True crime reads are – both new and old – are expected to be a holiday essential this summer. Whether you’re new to the genre or a long-time fan, these titles should be on your radar.
True crime reads are experiencing a renaissance, just in time for summer. According to new research from digital magazine and subscription app Readly, two-thirds of Brits say they will read the genre over the summer, with nearly half of readers excited to read about high-profile crimes with major twists and turns.
Back-to-back celebrity trials and the release of TV shows based on tragic cases are no doubt putting crime on the mind for many. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as some psychologists suggest true crime is a ‘coping mechanism’ for many.
If you’re stumped on where to get started or want to get ahead of the major film and TV releases of the year, here are the true crime books that should be on your radar.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Many know I’ll Be Gone in the Dark thanks to the brilliant six-part documentary series from HBO that was based on the book. But even if you’ve already seen the show, true crime journalist Michelle McNamara’s detailed investigation into The Golden State Killer will leave you gripping the pages.
What’s your favourite true crime read? Let us know your recommendations in the comments.
McNamara took on the case nearly three decades after the elusive serial rapist-turned-murdered who terrorised California disappeared. While she died tragically in the middle of her investigation, the book showcases her determination to seek justice for her victims but is also a meditation on one woman’s obsession.
The Five: The Untold Lives of The Women Killed by Jack The Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
The infamy of Jack the Ripper is well-documented, but the women whose lives he claimed have been shamefully unexplored until Hallie Rubenhold’s The Five. Rubenhold’s work centres on the unique lives of the victims – Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane – and highlights the misogyny behind the Ripper myth.
The Five is a captivating biography of Victorian womanhood and the poverty and abuse that coloured their lives. The damning study has won numerous awards including the Baillie Gifford Prize 2019 and was shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize 2020.
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
Showcasing exceptional reporting from Patrick Radden Keefe (who went on to pen Empire of Pain about the opioid crisis and the role of the Sackler family), Say Nothing starts with the disappearance of a mother of ten, Jean McConville, in 1970s Belfast.
But this is more than just a story of one woman’s disappearance. Keefe masterfully puts the crime in the larger context of The Troubles and weaves in portraits of various Irish Republican Army members, including the infamous Price sisters.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
Killers of the Flower Moon tells the story of some of the members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma, who were the richest people per capita in the world in the 1920s. That is until, one by one, the Osage were mysteriously killed off – along with anyone that attempted to investigate the deaths.
Only just created, the FBI worked with an undercover team to expose what turned out to be one of the most egregious conspiracies in American history. The star-studded Scorsese-directed film of the same name is also compelling but Grann’s masterful writing should not be missed.
The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson
Maggie Nelson’s memoir, The Red Parts, documents how the murder case of her aunt was reopened after three decades after the discovery of new DNA findings. But the new evidence did more than just reopen the investigation and trial, it also revealed old wounds for Nelson and her family.
The provocative account highlights American’s obsession with violence and missing white women, as well as themes of grief and immense empathy.
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
Furious Hours sheds light on the mysterious years after Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird when she worked on a true crime book. Despite spending a year in her home state of Alabama to cover the trial of the Reverend Willie Maxwell for the murder of his family, Lee never published her story.
Casey Cep’s book details the story that Harper Lee wanted to write and why it never saw the light of day.
