IP Picks 🔎: A WWI POW Escape Drama; a Serial Killer Saga
âž• a real-life ghostwriter whose travels with a tech billionaire go off the rails
Welcome to The Optionist! As always, thanks for reading. A couple of weeks ago, I flagged the story of the romance writer who faked her own death. Recently, the New York Times weighed in with an in-depth piece that elaborates on the story. It’s worth a read, whether you’re interested in trying to develop this story or just enjoy a good crazy scandal. And while we’re updating old stories, the wild Murdaugh murders in South Carolina have received a ton of attention, from podcasts to TV. Now, the New Yorker has a deep dive into this gruesome tale that’s excellent.
Today, we’ve got another fascinating true crime story in which journalism has played a crucial role in advancing the plot (and helping sort out the depth and breadth that can carry a screened adaptation). Also in the mix of available IP in this newsletter:
The true tale of an art forger scamster accused of dismembering his wife
A memoir from a freelance journalist who got sucked into the world of a crazy tech entrepreneur when he was hired to ghostwrite his memoir (surprisingly, this isn’t about Elon Musk)
A rom-com about a woman learns she’s caught in a time loop and must fall in love with a guy she just met to get out of it
A hotly tipped novel about a serial killer whose ordered life unravels when the victim he’s kept chained up for five years befriends his teen daughter and new girlfriend.
The story of a college student whose affair with her writing professor upends her world
The forgotten true story of a daring Allied forces WWI prison break