This is Your Clue to Read These Criminally Good True Crime Books
Do cold cases catch your interest? Are you obsessed with the failures of the justice system? Then you’ll love reading true crime books! Put your sleuthing cap on and browse a few of our all-time favorites and genre-defining classics to find the right title for you.
Why Are Humans Obsessed with True Crime Stories?
If you’ve ever spent the night binging a serial killer documentary, you know just how fascinating true crime cases can be. But why do we, as humans, feel so drawn to these traumatizing tales?
Psychologists have chalked this obsession up to two main causes: the need to understand why someone would commit an unthinkable act and the thrill of trying to solve a real-life whodunnit—from the comfort of our own homes, of course. If you’re attracted to these salacious stories, you’re in luck—there are plenty of true crime books to satisfy your curiosity!
Are True Crime Books Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Let’s get one thing clear: true crime is its own category of non-fiction. In a true crime book, the author examines and investigates a real-life case, exploring everything from the perpetrator’s motives to the lives of the victims and beyond. If an author made up a crime to write about, it would fall under a fictional book genre.
Types of Criminal Acts Explored in True Crime Books:
- Murder
- Disappearances
- Schemes
- Kidnappings
- Assassinations
- Political acts of violence
- Heists
- Cults
Lose Yourself in Our Current Favorite True Crime Books
If you’re looking to get out of a reading slump, true crime books are the way to go. With fast-paced plots, unexpected twists, and real-life consequences, these titles are sure to scratch that sleuthing itch:
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
When Jean McConville was abducted from her home in Belfast in 1972, during The Troubles, everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible—but in a conflict filled with fear and paranoia, no one could speak up. Years after the disappearance, with an accord bringing uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was found on the beach. When told about the blue pin attached to its dress, the McConville children instantly identified the body as their mother. This was only the beginning.
In Say Nothing, Keefe uses this tragic murder as a way to examine a society torn apart by violent guerrilla war. Made up of interviews from people on both sides of the conflict, this true crime book is so gripping that it almost feels like fiction!
Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker
Over his 25-year career in the Investigative Support Unit, Special Agent John Douglas became something of a legend. He took on the most sadistic and gruesome cases ever seen, from the Atlanta child murderer to the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in Alaska to Seattle’s Green River killer and more. Mindhunter takes us behind the scenes of his most challenging cases, as Douglas gets into the mind of both predator and prey, examining the crime scene to create the killer’s profile, learn their habits, and predict their next move.
Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Lynn Paulson
Emily Lynn Paulson may have signed up for sisterhood, free cars, and the promise of a successful “be your own boss” kind of business, but she ended up with addiction, broken friendships, and a pile of rubble to clean up. Hey, Hun is the eye-opening, at times hilarious, first-person account of Paulson rising to the top of the pyramid in an MLM scheme—only to realize that its culture and business practices went far beyond a trendy marketing tactic and straight into the heart of white supremacy.
The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story by Pagan Kennedy
When Martha “Marty” Goddard volunteered at a crisis hotline in 1972, counseling girls who’d been molested by their teachers, uncles, and fathers, she was left wondering how so many sexual predators were getting away with these crimes. By the end of the decade, she’d launched a full campaign pushing for hospitals and police departments to collect evidence and designed a new kind of forensics tool: the rape kit. But mysteriously, she allowed a man to take credit for her work, disappearing into the background.
Years later, when journalist Pagan Kennedy started searching for Goddard, she came up empty-handed. Determined to solve the mystery of Marty, Kennedy follows a trail of clues, delving into the problematic history of American forensics, connecting the dots about this forgotten pioneer, and reflecting on her own experiences with sexual assault along the way in The Secret History of the Rape Kit.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark paints a chilling and extensive picture of the criminal mastermind known as the Golden State Killer. For over 10 years, a mysterious predator committed 50 sexual assaults in North Carolina before moving south and perpetrating 10 brutal murders. He then disappeared, eluding multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.
Three decades later, true crime journalist Michelle McNamara, creator of TrueCrimeDiary.com, pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and connected with other online amateur sleuths obsessed with the case, determined to find this violent psychopath. This true crime book, published after the author’s untimely death, is original, compelling, and obsession-worthy.
There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America’s Biggest Catfish by Anna Akbari
In 2011, three different successful and educated women fell head over heels online for the charming and smart Ethan Schuman. Each exchanged countless messages with Ethan, staying up late and believing his detailed excuses for broken webcams, troubles with international calling plans, and last-minute cancellations on in-person meet-ups. After all, he wasn’t after money—so why would he lie?
But when Ethan’s inconsistencies stopped adding up and the trio found one another, they uncovered a greater deception than they ever thought possible. In There is No Ethan, author Anna Akbari details how she and the other women untangled their catfish’s web, finding other victims in the process. In a world where technology mediates our budding romantic relationships, how can you tell what’s real and what’s not?
Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James
The invention of the axe was transformative—it’s been used to chop down trees, hunt for food, whittle tools, and, most notably, to murder. Whack Job connects the most prominent axe murderers throughout history, from the very first killing nearly half a million years ago to its use in the executions of King Henry VIII’s wives to Lizzie Borden and beyond. This true crime book examines the past and present ways humanity handles savage impulses—and each tale is more titillating than the last!
3 Ways to Enjoy True Crime Books:
- Start or join a book club—get your bookish friends together to discuss the details of a case and crack it wide open.
- Listen on audiobook—hearing the nitty-gritty details out loud in an audiobook brings the terrifyingly true story to life.
- Binge read it—if you buy a physical copy, there’s a good chance you won’t be able to put it down.
From grisly and ghastly murders to politically driven disappearances and more, there’s a true crime book for every interest. Stop by your favorite indie bookstore in Rochester, MI, and check out our true crime section today!