Gates of Janus by Ian Brady, Peter Sotos, Colin Wilson
“Easily one of the creepiest books ever written. Convicted Moors Murderer Ian Brady justifies serial murders and critiques his peers. This guy murdered five children! A valuable document of narcissistic psychopathology.” - Chan
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
“If The Silence of the Lambs took a trip in the wayback machine, this might be the result. Historical fiction with a true crime feel, this atmospheric novel will appeal to fans of both.” - Tove
Starvation Heights by Gregg Olsen
“A fascinating turn-of-the-century story of medical malpractice and murder. If you liked The Alienist, you’ll find Starvation Heights all the more gripping because this story is true.” - Michael Connelly
People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry
“Parry, as Asia chief of the Times of London, is uniquely placed to shed light on the Japanese phenomenon of the hostess club and the serial rapes and murders of young western women by wealthy, difficult to catch sexual deviants.” - Chan
The Man from the Train by Bill James, Rachel McCarthy James
“Creepy, cozy, brilliant, and sincere, The Man From the Train solves the century-old slaying of families across America by a train-hopping, axe-wielding deviant. This is unputdownable!” - McKenzie W.
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
“Sprinkled with hatchet misadventures, potential poisonings and odd fascinations with pears and fingernail clippings, Schmidt’s storytelling is mind-blowingly atmospheric and unsettling.” - Shelf Awareness
Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule
“If you were of TV-watching age in the 80s, you probably remember Diane Downs. Hers was one of the most bizarre, unsettling, and talked about trials in Oregon history, and Ann Rule’s account of it is riveting stuff.” - Tove
I Will Find You by Joe Kenda
If you liked Homicide Hunter, then try I Will Find You by Detective Lt. Joe Kenda.
The Most Dangerous Animal of All by Gary L. Stewart and Susan Mustafa
“Stewart and Mustafa straight-up solved the Zodiac Murders.” - Chan
Whoever Fights Monsters by Robert K Ressler
If you liked the Netflix Series Mindhunter, then try Whoever Fights Monsters by Robert K. Ressler (the inspiration for Agent Bill Tench).
The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale
“A fascinating and creepy report of turn-of-the-century London and the crime that petrified its residents in the summer of 1895.”
Lost Girls by Robert Kolker
“A haunting and powerful crime story that gives voice to those who can no longer be heard. It is a story that you will not be able to forget.” - David Grann
The Skeleton Crew by Deborah Halber
“Readers are brought the real-life cases of missing persons, the unidentified dead, and the network of people that gives them their names… proving once again what I said at the conclusion of every episode of America’s Most Wanted: ‘One person can make a difference.’” - John Walsh, host of America’s Most Wanted
The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum
"New York City’s Jazz Age bubbled under the surface with sadistic criminals who went day-to-day undetected. With the advent of the Periodic Table, our notions of criminal investigations were forever changed. This book does an excellent job taking you through the true story of forensic science and toxicology, and its experimental origins in solving the unsolvable.”
Death’s Acre by William Bass and Jon Jefferson
“There’s probably something wrong with me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.” - Mary Roach
The Run of His Life The People v O J Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin
“Everyone has an opinion about O.J. Read the very best account of his murder trial to find out how much you never knew about the Trial of the Century.”
Forensics by Val McDermid
If you liked shows like CSI, Forensic Files, Bones, and NCIS, then try Forensics by Val McDermid.
Seductive Poison by Deborah Layton
“A thrilling and devastating reflection of one woman’s life spent in a terrifying cult, leading up to her narrow escape and attempts to warn the public about the impending dangers that loomed in the near future…”
Silence Of The Lambs by Thomas Harris
“Clarice Starling is a badass, and this masterfully crafted, tense, and disturbing novel is the very definition of suspense.” - Tove
Mindhunter by John E Douglas, Mark Olshaker
If you liked the Netflix series Mindhunter, then try the book that inspired it! Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker.
The Crime of the Century by Dennis L Breo, William J Martin
“In 1966 Richard Speck broke into a townhouse in Chicago and murdered eight young nurses in a sexual rampage. Includes account of his bizarre and chilling videotaped confession.” - Chan
The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial by Maggie Nelson
“THIS is one of my favorite books of all time. Poet, critic, and creative writer Maggie Nelson feels a connection to her aunt Jane, whom she never met. Jane’s unsolved murder is reopened for investigation 50 years later due to new DNA evidence. Nelson documents the trial through its confounding twists and turns, all the while begging the reader to reflect on larger implications of sexism, media and violence in our society.”
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
“A gripping, keep-you-up-all-night, real-life whodunit; a testament to McNamara’s inimitable resolve; and an extraordinary parting gift from a talented writer.” - Tove
My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
“Before Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial murderer who kept human heads in his freezer he was a weird, sad kid. Graphic novelist Backderf, a former classmate of Dahmer, gifts us a portrait of the cannibal as a young man.” - Chan
Powell’s Grim Reader Patch
Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun
If you liked the My Favorite Murder podcast, then try Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who… series, in which Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum help their owner solve murders!
My Sweet Audrina by V C Andrews
In loving memory: the My Favorite Murder book club, episode 95-episode 97.
Lady Killers by Tori Telfer
“Even grandmothers get in on the serial killing game! Tori Telfer writes about female murderers as if they’re bedtime stories, quick and irresistable.” - McKenzie W.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
“A true crime history that entertains even as it forces the reader to confront the evils of our national past and the uncomfortable parallels visible today.” - Rhianna
Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
“Imagine you are a budding true crime writer working at a suicide hotline to make ends meet when it gradually dawns on you that the nice, handsome guy who works next to you might be a prolific serial killer named Ted Bundy.” - Chan
The Good Nurse by Charles Graeber
“Put this one on the shelf next to Ann Rule’s classic about Ted Bundy, The Stranger Beside Me. It’s that good.” - Entertainment Weekly
“This school shooting shocked America when it occurred almost twenty years ago. Who would have been cynical enough to guess that mass shootings would be an almost daily occurrence in 21st Century U.S.A.?” - Chan
Perfect Murder Perfect Town by Lawrence Schiller
“A thoroughly researched, detailed report that takes you moment by moment through one of the most complex, chilling investigations of all time.”
Cases That Haunt Us by John E Douglas
If you liked the Netflix series Mindhunter, then try The Cases That Haunt Us by John Douglas (the inspiration for Agent Holden Ford) & Mark Olshaker.
“Loosely inspired by real-life monster Ed Gein (who was arrested in a town not far from Bloch as he wrote the book), Psycho is a chilling tale of one man’s, um, relationship with his mother.” - Tove
Anne Perry & the Murder of the Century by Peter Graham
“The great Peter Jackson/Kate Winslet film Heavenly Creatures is based on this true story of infatuation and matricide. The murderess, Juliet, eventually became the mystery novelist Anne Perry.” - Chan
The Grim Sleeper by Christine Pelisek
“A dark and disturbing story that reveals the failure of the police and the justice system in impoverished communities of color, The Grim Sleeper is a must-read for true crime fans who want to see how crime reporting can make a difference.” - Bustle
After the Eclipse by Sarah Perry
“When the author was 12 her single mother was murdered in their home in rural Maine. After the Eclipse is a memoir of Sarah’s exploration of not only her mother’s death, but her life. Perry brings the reader into her personal losses and triumphs during her coming of age and in turn, tells her mother’s life story with compassion and clarity. This book is impossible to put down.”
The Black Dahlia Files by Donald H Wolfe
“Of all the books written about this still unsolved crime, this one, by Donald Wolfe who had fresh access to LAPD files, comes closest to the heart of this fascinating and disturbing crime.” - Chan
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
“Serial killer Dr. H. H. Holmes is long dead, but Larson’s evocative storytelling had me peeking into closets and burrowing under the covers as I read, late into the night.” - Rhianna
Who Killed These Girls by Beverly Lowry
“Gripping, moving, and as good as any depiction of a murder case since In Cold Blood… This transcends the genre. Brilliant.” - Ann Patchett
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
“Capote’s masterpiece is the standard by which every other work of true crime reportage must be judged. But did he break faith with his "friends” the killers to get his great scoop? You decide!“ - Chan
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry
"If you liked law & order procedurals, "hippie music,” and cult classics, then try Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi.
“A fictional account of a young woman’s brush with a murderous cult, Cline’s The Girls is a compulsive read and a crystal clear transmission from the brain of a teenage girl.” - Tove ga
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