True Crime

True crime is surging in popularity these days thanks in large part to an explosion of true crime podcasts and documentaries, and is known for dealing with such dark subjects as domestic violence, sex crimes, and serial murders. 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 August 27, 2025
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Murderland : crime and bloodlust in the time of serial killers
—Fraser, Caroline
Paper Book
A National Bestseller "Scorching, seductive . . . A superb and disturbing vivisection of our darkest urges." --Los Angeles Times "This is about as highbrow as true crime gets." --Vulture "Fraser has outdone herself, and just about everyone else...
The Idaho four : an American tragedy
—Patterson, James, 1947- author.
Paper Book
Instant #1 New York Times bestseller! "A vivid portrait...a sensitive tribute...a paean to youth, community, and the tenacity of local law enforcement." --New York Times  "A mesmerizing read and a great detective...
While Idaho slept : the hunt for answers in the murders of four college students
Appelman, J. Reuben
Audiobook
The House of My Mother : A Daughter's Quest for Freedom
Franke, Shari.
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Heart-wrenchingly personal...dizzying." --Rolling Stone From eldest daughter Shari Franke, the shocking true story behind the viral 8 Passengers family vlog--now the subject of a new Hulu...
The stranger beside me
—Rule, Ann
Paper Book
A new edition of the iconic, best-selling account of America's most fascinating serial killer, "perhaps the most unnerving true-crime book ever published" (Victoria Beale, The New Yorker), with a foreword by Georgia Hardstark.  In 1971, while working the late-shift at a...
The devil in the white city : murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America
—Larson, Erik.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The true tale of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the cunning serial killer who used the magic and majesty of the fair to lure his victims to their death. A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Century Two...
I know who you are : how an amateur DNA sleuth unmasked the Golden State Killer and changed crime fighting forever
—Rae-Venter, Barbara
Paper Book
EDGAR AWARD FINALIST ."A true-crime masterpiece written by a cold-case-cracking master."-John Douglas, New York Times bestselling co-author of Mindhunter "Barbara Rae-Venter isn't just the genealogy expert who helped capture the Golden State Killer-she's an...
Say nothing : a true story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland
—Keefe, Patrick Radden, 1976- author.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NOW AN FX LIMITED SERIES STREAMING ON HULU * NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER * From the author of Empire of Pain--a stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions. One...
The art thief : a true story of love, crime, and a dangerous obsession
—Finkel, Michael
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * One of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of the twenty-first century * "The Art Thief, like its title character, has confidence, élan, and a great sense of timing."--The New Yorker A...
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 five : the untold lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper
—Rubenhold, Hallie
Ebook
Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction and of the Goodreads Choice Award for History & Biography The award-winning, best-selling book that changes the narrative of the "Ripper" murders forever Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Catherine, and...
I'll be gone in the dark one woman's obsessive search for the Golden State Killer
McNamara, Michelle
Paper Book
THE BASIS FOR THE MAJOR 6-PART HBO® DOCUMENTARY SERIES #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Washington Post | Maureen Corrigan, NPR | Paste | Seattle Times | Entertainment Weekly | Esquire | Slate | Buzzfeed | Jezebel | Philadelphia Inquirer | Publishers Weekly |...
Starkweather : the untold story of the killing spree that changed America
MacLean, Harry N.
Paper Book
THE DEFINITIVE STORY OF CHARLES STARKWEATHER, often considered to be the first mass killer in the modern age of America "Starkweather is a story about a different time in a different America . . . [A] grim story, and that grimness is the paradoxical joy of reading MacLean--the...
Dopesick : dealers, doctors, and the drug company that addicted America
Macy, Beth
Paper Book
A Hulu limited series inspired by the New York Times bestselling book by Beth Macy.  Journalist Beth Macy's definitive account of America's opioid epidemic "masterfully interlaces stories of communities in crisis with dark histories of corporate...
Behold the monster : confronting America's most prolific serial killer
—Lauren, Jillian
Paper Book
Jillian Lauren had no idea what she was getting into when she wrote her first letter to prolific serial killer Samuel Little. All she knew was her research had led her to believe he was good for far more murders than the three for which he had been convicted. While the two exchanged dozens of...
A murder in Hollywood : the untold story of Tinseltown's most shocking crime
—Sherman, Casey, 1969- author.
Paper Book
USA TODAY BESTSELLER "A wild ride beneath the glitz and glamour of 1950s Hollywood, proving once again that Casey Sherman is a master of the genre." --Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling author of Dumb Money, Bringing Down the House, and The Accidental Billionaires The...
The perfect father : the true story of Chris Watts, his all-American family, and a shocking murder
—Glatt, John
Paper Book
In The Perfect Father, New York Times bestselling author John Glatt reveals the tragedy of the Watts family, whose seemingly perfect lives played out on social media--but the truth would lead to a vicious and heartbreaking murder. In the early morning...
Hearts of darkness : serial killers, the behavioral science unit, and my life as a woman in the FBI
—Monroe, Jana
Ebook
For fans of Mindhunter, Criminal Minds, and My Favorite Murder, a riveting memoir of a trailblazing woman's life hunting down serial killers as one of the first female profilers of the FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit and the real-life model for Clarice Starling in The Silence...

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