The rise in popularity of true crime books is a relatively modern phenomenon. True crime books regularly land in the top ten lists of best selling nonfiction books, as well as provide the basis for a goodly percentage of movies, streaming series, and podcasts.
In fact, the Pew Research Center reports that true crime is the most popular podcast topic, with 24% of the top-ranked podcasts featuring murders, scandals, and other criminal acts.
If we look back at the tradition of true crime books, two modern classics stand out as ones molded the genre of true crime books: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi.
Capote used compelling fictional techniques to tell the story of a gruesome true crime, and Bugliosi conveyed vivid and shocking details previously deemed too disturbing to reveal to the public.
Both books were immediate successes and garnered much praise for their groundbreaking approach to storytelling. Both also were blasted with accusations of blurring the line between journalism and fiction, exploiting tragedy for personal gain, and sensationalizing horror and violence.
Given all the controversy, why do we still seek out true crime? What is behind our fascination? Explanations range from seeking the adrenaline rush, to morbid curiosity, to a desire to understand how such horrific things can happen in our civilized times.
As humans, we have an underlying desire to maintain control over the chaos of our world, and arguably the modern world is even more chaotic than ever. When criminals are caught, our trust in our personal safety, and that of our society as a whole, is restored.
Take that, all you serial killers, scam artists, and evil-doers of all stripes! These books are proof that justice will prevail.
Best True Crime Books
More classics of the field, in addition to the above-mentioned Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood and Vincent Bugliosi’s Helter Skelter, include:
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule, 1980
In the 1970s, Ann Rule worked at a suicide hotline alongside Ted Bundy and considered him a friend. In time, Bundy would be tried and executed for the murders of 30 victims, and Rule would go on to become a prolific author of true crime books and articles.
The Stranger Beside Me was her first book, an evocative work which combined her personal knowledge of the man himself with incisive reporting on his crimes.
Fatal Vision, Joe McGinniss, 1983
An unnerving and true story of Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, a handsome and well-educated physician and military officer, convicted of slaying his pregnant wife and their two small children, murders he steadfastly and vehemently denied committing.
Best-selling author Joe McGinniss chronicled every aspect of this horrifying and complicated crime, examining the life and psyche of a man who seemed to have it all. The chilling murders and the suspenseful multiple trials and appeals captured the attention of the public for decades.
The Executioner’s Song, Norman Mailer, 1979
Mailer won the Pulitzer Prize for this true crime recounting of events leading up to the execution of Gary Gilmore. Gilmore was convicted of two cold-blooded murders and insisted on his own execution even though the legal system of the time was geared toward appeals to prolong his life.
Mailer based his book on exhaustive interviews with those who knew Gilmore—family, friends, law enforcement officials, and legal representatives, as well as those who knew and mourned his victims. Mailer also adapted a screenplay from his own book, which was made into a television movie in 1982. The movie won an Emmy award for Tommy Lee Jones who portrayed Gilmore.
The Valachi Papers: The First Inside Account of Life in the Cosa Nostra, Peter Maas, 1968
As the first ever government witness coming from inside the criminal organization of the Mafia itself, Joseph Valachi’s televised testimony in 1963 was a national sensation. Journalist Maas based this biography of Valachi on personal interviews and Valachi’s hand-written autobiography, as well as Maas’s own coverage of the investigations.
Valachi’s extraordinary memory for names, dates, and where the bodies were buried provided the facts that lead to the arrest and conviction of many within the organization who were previously protected by a rigid code of silence.
New True Crime Books from the 2020s
This list includes true crimes ripped from today’s headlines as well as in-depth studies of crimes of the past. Here are torrid stories of murders, kidnappings, grand thefts, scams, impostors and their deceptions, love triangles, unsolved crimes, and criminal organizations, as well as exculpations of innocents wrongly accused of criminal acts.
Books are presented in order of most recent publication date, even though some of the crimes occurred in previous decades.
A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown’s Most Shocking Crime, Casey Sherman, 2024
In 1950s Hollywood, Lana Turner seemed to have it made. A thriving film career, a beautiful daughter, and the fame and fortune most people only dream of. Yet it all came apart when she began to date mobster Johnny Stompanato, whose intense jealousy turned her personal life into a disastrous sequence of violent emotional and physical abuse. Inevitably real life eclipsed Hollywood drama, and the tormentor ended up dead on the bedroom floor.
Sherman’s skill as a best-selling author is evident in this exposé of the golden age of film, telling the story of how Turner and her daughter finally stood up for themselves against the toxic masculinity and casual violence towards women that permeated the industry of the time.
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, Michael Finkel, 2023
Stéphane Bréitwieser was not only a French art thief notorious for his thefts between 1994 and 2001, he was the most prolific art thief of all time, pulling off more than 200 heists before he was caught. Most of his thefts were perpetrated in crowded museums during broad daylight, using only his Swiss army knife and a screwdriver.
With his girlfriend acting as his lookout and accomplice, Bréitwieser stole an estimated US$2 billion worth of paintings, figurines, musical instruments, antique weapons, chalices, silver sculptures, tapestries, engravings, and other assorted objects d’arte, all of which he kept on display in his attic bedroom for his private enjoyment, never selling his treasure hoard.
This book details his criminal activity, how he was able to make away with famous pieces, as well as the pathological psychology that led him to perpetrate the thefts. His insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost fueled him to commit thefts on the average of one every two weeks.
In conjunction with the story of the thefts is the development of more sophisticated police procedures regarding the recovery of artworks and the technological advances in the prevention of art theft across Europe. It was these techniques which paved the way to identify Bréitwieser as the culprit and led to his arrest.
Murder Book: A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession, Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, 2021
“Why is it so much fun to read about death and dismemberment?” New Yorker cartoonist Campbell explores this question in her unconventional analysis, presented in the style of sequential illustrated panels.
As a lifelong Ann Rule super-fan and amateur armchair sleuth, Campbell’s book digs into her personal fascination with high-profile murders, blending memoir with humor, cultural and social observations, and thoughtful insights into the genre of true crime, all while giving due attention to the sometimes overlooked victims of infamous killers.
The Greatest Hoax on Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can, Alan C. Logan, 2020
In 1980, infamous confidence man, forger, and escape artist, Frank Abagnale, wrote a book called Catch Me If You Can, which captured the imagination of readers and then film fans when the story was made into a movie in 2002.
From this, Abagnale built up a thriving business as a consultant to prevent frauds similar to the ones described in his book. But some questioned the authenticity of his advice, including Alan C. Logan. Logan’s investigation meticulously compiled details, collecting evidence from victims, their families, and other witnesses, and disproving Abagnale’s claims of being a successful impostor living the millionaire’s life.
The facts and testimony show how the con man’s greatest success was his audaciously fraudulent autobiography. This is the true story of the hoax within a hoax, exposing the con man’s claims as lies. In this era of deep fakes, this absorbing exposé provides a thought-provoking corollary to the question of who can we trust.
The Kidnap Years: The Astonishing True History of the Forgotten Kidnapping Epidemic That Shook Depression-Era America, David Stout, 2020
Stout’s book makes for a surprisingly timely read, published at a time when a pandemic was sweeping the world, killing thousands of people and crippling economies.
The Kidnap Years looks back at the Great Depression and uncovers a forgotten crime epidemic that swept across a financially drained population: kidnapping. Astonishingly active criminal rings formed in cities and towns across America, preying on citizens up and down the economic ladder.
Reading about it now, we are reminded how fragile the social fabric can be, and how quickly things can descend in times of widespread turmoil.
True Crime Books From the 2010s
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara, 2018
This award-winning book by a true-crime journalist has been hailed as an original and compelling modern classic of the true crime genre.
McNamara became determined to track down the violent psychopath who committed 50 sexual assaults and ten sadistic murders across California before seeming to disappear, evading the multiple police forces and detectives attempting to bring him to justice. McNamara gave this criminal the nickname “the Golden State Killer,” and the information she collected would eventually lead to his arrest and conviction.
The search became an obsession for her as she combed through police reports and interviewed survivors, as well as actively participating in online communities dedicated to exposing the killer. The book provides a chilling account of a truly reprehensible mind and the horrific aftermath he left in the wake of his crimes.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, David Grann, 2017
In the 1920s, the richest people in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma after oil was discovered beneath their land. Then, one by one, the Osage were killed off. They were shot, poisoned, and found dead under mysterious circumstances. Many of those who dared to investigate the killings wound up murdered themselves, which brought the case to the attention of the newly created Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Under their young director, J. Edgar Hoover, the fledgling agency took up the investigation, determined to stop the killings and uncover the twisted and chilling conspiracy behind the murders. Hoover put a former Texas Ranger, Tom White, in charge of bringing justice to the Native American victims, and White and his undercover team did just that. The book became the basis for the 2023 movie directed by Martin Scorsese.
Blood Cold: Fame, Sex, and Murder in Hollywood, Dennis McDougal and Mary Murphy, 2015
Award-winning journalist Dennis McDougal and entertainment-media expert Mary Murphy came together to create this exclusive reconstruction regarding the murder of Bonny Lee Bakley, whose husband, actor Robert Blake, was charged with her shooting death in 2001.
The book chronicles this bizarre case with never-before-published details of Blake’s and Bakley’s checkered pasts, the sequence of events on the night of the crime, and the dark circumstances of their marriage that ended with the cold-blooded murder.
The couple’s histories were possibly more sensational than any movie, and this book chronicles the backstories of both Blake and Bakley, from their troubled youths, their disaster of a marriage, Blake’s flagging career and Bakley’s con artist scams, including online sex scams which netted her big money and dangerous enemies. In true noir style, McDougal and Murphy explore the lives of two violent people who came together like a train wreck, with their love gone terribly wrong.
An extra bonus for those who want to know more about this case, check out the seven episode podcast series: The Execution of Bonny Lee Bakley, an in-depth investigation of Bakley, her murder, and her connections to Hollywood celebrities including her husband Robert Blake.
The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust, Diana B. Henriques, 2011
New York Times’ journalist Diana Henriques led her newspaper’s coverage of this headline-grabbing scandal since the day the story broke, giving her a particularly advantageous view of the story as it unfolded.
The book reads like a true-life thriller, following Madoff’s rise to a position of trust and respect on Wall Street through his self-destructive downfall and arrest as the man who pulled off the biggest Ponzi scheme in history. Madoff bilked friends, relatives, and business associates alike, making away with US$65 billion.
Henriques delivers a thorough and in-depth study of the man and his scheme, drawing on her access to first-hand interviews, documents from lawsuits, government investigations, and court filings, some of which contradicted the swirling gossip and myths that clouded the facts. Henriques also recounts the heartbreaking effect of those swindled, the business failures, the shut-down charities, the broken families, and the suicides that followed in the wake of financial ruin brought on by Madoff’s frauds.
Good True Crime Books Published in 2000s
The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, John Grisham, 2006
John Grisham is better known for his best selling fiction, but his real-life passion for justice led him to write the story of a former minor league baseball player wrongly convicted in 1988 of the rape and murder of a young cocktail waitress.
After 11 years on death row, the Innocence Project re-examined the evidence and testimony that convicted Ronald Williamson of Ada, Oklahoma, exposing errors and irregularities in the trial which lead to the case being reopened. Finally in 1999, with unreliable witness reports thrown out and gaps in the prosecution’s case brought to light, new DNA evidence exonerated Williamson of the crime. In 2018, Netflix released The Innocent Man, a 6-part documentary series based on this book.
As a bonus for fans of Grisham and for avid readers of justice for all, a new book is coming out in October 2024:
Framed, John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, October 2024
Grisham worked with McCloskey of Centurion Ministries, an organization dedicated to vindicating innocent people who have been wrongly convicted. Ten true stories offer an inside look at missteps in the criminal justice system in cases where the innocent were found guilty.
Impeccably researched, with the kind of page-turning suspense expected from a best-selling author like John Grisham, this book shows how the truth will out, even when all seems lost.
The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, Philip Carlo, 2006
Top mob hit man, devoted family man, and doting father, Richard “The Iceman” Kuklinksi lived a double life for over 30 years. To many, he was the congenial host of backyard barbecues and affectionate husband and father to his three children. To others, he was a ruthless and efficient hired killer, who for an additional price would torture victims before he murdered them.
By his own estimate, he killed over 200 men, taking great pride in his work. Phillip Carlo relates Kuklinski’s astonishing story based on extensive face-to-face interviews with the convicted killer and his family.
Black Dahlia Avenger: The True Story, by Steve Hodel, 2003
The story of the unsolved murder of the beautiful young actress known as the Black Dahlia has puzzled and intrigued readers since her mutilated body was discovered in Los Angeles in 1947. Her body had been surgically bisected and posed in a vacant lot, shocking even hardened homicide detectives.
The manhunt for her killer was the largest in LA history at the time. The killer even imitated the infamous Jack the Ripper in sending taunting notes to the police, but the case was never solved.
Steve Hodel, a retired LAPD detective took up the cold case as a private investigator, using his years of experience to guide him through the original evidence, as well as investigations into a series of other murders of single women in LA at the time. Hodel’s research uncovered the prime suspect who had been identified but never indicted, and the massive police cover-up protected this Jekyll and Hyde individual who escaped justice.
True Crime Novels Published in the 1990s
Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea: The History and Discovery of the World’s Richest Shipwreck, Gary Kinder, 1998
Sunken ships full of treasure always capture a reader’s imagination, and in this best selling account, the ship and its treasure are true to life.
At an early age, inventor and engineer Tommy Thompson developed an obsession with the discovery of the lost ship, SS Central America, a side-wheel steamer traveling from the California gold fields in 1875. The ship floundered in a violent storm with loss of all life and millions in gold aboard.
Thompson used early sonar technology, intensive historic research, and an underwater robot of his own design to search the deep water where the ship likely had sunk. His innovative algorithms lead Thompson to identify the SS Central America on the ocean floor in 1989, after which he recovered her treasure of gold coins, bars, nuggets, and dust, along with steamer trunks full of period clothes, newspapers, books, and journals.
But the story of the shipwreck goes beyond the hunting and the prize-taking. While seeking funding to search for the ship, an anxious Thompson negotiated with his overanxious investors, impatient crew, and a competing salvage team, and faced a wealth of naysayers skeptical of his techniques and strategies. Additionally, he was hampered by unstable weather, untested and experimental technology, and unscrupulous rivals for the riches from the depths.
The complex and rags-to-riches story continues even today. An updated version of the book is scheduled to be released in 2025, and a three part documentary from National Geographic called Cursed Gold reviews the fate of Tommy Thompson and the treasure as it stands at the present time.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt, 1994
A death in a stately mansion, was it murder or self defense?
Author John Berendt gives readers a first-person account of life in the city of Savannah, with its haunting beauty and old southern charm on one side, and its remarkable mix of society ladies, a restless gigolo, shrewd businessmen, con artists, traditional southern belles, and a voodoo priestess on the other, all intermingling in a convoluted tale where everyone knows everyone else and no one wants to tell.
Berendt skillfully weaves his insightful and witty observations to untangle the facts surrounding the infamous shooting, recounting the unexpected turns of the subsequent four murder trials that followed. From couples dancing the minuet at a débutante ball to a drag queen who gleefully crashed the same, the city and its citizens of the time are showcased in this book, praised as a “morbidly fascinating, beautifully written book” by the Savannah Morning News.
The Doctor, the Murder, the Mystery: The True Story of the Dr. John Branion Murder Case, Barbara D’Amato , 1992
Dr. John Branion was found guilty of murdering his wife in their posh Chicago home in 1968. After exhausting his appeals, he evaded authorities by fleeing to Africa only to be recaptured in 1983.
Acclaimed mystery writer Barbara D’Amato was drawn to this story two decades after the murder as Dr. Branion languished in prison. Her meticulous research repeatedly led her to the startling conclusion that it was impossible for Dr. Branion to have committed this crime and that the murder could not have unfolded the way the police alleged.
In this award-winning account, D’Amato explores the riveting circumstances of this case, from blunders made by the original investigators to Branion’s arrest, conviction, and his years on the run, practicing medicine in Africa as a fugitive from justice. The result is an indictment of the criminal system and the vindication of an innocent man.
And the Sea Will Tell, Vincent Bugliosi and Bruce B. Henderson, 1991
This true crime book recounts the sensational trial of a presumed double murder on a pleasure ship at sea, co-written by Vincent Bugliosi who defended one of the accused.
A stolen ketch was identified and the couple in possession were arrested for theft, but there was no evidence at that time of the whereabouts of the previous owners. Later on the skeletal remains were found and identified, and the thieves, Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns were charged with murder, and the sensational and complicated case was brought to trial.
Bugliosi’s personal involvement and detailed descriptions helped bring this book to number 1 on the New York Times best seller list in 1991 and a television movie was made the same year.
Best True Crime Memoirs
My Story, Elizabeth Smart and Chris Stewart, 2013
Autobiographical true story of abduction and survival. Kidnapped from her home by a religious fanatic and his wife when she was 14, Elizabeth Smart tells her own story of courage and determination in the face of the ever present danger, violence, and taunting threats by her captors to kill herself and her family if she tried to escape.
Smart describes how she maintained hope despite the constant fear looming over her during the nine months before she was rescued, and explains how her faith helped her move past the nightmare, face her kidnappers during their trial, and rebuild her life afterward, picking up the pieces after the ordeal was over. In the years after her rescue, Smart has taken up the role of advocate, working to educate, inspire, and promote change in the prevention of crimes against children.
As a frequent public speaker and the founder of an organization to protect children from suffering as she did, Smart continues to show that brutality can be overcome and justice is achievable.
The Red Parts: A Memoir, Maggie Nelson, 2007
Maggie Nelson documents how the murder case of her aunt, a first-year law student at the University of Michigan, was reopened more than 30 years after her death when new DNA findings pointed to a new suspect. Attending the trial brought fresh dread for the family, reopening old wounds and stirring memories thought long ago laid underground.
Along with Nelson’s account of the trial is a thought-provoking essay regarding the obsession with violence against women, the nature of grief, the shadow of an unsolved murder haunting her childhood, and how justice for the aunt who was murdered before she was born was a heartbreakingly long time coming.
My Dark Places: An L.A. Crime Memoir, James Ellroy, 1996
When best-selling crime fiction author James Ellroy was 10 years old, his mother’s body was found in a small town outside Los Angeles. The killer was never caught and the case remains unsolved to this day.
Part harrowing autobiography and part blunt, graphic reportage of criminal investigations, Ellroy chronicles in this book how his mother’s murder affected his development as he grew to adulthood, and his later-day attempts to gather the facts of her murder as a cold case. It is a gripping story about a failed murder investigation, revealing Ellroy’s candid journey through grief over time.
This non-fiction book was a Time best book of the year and a New York Times notable book for 1996.
True crime books seem to be destined to top best seller lists for the foreseeable future. Perhaps the real world is more terrifying than any fiction, and as long as there are criminals in our midst, we will continue to seek out books that show us that crime doesn’t pay and justice will triumph in the end.