11 Books to Feed Your True Crime Obsession
Have you ever spent an entire weekend binge-watching a True Crime docuseries on Netflix? We feel you. The bizarre twists and turns make these stories equal parts enthralling and disturbing. Somehow, learning about the individuals involved and guessing the culprit’s motive can prove to be strangely addictive. For those still recovering from Evil Genius (that ending though), we have a list of books that delve into some of the most unsettling True Crime cases in recorded history.
Content warning: violent topics.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
Michelle McNamara was a true crime journalist who became obsessed with finding a violent sexual abuser and murderer she dubbed “the Golden State Killer.” Before her death, McNamara wrote a compelling account of the time surrounding the killer’s rampage and her obsession with finding him decades later.
Killers of the Flower Moon: Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
In the 1920s, a chilling series of murders were perpetrated against the Osages, the richest people in the world at the time. Those who dared investigate the murders were also mysteriously killed, causing the newly formed FBI to take up the case.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
Based on a true story, this novel centers around the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, which serial killer H. H. Holmes used to lure his victims to their deaths. Larson juxtaposes the excitement of a burgeoning society with the gruesome events that shook the nation.
In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences by Truman Capote
In 1959, in a small town in rural Kansas, four members of the Clutter family, including a mother and father and their youngest children, were mercilessly slaughtered with a shotgun to their faces. Combing over the horrific details of the crime, Capote investigates for the motive of the killers and later, examines the puzzling trial that left many questioning whether or not the process was fair.
Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History by Tori Telfer
Typically, when people think of serial killers, they imagine a man committing the crimes. However, throughout history women have also been the perpetrators of violent crime. Based on the popular online series of the same name, this historical work relays the often overlooked stories of female murderers.
The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn
A charismatic minister convinces almost a thousand of his followers to move to South America, where he eventually leads them to commit the largest murder-suicide in American history in 1978, known as the Jonestown Massacre. This intense investigation examines the life of Jim Jones, the preacher responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people, including nearly three hundred children.
My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
This graphic novel attempts to paint a picture of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer as he was in high school — a rejected kid with a dark sense of humor and an alcohol problem. Cartoonist Derf Backderf shares his memories of growing up with Dahmer and offers insight into the events that may have shaped Dahmer into the ruthless killer he became.
The Wicked Boy: An Infamous Murder in Victorian London by Kate Summerscale
It was the summer of 1895 when two boys aged 12 and 13 were spotted gallivanting around London alone. As it turns out, they had recently murdered their mother while their father was away on travels. They enjoyed their lives as orphans for ten days as their mother’s corpse rotted in their home. This grisly tale from the past re-emerges in Summerscale’s research and retelling of events and investigation into what happened to the boys after the fact.
The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
A thoughtful young woman working beside her timid coworker at a rape crisis hotline slowly discovers he is a monster hiding in plain sight. In this deeply personal and shocking account, Rule shares information about the Ted Bundy she knew, offering a different perspective of the mass murderer guilty of at least thirty six murders of young women across the United States.
People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo — and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up by Richard Lloyd Parry
One summer in Tokyo in 2000, a young woman disappeared. Months later, her dismembered body was dug up in a seaside cave. Richard Lloyd Parry reported on her disappearance and aided in the search for her. Over the span of ten years, he immersed himself in the details of the case, gaining insight into the life of the young woman and the mind of accused killer.
The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth
The first serial killer on record began their spree in the late 1800's in Austin, Texas, just as the city was beginning to bloom into a metropolis. As no one at the time understood the concept of a serial killer, the multiple murders seemed not only shocking but incomprehensible. Journalist Skip Hollandsworth uncovers the buried secrets about America’s dark past in this gripping retelling of the notorious Midnight Assassin.
Also Check Out:
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
The Jolly Roger Social Club: A True Story of a Killer in Paradise by Nick Foster
Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer — America’s Deadliest Serial Murderer by Ann Rule
Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane: A True Story of Victorian Law and Disorder: The First Unsolved Murder of the Victorian Age by Paul Thomas Murphy
The Monster of Florence: A True Story by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi
The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness That Ended the Sixties by Dianne Lake and Deborah Herman
