Any regular reader of this column knows I love true crime. My DVR can record six shows at once, and four of them are always true crime. I have watched every episode of Snapped half a dozen times. When Oxygen announced that the channel was going to focus on crime I did a happy dance. If a man I am dating were to be murdered, I would be the No. 1 suspect. Not because I took out a hefty insurance policy , but because what investigators will find in my home. When they check my computer, they will find lots of crime-related research, such as sites with information on poisons, etc. Then they will look at my kindle. Alongside solitaire, Washington Post and Vanity Fair is all true crime. This is because, like every other writer, I am writing the great American novel featuring crime, poison and tortured souls. Every bookshelf is laden with true crime. I have read hundreds of books on it. Some are tripe, and others are great. This week I read what I consider to be the best true crime of all time. It is "Dangerous Ground," written by M. William Phelps. It recounts his five years of talking to Keith "Happy Face" Jesperson, a serial killer. Phelps, who hosted a show on serial killers, had used him as an off-screen expert. His real name was never used; viewers heard his voice and he was called Raven. When the series ended, Phelps kept thinking about him. He wanted to figure out what made him tick. I became interested in true crime because I wanted to know what made James Jones tick. Countless books, movies and documentaries later, I still do not know. The process is often more important than the end game. Phelps has written an eloquent, elegant and insightful look into the mind of a serial killer. Happy Face killed eight women. Phelps also offers insight on his own life; it is not all rainbows and moonbeams. He talks about the murder of his brother's common law wife Diane.

Moving on to soaps, they have came along way, baby, but not far enough. Soaps have learned how to use technology, new moral codes and changes in society. Yet they still treat mental health issues like the movie "Snake Pit." Sanitariums are hell, psychatrists are cunning evil doers. All soaps are guilty of it. "The Young and The Restless" is the chief offender, as we see when poor Sharon has a breakdown. While she is in the hospital, a dangerous doctor impregnated Sharon, making her think the baby she was carrying was actually hers. And now we have Chloe. Her doctor is presented as a lunatic. In the story, Chloe has been psychotic and murderous. Does Chloe need medication and therapy? You bet. She lives in Genoa City land. What Chloe needs is to run off with her baby daughter and her ex-husband Kevin. What a terrible message to send to viewers. Soaps should spread the message that says if you need help, it is out there. Health is not getting off your meds and running off with the love of your life. It is getting the right treatment.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.