I haven't finished anything new since my review of
Circe, but I am reading a good true crime book (stay tuned for a review, probably next week, of
The Anatomy of Motive), and it prompted me to make a list of some of my all-time favorite true crime authors and books.
If you read nothing else on this list, you've got to read this one. If you have any interest in true crime at all, you can't miss it, especially if the recently released
Netflix series on the Ted Bundy tapes piqued your interest.
First, it's written by Ann Rule, who you'll see from the rest of this list is a favorite of mine. And Ted Bundy is certainly a must-read for anyone interested in true crime. However, there's more to it than that.
As with any Rule book, it's thoroughly researched and in depth (it weighs in at a healthy 560 pages). However, what's really fascinating is Rule's personal touch. There was serial killer - uncaught - on the west coast Rule was researching for a book. Meanwhile, she was friends with a charming young man who worked at a crisis hotline with her - Ted Bundy. Her discussion of finding out that her friend was the serial killer she was writing about adds a whole other dimension to the book, as does her in-depth discussion at the end regarding the psychology behind Bundy and others like him.
This is another need-to-read, in my opinion. Written by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, it discusses the formation and early years of the FBI's behavioral sciences unit and some of the major cases over Douglas's career with the unit. It's, as you may have guessed, part of the inspiration for the
Netflix series of the same name - also worth watching. For anyone interested in the criminal mind, with profiles of specific criminal masterminds, this is worth reading.
The only downside on this one is Douglas himself. Let's just say he isn't exactly modest. I don't deny he's certainly earned the chance to be confident, but he comes off - for me - as arrogant and annoying in this first book. However, I think the value of the content outweighs the negative of the narrators personality. And, for what it's worth, he seems to tone that down is his other books.
Like Mindhunter, this one covers a variety of cases. However, instead of looking at the psychological aspect of crime, this one discusses the history of forensic technology, looking at the early cases that led to forensic developments from finger-printing to DNA.
This one is a nice quick read and covers many cases you may not have heard of, and I love the history. In addition, it doesn't focus only on United States or even European cases, which is a big positive in my eyes.
This is a classic I imagine just about everyone has heard of, but I couldn't make a list of true crime books and not include it.
First, the Manson murders are a crime unlike most others, and therefore are worth reading about if you're interested in this genre. Furthermore, Bugliosi, who was the prosecutor in the case, gives us a great and thorough insiders view, and the book is engaging. It offers an interesting look at not only the case but also the era.
As a side note, while I am not adding it to this list per se, I can also recommend his book
And the Sea Will Tell.
Another Ann Rule, this book gives the Bundy book a run for its money in interest factor and readability. Despite his victim count, Gary Ridgway seems to be lesser-known than many of America's other serial killers, but I personally found him pretty interesting to read about.
Rule again gives us a solid analysis of the cases Ridgway was involved in, along with a discussion of his psychology and what may have drive him. It also has a similar feel to her Bundy book, which earns it a place on this list.
Disclaimer: I "read" this one on audio-book, so keep that in mind if you compare my discussion to the others books, as I tend to have a harder time focusing on audio-books.
The first half of this one was really fascinating; it was pretty chilling to hear about child Jim Jones and his early interactions and manipulations of people. It was also really fascinating to hear his evolution and how he got to be the preacher that people would follow to death.
On the other hand, the middle-later part of the book bogged down for me. There were so many details about smaller things that just didn't hold my attention as well, although I suspect this is in part because I was listening to it rather than reading it. It was still interesting enough, especially in the beginning, to earn it a place on this list.
I wrote a full review of this one
here, but I think it's also worth including on this list. I really enjoyed this one; it really brought a lot to the table. Not only does it address some of the early history of the FBI, which makes it worth reading if you're interested in true crime, but it also highlighted a lesser known period in American history.
I didn't know anything about this period, and neither did other people I have spoken with. One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that it really delved into the injustices the Osage people were subjected to even before the murders. This one is well worth a read for anyone interested in true crime or US history.
Yes, Ann Rule makes my list again - as you can tell, I really like her books. I'd honestly recommend any of them, but these are my top three favorites.
Unlike the other two, this one isn't about a serial killer. Fair warning - this one will really tug at your heart strings. It's a really amazing expose on the depth of love a child can have for a parent, and therefore the depth of harm a parent can cause. As with the Bundy and Green River books, Rule delves into the psychology and childhood of the "bad guy" at an impressive level, really giving you a thorough and in-depth understanding of what happened in this case and how a family could go so terribly wrong.
You're probably going to wonder why this belongs on a true crime list, but bear with me! This one is by one of my favorite historical fiction and non-fiction history, Alison Weir.
In this one, she delves into the War of the Roses and the mystery of the princes in the Tower of London and who killed them, which is how it makes my true crime list. Sure, it's not your average true crime, but it's one of the western world's great enduring mysteries and I think that makes it worth reading. And anything by Weir is enjoyable.
I won't give any spoilers, but yes she does give us her conclusion as to who done it, with lots of evidence to back up her argument. In my opinion, this one is worth taking a detour for, even if it's outside your normal reading interests.
I'm sneaking another John Douglas onto the list. I found him less annoying in this one, so it's got that going for it. The other reason I enjoyed this one is that it has such a variety. Douglas uses this book to go back into some of history's greatest and most debated cases and gives his perspective as an FBI profiler. He discusses Lizzie Borden, Jack the Ripper, JonBenet Ramsey, the Linbergh kidnapping, the Zodiac Killer, and possibly others I am forgetting.
This one really spans history, which I enjoyed, but it also spans types of cases from serial killers to kidnappers, which also makes it worth reading. I also appreciate that in the unsolved cases he doesn't say "this is who did it;" he acknowledges that, especially in older cases, it may never be possible to give a definitive answer. Rather, he uses his education and training to say "this is the type of person who did it," and then discusses whether there were any suspects that fit that profile. It offers a really interesting look at some of history's most famous crimes.
I'm sneaking in a bonus for you. As with some of the others on this list, this isn't necessarily the traditional true crime book. Like Rule's Bundy book, the author actually knew the subject of the book, Lee Harvey Oswald. She met him when he was living in Moscow as a defector. After Oswald was shot, she spent months with his widow Marina discussing Oswald's childhood, their marriage, and the lead up to the Kennedy assassination, offering a level of personal detail I've not seen many other places.
As with Rule, she delves into the psychology of why Oswald did what he did; in case you can't tell, this is an important part of a good true crime book for me. She discusses his childhood, his family dynamics, and his feelings about Kennedy - which will probably surprise you. She also gives a feeling for what might have prevented the assassination from happening. All in all, I fascinating and well researched look at one of history's most notorious men, and well worth a spot on this list.
Another Bernard Cornwell series down! This trilogy, while not as good (in my opinion) as his Arthur trilogy, was absolutely worth reading if you enjoy European historical fiction and/or military historical fiction.
The series, which starts with The Archer's Tale, follows our hero (or anti-hero?) Thomas of Hookton from a small village where he is a priest's bastard son, to a military career as an English archer and leader of men. It continues with Vagabond and wraps up with Heretic. (A fourth book, 1356, is sometimes listed as a fourth book in the series, but from what I can tell is technically a stand alone that features Thomas, but is a separate series of events and does not need to be read as part of the Grail trilogy.)
However, as mentioned before, some of that history is really interesting. While the book isn't focused on the major historical events going on around Thomas and his companions, it is focused on the details of everyday life for someone like Thomas - an archer in the English army (most of the time). Generally in the historical fiction I have read, the focus is on the big picture events more than those gritty details. Incidentally, this seems to be something Cornwell excels at, as he does it really well in his Arthur trilogy as well. You really feel the detail of the battles and the experiences of the characters, right down to the lice. 
