100 True Crime Books That Prove Fact Is Stranger Than Fiction

Do you think "true crime" refers just to the work of serial killers? Think again. Whether you're fascinated by robbers, kidnappers, gunslingers, fugitives, outlaws, white-collar criminals, gang members, Mafia dons, assassins, or cold-blooded murders, true crime covers it all. We've rounded up some of the best true crime books of all time — including memoirs, journalistic investigations, and real-life stories so crazy, they read like fiction — and we bet even the biggest true crime fans haven't heard of them all. Check out the gallery to see the wildest tales of deception, corruption, and destruction that have ever been published.

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1

Hell's Princess (Harold Schecter)

Hell's Princess

Harold Schecter

2

Gosnell (Ann McElhinney)

Gosnell

Ann McElhinney

3

The Monster of Florence

The Monster of Florence

4

The Devil in the White City (Erik Larson)

The Devil in the White City

Erik Larson

5

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

I'll Be Gone in the Dark

Michelle McNamara

6

A Serial Killer's Daughter (Kerri Rawson)

A Serial Killer's Daughter

Kerri Rawson

7

The Stranger Beside Me (Ann Rule)

The Stranger Beside Me

Ann Rule

8

Killer Clown (Terry Sullivan)

Killer Clown

Terry Sullivan

9

You Think You Know Me (Ryan Green)

You Think You Know Me

Ryan Green

10

Blind Eye (James Stewart)

Blind Eye

James Stewart

11

The Innocent Man (John Grisham)

The Innocent Man

John Grisham

12

In Cold Blood (Truman Capote)

In Cold Blood

Truman Capote

13

Columbine (Dave Cullen)

Columbine

Dave Cullen

14

Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three

Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three

15

The Executioner's Song (Norman Mailer)

The Executioner's Song

Norman Mailer

16

Helter Skelter (Vincent Bugliosi)

Helter Skelter

Vincent Bugliosi

17

People Who Eat Darkness

People Who Eat Darkness

18

Raven (Tim Reiterman)

Raven

Tim Reiterman

19

Party Monster (James St. James)

Party Monster

James St. James

20

My Dark Places

My Dark Places

21

Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey Through a Country's Descent Into Darkness (Alfredo Corchado)

Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey Through a Country's Descent Into Darkness

Alfredo Corchado

22

Killers of the Flower Moon (Grann)

Killers of the Flower Moon

Grann

23

Lost Girls (Robert Kolker)

Lost Girls

Robert Kolker

24

The Grim Sleeper (Christine Pelisek)

The Grim Sleeper

Christine Pelisek

25

Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson)

Just Mercy

Bryan Stevenson

26

Missoula (Jon Krakauer)

Missoula

Jon Krakauer

27

Evidence of Love (John Bloom & Jim Atkinson)

Evidence of Love

John Bloom & Jim Atkinson

28

The Dead Girl (Melanie Thernstrom)

The Dead Girl

Melanie Thernstrom

29

Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigations of a Lifetime (Ron Stallworth)

Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigations of a Lifetime

Ron Stallworth

30

Suspicions of Mr. Whicher (Kate Somerscale)

Suspicions of Mr. Whicher

Kate Somerscale

31

American Fire: Love, Arson and Life in a Vanishing Land (Monica Hesse)

American Fire: Love, Arson and Life in a Vanishing Land

Monica Hesse

32

Shot in the Heart (Mikal Gilmore)

Shot in the Heart

Mikal Gilmore

33

Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade (Walter Kirn)

Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade

Walter Kirn

34

The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir (Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich)

The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir

Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

35

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets

36

The Brothers (Masha Gessen)

The Brothers

Masha Gessen

37

Blood of Emmett Till (Tyson)

Blood of Emmett Till

Tyson

38

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

The Red Parts: Autobiography of a Trial

Maggie Nelson

39

The Manson Women and Me (Nikki Meredith)

The Manson Women and Me

Nikki Meredith

40

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist (Radley Balko)

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist

Radley Balko

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