25 True Crime Books That'll Make You Want to Sleep With the Lights On
25 True Crime Books That'll Make You Want to Sleep With the Lights On
True crime is having a renaissance right now, but the genre has been popular long before the Serial podcast or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood brought Charles Manson's murders back into focus. The best true crime books read like thrillers, with twists and turns to keep you hooked. But they also tell a story larger story, contextualizing the crime as if they were gripping works of historical fiction. While serial killers and grisly murders might immediately come to mind when discussing the true crime genre, there's more to this literary motif than that. The books are elegant explorations of the criminal justice system, and crimes' effects on individuals. Further, these books also make for excellent book club picks, each a springboard for questions. We guarantee your book club will be absorbed while talking about the central murder in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, or Lacy Johnson's painful experiences in her memoir, The Other Side. Whether it’s art forgery, white collar sins, or political traitors, this list captures the best non-fiction true crime books of all time.
These twisty, explosive stories of murder and madness read like novels.