MARION — These days, the true crime genre has been killing it.

From Netflix programming to whodunit podcasts, stories of murder and mayhem have become horrifically popular.

True crime, he said, “is everywhere,” Jay Pateakos of Marion said. 

Add the Elizabeth Taber Library to that list. 

Pateakos is hosting a true crime book club at the Marion library. The club meets from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month.

“Hopefully it will take off,’’ he said.

Pateakos has experienced true crime firsthand.

A former business reporter at the Fall River Herald News, he worked an occasional “cop shift’’ which required him to cover any crime news that popped up.

And on his shift, he noted, it often would.

One of the more notable stories, he remembered, involved a man in a wheelchair who was cut in half and thrown down the stairs.

The motive? “That was one of those stories where they didn’t really know,’’ he said. But police suspected this was a “drug deal gone bad.’’

Then there was the time when Pateakos responded to reports of a dead body in the middle of a housing complex. Bystanders angrily told him to mind his business. 

But of course, they too were drawn to the scene.

His work with true crime made him a popular guest at his son’s bring-your-parent-to-work day. While doctors and lawyers discussed the life-changing careers, Pateakos shared articles he wrote about true crimes.

“The kids were spellbound,’’ he recalled with a chuckle. 

Their interest does not surprise him. “People are fascinated by morbidity,’’ he said. “Everyone’s fascinated with death’’ even if “they don’t want to admit it.’’

The book club will bring together true crime fans who will read and review a book each month. 

He will lead discussion of the month’s selection and its likely gruesome themes. “‘I’m hoping to get a conversation going about true crime and books,’’ he said. 

Although he serves as the facilitator, he hopes that people will participate in the talks and select books for the next session. The books will be available at the library.

As a former member of the library commission, he knew that new types of book clubs were always under consideration.

And that gave him the idea for what he hopes will prove to be a killer chapter in the library’s listing of book clubs. 

Anyone interested in joining the group or learning more should email Pateakos at jpateakos70@gmail.com.