous nickname.

The Purple Satin Killer. 

In the years following his arrest, Jonas Williker received hundreds of letters in prison. Collected here, these letters offer a unique glimpse into a depraved mind through a human lens, including contributions from family, the bereaved, and self-professed “fans.” They represent a chilling portrait of the American psyche, skewering a media obsessed culture where murderers are celebrities to revere. What you learn about the man from these letters will shock you, but not as much as what you learn about yourself.

Joshua Chaplinsky is the author of ‘Letters to the Purple Satin Killer’, ‘The Paradox Twins’, ‘Whispers in the Ear of A Dreaming Ape’, and ‘Kanye West—Reanimator.’ His short fiction has been published by Vice, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Thuglit, Severed Press, PMMP, Expat Press, and Broken River Books.

He was the Managing Editor of LitReactor.com (2011-2023). Follow him on Instagram, Twitter, & TikTok at @jaceycockrobin. More info at joshuachaplinsky.com.

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