A double doorbell notification from an app, humorously referencing “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” signals gruesome death in Gretchen McNeil’s new book “#MurderTrending.” Huddled at her desk for nine weeks, the UCLA alumna said she produced a seemingly simple narrative following a teenager wrongly convicted of murder, layering it with broader commentary about the omnipresence of social media. Read more...
Photo: Alumna Gretchen McNeil’s upcoming novel “#MurderTrending” takes place in a future where government-sanctioned executions are livestreamed via an app. Meant to serve as a commentary on the impact of social media, McNeil said the books reveals how the internet can magnify society’s worst impulses. The young adult novel will be released Tuesday. (Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin senior staff)