Love, Obsession, and Manipulation in Ace In The Hole

Research for a play brings a Hollywood actress and playwright into contact with an imprisoned serial killer. In OJ Modjeska’s Ace In The Hole, her hope of turning his notoriety into creative success becomes the starting point for a destructive relationship.

When research becomes entanglement

The playwright initially approaches the killer to understand the mind of a murderer. Her professional ambition places her in a relationship whose risks she underestimates, particularly his ability to manipulate the attention she gives him.

The book follows the consequences as fascination turns toward obsession. The boundary between the violence she imagines for her work and the actions he wants from her becomes increasingly dangerous.

A true-crime account of influence

This is nonfiction about an unusual episode in American criminal history. Its focus is the connection between two people and the leverage one gains over the other. That individual relationship gives readers a specific case through which to consider manipulation and misplaced confidence.

Readers interested in manipulation, ambition, and the risks of intimacy with a violent offender can explore that particular case through Modjeska’s account.