True Crime Everyone Should Read (63 books)

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True Crime books that are so good that everyone should read them at least once

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1	In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 4.09 avg rating — 760,471 ratings score: 694, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 474,516 ratings score: 467, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy: The Shocking Inside Story by Ann Rule 4.13 avg rating — 116,075 ratings score: 392, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 786,649 ratings score: 377, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas 4.09 avg rating — 87,321 ratings score: 297, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara 4.11 avg rating — 274,063 ratings score: 296, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt 3.91 avg rating — 307,599 ratings score: 292, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America by Mamie Till-Mobley 4.44 avg rating — 1,301 ratings score: 273, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	At Any Cost: A Father's Betrayal, a Wife's Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice by Rebecca Rosenberg (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 1,397 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Pale-Faced Lie by David Crow (Goodreads Author) 4.27 avg rating — 30,421 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Columbine by Dave Cullen (Goodreads Author) 4.29 avg rating — 106,206 ratings score: 196, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime by Val McDermid 4.09 avg rating — 13,844 ratings score: 194, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Unnatural Causes: The Life and Many Deaths of Britain's Top Forensic Pathologist by Richard Shepherd 4.32 avg rating — 51,604 ratings score: 191, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard 4.25 avg rating — 91,050 ratings score: 185, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Journey Into Darkness by John E. Douglas 4.01 avg rating — 7,995 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Race Against Time: A Reporter Reopens the Unsolved Murder Cases of the Civil Rights Era by Jerry Mitchell 4.43 avg rating — 2,199 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People by Tim Reiterman 4.32 avg rating — 2,768 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Death of an Heir: Adolph Coors III and the Murder That Rocked an American Brewing Dynasty by Philip Jett (Goodreads Author) 3.74 avg rating — 476 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The American Compendium of British Crimes by William Ruby (Goodreads Author) 4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Best New True Crime Stories: Crimes of Passion, Obsession & Revenge by Mitzi Szereto (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 3.67 avg rating — 52 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	De vermoedens van Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale 3.51 avg rating — 25,707 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Ma, Your Son Is Crazy, Do Something!: Two Cousins, Bound by Blood, Divided by Choices. A Story of True Crime and Personal Growth by JC Fabio (Goodreads Author) 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	To the Survivors: One Man's Journey as a Rape Crisis Counselor with True Stories of Sexual Violence by Robert Uttaro (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 198 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Nether Land: High School Temptation, Insurance Haze, Stolen Resolution, and Murder by Kem Hinton 4.43 avg rating — 28 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Light of Truth: Writings of an Anti-Lynching Crusader by Ida B. Wells-Barnett 4.54 avg rating — 178 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Golden Boy: A Murder Among the Manhattan Elite by John Glatt (Goodreads Author) 3.74 avg rating — 2,937 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Best New True Crime Stories: Partners in Crime by Mitzi Szereto (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 3.77 avg rating — 39 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Zong: A Massacre, the Law and the End of Slavery by James Walvin 4.24 avg rating — 137 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Tears of Rage by John Walsh 4.26 avg rating — 4,232 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Best New True Crime Stories: Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues & Criminals: by Mitzi Szereto (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 3.56 avg rating — 43 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Tangled Vines: Power, Privilege, and the Murdaugh Family Murders by John Glatt (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 4,114 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon 4.38 avg rating — 7,268 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Anatomy Murders: Being the True and Spectacular History of Edinburgh's Notorious Burke and Hare and of the Man of Science Who Abetted Them in the Commission of Their Most Heinous Crimes by Lisa Rosner 3.67 avg rating — 200 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Best New True Crime Stories: Small Towns by Mitzi Szereto (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 3.30 avg rating — 367 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman by Richard Lloyd Parry (Goodreads Author) 3.79 avg rating — 24,483 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Dark Places of the Earth: The Voyage of the Slave Ship by Jonathan M. Bryant (Goodreads Author) 3.56 avg rating — 98 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 13,201 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	The Best New True Crime Stories: Serial Killers by Mitzi Szereto (Goodreads Author) (Editor) 3.40 avg rating — 572 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism by Edward E. Baptist (Goodreads Author) 4.45 avg rating — 5,761 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder and Other True Cases (Crime Files, #12) by Ann Rule 3.94 avg rating — 2,915 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	A Different Class of Murder: The Story of Lord Lucan by Laura Thompson 3.34 avg rating — 594 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with the FBI's Original Mindhunter by John E. Douglas 4.14 avg rating — 26,289 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Winecoff Fire: The Untold Story of America's Deadliest Hotel Fire by Sam Heys 4.28 avg rating — 166 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Last Dance, Last Chance and Other True Cases (Crime Files, #8) by Ann Rule 4.03 avg rating — 3,308 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Murder at Dusk: How US soldier and smiling psychopath Eddie Leonski terrorised wartime Melbourne by Ian W. Shaw 3.84 avg rating — 69 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	And the Dead Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank by Steven Thomas Oney 4.07 avg rating — 536 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Bitter Harvest: A Woman's Fury, a Mother's Sacrifice by Ann Rule 4.10 avg rating — 11,500 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Beast of Chicago: An Account of the Life and Crimes of Herman W. Mudgett, Known to the World As H.H. Holmes by Rick Geary (Goodreads Author) 3.83 avg rating — 768 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	My Confession: Recollections of a Rogue by Samuel E. Chamberlain 4.15 avg rating — 551 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Saga of the Bloody Benders by Rick Geary (Goodreads Author) 3.84 avg rating — 620 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	And Never Let Her Go: Thomas Capano: The Deadly Seducer by Ann Rule 4.12 avg rating — 9,522 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	The Lindbergh Child by Rick Geary (Goodreads Author) 3.85 avg rating — 620 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Green River, Running Red by Ann Rule really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 21,370 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34 by Bryan Burrough 3.98 avg rating — 6,242 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Days of Rage: America's Radical Underground, the FBI, and the Forgotten Age of Revolutionary Violence by Bryan Burrough 3.99 avg rating — 2,911 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	The Third Bank of the River: Power and Survival in the Twenty-First-Century Amazon by Chris Feliciano Arnold (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 119 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Wicked Atlanta: The Sordid Side of Peach City History by Laurel-Ann Dooley (Goodreads Author) 3.68 avg rating — 59 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy by David Zucchino 4.43 avg rating — 4,453 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia by Emma Copley Eisenberg (Goodreads Author) 3.11 avg rating — 6,565 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Praying with One Eye Open: Mormons and Murder in Nineteenth-Century Appalachian Georgia by Mary Ella Engel 3.51 avg rating — 35 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Death of an Empire: The Rise and Murderous Fall of Salem, America's Richest City by Robert Booth (Goodreads Author) 3.27 avg rating — 152 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Cry of the People: United States Involvement in the Rise of Fascism, Torture and Murder and the Persecution of the Catholic Church in Latin America by Penny Lernoux 4.30 avg rating — 43 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires by Selwyn Raab 4.15 avg rating — 6,964 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars