Els assassins guapos

Using the figure of Luigi Mangione — the student accused of murdering the CEO of the largest health insurance company in the United States and turned into an object of desire by thousands of followers around the world — this book analyzes the dark fascination aroused by beautiful and seductive criminals, as well as the psychological, cultural, social, and legal implications of turning them into pop sex symbols.

The essay explores the disturbing intersection between beauty and crime, showing how physical attractiveness can alter our perception of justice and of evil itself. It examines the role of the media, digital fandom, hybristophilia, and the romanticization of the killer through film, television, literature, and social media.

In addition to relying on exhaustive research into media coverage and viral phenomena, the book incorporates the voices of more than a dozen national and international experts in criminology, neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, communication, popular culture, true crime, and audiovisual media. The result is a rigorous yet accessible, provocative and pop-leaning essay — slightly camp in tone — designed to challenge and entertain a broad audience.

The book also analyzes the significant LGBTQ component of the Mangione phenomenon, a decisive factor in his consolidation as a global pop idol. It examines how the viral spread of his attractiveness fueled the community’s appropriation of his image and his subsequent reclamation as a cultural reference.