Best Books for True Crime Aficionados

Sound the alarm. This book is hot! Knowing that it is written by the host of a chart-topping true crime podcast, Morbid, makes this an addictive read with straight-from-the-morgue details. Told from the dueling perspectives of a notorious serial-killer and the medical examiner following his trail of victims, The Butcher and the Wren promises to ensnare all readers who dare to turn the page.  

It’s a true crime story that is fiction based on true crime including a character named Joseph Knox written by Joseph Knox. Twisted about? Good. Told in a documentary style, this book twists the real and fictional world creating a thrilling ride you won’t soon forget.

A true crime podcast host finds herself imbedded deep into a small town that is being torn in two by a rape trial. As she reports on the trial, the town’s dark past is pushed to the surface and a long unsolved crime is exposed once again. Timely and propulsive, this book would be a great candidate for a fans of true crime book club.  

After starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, Brynn becomes determined to solve the unsolved murder of her favorite teacher four years ago. Keep your friends close and your secrets closer as you never know which murderer never left town. Karen McManus knows how to hook readers and get them at the edge of their seats. 

A deeply dark read that will haunt you long after you’ve finished. Alternating between Sadie’s unflinching voice as she hunts her sister’s killer and the podcast transcripts tracking the clues she’s left behind. Hit pause on your favorite murder podcast because you won’t be able to put this book down until you’ve finished.  

Obsessed with crime? Then you have something in common with these main characters. Obsessed with the Amanda Knox trial, two American ex-pats, one escaping the recent murder of her best friend, find themselves at the center of a cat and mouse game with the thriller novelist whose apartment they are renting.  

If you binged all of “Inventing Anna” and are now on a crime hangover, then read this book! In the vein of Anna, Cover Story is the story of stolen identities told through diary entries, emails, FBI correspondence and social posts. This caper will leave you with your jaw on the floor. 

Bringing to light the little-known story of the attempted assassination of the notorious Bob Marley, A Brief History of Seven Killings is as brilliant as it is inventive. As little is publicly known about this crime, this fictional account weaves narratives across generations, exposing a larger corruption at play.

If Ann Rule wrote fiction maybe she would’ve written this. Based off the cult following of Ted Bundy, The Girls is a coming-of-age story set in the 1960s filled with obsession and unthinkable violence. These are girls you might not want to invite over to binge “Mindhunter” with.   

For any historical fiction fans out there, this book has true crime elements mixed in as Alias Grace is based on true events. The legendary Margaret Atwood weaves a tale so spellbinding, that it’s unbelievable to think that it really is based off true events. And that is the horror of it.  

We end with the beginning of true crime novel writing. Truman Capote is the master of integrating novels with the harsh realities that comes with murder and investigation and the nature of American violence.