The Girl You Killed by Leslie Wolfe

Leslie Wolfe is a bestselling author whose novels break the mold of traditional thrillers. Leslie published her first novel in 2011. The Girl You Killed is her latest thriller.

Looking at life and relationships

“Like with many things in life, balance is a key component in anything we want to achieve in our lives, and that includes good, fulfilling relationships,” Leslie said. “Some of us enter new relationships wholeheartedly, leaping ahead without looking, in an impulse-shopping kind of way. Then we’re awakened when we realize we’ve made a mistake, and the partner we’ve chosen after giving it next to zero thought is just not a fit. Why would we give the purchase of a new vacuum cleaner more thought than to the person we want to spend a portion of our lives with? It has to do with acceptance, with the hormone oxytocin that we all get high on when we’re loved. It’s difficult to step away from this powerful high, and the voice of reason is muted when it tries to signal red flags such as hints of bad behavior in the new partner or foretelling signs of future problems.”

An observer of human interactions

“I’ve noticed that people who bring balance to the earliest stages of their new relationships have the best chance of uncovering a good romantic fit. If we’re busy being in a bad relationship with Mr. Wrong, then there’s no room for Mr. Right. If we move quickly past someone who leaves to be desired in the early, oxytocin-flooded stages of dating, we create room for Mr. or Ms. Right to show up and woo us the right way. That’s why early red flags should be considered seriously.”

Leslie cited some examples of those red flags—a messy garage filled with old boxes, rudeness in a restaurant, road rage, impulse spending of large amounts, and interrupting when others are speaking.

“If I had to date again, I’d set aside a day each week to go over the new partner’s features and behaviors the way I’d study a car’s technology and performance before signing a lease. Then, I’d act. Move on, or give it another cautiously optimistic try, then reassess at the end of another week. Ultimately, the one thing we must keep front and center in our minds is that we deserve to be happy. We deserve a good relationship with the right partner. The Girl You Killed is a cautionary tale of what could happen if we fail to believe in ourselves and decide to lie to ourselves out of fear of unraveling the romantic dream.” 

A vacation reveals a dangerous secret

During a stay at a beach resort, Leslie witnessed a poor relationship in the early stages. “We kept running into a young couple at the breakfast buffet, the tiki bar, the beach. I was stunned to see how visible the man’s behavior was to us, mere spectators, when his wife probably didn’t realize she was being abused. There was no shred of violence in the man’s behavior. No; he was putting on a show for the entire hotel, holding her hand, buying her flowers. But she wasn’t allowed to wear high heels or use makeup. She wasn’t supposed to go anywhere without him or his explicit permission. She needed approval for any purchases she made. She was so deeply into it she wasn’t even aware that her life was being slowly turned into a nightmare. Deeply unhappy by the looks of it and most likely feeling guilty, she’d resigned herself to obey and follow the man whom she’d married. 

“That trip gave me the idea for The Girl You Killed. In this story, there’s a cautionary tale speaking of too much trust, of the naïveté of a young woman in love and how that can be taken advantage of by a skilled predator with a secret agenda.”

An entertainer at heart. 

“My deepest wish, the one thing that makes my work worthwhile is to know I have offered moments of enjoyment with my stories. My background is science and engineering, and that means that everything I write about must be precise and perfectly researched. If you liked something about my book, what was it? And what made you shake your head in disbelief if anything? All these nuggets of information make me a better author, and with that, a better entertainer.”

On the lighter—or smellier—side

The Girl You Killed features a landfill in Houston, Texas, where the killer dumps a body. Leslie, who’d never been to a landfill, decided she needed to experience the scene up close. Her husband thought she’d lost her mind. “I reminded him of another piece of research I’d done about how someone could smuggle a small, backpack nuke into the country and detonate it unidirectionally. That research made us fear all large, unmarked, black SUVs driving on our cul-de-sac for months! But the landfill visit was worth it. I experienced first-hand the raw and vicious attack on all senses just like the character in my book would.” 

In retrospect, Leslie feels that watching a YouTube video might have been just as helpful. She said, “To be completely honest, I’m grateful my husband was still willing to let me ride home in our car after I finished with my on-site research. The character in my book had to walk home afterwards. Good thing hubby didn’t know that part. At the time, it wasn’t written yet!”

Learn more about Leslie Wolfe at LeslieWolfe.com. Did you like this interview? If so, click here to read more Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.