Looks like Robert Beattie might be somewhat pissed

Since he’s been all over the television flogging his soon-to-be finished book on BTK, and lo and behold, he’s beaten to the punch:

NYT bestselling author Carlton Smith’s true crime book about the Wichita, Kansas, serial murderer, dubbed the "BTK Killer," to Charles Spicer at St. Martin’s, by Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (NA).

No word on when Smith’s book will be released, but since this is for SMP’s true crime line, it’ll be pretty soon, I reckon.

UPDATE: Michael Schaub at Bookslut points to this article at the St. Paul Pioneer Press which indicates that maybe the book on BTK’s already been written — sort of:

WICHITA, Kan. — Minnesota mystery writer John Camp (ed. aka John Sandford) hadn’t even heard of BTK, the serial killer charged with 10 counts of murder in Wichita, Kan., until a reporter called him Tuesday afternoon.

But BTK, who police believe is a city codes enforcer named Dennis Rader, seemed to know about Camp’s books.

A photocopied cover of Camp’s novel "Rules of Prey" was inside a package delivered Feb. 16 to KSAS-TV, Wichita’s Fox affiliate. The package is believed to have been sent by BTK (for bind, torture, kill — the method he used on his victims).

…The novel’s protagonist is suave Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport, who matches wits with "the maddog," a lawyer and serial killer who binds, gags and rapes his women victims. After each killing, "the maddog" leaves one of his rules for the cops to find: "Never kill anyone you know; never have a motive; never follow a discernible pattern; never carry a weapon after it has been used; isolate yourself from random discovery; beware of physical evidence."

Although considering BTK was mostly active before RULES OF PREY was even published, it’s hard to lend credence to a palpable connection….