Serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells left a path of destruction across the U.S. from 1979 through 1999. It is believed he murdered 22 people, including several children (although he puts the figure at 70). A steady pursuit of self-gratification and self-preservation characterized him. Sells' teetered precariously between periods of working, staying sober, and having a relationship with a woman, to (when things boiled over in his life), abusing alcohol and cocaine, getting fired or quitting his job, committing petty crimes, and killing people. This cycle repeated itself year after year. A Study in Crime speaks with crime writer and author Diane Fanning.

Crime Writer, Author, and Edgar Award Nominee Diane Fanning
Diane is the Edgar Award-nominated, best-selling author of 15 true crime books and 11 mysteries. And recipient of the Innocence Project’s, Defender of Innocence Award. She has appeared on the Today Show, 20/20, Forensic Files, Snapped, The Biography Channel, Investigation Discovery, E!, and the BBC, and served as a consultant on 48 Hours and 14 seasons of Deadly Women. HBO Max and Lifetime, each optioned one of her books for a limited series and a movie. A former resident of South Texas, Diane now lives in the shadow of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in Bedford, Virginia. 
Find her here: Website, Facebook, (Main) Facebook (True Crime), Facebook (Lucinda Pierce), Facebook (Scandal in the Secret City), X, and Instagram.

Notes This episode contains subject matter that may be inappropriate for some audiences. Listener discretion is advised.  Diane Fanning's books include one anthology: Red Boots & Attitude (2002), and 11 fiction titles: 

Bite the Moon (2007)
The Trophy Exchange (2008)
Punish the Deed (2009)
Mistaken Identity (2010)
Twisted Reason (2011)
False Front (2012)
Wrong Turn (2013)
Chain Reaction (2014)
Scandal in the Secret City (2014)
Treason in the Secret City (2016)
Sabotage in the Secret City (2018)

And 15 non-fiction titles:

Through the Window (2003)
Into the Water (2004)
Written in Blood (2005) Edgar Award finalist
Gone Forever (2006)
Baby Be Mine (2006)
Under the Knife (2007)
Out There (2007)
The Pastor’s Wife (2008)
A Poisoned Passion (2009)
Mommy’s Little Girl (2009)
Her Deadly Web (2012)
Sleep My Darlings (2013)
Under Cover of the Night (2014)
Bitter Remains (2016)
Death on the River (2019)

Sources for this episode include:  Through the Window: The Terrifying True Story of Cross-Country Killer Tommy Lynn Sells by Diane Fanning.

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A Study in Crime is written and produced by private investigator Scott Fulmer. He is the author of the true-crime memoir, Confessions of a Private Eye, and a decorated Gulf War veteran. A nationally known private eye, he has conducted investigations throughout the U.S.; everything from fraud, theft, and cheating spouses, to murder, kidnapping, and missing persons. Scott lives in the Texas hill country near San Antonio. 

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