15 Must-Read True Crime Books 2026

Michael Jackson’s closest sister pulls back the curtain to reveal the inner workings of the Jackson family, Michael’s tortured soul, and her own love for her brother in this intimate portrait of a beloved, yet troubled, pop legend.
 

A propulsive and “deeply human” (The Minnesota Star Tribune) memoir about a brother’s decades-long investigation into the circumstances surrounding his sister’s tragic death—and his own journey to forgiveness and closure.
 

This chilling true story and “harrowing account of the evil that can lurk around the edges of girlhood” (Carolyn Murnick, author of The Hot One)—reminiscent of Ann Rule’s classic The Stranger Beside Me—follows a little girl longing for love who finds friendship with her charismatic babysitter, unaware that he is a vicious serial killer.

Illuminating and captivating, New York Times bestselling author of Tinseltown and Bogart offers the first definitive account of the Black Dahlia murder—the most famous unsolved true crime case in American history—which humanizes the victim and situates the notorious case within an anxious, postwar country grappling with new ideas, demographics, and technologies.
 

The #1 New York Times bestselling authors of Mindhunter revisit some of the most infamous true crime cases of all time—from Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey and more—in this updated 25th anniversary edition.
 

The first book to explain why the world was primed for the Luigi Mangione moment, showing the history that led him to be embraced as an avenger with an affection not seen since Jesse James or Robin Hood.
 

In this thrilling true story, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jake Tapper uncovers an investigation—unlike any other in American history—to lock up a dangerous terrorist before he’s set free.
 

A compelling work of investigative journalism that explores the surprising origins and hidden ramifications of an epic late 1960s hoax, perpetrated by cultural luminaries, including Victor Navasky and E.L. Doctorow. For readers curious about the surprising connections between John F. Kennedy, Oliver Stone, Timothy McVeigh, Alex Jones, and Donald Trump.
 

WINNER OF THE NEW ENGLAND SOCIETY BOOK AWARD

In Cara Robertson’s “enthralling new book,” The Trial of Lizzie Borden, “the reader is to serve as judge and jury” (The New York Times). Based on twenty years of research and recently unearthed evidence, this true crime and legal history is the “definitive account to date of one of America’s most notorious and enduring murder mysteries” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

In this provocative and eye-opening classic of investigative journalism, the #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ann Rule, explores the nearly twenty-year long search for America’s most prolific and horrifying serial killer.
 

The #1 New York Times bestselling author and true crime master Ann Rule presents her fifteenth volume of the acclaimed Crime Files series focusing on disturbing stories of people in danger, sometimes from strangers and sometimes from the people they know and love.
 

From bestselling author Ann Rule comes the engrossing true crime story of two beautiful, loving women, and their murder by the man in their life—handsome, charming, rich, a man marked for unlimited success—but one who would never allow any woman to leave him, no matter what the provocation.
 

*Now a Hulu limited series starring Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, and Archie Panjabi!*

“A swift, harrowing classic perfect for these unnerving times.” —Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation

One moonlit night, fourteen-year-old Reena Virk went to join friends at a party and never returned home.

Now a Netflix original series

Discover the classic, behind-the-scenes chronicle of John E. Douglas’ twenty-five-year career in the FBI Investigative Support Unit, where he used psychological profiling to delve into the minds of the country’s most notorious serial killers and criminals.

From critically acclaimed author Mikita Brottman, a true “psychological thriller as intricately organized as a Hitchcock movie” (Madison Smartt Bell, author All Souls’ Rising) about sex, religion, and murder in the deep South.
 

*A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING REESE WITHERSPOON AND COLIN FIRTH*

The West Memphis Three. Accused, convicted…and set free. Do you know their story?