My Friend Dahmer is a graphic novel written by someone who was a classmate of his. Maybe the creepiest thing I have ever read. The Fact of a Body is non-fiction and amazing. Broken Monsters is a novel about tracking a serial killer in Detroit.
Movie is excellent. For those who haven’t read it, NONE of the murders happen in the book or movie. It’s all build up as to what makes someone that way. My husband thought it was slow but I didn’t!
If you can find it, Justice by Dominick Dunne. It’s a collection of his essays that appeared in Vanity Fair. His daughter was a murder victim, and he was drawn to writing about high-profile murder cases.
The Bolter, can remember who it’s by but it’s about a 1920’s society lady that moves to Africa with her husband and ends up killing someone and has to go back to England to stand trail, and there is a pet lion to.
Nichelle Yep. The book Ann mentioned is the story of the murder. I actually found it difficult to get through — just alot of detail and repetition. I wanted to like it as I had read a ton of Anne Perry before finding out about her crime but I couldn’t get through it. Maybe I’ll try again.
So do I! I just got “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann. A lot of people on this page have been talking about it recently, so I’m hoping it will be really good. My favorite is “The Stranger Beside Me” written by Ann Rile about Ted Rule. I love any of her books
I really loved that book – and had a lot of controversy around it since the author was hired by MacDonald to write it thinking he’d show his innocence — and instead decided he was guilty.
This is about a man who terrorized his town to the point that he was shot “in broad daylight” in the middle of town, and not one of the townspeople would say who did it. Bonus, my husbands grandfather was the judge. There is also a movie with the same name.
LAbyrinth (about the LAPD conspiracy behind the Tupac and Biggie murders) by Randall Sullivan. Hands down one of the best books I’ve read in the true crime genre.
Sharon thank you. How could I not remember the word Carnage? It will be almost 30 years since I read it. I guess remembering his name was the best my memory was going to recall with everything that’s been inputted since then.
I thought Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper – Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell was fascinating. She was granted access to the evidence and police files, and while we’ll never know for sure, she was quite convincing in her theory. Lots of photos, and things you probably never knew about the culture of the seedy side of London in that time period.
Not sure titles. Stranger beside me is ann rules story about her experience working with Ted Bundy at a suicide prevention hotline, and his crimes. Helter skelter was too much. Can’t read at night! I read about john wayne gacy, richard Ramirez, hillside strangler, and not sure what else. Many!
30 years ago Thomas Harris wrote Silence of the Lambs (fiction), and suddenly people were fascinated with serial killers AND the FBI Behavioral unit that put together psych profiles for serial crimes. Then John Douglas wrote Mindhunter, claiming he was the FBI guy that Harris based his character of Jack Crawford. But that was somewhat disputed by Robert Ressler, who wrote his own book (I Have Lived in the Monster). Both men did additional books. If you are interested in the inner workings of serial killers, I would recommend both Douglas and Ressler.
[Side note: for some reason, these were the books I was fascinated with during my pregnancy 19 years ago. I think it made my husband nervous. 😂😂]
My daughter (who is now 35) came home from school one day when she was in either 5th or 6th grade & told me that I was the only mother she knew of with a favorite serial killer! Lol. Mine is Ted Bundy.
St. Joseph’s Children: A True Story of Terror and Justice, Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, MO, A Grave for Bobby: The Greenlease Slaying. Sadly, all are set in the area I grew up.
The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule about Ted Bundy is one of the best true crime novels ever. She actually knew him personally and worked with him and used that personal connection to write an excellent book. Under The Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer is also excellent. It not only gives an account of an awful murder but gives a great history of the Mormon Church and the fundamentalism that arose out of it and led to such a horrible crime.
3 recent ones: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, The Fact of a Body, Killers of the Flower Moon. Also: In Plain Sight, Devil in the White City, Devil’s Knot, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. I’m someone who thought In Cold Blood was good, but not great.
KILLERS-FLOWERS … nyt-pbs/ Now Read This greatly widened-deepened audience. Wudda never otherwise have read had not been Feb2018 choice: learned a lot very worth learning. Including foundations of FBI: important in these bashing times.
I like Linda Fairstein’s series with Detective Alex Cooper of the NYPD. Fairstein used to be a NY DA, so she injects a lot of realism. Crime dramas and procedurals are also my favorite TV. I’m still mourning the loss of Castle.
Helen skelter. In cold blood. In the garden of the beast, about the ambassador to Germany during Nazi times, his daughter was a spy. It’s an Erik Lawson, he writes nonfiction that reads like fiction. Also his Devil in the white city.
Some of these are hard to find (your library can probably help you find a copy of The Phantom Prince on intra-library loan) and quite graphic to read – but if you want serial killers in their own words, you’ll enjoy these. DEFINITELY not for the faint of heart… and again some of the details shared by these killers is extremely graphic.
The Michigan Murders. Young women taken during the late 60s early 70s (I think. ) From U of M, Eastern Michigan U areas. Not one of the well knowns, like Charles Manson or Ted Bundy but still gripping.
My ex wife was fond of Harold Schechter’s series of historical serial killer novels, which seemed insightful and well-researched, but I’m not a huge true crime fan.
Manson by Jeff Guinn was really good. From the beginning of his life to the “ family”’and trial. Learned a lot more than I ever saw in the media or true crime shows
Anything by Ann Rule. Also a classic in the genre In Cold Blood. Scared the pants off me when I read it. Of course, I was 12.
Also Fatal Vision by Joe McGinness. McGinness has several that are good.
Helter Skelter was also good.
This is also a favorite genre of mine.
The last victim””by Jason Moss later made into a film called Dr Mr Gacy the book was written by a young man who wrote to him in prison eventually visited him and was drawn into his life. It is less about Gacy’s crimes than about him as a mean manipulative sociopath.
Please let us know how you like Killers of the Flower Moon…I am an Okie and I have been anxious to read this…It is another piece of our state history that has been absent from most schools,
Try “THe Stranger Beside Me” by Ann Rule. It is about Ted Bundy, and it is unusual because Ann Rule was already a fledgling Crime Writer when she met Ted Bundy, the college student; they were both volunteers for the local suicide help line. It is a pretty good read.
For more on Bundy read The Only Living Witness, Conversations With A Killer, and The Deliberate Stranger. The Phantom Prince written by his one time girlfriend is also great but hard to find and very costly to buy. Try intra- library loan if you’re interested in it.
“The Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country” by Laton McCartney. McCartney begins his book with a bang – Oklahoma oilman Jake Hamon’s jilted mistress, Clara Hamon, put a gun to his chest and pulled the trigger. McCartney next relates the biographical details of Jake Hamon’s life. McCartney tells the reader that Jake was a man on the make. He was a successful Oklahoma oilman, a speculator, who did well in the oil field and then looked to improve his social position. Jake’s plan involved buying a U.S. president, so he took out a $1 million loan from National City Bank of New York (today’s Citibank) and went to the 1920 Republican presidential convention in Chicago. “Working in tandem with Harding’s campaign manager, Harry Micajah Daughtery, Hamon got Warren Harding the Republican presidential nomination”. Harding promised Hamon a position, Secretary of Interior, on his cabinet, when – and if – he was elected. There was but one other stipulation that Harding had for Hamon: Jake had to end his relationship with Clara Hamon. Shortly after Harding and Hamon had met, they discovered that Hamon’s wife was cousin to Florence “the Duchess” Harding. The Duchess would not allow her cousin to be further embarrassed by her philandering husband. If Hamon wanted the job, the Duchess required him to arrive in Washington with his wife, her cousin and not Clara. After Harding was elected, according to McCartney, Hamon told Clara that he had to end their relationship. She bought the .25-caliber pistol and, on what was to be their final night together, she shot Jake. Then the book moves onto other criminals and criminal activities including the notorious Teapot Dome Scandal.
No, but it sounds great. I was on a true crime reading spree in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I switched back to fiction because the killers and police both seemed smarter than in real life. Think I’ll try this one, though. Thanks for the heads up.
The Stranger Beside Me. Ann Rule worked beside him, on a suicide prevention hotline. He was clean cut and handsome, and she thought he was an intelligent, nice man. But, that man was Ted Bundy.
I have never had the courage to read it, but, my dad did. He wanted to learn how better to keep me safe, to learn how he lured women in, and to learn from one that didn’t fall for his tricks. Bundy followed this young woman in the mall into a bookstore, flashed her a badge and asked her if she had this car with this plate–I forget if he was also in uniform–told her some excuse and that she had to come with him. Fortunately, her dad was a police chief, and told her if that ever happened, to always call in the badge number. She did, it didn’t match, and he vanished. A younger, innocent me would have trusted him. You trust the police. But, now in the age of buying anything you want online, it is even easier. I’ve even seen the lights that go on the top of the car!) So, definitely a good book if you are into true crime books.
Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman. It is a work of fiction. I also thought Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore was a good read, bother of Gary Gilmore.
The Will to Murder ( by John DeSanto and 2 others) – details about the police search for the murder of Elizabeth Congdon – of 1070’s Duluth Minnesota – elderly heiress – I never read this genre but I couldn’t put this compelling book down. But it IS my hometown…..
Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John Douglas, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. This is about the long forgotten serial murders of people of the Osage Nation.
Helter Skelter
Also Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson by Jeff Guinn
In Cold Blood
Ripper by Patricia Cornwell
maybe… therapy?? 😂
👍😁
Devil in the White City
In Cold Blood
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark or True Crime Addict
Killers of the Flower Moon
Devil In The White City
In Cold Blood is absolutely fantastic!
While it’s not true crime, I enjoyed “The Alienist” by Caleb Carr.
There’s a tv show now
Yes. On TNT. I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet.
I tried but it was so dark, and I mean literally, that I had a hard time seeing it so lost interest. Lol
Lol. Thanks for the heads up.
I’ll be Gone in the Dark–so GOOD!
Is this the one about the golden state killer? I saw a lot of talk about it in another thread
Paula yes!! The author died before it was finished so parts of it are a little choppy but it is intensely creepy!
Julie that’s the one they’re talking about, I heard she died before catching him, too bad. Thanks for confirming!
Books by Ann Rule
My sis has read everything she has written- I believe Ms Rule died a few years ago. She wrote about that awful Ted Bundy (she knew him personally).
I have read all her books also. The Stranger Beside Me is the one about Ted Bundy. It’s creepy and fascinating. She did die a few years ago.
I haven’t read it yet but The Fact of a Body is supposed to be really good. It’s on my list.
Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song is fictionalized true crime and a damn good read.
This is one of my favorite books. It’s really long and I still finished it in about 3 days because I couldn’t put it down.
My Friend Dahmer is a graphic novel written by someone who was a classmate of his. Maybe the creepiest thing I have ever read. The Fact of a Body is non-fiction and amazing. Broken Monsters is a novel about tracking a serial killer in Detroit.
reading back through the comments to see if anyone else suggested My Friend Dahmer..a movie has been made based on the novel.
Movie is excellent. For those who haven’t read it, NONE of the murders happen in the book or movie. It’s all build up as to what makes someone that way. My husband thought it was slow but I didn’t!
If you can find it, Justice by Dominick Dunne. It’s a collection of his essays that appeared in Vanity Fair. His daughter was a murder victim, and he was drawn to writing about high-profile murder cases.
He had several books as well. I can’tremember any specific title at the moment but, I loved reading his boks.
He wrote fiction, too. The Two Mrs. Grenvilles is one that comes to mind.
I think I’ve got “Justice” but have not read it. I’ll look for it today!
Helter Skelter
Great book
Be sure to read Killers Of The Flower Moon!
Columbine by Dave Cullen
I’m sure someone mentioned the classic- In Cold Blood by Trumen Capote??
The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer
All his books are great
Oh yea? This is the only one I’ve read. I’ll have to check out the others
Anne Rule
Anne Rule’s book on Ted Bundy is excellent!
I loved that book….image sitting next to him working at a hotline center….
He was a true psychopath and the sad thing is he fathered some children ick. Can you imagine finding out your bio dad was him?
Nancy can not image….ugh
Right? I like the books Joe McGinniss has written too.
Oh yeah Jeffrey Macdonald still claims he’s innocent.
Lana {{John}} is good too. Its not true crime its fiction
small Sacrifices- Farrah Fawcett played Diane Downs in the movie which was actually good.
Nancy I really like Never Enough by Joe. It’s about a woman who kills her husband overseas, he was a stock analyst on television.
So is The Only Living Witness by Michaud and Aynesworth!
Cruel Death by M. William Phelps
The Adderall Diaries
The Bolter, can remember who it’s by but it’s about a 1920’s society lady that moves to Africa with her husband and ends up killing someone and has to go back to England to stand trail, and there is a pet lion to.
Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century by Peter Graham
I think Anne Perry was actually a murderer herself, right?
That’s what this book is about.
I really liked this book
Nichelle Yep. The book Ann mentioned is the story of the murder. I actually found it difficult to get through — just alot of detail and repetition. I wanted to like it as I had read a ton of Anne Perry before finding out about her crime but I couldn’t get through it. Maybe I’ll try again.
Barbara I only read her Victorian Mysteries, but they also felt repetitive to me.
Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer, and as a follow up/companion book Shot In the Heart by Mikal Gilmore.
So do I! I just got “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann. A lot of people on this page have been talking about it recently, so I’m hoping it will be really good. My favorite is “The Stranger Beside Me” written by Ann Rile about Ted Rule. I love any of her books
Love ‘Killers of the Flower Moon”. Anything by Ann Rule also.
Starkweather: A Story of Mass Murder on the Great Plains (US). Invisible Darkness: The Strange Case of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka (Canada)
The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn
Shake the Devil Off by Ethan Brown
Fatal Vision by Joe McGuinniss
I really loved that book – and had a lot of controversy around it since the author was hired by MacDonald to write it thinking he’d show his innocence — and instead decided he was guilty.
Military BRAT here who recalls when this happened. SO sad…
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
This is about a man who terrorized his town to the point that he was shot “in broad daylight” in the middle of town, and not one of the townspeople would say who did it. Bonus, my husbands grandfather was the judge. There is also a movie with the same name.
That looks really interesting. I’ll have to check that out.
Try the true crime books of Gregg Olsen.
LAbyrinth (about the LAPD conspiracy behind the Tupac and Biggie murders) by Randall Sullivan. Hands down one of the best books I’ve read in the true crime genre.
Zodiac by Robert Graysmith. Take with a grain of salt…. who knows how true it is, but there are companion books that debunk all he says. Fascinating.
And maybe one of the creepiest- Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. I cannot watch that movie!!!
Stephen kings the good wife
Devil in the White City, In Cold Blood
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
Can’t wait to read this one…
Ann Rule!!
The Jeffery Dahmer Story: An American Nightmare by Don Davis
Devil in the White City
By. Eric Larson
I have this one but haven’t read it yet!
Roberta Excellent book. Loved it.
Barbara thank you, it’s in my stack to be read!!
Cruel Sacrifice
Book by AphroditeJones
Devil in the White City is excellent!
Titles escape me but stories are remembered . . . I’ll have to Google
Devil in the White City
Helter Skelter
The Woodchipper Murder
In cold blood
Ann Rule nonfiction Stranger Beside Me
If you’re interested in Bundy- The Only Living Witness is excellent!
https://www.abebooks.com/books/50-essential-true-crime-books/?&cm_mmc=ggl-_-Merchandising-_-naa-_-naa&gclid=CjwKCAjwgr3ZBRAAEiwAGVssncOnWbCE5l9_5gPF1ye4VsY8oDJYIy9adQ3myxzis3Hjh4Yt_e6U3BoCYFIQAvD_BwE
An amazing list!
Great list. I only read 5 of those!
In Cold Blood
I read this a few months ago. Really interesting!
Jo Nesbo
House of Evil by John Dean. (Sylvia Likens story)
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
The one about Richard E. List, but I’m not sure of the Title.
You mean “Righteous Carnage: The List Murders” by Timothy Benford & James Johnson?
Sharon I don’t remember the first part. I thought it was something simple but if it’s about the guy that was caught on America’s most wanted then yes.
Donna That’s the one.
Sharon thank you. How could I not remember the word Carnage? It will be almost 30 years since I read it. I guess remembering his name was the best my memory was going to recall with everything that’s been inputted since then.
“Anne Perry & the Murder of the Century” by Peter Graham. Then watch “Heavenly Creatures” starring Kate Winslet & Melanie Lynskey.
Fatal Vision, about the soldier who murdered his wife at Fort Bragg , excellent read.
Me too! In Cold Blood — Truman Capote
Ann Rule. Her books are very good
The Monster of Florence, about a serial killer in Italy. The afterward has commentary on the Amanda Knox trial, which is really interesting as well.
If you’re looking for something a bit different, but still in the genre, I enjoyed this book.
I thought Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper – Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell was fascinating. She was granted access to the evidence and police files, and while we’ll never know for sure, she was quite convincing in her theory. Lots of photos, and things you probably never knew about the culture of the seedy side of London in that time period.
Michael finkels book Murder memoir mea culpa. Excellent
Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Next Door
by Roy Wenzl, L. Kelly, Tim Potter, Hurst Laviana
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
You may have already read most of hers by ANN RULE is fantastic
Fatal Vision. Preacher’s Girl, Life and Times of Blanche Taylor-Moore.
I’ll Be Gone in the Night and Fatal Vision. And the grandparent of the genre In Cold Blood.
Not sure titles. Stranger beside me is ann rules story about her experience working with Ted Bundy at a suicide prevention hotline, and his crimes. Helter skelter was too much. Can’t read at night! I read about john wayne gacy, richard Ramirez, hillside strangler, and not sure what else. Many!
In cold blood too
30 years ago Thomas Harris wrote Silence of the Lambs (fiction), and suddenly people were fascinated with serial killers AND the FBI Behavioral unit that put together psych profiles for serial crimes. Then John Douglas wrote Mindhunter, claiming he was the FBI guy that Harris based his character of Jack Crawford. But that was somewhat disputed by Robert Ressler, who wrote his own book (I Have Lived in the Monster). Both men did additional books. If you are interested in the inner workings of serial killers, I would recommend both Douglas and Ressler.
[Side note: for some reason, these were the books I was fascinated with during my pregnancy 19 years ago. I think it made my husband nervous. 😂😂]
My daughter (who is now 35) came home from school one day when she was in either 5th or 6th grade & told me that I was the only mother she knew of with a favorite serial killer! Lol. Mine is Ted Bundy.
The Devil in the White City
Great book!
Excellent choice!
Mother Wife Murderer (the story of Marie Hilley)
Dan has a podcast and each episode he interviews the author of a different true crime book. I would go to his podcast for book titles.
Dan has a podcast and each episode he interviews the author of a different true crime book. I would go to his podcast for book titles.
.. The Alienist .. by Caleb Carr
The BEST!
Great book but not true crime.
In Cold Blood.
Excellent!
St. Joseph’s Children: A True Story of Terror and Justice, Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, MO, A Grave for Bobby: The Greenlease Slaying. Sadly, all are set in the area I grew up.
Ann Rule is the best!
You undoubtedly have heard of the author Ann Rule, but if not.
My husband was the lead investigator on the Diane Downs Case.
small sacrifices was the first book i read by ann rule
Shelly, what a devastating time that must have been for him and your family… 😔
I just finished Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. It was excellent.
Just finished reading I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. It’s about the Golden State Killer who was recently apprehended
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Stranger Beside Me and Small Sacrifices, both by Ann Rule.
Blood Money and Serpentine by Thomas Thompson.
I fpund James Ellroy’s book about his mother’s murder: My Dark Places interesting
Girl in the box
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that changed America by Erik Larson
There’s a new one coming out in July called The Thief of All Light. I read the ARC and really enjoyed it.
The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule about Ted Bundy is one of the best true crime novels ever. She actually knew him personally and worked with him and used that personal connection to write an excellent book. Under The Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer is also excellent. It not only gives an account of an awful murder but gives a great history of the Mormon Church and the fundamentalism that arose out of it and led to such a horrible crime.
In Cold Blood.
In Cold Blood, Devil’s Knot: The Story of the West Memphis Three, A Murder in Music City, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark
Just got this!!!
Powerful book.
Robert Dugoni- Tracy Crosswhite Series
Vulgar Favors – the killing of Gianni Versace
Starvation Heights by Gregg Olsen and Footsteps in the Snow by Charles Lachman
3 recent ones: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, The Fact of a Body, Killers of the Flower Moon. Also: In Plain Sight, Devil in the White City, Devil’s Knot, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. I’m someone who thought In Cold Blood was good, but not great.
KILLERS-FLOWERS … nyt-pbs/ Now Read This greatly widened-deepened audience. Wudda never otherwise have read had not been Feb2018 choice: learned a lot very worth learning. Including foundations of FBI: important in these bashing times.
The Stranger Beside Me, Til Death Do Us Part both by Ann Rule. And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi
I like Linda Fairstein’s series with Detective Alex Cooper of the NYPD. Fairstein used to be a NY DA, so she injects a lot of realism. Crime dramas and procedurals are also my favorite TV. I’m still mourning the loss of Castle.
The Monster of Florence
Evidence of Love by John Bloom
Black Dahlia Avenger
“Murder in the Peach State,” by Bruce L. Jordan. “Killings,” by Calvin Trillin.
Instinct by James Patterson
Have you read “Helter Skelter”? The book that set the standard for the true crime genre. Also “In Cold Blood.” Classics.
Helen skelter. In cold blood. In the garden of the beast, about the ambassador to Germany during Nazi times, his daughter was a spy. It’s an Erik Lawson, he writes nonfiction that reads like fiction. Also his Devil in the white city.
Some of these are hard to find (your library can probably help you find a copy of The Phantom Prince on intra-library loan) and quite graphic to read – but if you want serial killers in their own words, you’ll enjoy these. DEFINITELY not for the faint of heart… and again some of the details shared by these killers is extremely graphic.
I’ll be gone in the dark by Michelle McNamara
A great book.
Its been on my holds list for months and I’m only five weeks away! So exciting!
The Butterfly Garden series.
Patricia Cornwell’s Kate Scarpetti books…
My Friend Dahmer
Great book and movie!
Ann Rule was my favorite for true crime stories. But don’t pass up In Cold Blood either
The Michigan Murders. Young women taken during the late 60s early 70s (I think. ) From U of M, Eastern Michigan U areas. Not one of the well knowns, like Charles Manson or Ted Bundy but still gripping.
https://amzn.to/2tqc8QB
I reserved this at the library can’t wait to read it
A Knoxville, TN retired police officer has written several true crime novels based on cases he has worked. His name is David Hunter.
My ex wife was fond of Harold Schechter’s series of historical serial killer novels, which seemed insightful and well-researched, but I’m not a huge true crime fan.
His books are really good!
The Man from the Train – really good look at a possible serial axe murderer in the early 1900s.
The Grim Sleeper is about a serial killer in So. Central L.A.
Blood and Money – Thompson.
Iris Johansen
The Alienist, Devil in the White City, Helter Skelter, In Cold Blood
My hubby just started reading Devil in the White City.
Kim This is a great book…It contains so much history of the time…I found it fascinating.
Thank you all so much!!! I’m at Barnes and Nobles right now to buy some of these.
mindhunter is a must buy!!!
Philip Carlo’s book on Ramirez is good too…
Oh, no, Cathy….I hope you are more disciplined than I am….B&N is like an opium den for me!🤣🤣🤣
Manson by Jeff Guinn was really good. From the beginning of his life to the “ family”’and trial. Learned a lot more than I ever saw in the media or true crime shows
Loved this one!
Definitely more facts and less sensationalism than in Bugliosi’s book about the murders!
Mindhunter also!
Great book!
Author is John Douglas. I learned a lot from this book (it is non-fiction), and it was hard to put down.
Robert Ressler and Roy Hazelwood who are also profilers who worked alongside Douglas have also written books – very good reads as well!
Helter Skelter
The Innocent Man a true story by John Grisham
You by Caroline Kepnes
I thought I was the only one!! Have you read I’ll Be Gone in the Dark? I’m really enjoying it!
I’ve never heard of it. Who wrote it?
Michelle McNamara. About the Golden State Killer. Her husband is Patton Oswalt the actor.
☺
Anything by Ann Rule. Also a classic in the genre In Cold Blood. Scared the pants off me when I read it. Of course, I was 12.
Also Fatal Vision by Joe McGinness. McGinness has several that are good.
Helter Skelter was also good.
This is also a favorite genre of mine.
I’ll be gone in the dark. And there are two books about the pizza bomber, though I dont know the exact titles offhand.
I’ve Been Watching You: The South Louisiana Serial Killer
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Bones series…
Yep more great reads if you’re interested in Columbine…
The last victim””by Jason Moss later made into a film called Dr Mr Gacy the book was written by a young man who wrote to him in prison eventually visited him and was drawn into his life. It is less about Gacy’s crimes than about him as a mean manipulative sociopath.
“Dear Mr. Gacy” …What a TITLE! 😨
Not into this genre at all; I’d never be able to sleep at night. LOL
The Alienist and Alias Grace are good ones
I really liked The Bone Collector.
In Cold Blood Capote
Mindhunter by John Douglas
All his stuff is great!
Cathy, you have to tell us what you bought at B&N. Enquiring minds want to know! ☺
Got these to start…can’t wait till I’m done so I can get more!
Cathy, enjoy! And thanks for asking a terrific question. It reminded me of a whole genre of books I hadn’t thought of in a while… 🙂
Please let us know how you like Killers of the Flower Moon…I am an Okie and I have been anxious to read this…It is another piece of our state history that has been absent from most schools,
Try “THe Stranger Beside Me” by Ann Rule. It is about Ted Bundy, and it is unusual because Ann Rule was already a fledgling Crime Writer when she met Ted Bundy, the college student; they were both volunteers for the local suicide help line. It is a pretty good read.
For more on Bundy read The Only Living Witness, Conversations With A Killer, and The Deliberate Stranger. The Phantom Prince written by his one time girlfriend is also great but hard to find and very costly to buy. Try intra- library loan if you’re interested in it.
Ann Rule was a terrific writer. I enjoyed many of her other books, too. Especially Small Sacrifices and Every Breath You Take.
“The Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country” by Laton McCartney. McCartney begins his book with a bang – Oklahoma oilman Jake Hamon’s jilted mistress, Clara Hamon, put a gun to his chest and pulled the trigger. McCartney next relates the biographical details of Jake Hamon’s life. McCartney tells the reader that Jake was a man on the make. He was a successful Oklahoma oilman, a speculator, who did well in the oil field and then looked to improve his social position. Jake’s plan involved buying a U.S. president, so he took out a $1 million loan from National City Bank of New York (today’s Citibank) and went to the 1920 Republican presidential convention in Chicago. “Working in tandem with Harding’s campaign manager, Harry Micajah Daughtery, Hamon got Warren Harding the Republican presidential nomination”. Harding promised Hamon a position, Secretary of Interior, on his cabinet, when – and if – he was elected. There was but one other stipulation that Harding had for Hamon: Jake had to end his relationship with Clara Hamon. Shortly after Harding and Hamon had met, they discovered that Hamon’s wife was cousin to Florence “the Duchess” Harding. The Duchess would not allow her cousin to be further embarrassed by her philandering husband. If Hamon wanted the job, the Duchess required him to arrive in Washington with his wife, her cousin and not Clara. After Harding was elected, according to McCartney, Hamon told Clara that he had to end their relationship. She bought the .25-caliber pistol and, on what was to be their final night together, she shot Jake. Then the book moves onto other criminals and criminal activities including the notorious Teapot Dome Scandal.
Fabulous book. So well written. ❤️
Another historical nugget about my native state.
Must reads by Ann Rule: A Stranger Beside Me and Small Sacrifices.
Both are very good books.
Linda, have you read “Every Breath You Take”? Another Ann Rule favorite of mine.
No, but it sounds great. I was on a true crime reading spree in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I switched back to fiction because the killers and police both seemed smarter than in real life. Think I’ll try this one, though. Thanks for the heads up.
Devil in the
White City
Ann Rule books are great reads..she really delves into the minds and psyches of all individuals Small sacrifices still haunts me…
Me, too!
Excellent book. It is one that YOU DON’T FORGET!!
The Stranger Beside Me. Ann Rule worked beside him, on a suicide prevention hotline. He was clean cut and handsome, and she thought he was an intelligent, nice man. But, that man was Ted Bundy.
I have never had the courage to read it, but, my dad did. He wanted to learn how better to keep me safe, to learn how he lured women in, and to learn from one that didn’t fall for his tricks. Bundy followed this young woman in the mall into a bookstore, flashed her a badge and asked her if she had this car with this plate–I forget if he was also in uniform–told her some excuse and that she had to come with him. Fortunately, her dad was a police chief, and told her if that ever happened, to always call in the badge number. She did, it didn’t match, and he vanished. A younger, innocent me would have trusted him. You trust the police. But, now in the age of buying anything you want online, it is even easier. I’ve even seen the lights that go on the top of the car!) So, definitely a good book if you are into true crime books.
Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman. It is a work of fiction. I also thought Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore was a good read, bother of Gary Gilmore.
Any book by Ann Rule will be good. All are true crime. She does much research and investigating.
The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer. So good. One of the best written.
In Cold Blood (Capote)…classic.
Fatal Vision by Joe McGinnis about Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald. Controversial but a good true story
Reversal of Fortune about Sunny and Claus von Bulow by Alan Dershowitz is great.
Alan Hynd books have been around for awhile but are still fun reads. His son, Noel Hynd, writes along similar lines.
In Cold Blood
Ann Rule
Green town. About the Martha Moxley murder case and the Kennedy family relatives.
Devil in the White City
I agree with Elyse – Ann Rules is definitely one of the best!
In Cold Blood by Truman Copote
I teach this in AP English Language and Composition. Love the book!
I really liked this one!!! I had never heard of this murder so I had no spoilers.
Murder in Music City by Michael Bishop
The Devil in the White City
Ditto on White City. Waiting for the movie to be made starring Leonardo De Caprio I hope! Or Johnny Depp!
Definitely this one!
Helter Skelter is a book by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry. Bugliosi had served as the prosecutor in the 1970 trial of Charles Manson.
Yes, good book
It is very good.
I read it many years ago.
And the Sea Will Tell, also by Vincent Bugliosi.
The Will to Murder ( by John DeSanto and 2 others) – details about the police search for the murder of Elizabeth Congdon – of 1070’s Duluth Minnesota – elderly heiress – I never read this genre but I couldn’t put this compelling book down. But it IS my hometown…..
Did you go through Glensheen after reading it like I did?! 🙂
Vicki A beautiful place with a glorious and tragic history!
The stranger beside me. Ann rule
I said the same thing. Small Sacrifices was another great Ann Rule book.
Who Killed Precious?
Author Ann Rice
The Hannibal Lechter series…
The stranger beside me – story of Ted Bundy by Ann Rule
Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John Douglas, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. This is about the long forgotten serial murders of people of the Osage Nation.
I’m going to start “Killers of the Flower Moon” this week.
I thought it was fantastic.
Anything by Ann Rule is good.
Agreed wholeheartedly.
The Onion Field by Joseph Wambaugh
Good one!
I never got over The Onion Field. . . never will.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Devil in the White City. And of course, In Cold Blood.
The Tony Hill series by Val McDermid.
The Last Mafioso about Jimmy “The Weasel” Fratianno
Following
Devil in the White City
Can’t wait for the movie. Just saw a docu. on Holmes too,.Scary
Jo nesbo
I have to read these with lots of passage of time between books. They are so dark. I’m due to read one now. Great author.
It is fiction…but I just read Twisted by Jonathan Kellerman. Great read about a serial killer.
People Who Eat Darkness. I have barely started reading this and not my usual read but this seems really good.
Ann Rule.
Read the one that started it all: Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood.
This book is excellent.
That was the first true crime book I read and sparked my interest for more
One of the best I ever read was Murder in Little Egypt by Darcy O’Brien.
Columbine is very good too.
The Devil in the White City
Phenomenal book!
That was going to be my suggestion.
The Butterfly Garden Trilogy
I’ll Be Gone In the Dark by Michelle McNamara is a pretty recent book but it’s so good
Love it!! Well written!
The Thrist by Jo Nesbo
The Devil in the White City and anything by Anne Rule
Fourteen: The Murder of David Sturkle
The Starved Rock Murders
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
I just finished this. It was well researched.
The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule!
Also In Cold Blood, and if you’re interested in extra large tomes (and a challenge 😴) then try out The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer.
In cold blood by Truman capote