True Crime

True crime is surging in popularity these days thanks in large part to an explosion of true crime podcasts and documentaries. Recent bestsellers like I’ll Be Gone in the Dark have brought true crime into the mainstream, and its readership continues to be primarily women. True crime is known for dealing with such dark subjects as domestic violence, sex crimes, and serial murders. While this drives much of its appeal, other aspects of crime feature prominently too such as corporate malfeasance (Dopesick), fraud (Bad Blood, My Friend Anna) and cults (The Road to Jonestown).

Updated March 18, 2024
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The Witch of New York : The Trials of Polly Bodine and the Cursed Birth of Tabloid Justice
Hortis, Alex.
Paper Book
Before the sensational cases of Amanda Knox and Casey Anthony--before even Lizzie Borden--there was Polly Bodine, the first American woman put on trial for capital murder in our nation's debut media circus. On Christmas night, December 25, 1843, in a serene village on Staten...
The stranger beside me
Rule, Ann
Paper Book
THE NEW EDITION OF THE TRUE CRIME CLASSIC The Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy Ann Rule was a writer working on the biggest story of her life, tracking down a brutal mass-murderer. Little...
Say nothing : a true story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Paper Book
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE 21ST CENTURY Soon to be an FX TV series streaming on DISNEY+ 'Unquestionably one of the greatest literary achievements of the 21st century' Nick Hornby
The art thief : a true story of love, crime and a dangerous obsession
Finkel, Michael
Paper Book
*The New York Times bestseller*  *Longlisted for the ALCS Gold Dagger Award for Non-Fiction* 'A breath-taking read, as compelling as a Highsmith novel. I loved it' - Maggie O'Farrell 'Brilliant' - Sunday Times ...
The devil in the White City : murder, magic and madness at the fair that changed America
Larson, Erik.
Paper Book
'An irresistible page-turner that reads like the most compelling, sleep defying fiction' TIME OUT One was an architect. The other a serial killer. This is the incredible story of these two men and their realization of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, and its amazing...
The five : the untold lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper
—Rubenhold, Hallie
Paper Book
Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction Five devastating human stories and a dark and moving portrait of Victorian London--the untold lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper. Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine...
Dopesick : dealers, doctors, and the drug company that addicted America
Macy, Beth
Paper Book
Now a major TV series on Disney+ 'A shocking investigation... Dopesick is essential' The Times 'Unfolds with all the pace of a thriller' Observer 'A deep - and deeply needed - look into the troubled soul of America' Tom Hanks ...
The case of the murderous Dr. Cream : the hunt for a Victorian era serial killer
Jobb, Dean
Paper Book
A true crime page-turner about a Victorian doctor, a serial killer ahead of his time, using poison for an international murder spree that kept ahead of the burgeoning field of forensics. "A tour de force of storytelling." --Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author...
A Thread of Violence : A Story of Truth, Invention, and Murder
O'Connell, Mark
Paper Book
What does it mean to write about a killer? From an award-winning author comes a tale of a notorious double-murder, a political scandal, and a writer who found himself entangled in this strange, true story.
Blood in the water : a true story of small-town revenge
Cameron, Silver Donald
Paper Book
A brutal murder in a small fishing community raises urgent questions of right and wrong, and even the nature of good and evil, in this masterfully told true story.

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