How was this list created?

We searched for "best True Crime books", found the top 5 articles, took every book mentioned in 2+ articles, and averaged their rankings.

How many books are in this list?

There are 23 books in this list.

Why did you create this list?

We wanted to gather the most accurate list of True Crime books on the internet.

23 Best True Crime Books of All Time

Our goal: Build the most true list of best True Crime books.

Our process:
1. Search for "best True Crime books" and study the top 5 articles.
2. Add only the top books (mentioned 2+ times).
3. Rank the results neatly for you here! 😊
(This process takes a long time, but we do the research so you don't have to!)

(Updated 2022)

1
i
In Cold Blood
Truman Capote
Appears in 5 articles
3 recommenders
2
i
Killers of the Flower Moon
The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
David Grann
Appears in 5 articles
3 recommenders
3
i
The Stranger Beside Me
Ann Rule
Appears in 4 articles
4
i
Under the Banner of Heaven
A Story of Violent Faith
Jon Krakauer
Appears in 3 articles
5
i
My Dark Places
James Ellroy
Appears in 3 articles
6
i
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
John Berendt
Appears in 3 articles
7
i
Helter Skelter
The True Story of the Manson Murders
Vincent Bugliosi
Appears in 3 articles
8
i
The Devil in the White City
A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America
Erik Larson
Appears in 3 articles
1 recommender
9
i
I'll Be Gone in the Dark
One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
Michelle McNamara
Appears in 3 articles
10
i
American Fire
Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land
Monica Hesse
Appears in 2 articles
MOST RECOMMENDED!
11
i
Bad Blood
Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
John Carreyrou
Appears in 2 articles
4 recommenders
12
i
Mindhunter
Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit
John E. Douglas
Appears in 2 articles
13
i
The Blood of Emmett Till
Timothy B. Tyson
Appears in 2 articles
14
i
The Fact of a Body
A Murder and a Memoir
Alex Marzano-Lesnevich
Appears in 2 articles
15
i
The Feather Thief
Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
Kirk Wallace Johnson
Appears in 2 articles
16
i
Black Edge
Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street
Sheelah Kolhatkar
Appears in 2 articles
2 recommenders
17
i
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher
A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective
Kate Summerscale
Appears in 2 articles
18
i
Devil's Knot
The True Story of the West Memphis Three
Mara Leveritt
Appears in 2 articles
19
i
Party Monster
A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland
James St. James
Appears in 2 articles
20
i
The Journalist And The Murderer
Janet Malcolm
Appears in 2 articles
2 recommenders
21
i
Shot in the Heart
Mikal Gilmore
Appears in 2 articles
22
i
American Predator
The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century
Maureen Callahan
Appears in 2 articles
23
i
Lost Girls
An Unsolved American Mystery
Robert Kolker
Appears in 2 articles

FAQ

How was this list created?
We searched for "best True Crime books", found the top 5 articles, took every book mentioned in 2+ articles, and averaged their rankings.
How many books are in this list?
There are 23 books in this list.
Why did you create this list?
We wanted to gather the most accurate list of True Crime books on the internet.