The Sound of Burning: A Mother, a Daughter, a Murder begins the night then fifteen-year-old Kristi D. Osorio's mother murdered her grandmother while the author was in her bedroom down the hall. But this book is not simply about that crime. Instead, Osorio examines the true crime obsession that arose in popular American culture parallel to her life, from early 2000s “copaganda” to the Scream franchise to the more recent podcast boom. She uses her own story to interrogate the ways that true crime narratives often dehumanize the very real people at the center of those stories. Part memoir, part cultural critique, Osorio brings together memory, the lyric, and archival materials to tell her story of coming of age in the shadows of violence.
Forthcoming on October 1, 2026 from the University of Georgia Press. Pre-order here. Cover design by Erin Kirk.
Praise for The Sound of Burning
“In The Sound of Burning, Kristi D. Osorio writes loss and terror with clear, lucid prose, deftly avoiding the sensationalism that plagues the true crime genre. She critiques our thirst for violent narratives, from Law & Order SVU to the Scream franchise, not merely from the position of the oft-exploited survivor-witness, but from the vantage point of a professor and scholar. Osorio’s memoir weaves nuanced cultural analysis with a tale of deep love and enduring grief. I will never forget Betty, and I’m grateful that Osorio has allowed us to know her. This book is a triumph—a lasting tribute to a woman lost too soon and a family forever altered.” ~Sarah Perry, author of After the Eclipse
“The Sound of Burning is a simultaneous love letter to a family fractured and an unapologetic reclamation of the narratives stolen and bent through a sensationalist true-crime lens. Osorio’s writing is fierce, yet she never forgets the power of vulnerability, showing the enduring influence of a grandmother’s love and the tender triumph of setting the record straight. The Sound of Burning will never let you look at true crime the same way again.” ~Courtney Ann LaFaive, author of Follow the Signs: Searching for Linda Goodman, America's Forgotten Astrology Queen
“The story Osorio tells in The Sound of Burning is, sadly, crucial to our history and our culture. One where generational poverty leads to the worst kind of violence: loved one on loved one. How Osorio relays this foundational narrative of American austerity and its too-often aftermath is graceful and moving—truly heartbreaking—especially in her rendering of the mind after devastating loss. Yet through it all, it’s the love, between a girl and her grandmother, that endures in the end, and lingers long after.” ~Jay Baron Nicorvo, author of Best Copy Available: A True Crime Memoir
“Infused with vivifying details. . . . The Sound of Burning is an affecting true crime memoir about murder, trauma, and the aftermath of both.” ~Jeff Fleischer, Foreword Reviews