Cops: Writer Who Dreamed Up Tale of Murders Committed Some

Police in China have arrested a well-known author who had already chosen the title for his next novel, reports the Guardian: The Beautiful Writer Who Killed. And that's what authorities allege Liu Yongbiao did more than 20 years ago. The Times of London reports Liu had been born into poverty in a rural area, and police say Liu and a second man allegedly came up with a way to get some money: rob guests staying in accommodations in the eastern city of Huzhou on the night of Nov. 29, 1995. A victim who tried to resist was bludgeoned to death, and in a bid to cover their tracks, police claim the men did the same to the guesthouse operators and their 13-year-old grandson. What makes the case especially eerie are the words found in the introduction to Liu's latest novel, The Guilty Secret, which Sixth Tone reports was published in 2010.

In the intro, he reportedly tells readers about his planned follow-up, The Beautiful Writer Who Killed, and its plot: a number of people die at the hands of a female author ... who manages to sidestep authorities. It's not the only drama to flow from Liu, with the Guardian reporting the 53-year-old allegedly greeted the authorities who had come to collect him last Friday by saying, "I've been waiting for you here all this time." Police had few things to go on at the time of the murders: the guesthouse's two unknown guests that night had Anhui accents, used towels, and left shoe prints, reports China Daily. Fingerprints found at the scene went nowhere, but advancements in DNA testing recently moved the case forward; investigators reportedly took a sample of Liu's blood last month. (This children's book author may have given her killer an idea.)