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10 books every true crime addict should read

Because the modern real world isn’t horrifying enough, Bessie Yuill has compiled 10 of the greatest true crime novels, from a classic retelling of the Manson Family murders to the story of Ted Bundy’s coworker

Sunday 23 February 2020 14:06 GMT

The American author Truman Capote, who is considered one of the most influential figures in true crime writing (Evening Standard/Getty Images)

The true crime wave shows no sign of stopping, with the recent success of true crime documentaries like Don’t F**k with Cats, Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, and McMillion$.

Even America’s most famous reality star wants in on the action. The film Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project, released in April 2020, will see its star investigate miscarriages of justice.

New true crime podcasts crop up daily as well, chasing the success of Serial, My Favourite Murder or Crime Junkies by focusing on shocking or unusual offenders. Different newcomers hold different areas of interest: forensics, psychology, activism. Your average listener has an ever expanding universe of intrigue and mystery at their fingertips.

The genre often faces accusations of sensationalism. You could argue that it’s cynical to profit from human suffering, or that it encourages worship of “evil genius” serial killers at the expense of their victims. The upcoming Whitechapel mural, designed to honour the five women murdered by Jack the Ripper, is one example of historians finding it necessary to turn the tide of murderer fans.

Books, however, have the space to explore enthralling topics with context for the crimes and empathy towards the victims, if they’re done right. The ones we’ve listed here are gripping, thoroughly researched, and critically acclaimed.

If you want to explore the world of written crime journalism, click through to the gallery. These books will prove to fans and newcomers alike that sometimes the truth is more sinister than fiction.

Click through the gallery to see our picks:

10 must-read true crime books

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1/1010 must-read true crime books

10 must-read true crime books

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (1966)

The first classic of the true crime genre was Capote’s investigation of the four murders that rocked the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas. He spent six years fascinated with killers Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, after travelling to research the tragedy with his childhood friend Harper Lee. “No one will ever know what In Cold Blood took out of me,” Capote once said. “It scraped me right down to the marrow of my bones. It nearly killed me. I think, in a way, it did kill me.”

10 must-read true crime books

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (2018)

In 2018, more than 50 rapes and 12 murders in California were finally matched to a single culprit after 40 years. It’s possible to argue the killer would have gone undiscovered forever if not for the extensive research left behind by journalist Michelle McNamara after her death in 2016, which became this portrait of obsession. A true crime enthusiast since childhood, she gave the Golden State Killer his catchy name and turned national attention back to his crimes. The most compelling passages show her holed up with evidence, compulsively re-reading the gory details. “There’s a scream permanently lodged in my throat now,” she writes at one point.

10 must-read true crime books

Happy Like Murderers by Gordon Burn (1998)

Gordon Burn’s unflinching exploration of Fred and Rosemary West exposes the decay that lay at the heart of rural England. He shines a light on the brutality of the murderous couple’s backgrounds - not to make them sympathetic, but rather to show how a legacy of cruelty can curdle into violence. This notorious chapter of our country’s history unfolds through intelligent prose, and the Northern writer doesn’t have to reach for exaggeration to terrify the reader. Gloucester City Council may have demolished 25 Cromwell Street, but the house’s ghosts can’t be silenced in Burn’s insightful non-fiction portrait.

10 must-read true crime books

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi (1974)

The best-selling true crime book of all time covers the infamous Manson murders, which have stayed in the public imagination now for 50 years. Buglioso, prosecutor in the Tate-LaBianca trials, lays out the events that inspired movies like 2019’s Oscar-winning Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Buglioso resented attempts to turn the cult leader into a mystical folk hero. In this book, he instead exposed how Manson exploited people who were already susceptible to anti-social ideas. It remains our primary source of information on a murderous motive that combined white supremacy, drug-fuelled paranoia, and Beatles conspiracy theories.

10 must-read true crime books

Party Monster by James St James (1999)

James St James paints an indelible picture of New York nightlife in this infamous tale of drugs, sex, fashion and murder. The 1996 death of a drug dealer named Angel kicked off a scandalous series of events that rocked the city’s party scene. As a club kid himself, the author shows us how he became the confidant of one of the killers, and experienced the dark side of a subculture that embraced total anarchy. Formerly titled Disco Bloodbath, the novel later became a feature film starring Macaulay Culkin.

10 must-read true crime books

The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm (1999)

This unusual story focuses more on the ethics of journalism than the violent crimes of its titular murderer, Jeffrey MacDonald. Journalist Joe McGinniss befriended the man, who had murdered his pregnant wife and two daughters, and then wrote a book based on everything MacDonald had told him. An unprecedented trial eventually took place, in which MacDonald alleged that McGinniss had tricked and betrayed him. Malcolm analyses the relationship between the two men with level headed clarity, asking when a journalist becomes a con man. The chain of events is thrilling, and the debate is thought-provoking.

10 must-read true crime books

Unbelievable by T Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong

Recently adapted for a Netflix series starring Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, and Kaitlyn Dever, Miller and Armstrong’s story of a shocking rape investigation won them numerous awards, including the 2016 Pulitzer Prize. The book’s central crime took place in Lynnwood, Washington, in 2008, and justice wasn’t delivered until other cases emerged years later and 1,300 miles away in Colorado. The main victim’s story here is testament to the damage that incompetent police work can do. Miller and Armstrong ask a difficult question in this empathetic exploration: who earns the benefit of the doubt, and why?

10 must-read true crime books

Columbine by Dave Cullen (2009)

Two decades later, the Columbine shootings are as sadly relevant as ever. Dave Cullen’s 2009 examination of the massacre shows how the media storm obscured the tragedy at the time, creating myths instead of soberly investigating the circumstances. Nuance and accuracy are key to the book’s success. Cullen pushes past the image we have of the two shooters to get to the truth. In particular, this account shines a light on the students, teachers, and parents who were involved in the attacks. They are granted dignity and allowed to have a voice: a lesson in respectfully covering mass shootings that is tragically still needed today.

10 must-read true crime books

The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial by Maggie Nelson (2007)

Maggie Nelson is known today for genre-defying critical successes like The Argonauts and Bluets, but this 2007 book about her aunt’s murder shows an early foray into true crime. The case had haunted her since childhood, and when new DNA evidence emerged to lay blame 35 years after the tragedy, Nelson observed the new suspect’s trial closely. Through the prism of her family’s grief, the book is beautifully lyrical at times. Her mother’s perspective is particularly crucial, as she mourns her younger sister’s short, turbulent life. Nelson remains rational and skeptical throughout, however, commenting on the nature of crime and punishment in enthralling prose.

10 must-read true crime books

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule (1980)

Ann Rule aspired to be a crime novelist in the 1970s, but she couldn’t have known that her best-selling debut would be inspired by the man who worked next to her. When she met Ted Bundy through her job at a suicide hotline, a friendship developed that gave her crucial insight into the serial killer’s psychological motivations. This personal angle adds fascinating colour to Rule’s meticulous reporting on his trial, conviction, and eventual execution. A list of true crime novels would be incomplete without this depiction of the human mind’s capacity for darkness.

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