The 19 best true crime books, from the investigation of the Golden State Killer to a Truman Capote classic

A true crime investigation into the Golden State Killer

“I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” by Michelle McNamara, available on Amazon and Bookshop

The Golden State Killer terrorized California for more than 10 years, committing more than 50 sexual assaults and 10 violent murders before disappearing. Though the police were unable to identify or locate the man, Michelle McNamara was an investigative journalist who was determined to bring him to justice. This book is the fast-paced account of her efforts, and a compelling accumulation of years of dedicated work. Michelle McNamara passed away suddenly during her investigation, but her lead researcher and her husband, Patton Oswalt, collaborated to finish this story, a compelling accumulation of years of dedicated work.

A literary true crime classic

“In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote, available on Amazon and Bookshop

“In Cold Blood” is a true crime classic, one that reconstructs a senseless murder of four family members in 1959 Kansas, each killed by a shotgun blast inches from their faces. Truman Capote’s writing reads like a thriller as he breeds suspense through journalistic research of the crime, the investigation, and the ultimate execution of the killers. This is an in-depth look at the criminals who left almost no clues for the investigators, a book that was once required reading in many schools and now a favorite amongst true crime readers for the depth of characterization and Truman’s unique and alluring use of language.

A detailed dive into decades of Hollywood abuse

“Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators” by Ronan Farrow, available on Amazon and Bookshop

The investigative story of the abuses and cover-ups surrounding Harvey Weinstein, this true crime book reads like a thriller. Ronan Farrow is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist who fought against an elaborate web of lies to expose the outrageous truths of predatory sexual and harassment in Hollywood, not only from Weinstein but from an industry of offenders who abused their power and silenced their victims. While many readers are likely familiar with this story due to its high publicity, Farrow’s elaborate takedown of powerful abusers is worth reading about in detail. 

An inside look into an elaborate con

“Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup” by John Carreyrou, available on Amazon and Bookshop

Elizabeth Holmes was the CEO of Theranos, a company that revolutionized the medical industry with a machine that would make blood tests faster and easier. Seen as the female Steve Jobs and hailed as a genius across the media, Elizabeth’s net worth quickly rocketed to $4.7 billion and her company to $9 billion — until it was discovered that her product didn’t work. The book outlines how one woman managed to defraud medical facilities, FDA researchers, and her own employees, a story of unparalleled corporate fraud and unchecked greed.

A deep-rooted true crime conspiracy resulting in a string of murders

“Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” by David Grann, available on Amazon and Bookshop

When oil was discovered beneath the land of the native Osage in Oklahoma in the 1920s, they became some of the richest people in the world. But, slowly, the Osage were being killed or dying under mysterious circumstances. As the death toll reached 24, the newly established FBI began to investigate. Famously corrupt at the time, the FBI failed to solve the case until the director teamed up with one of the only Indigenous agents to uncover the mystery around one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history. This shocking historical injustice is an important piece of purposefully buried history that needs to be told.

A spotlight on a bloody guerilla campaign and its civilian victims

“Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland” by Patrick Radden Keefe, available on Amazon and Bookshop

“The Troubles” was a 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland that began as an effort to end discrimination of the Catholic, nationalist minority. It was a guerilla campaign, with more than half of the people killed being civilians, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) responsible for most of the deaths. “Say Nothing” is the story of the brutal murders committed in the name of this campaign, including that of Jean McConville in 1972, a mother of 10 who was abducted from her home and whose body wasn’t discovered until 2003. This is an intricate narrative that used over 100 interviews to construct a portrait of the lasting repercussions of this conflict.

A shocking true crime memoir of survival and forgiveness

“The Pale-Faced Lie” by David Crow, available on Amazon and Bookshop

This is a memoir of true crime, the story of David Crow’s unlikely survival and success despite a chaotic and traumatic upbringing. David grew up on the Navajo Reservation with his ex-convict father who viciously manipulated him into criminal demands. After managing to escape his father’s remorseless grasp, David reaches a climax with his father where he must outsmart him to survive. This is a simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming story of the lifelong process of forgiveness despite years of abuse, an insightful and inspirational memoir of resilience.

A true story of survival in the face of maternal evil

“If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood” by Gregg Olson, available on Amazon and Bookshop

“If You Tell” is a disturbing read about torture, abuse, and murder from a pscyophathic mother and the bond the sisters used to survive. This book brings to light, in detail, the horrors of torture and neglect that Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek endured and held secret through childhood. The story is intense, using the narratives from the daughters, husband, neighbors, and friends to paint the picture of a woman who subjected her children to unspeakable trauma. It is a heartbreaking story of survival, one of three women’s exceptional bravery in the face of evil.

A unique perspective on the Ted Bundy story

“The Stranger Beside Me: The Shocking Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy” by Ann Rule, available on Amazon and Bookshop

When Ann Rule, a true crime writer, signed on to write a book about a brutal serial killer of young women, she didn’t know it would be about a man with whom she had a lasting friendship — Ted Bundy. Ann struggled to understand how her intelligent and charismatic coworker at the crisis center in Seattle could be accused of such horrific crimes. Refusing to be embarrassed by being fooled by Ted, this book is biographical and autobiographical, telling the story of the notorious and charming serial killer while also narrating Ann’s difficulty to accept such a heavy reality.

The story of a hate crime that fueled the Civil Rights movement

“The Blood of Emmett Till” by Timothy B. Tyson, available on Amazon and Bookshop

In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was killed after being accused of offending a white woman in a grocery store. This hate crime, in combination with his mother’s actions afterwards, spurred a wave of activism in the Civil Rights movement including sit-ins, Rosa Parks’ famous “no,” and a Supreme Court decision making segregation unconstitutional. This book tells Emmett’s story, with new evidence including an admission of innocence from the woman he was accused of offending. 

The investigative journalism that brought justice to unsolved crimes

“Race Against Time: A Reporter Reopens the Unsolved Murder Cases of the Civil Rights Era” by Jerry Mitchell, available on Amazon and Bookshop

Jerry Mitchell’s work around this true crime book helped reopen decades-old cases left unsolved due to bigoted corruption. In 1964, more than 20 Klansmen killed three Civil Rights activists in what would be known as the Mississippi Burning — a hate crime that took more than 40 years to see convictions. Mitchell profiles the assassination of Medgar Evers, the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombings, the firebombing of Vernon Dahomey, and the Mississippi Burning in his book. His commitment to justice resulted in prison sentences for four Klansmen.

The true story of a gruesome murder

“The Evil Within: The Heartbreaking Story of Becky Watts by her Father” by Darren Galsworthy, available on Amazon and Bookshop

This is the shocking story of Becky Watts, murdered and dismembered by her stepbrother in February 2015. Her father, the author, investigates the darkness around his stepson, who he raised as his own, and the strange relationship between him and Becky. It also recounts the nightmarish trial, a story that refuses to shy away from the truth despite the constant pain surrounding every aspect of the account. Used as a tool to help conquer the grief, Becky’s father writes a heartbreaking story of a parent’s experience beyond devastation and the heartwarming growth of community around Becky’s murder.

A true crime account of an infamous series of cult murders

“Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders” by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, available on Amazon and Bookshop

The Manson Family was a 50-person commune and cult led by Charles Manson , responsible for at least nine murders in the 1960s and 1970s. Written by the prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, this true crime book offers a detailed, first-hand account of the proceedings of the Tate-LaBianca murders from 1969. Carried out by Manson and four of his followers, the murders appeared senseless and random, his cult intriguing and instilling fear worldwide. This is a shocking narrative, gripping and filled with more details than ever before of the murders, the trial, and the societal fascination surrounding the crimes. 

The powerful truth behind a horrible massacre

“Columbine” by Dave Cullen, available on Amazon and Bookshop

Hailed as a definitive account of the school shooting in 1999, Dave Cullen spent more than 10 years meticulously reporting and investigating the teenage killers responsible for a high school massacre. This is a harrowing chronicle of the shooting and attempted bombing as well as a year-by-year story of the survivors, the victims’ families, and the narrative that shifted as time passed. Cullen analyzes the violence with survivor accounts, evidence from the investigation, and words from the shooters to create a vivid report of a grave tragedy.

The shocking story of an Australian arsonist

“The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire” by Chloe Hooper, available on Amazon and Bookshop

This story is about Black Saturday — a series of fires lit in 2009 that became one of the most devastating bushfire disasters in Australia, killing 173 people and destroying approximately 1.1 million acres and 2,000 homes. Hooper uses brilliant storytelling and narrative nonfiction to follow the hunt for a man who lit two fires, analyzing the psyche of the arsonist in combination with the survivors, detectives, and defense lawyers to create an unsettling read of the painful journey to justice.

A historical restoration of humanity to forgotten victims

“The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed” by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold, available on Amazon and Bookshop

In 1888, five women — Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Mary-Jane — had little in common despite their murders by an unidentified man dubbed “Jack the Ripper.” As the personality coined to fill the gap grew, the stories of these women were buried beneath a narrative of a serial killer who targeted “prostitutes” — a false narrative that resulted in the dismissal of the victims by a society that devalued sex workers. More than a century later, Hallie Rubenhold profiles the difficult lives of these Victorian women that history chose to forget, restoring the humanity of the victims diminished by the legend of “Jack the Ripper.” 

The real investigation that led to justice

“Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three” available on Amazon and Bookshop

“Devil’s Knot” is a highly researched account of three men released after 18 years in prison, despite two life sentences and one death sentence. In 1933, three teenagers, alleged members of a satanic cult, were charged with the murders of three 8-year-old boys. This book outlines the investigation and conviction as well as how their unprecentented release from prison was a miscarriage of justice set right. It is a terrifying case, one that incites anger from readers over a narrow-minded town and the “witch hunt” style trial driven by fear that put three teenagers in prison. 

The true story of assaults on one college campus

“Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town” by Jon Krakauer, available on Amazon and Bookshop

This is the horrifying story of how law enforcement failed the rape victims at the University of Montana, where the Department of Justice investigated over 350 sexual assaults between 2008 and 2012. Jon Krakauer used interviews and discarded evidence to show how police and the school chose to believe the accused even when there was surmounting evidence from the victims. The horrible experiences of several women in Missoula demonstrate the importance of taking sexual assault allegations on campus seriously. 

A true crime story that reads like fiction

“The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America” by Erik Larson, available on Amazon and Bookshop

This book uses alternating narratives to tell the story of two men during the construction of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Daniel Burnham, an architect, was tasked to construct the “White City” that would save Chicago’s reputation, despite nearly insurmountable personal and professional odds. Meanwhile, H.H. Holmes used his charm and newly constructed hotel to lure women into gruesome horrors that would lead to their untimely deaths. This true crime nonfiction book is so elaborately researched and written, it reads like a historical fiction thriller.