Nonfiction Mysteries

Check out this list of historical real-life mysteries!

Updated September 5, 2024
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Chariots of the gods : unsolved mysteries of the past
D©Þniken, Erich von
Paper Book
AS SEEN ON ANCIENT ALIENS * Now in a beautiful 50th anniversary edition with a new foreword and afterword by the author, this is the groundbreaking classic that introduced the theory that ancient Earth established contact with aliens. Immediately recognized as a work of...
The forever witness : how DNA and genealogy solved a cold case double murder
Humes, Edward
Paper Book
When Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook were murdered during a trip to Seattle in the 1980s, detectives had few leads. They assumed Tanya and Jay were victims of a serial killer - but without any leads, the case seemed doomed. In deep-freeze, long-term storage, biological evidence from the crime sat...
The golden thread : the Cold War and the mysterious death of Dag Hammarskjöld
Somaiya, Ravi
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE ALCS "GOLD DAGGER" AWARD FOR NON-FICTION CRIME WRITING Uncover the story behind the death of renowned diplomat and UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld in this true story of spies and intrigue surrounding one of the most enduring unsolved...
The less people know about us : a mystery of betrayal, family secrets, and stolen identity
Betz-Hamilton, Axton
Paper Book
AN EDGAR AWARDS 2020 WINNER AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER In this powerful true crime memoir, an award-winning identity theft expert tells the shocking story of the duplicity and betrayal that inspired her career and nearly destroyed her family. ...
Talking pictures : images and messages rescued from the past
Riggs, Ransom.
Paper Book
With the candid quirkiness of Awkward Family Photos and the confessional intimacy of PostSecret, Ransom Riggs's Talking Pictures is a haunting collection of antique found photographs--with evocative inscriptions that bring these lost personal moments to life--from the author of the New...
Trailed : one woman's quest to solve the Shenandoah murders
Miles, Kathryn
Paper Book
A riveting, "beautifully written" deep dive into the unsolved murder of two free-spirited young women in the wilderness (John Grisham, #1 New York Times bestselling author), a journalist's obsession--and a new theory of who might have done it.​ ...
Unmasked : my life solving America's cold cases
Holes, Paul
Paper Book
**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "It's a mark of the highest honor when I say it's even more riveting than an episode of 'Dateline'."--The New York Times From Paul Holes, the detective who found the Golden State Killer,...
Who killed these girls? : cold case : the yogurt shop murders
Lowry, Beverly
Paper Book
From the author of Crossed Over, another masterful account of a horrible crime: the murder of four girls, countless other ruined lives, and the evolving complications of the justice system that frustrated the massive attempts--for twenty-five years now--to find and punish those who...

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