Two Very Different Sex Scandals Have Shaken The World of Popular Fiction

Two major scandals, one following swiftly upon the heels of another, have recently rocked the world of popular fiction.

On July 3, Tortoise Media accused bestselling novelist and comics creator Neil Gaiman of sexual assault. The accusations came as the result of an investigation by reporter Rachel Johnson of allegations against the 63 year-old author which span two decades.

According to Johnson, Gaiman is a serial philanderer who uses his celebrity to gain sexual favors from fans. The first allegation came from an unnamed woman identified as K who met Gaiman in 2003 at a book signing in Sarasota, Florida. The two began a sexual relationship two years later. During the relationship, K alleges, Gaiman engaged in rough and painful sex that she “neither wanted nor enjoyed.” This behavior apparently included non-consensual intercourse during a time when K was suffering from a painful infection.

The second allegation, from a woman named Scarlett, dates from 2022. At that time Gaiman and his ex-wife, Dresden Dolls singer Amanda Palmer, were living in New Zealand. The couple hired Scarlett in February 2022 to work as a nanny. Scarlett, 21 at the time, claims the assault happened within hours of her meeting Gaiman at his home. Gaiman and Palmer had an unconventional open marriage in which both parties were free to pursue sexual gratification outside the relationship. Scarlett alleges Gaiman’s attentions went far beyond the bounds of a polyamorous affair to include rough and degrading acts, including non-consensual penetration.

Condemnation from the literary community and Gaiman’s fan base has been swift, with Twitter lit up in conversation by those defending or excoriating the author. Gaiman has denied both sets of allegations, claiming that Scarlett’s accusations are colored by false memory syndrome.

Crimes Against Children

The second scandal broke the evening of July 10 when police arrested New York Times best-selling author Brendan DuBois in Exeter, New Hampshire, for possession of child pornography.

Police arrested DuBois, author of the popular Inspector Lewis series of detective novels and long-time collaborator with James Patterson, following execution of a search warrant by the Exeter Police Department. The warrant was the result of an ongoing investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) taskforce. Police began the investigation in March after they received a tip relayed to police by Google regarding images uploaded to a Google drive at an IP address belonging to DuBois.

They executed the warrant on May 7 and conducted a search of the DuBois home on Juniper Road in Exeter, resulting in seizure of an Apple laptop and a Toshiba I terabyte hard drive located in DuBois’ office. The drive contained more than 400,000 images, 5,600 of which police entered into evidence as “possible child abuse content.” According to police, the images include photographs of children ranging from infancy to 12 years old engaged in sexual acts, sometimes with adults. An examination by police of DuBois’ Google history includes searches like “I accidentally saved child porn to my main Google drive” and “How to tell if Google has reported me to the police.”

 DuBois turned himself into police, who arraigned him on July 11.

News of DuBois’ arrest launched a ripple of distress across the publishing industry. Numerous writers who are friends of his have taken to social media to express their sense of personal betrayal over developments. One, speaking on condition of anonymity, has indicated their agent has queried them regarding DuBois. A lengthy thread on the Facebook page of sci-fi grandmaster Adam-Troy Castro has been replete with expressions of shock and disgust. The publishing world is no stranger to controversy, but the arrest of DuBois and details of his alleged crimes represent a macabre low in the annals of literary sex scandals. Another author known to this writer (also speaking anonymously) has raised concerns that there may yet be “more to come.” Who knows what skeletons lurk in the closets of other writers?

Severn River, DuBois’ publisher, was swift to remove DuBois’ author page from its website and immediately suspend sales of his books. In an official statement, Severn noted: “We are deeply disturbed by the serious allegations against Brendan DuBois. While we respect the legal process, we have decided to immediately suspend all promotion and sales of Mr. DuBois’ books. We believe these steps are necessary to uphold our values and maintain the trust of our readers, authors, and the publishing community.” DuBois, a multiple Shamus and Barry award winner, has deleted his Facebook account and has yet to issue a statement.

The two scandals are similar in that both concern allegations of sexual misconduct against established male writers. One, involving DuBois, is the result of a police investigation. The second, Gaiman’s, resulted from allegations publicized via social media. According to sources, police in New Zealand investigated the Gaiman allegations at the time, but laid no charges.

The Internet has changed the way we share news and investigate crimes. The ability to zero in on an offender’s online criminal activity via an IP or e-mail address has provided law enforcement with a tactical advantage against child pornographers and other digital criminals. The instantaneous reach of social media has ensured news of arrests travels quickly. Allegations as yet unconfirmed by police involvement also travel quickly.

Accusations alone are not proof of wrongdoing any more than vigorous denials are necessarily proof of innocence. In the emerging digital landscape, we are recipients of news, as well as attempts to spin news to further a personal or political agenda. In both cases, the lives and reputations of victims and perpetrators suffer. It is worth taking time to distinguish one from the other while trying to understand where the two overlap. Victims deserve justice, but the accused also deserve their day in court. Reason and compassion both play a part in navigating an increasingly confusing and highly charged information environment.