“People… are still left with questions about how they could have brought themselves to do such awful deeds.”

Calvin Trillin is a renowned journalist. In Killings he delivers stories about deaths and the people behind the crime. This is the first of his work I’ve read. Some of my favorites from this collection are stories of humanity and how there is no escape from working through problems instead of just taking a life. Trillin’s subtle humor shows up mostly in the beginning and ending of each story showing that killing never makes the situation easier and only points to the desperation of people. 

Three of my favorites are The Father-son Operation (choosing work over relationship leads to sin and we all need connection), Rumors Around Town (communities need talk to understand how murder happens), and Covering the Cops (about Edna Buchanan, a reporter in Miami who has covered thousands of murders).  I liked Trillin’s writing and will read more of his work.