A street in Whitechapel: the last crime of Jack the Ripper, from "Le Petit Parisien," 1891. Jack the ... [+]
True crime can run the gamut from grisly to shocking to sad to preventable to horrifying, but there’s always one common string running through these stories—the struggle of good vs. evil and the promise that the criminal will be stopped in the end. True crime books and stories build on these themes to present truly incredible feats of humanity in the face of the ultimate tragedy. The best true crime books have a compelling narrative arc that draws the reader in and goes beyond the simple question of “who did it?” They also answer the question of why and explain how things could be different the next time, though they don’t give happy endings. This list of top true crime books includes everything from first-person accounts of murder and mayhem to scholarly deep-dives into the psychology behind the crime.
Top True Crime Books
True crime books are nonfiction. They tell stories of actual crimes that have taken place. How does true crime compare vs. crime fiction? In crime fiction, the author can make up details to suit the story, while true crime books are strictly based on facts.
While crime fiction often includes series of novels about a detective or police investigator, there really aren’t any true crime series, since most crimes are one-offs or part of a single spree, but not part of a longer story related to other crimes. However, some top true crime authors have written many books in the genre. The queen of true crime is Ann Rule, who appears twice on this list and wrote more than two dozen true crime books. The list is based on critical acclaim, book sales and the general interest in the crimes online and in other media.
20. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (2004)
Winner of an Edgar Allen Poe Award (given to each year’s best mysteries) for Best Fact Crime, The Devil in the White City tells the story of the man believed to be America’s first serial killer, who operated during the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Leonardo DiCaprio optioned the bestselling tome in 2010.
This book is best for those who like their true crime books to read like classic novels, with great character development and rich writing. Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City is available from Penguin Random House.
American author Erik Larson wrote the bestselling true crime book "The Devil in the White City."
19. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (1965)
Perhaps the best-known true crime work of all time, In Cold Blood first ran as a serial in The New Yorker before becoming a book. It details the killing of the Clutter family in 1959 and the two men who did it, one of whom (Perry Smith) Capote got very close to before his execution.
This book is best for devotees of new journalism or anyone watching FX’s Feud: Capote Vs. the Swans who wants to know more about Capote’s seminal work. Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood is available from Penguin Random House.
Author Truman Capote relaxes with a book in his cluttered apartment. He wrote top true crime book ... [+]
18. If You Tell by Gregg Olsen (2019)
If You Tell makes another tale of parental abuse, Mommie Dearest, look like a fairy tale. Mom Shelly Knotek subjected daughters Nikki, Sami and Tori to psychological and physical torture, and she was later convicted of murder. The book details how the children survived the house of horrors and their parents’ murder trials.
This book is best for those interested in the psychology of abuse and secrecy. Gregg Olsen’s If You Tell is available from Thomas & Mercer.
17. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (2017)
Killers of the Flower Moon, the basis for the Oscar-nominated movie directed by Martin Scorsese and one of Time’s top books of 2017, examines the mysterious deaths of wealthy Osage family members in the 1920s and the shocking plot behind them. It also explains how the modern FBI emerged from the case.
This book is best for those interested in Native American culture and history and the horrors they include. David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon is available from Penguin Random House.
A copy of the bestselling true crime book "Killers of the Flower Moon' by David Grann for sale in a ... [+]
16. No Place Safe by Kim Reid (2007)
Kim Reid’s memoir is multidimensional. She was the daughter of a cop investigating a serial killer in 1979 Atlanta. She was also a young Black girl navigating two distinct worlds, those of her largely Black neighborhood and her largely white school. It’s heartbreaking to see her schoolmates’ indifference to the murders of Black boys.
This book is best for those interested in issues of civil rights, policing and race that are, sadly, still as unresolved as they were when the book takes place. Kim Reid’s No Place Safe is available from Dafina.
15. Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders by Kathryn Miles (2023)
Kathryn Miles began looking into the 1996 murder of two young women in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park when she became convinced the wrong man had been accused of (but never charged with) the crime. Her investigation turns up surprising new evidence in the long-cold case.
This book is best for nature lovers and those who are okay with unresolved endings (that is not a spoiler). Kathryn Miles’s Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders is available from Hachette.
14. Small Sacrifices: A True Story of Passion and Murder by Ann Rule (1988)
Rule’s first book on the list is about young mother Diane Downs, who claimed a stranger had shot her three children but later became the main suspect. Farrah Fawcett famously portrayed Downs in the made-for-TV movie based on the book, which was a sensation when it was published.
This book is best for those new to the work of Rule, a former policewoman who examines the psychology of her protagonists from that angle. Ann Rule’s Small Sacrifices is available from Penguin Random House.
A scene from the TV movie adaptation of "Small Sacrifices," starring Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal. ... [+]
13. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore (2010)
Decades before he became governor of Maryland, Wes Moore was featured in the Baltimore Sun for earning a Rhodes Scholarship. The paper ran a series at the same time about another man named Wes Moore implicated in a police killing. Moore the future politician reached out to him, and they formed a relationship.
This book is best for those interested in police reform or who have ever wondered “what if” about their own lives. Wes Moore’s The Other Wes Moore is available from Penguin Random House.
Author and Maryland Governor Wes Moore addresses supporters after defeating Republican nominee Dan ... [+]
12. Blood on Their Hands: Murder, Corruption, and the Fall of the Murdaugh Dynasty by Mandy Matney and Carolyn Murnick (2023)
A ripped-from-the-headlines look at how the Murdaughs, one of South Carolina’s ruling dynasties, fell so far so fast, reported by one of the journalists who followed their case from the beginning (Matney). She builds on her Murdaugh podcast to investigate with Murnick what the family’s downfall means for good ol’ boys everywhere.
This book is best for anyone who read a headline about the Murdaughs in the past five years and couldn’t believe what they saw. Mandy Matney and Carolyn Murnick’s Blood on Their Hands is available from HarperCollins.
11.Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country by Sierra Crane Murdoch (2020)
Named one of the best books of 2020 by NPR, Publisher’s Weekly and the New York Times Book Review, Yellow Bird follows Arikara woman Lissa Yellow Bird as she searches for the truth about what happened to a white male oil worker who disappeared on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation amid the oil boom.
This book is best for those interested in reckoning with generational and personal trauma. Sierra Crane Murdoch’s Yellow Bird is available from Penguin Random House.
10. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (1994)
No wonder the subtitle is “A Savannah Story”—this is as much a portrait of the Deep South and one town’s eccentric personalities as it is the mystery behind the death of a male sex worker whose murder spurred four different trials. Clint Eastwood directed the movie based on the New York Times bestseller.
This book is best for those who love gossip and innuendo as much as gore. John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is available from Penguin Random House.
Bestselling American author John Berendt, author of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," poses ... [+]
9. Beneath the Tamarind Tree: A Story of Courage, Family, and the Lost Schoolgirls of Boko Haram by Isha Sesay (2019)
You may remember the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign to find the “lost schoolgirls of Boko Haram,” who were kidnapped by the terrorist group at their Nigerian school in 2013, but do you know what happened to these young women? British journalist Isha Sesay reports on what occurred after the public attention died down.
This book is best for anyone interested in international politics and wondering whether social media spotlights make a difference in solving crimes. Isha Sesay’s Beneath the Tamarind Tree is available from HarperCollins.
8. Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey Through a Country's Descent into Darkness by Alfredo Corchado (2014)
Accomplished Mexican-American journalist Alfredo Corchado exposes how the cartels gained so much power in Mexico after he’s targeted by a threat saying he could be the next reporter to be killed. He weaves his own story seamlessly with the bigger picture of how the drug trade has decimated his beloved native country.
This book is best for anyone curious about the growth of the drug trade. Alfredo Corchado’s Midnight in Mexico is available from Penguin Random House.
7. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (2018)
There is, of course, a sad postscript to this obsessively researched book by Michelle McNamara that ultimately led to the capture of the Golden State Killer—she passed away before he was caught. He terrorized Northern California for years, and McNamara’s book paints a haunting portrait of him, many details of which proved correct.
This book is best for pop culture aficionados. Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is available from HarperCollins.
Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt (right) and Director of New York Public Library's Public ... [+]
6. The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum (2011)
The Financial Times said this book “breathes deadly life into the Roaring Twenties” with its in-depth history of how chief medical examiner Charles Norris teamed with toxicologist Alexander Gettler in 1918 NYC to create a new high-tech way to hunt down criminals, leading to the birth of forensic chemistry.
This book is best for those interested in how true crime can lead to bigger stories. Deborah Blum’s The Poisoner’s Handbook is available from Penguin Random House.
5. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry (1974)
Everyone knows who Charles Manson is. This definitive book on the Manson murders, which the publisher also claims is the bestselling true crime book of all time, gives the inside story on Manson’s madness—Vincent Bugliosi was the prosecutor in the case.
This book is best for anyone new to the true crime genre who wants to start big. Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry’s Helter Skelter is available from W.W. Norton.
Cameramen film the scene as Charles Manson is brought into the Los Angeles city jail under suspicion ... [+]
4. The Red Parts: A Memoir by Maggie Nelson (2007)
A remarkable literary work, The Red Parts follows Maggie Nelson and her family after new evidence and documents related to her aunt’s murder are discovered and the long-dormant case sparks a new trial.
This book is best for those wondering how people impacted by true crime cope. Maggie Nelson’s The Red Parts is available from Graywolf Press.
3. The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez by Philip Carlo (1996)
The Night Stalker terrorized Los Angeles in the 1980s, killing 13 people before being caught. Philip Carlo painted such a well-balanced picture of Richard Ramirez that women from around the world contacted the author asking to get in touch with the convicted murderer—he profiles some of them in an updated edition of the book.
This book is best for those interested in famous true crime cases. Philip Carlo’s The Night Stalker is available from Kensington Publishing.
2. The Stranger Beside Me: The Shocking Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy by Ann Rule (1980)
The New Yorker called Ann Rule’s third book “perhaps the most unnerving true-crime book ever published,” and with good reason. Rule worked with Ted Bundy at a Seattle crisis clinic, and they became friends. Years later, her pal was unmasked as an infamous serial killer, and Rule struggles to reconcile friend with murderer.
This book is best for those looking for a unique take on a much-written-about case. Ann Rule’s The Stranger Beside Me is available from W.W. Norton.
Author Ann Rule, who wrote two of the best true crime books.
1. The Complete History of Jack the Ripper by Philip Sugden (1994)
The unsolved Jack the Ripper murders have inspired dozens of books, but none as comprehensive as historian Philip Sugden’s 1994 work, which took him nearly a decade to research. This doesn’t claim to name a culprit, but it does offer an unmatched overview of each killing.
This book is best for true crime podcast lovers who want to dig a little deeper into an infamous crime. Philip Sugden’s The Complete History of Jack the Ripper is available from Little, Brown.
Bottom Line
True crime books appeal to our desire to see good triumph over evil. Each of these books is so well-written, you will get caught up in the behind-the-scenes story as much as the drama of the crime.
