Although The Quiet Tenant is fictional, the author makes it a point to draw upon the underlying issues surrounding real-life crimes, and nowhere is this pattern more prominent than when “Rachel” finds herself in a life-or-death situation and recalls the case of Kitty Genovese, who was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death in her Kew Gardens neighborhood of Queens, New York, in 1964 while a number of witnesses did nothing. A New York Times article reporting on the crime suggested that as many as 38 witnesses either heard or saw some portions of the attack but chose not to act. Although recent investigations have determined that number to be exaggerated, the story of Kitty Genovese’s death has become emblematic of what is known as the “bystander effect” and has inspired a multitude of psychological and sociological studies.

Though the “True Crime” genre has surged in popularity in the past few decades, resulting in an explosion of documentaries, television series, and podcasts, such crimes have always fascinated of the American public, standing as a grim warning as well as a source of curiosity. Like Kitty’s, the names of scores of serial killers and their victims have found a lasting place in the public eye, often achieving an almost legendary status within the realm of the macabre.